The crisis in Venezuela has worsened and a wave of chaos has surged; protests, spots of violence, and looting originate in many parts of the country mainly because of food shortages. Supporters of the current president still assume the political charge at the cost of many casualties and the capture of a rebel general perpetrator of the uprising. Everything has returned to an uneasy normality and the food shortage situation is being dealt with to a small extent; foodstuffs are slowly becoming more available but they remain expensive. Alejandro took preventive measures in the past to prepare himself for a more hostile land, he was training on his own Close Quarters Combat with the help of the Internet and books on self-defense and a few sparring sessions with Roberth, as he also exhibits martial-arts competence.

“Another day, the same mess…” Alejandro mutters to himself while walking near a supermarket, looking at the long lines to buy food and other important articles. The long lines are just one example of how bad the situation is. After buying supplies from a trustworthy contact Alejandro returns home by taking a questionable shortcut.

He is cornered by five strangers.

“Hey clown, are you lost?” says one thug.

“Gives us the bag, or I will fill you with lead,” says another, presumably the leader.

“What’s the matter wimp, can’t handle a fight without guns?” says Alejandro.

They shoot him twice, once in the head and the other in the chest.

As one of the thugs goes to retrieve the bag,

Alejandro gets up from the floor, his aggressors perplexed by how he survived.

“What the? He’s a goddamn zombie!” says one of the thugs.

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“Now you are in trouble,” says Alejandro.

Before they could shoot again, Alejandro lunges against his aggressors, bringing down two of them with a bone-shattering punch to the chest to each one with just enough force to incapacitate and not kill. He doesn’t want to kill them.

One of the thugs takes aim at Alejandro, but he quickly disarms him and applies the same strike to his chest.

The leader lunges at Alejandro with a knife to avoid being grabbed and hurled to a wall, and Alejandro grabs the last thug by the neck and tosses him to the ground. As the leader tries to flee Alejandro takes the knife and throws it to his leg, pinning him down, then he approaches him with a sigh.

“Well, well, well… You know some people work hard to get their daily bread but YOU prefer to snatch it from others. Tell me, what should I do with you?” Alejandro paces from one spot to another.

“I won’t rob anymore, just let me go,” says the leader.

“For the sake of your health I hope so.” He pulls the knife from the thug’s leg, making him wince from the pain. “Now you better go get yourself some bandages and some splints for your friends.”

After that, Alejandro began to loot the thugs in search of any object of value; he developed an interest in acquiring “Trophies” or “Souvenirs” of his fallen enemies, be animal or human, anything from fangs, claws to parts of clothes and weapons. If the opponent was not powerful enough but possesses a striking trinket he’ll keep it just for ornamental purpose.

First he inspects the knife of the thug leader.

“Nice trench knife, it has a good custom design.”

Searching for anything of interest from the other thugs he gets a dog tag, a silver chain and a switchblade as souvenirs, plus their money, pistols and ammo. Finishing his business, he continues his way home, finding a shocked aunt.

“Oh my God Alejandro, what they have done to you?”

“Me? I just played with some street brats and it ended badly,” Alejandro says, aware that he must look bad, with another man’s blood on his clothes.

“I worry when you go out, knowing everything that is happening nowadays… the looting, protests, more crime in the streets, I even heard rumors of riot control using lethal weapons without deliberation…”

“You just relax, I know how to survive in the jungle, I brought you food and some money, courtesy of my friends.”

“OK, but keep that pistol out of sight, you know that my sister gets anxious with those guns around.”