In the far west of Europe, there is a small country bordering the North Sea called the Netherlands. It is located next to Germany and Belgium. It is one of the smaller countries located in Europe, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in welfare. In the northern part of this country laid its capital city, Amsterdam.

Amsterdam was known for its variety in ethnic groups, drugstores and most of all its many canals. Throughout the whole city you would find the most beautiful canals and old-fashioned buildings, located in the city-center. It had kept many old-fashioned buildings for the sake of history, but had many urban, conventional buildings also. It was hard to find a spot in Amsterdam without water, for it had been underwater many years ago. This city was divided in 5 regions that had been named the following: North-, South-, East-, West-Amsterdam and the city-center. Each region had its own virtue.

 Usually, the sounds off canal boats and sight-seeing tourists would fill the air, but not today. ––

It was winter in Holland, and the ice of the frozen canals had attained brick-like solidness. Heavy snowfalls were not a common thing in this country, but today the streets of Amsterdam were covered in a thick snow blanket, and it was still snowing. The temperature outside had reached 23 degrees, and that was without considering the frosty wind coming from the North Sea. No one right in his mind would leave his house today without good reason.       

(Note: Holland is another word for Netherlands)

 –– The streets were almost empty, and the traffic had gone silent.

 In the southern region however, there was a university that continued its classes. It was one of the best universities in the city who specialized in biological and scientific studies. The building was as big as a soccer stadium and its exterior-walls were mostly made out of shaded windows. It was a handsome building that struck many with awe with it’s overwhelming size, for this was Amsterdam’s very own Lions Gate University.

The university was in a period of crucial exams, and for that reason, had chosen to stay open.

Amsterdam - South (Lions Gate University - first year exam classroom)

It was a typical sight to behold in a university.

The tables and seats were perfectly lined up as the students were making their tests. A middle-aged man in a black suit, walking through the lined-up tables, seemed to be observing them. His gaze would fall upon the sheets sometimes. Every time he looked at the sheets on the table of the students, he would show a satisfied smile. You could see that this teacher loved his job and that the efforts of the students left him with pride.

*Riiiiiiiinggggggg!!*

A bell, that sounded more like a buzzer, could be heard all over the classroom.

The source of this sound was a black device that looked like a mini school bell stuck on the wall. The teacher swept his gaze across the classroom upon hearing the bell.

“The bell is ringing students. That means your time for the exams is up.”

Hearing the teacher’s words, the students put their sheets on the corner of their table, so that the teacher could pick them up. Some of them however, still tried to write some answers down as fast as they could. They had not managed to finish the test within the given time.

Seeing the students try this, the teacher could only feel pity for their actions, and could not find it in himself to scold them. This was due to the fact, that this was a very important test which could make… or destroy your whole year as a student.

One of these pitiful student’s name was Zack Florique.

‘Shit! This test is multiple-choice. If I fail this one I might as well just quit studying medicine.’ Zack was thinking to himself as he tried to finish his test as quickly as possible.

Zack wanted to write down as many answers as he could before his teacher would come to pick up his sheets. Zack lifted his head to check the distance between his table and the teacher.

Their eyes met. The teacher gave Zack a pained glare. ––

This was not the first time the teacher had caught Zack doing this. As a matter of fact, Zack had been doing this on all of his tests this period. The teacher had much fate in Zack at the start of this year, but he was starting to have his doubts. And who could blame him?

Zack didn’t. He knew he was performing poorly and was losing credit because of it.

–– Zack couldn’t help but to stop writing on his test sheet when he saw the teacher’s facial expression. He handed his sheets to the teacher, and at the same time shame started welling up inside of him. Just when the teacher was about to walk away with his sheets, he turned to look at Zack once again while his pained face remained.

“You wouldn’t be struggling with the tests, if you just took your time to study for them Zack.”

A bitter smile appeared on Zack’s face.

The truth was, Zack had been learning to the best of his abilities for every test. He couldn’t have studied any better for this test then he already did.

‘Does it look like I’m not even trying to him?’ He couldn’t help but mutter to himself as the teacher walked away.

The teacher gathered all of the sheets and folded them up nicely on his desk. When he was sure that he had everyone’s sheets, he raised his face to look at the class.

“I hope you all are happy with your performance today. You’re all dismissed!”

Hearing these words, all the students started walking out of the classroom while grabbing their jackets and backpacks in the corner of the classroom. Zack followed the rest of the students out of the classroom and entered the hallway while scratching his head.

“Damn... I messed up again.”

The truth of the matter was, Zack had to pass this year. Better yet, he had to pass this and all off the upcoming years of his study. He needed to finish this study at all cost.

His mom has been in the hospital for 3 years now. The doctors say they don’t know what kind of disease it is, but it is taking the life out of her little by little. His mom had raised him on her own, and he couldn’t stand the thought of losing his only parent. His mom had always wanted for him to be a doctor, but this was not the only reason he chose this path. He started studying medics, so he could have a well-paid job, pay his mom’s treatment, and study his mom’s disease himself one day. Studies would take a fair amount of Zack’s time, as he had no knowledge over this thing called ‘free-time’. The only spare time he had, he spent working at a restaurant. The insurance wouldn’t cover all the expenses of his mom’s stay in the hospital, so he had no choice but to work.

The reason Zack was flopping every test this semester, was due to headaches he would experience during the night. He has had these troubles at night since he was little. The pain would come from time to time, but since a short while ago, the pain has been getting worse and more frequent. Every day he came closer to realizing his dream of becoming a doctor was getting further out his reach. Nonetheless, he couldn’t let his thoughts get the better of him. To him, admitting to that thought would be the same as giving up on his plans to save his mom.

Zack was walking down the hallway losing himself in his thoughts.

Many joyful students who knew him had passed him in the hallway, even though they had wanted to start a conversation with Zack. Unfortunately, he had a gloomy vibe around him that made people think twice before starting a conversation.

Zack didn’t seem to mind it though.

Seemingly unaware of the vibe he was giving of, he mindlessly took a look out of the window, which covered most of the hallway.

'Damn, it’s still snowing like crazy. This day is just messed up!’ This crossed Zack’s mind as he was dumfounded by what he saw before him.

Since the exam classrooms didn’t have windows, he was shocked to see the view outside trough the wall-like windows in the hallway. Where others would have been entranced by the winter wonderland, Zack felt nothing but annoyance. – After letting it sink in that he had to walk through that weather, he continued his steps with frustration.

As he resumed walking down the hallway with the bitter aftertaste of the test he just made, he heard fast footsteps behind him.

When he turned around to see who was running, he saw a cheerful youth running his way. Zack’s already annoyed face had reached a new stage, for he knew this youth all too well. ––

The youth had brown-colored tidy hair, hazel eyes, and a slender build. His hair was waxed and combed to the back, which was a typical hairstyle for western teenagers. His brows were a little on the rough side which made his eyes give the impression of a wild animal. Though, his gaze was so radiant, he looked more like a cute pet. At first glance one would think he had a rather thin build, but on the contrary, after a closer look you could see the cuts of his ripped muscles that were only visible due to the fact that he was wearing a t-shirt.

–– This youth’s name was Kemri Allen.

“Ey Zack! How did your test go? Do you think you passed it? Did you study well? Ofcourse you did, I’ve seen you study myself! You aced the test didn’t ya?” The youth said cheerfully while already having closed the distance between them.

“Kemri… please just stop talking for a second.” Zack said coldly without looking at the youth.

Kemri started laughing as if the cold words from Zack just now hadn’t even reached his ears. He put one of his arms around Zack’s shoulder as if they were the best buddies and started talking with a slightly softer volume.

“Come on, don’t be like that. I’ve been waiting for hours you know? I finished my test hours ago.”

“Well good for you then. Why don’t you do something useful with your time? And what did I tell you about acting all buddy-buddy with me huh!?”

Zack shifted his shoulder and slipped his head under the arm of Kemri, which resulted in the arm of Kemri falling down.

The reason Zack was acting this way, was simply because he couldn’t stomach this individual called Kemri.

Zack lived in a rented apartment specially made for students, which he shared with Kemri. They had been living with each other for 2 years, but he couldn’t stand Kemri’s jolly personality. At first, Zack could manage since he only came home to eat, sleep or study. Zack would isolate himself in his room most of the time anyway.

That’s why the fact that they were studying at the same school this year was giving Zack goosebumps.

“You know I like to be left alone…. And sorry to disappoint you but I have to go somewhere, so use your time meaningful Kemri… you never know how much you have left” Zack said while looking coldly in front of him.

Zack didn’t hesitate to use the fact that he was planning to go to the hospital in his advantage. He just simply wasn’t in the mood to be walking with Kemri right now.

Zack fastened his steps as the distance between him and Kemri was growing once more.

“Ah.. you must be in a hurry then. See ya at home!”

‘Tskk… can’t he take a hint? what a clown.’

Zack couldn’t help but have this thought as he looked at the smiling face far behind him. It was exactly because Kemri never seemed to be able to take hints, that it was so hard to deal with him.

Frustrated by the test and his encounter with Kemri, Zack headed for the exit of the university.

Amsterdam -  South (Waterfield Hospital)

*door at the reception hall opens*

A hooded youth in a thick parka winter coat enters the reception hall of the hospital. His sneakers were making squeaking sounds with every step, because of the moist underneath his feet. The fur on his hoodie, as well as his sneakers, had pieces of snow stuck on it. Looking at the fur and his sneakers, you could tell it was still snowing heavily outside.

The youth took of the hoodie while approaching the hospital’s reception counter. ––

His black curly hair had been pressed down to his scalp because of the hoodie he had been wearing. His lidded light brown eyes made you wonder if he was annoyed or just very tired. His skin complexion was of one who was neither black nor Caucasian.

–– This youth was Zack.

“Hello Anna, I’m here for my mom.”

Zack addressed the woman behind the counter in a friendly way.

“Hello Zack, I didn’t think you would come in this weather. It must still be snowing like crazy, you look like a popsicle.”

The corners of Zack’s mouth went up for the first time today.

“That’s true. But you know I come here every monday… no exception” Zack said in a joking tone.

The lady at the counter started laughing.

“Hahahahaha yes. Knowing you, you would even visit if there were snow wolves outside.” ––

The lady standing behind the counter her name was Anna. Anna had been seeing Zack every week since his mom got taken in by this hospital. Even though Zack wasn’t someone that loved being cheerful, he always seemed to be happy while talking to her.

Anna had blonde hair, though the light above the counter made it look like it was gold. Her hair was straight with a small curl on the end, and it was long enough to reach the back of her shoulders. Her sky-blue eyes were dazzling enough to even make passersby turn around after crossing her. She was in her mid-twenties and had a certain warmth in her voice that even made strangers feel acquittanced. She was one of the, if not the prettiest woman in the whole Waterfield hospital. Even though her beauty was undeniable, this was not the reason why Zack liked talking to her. It was because she was such a sincere person and had done everything to keep his mom’s spirit up during her time in the hospital.

–– “Ms. Florique just got checked by the doctor a second ago, so I bet she will be happy to see you enter right now.”

After saying this with her innocent smile, she pressed the button to open the door that goes to the patient sector.

Zack happily swept a small glance at Anna while walking towards the door.

“Thank you, Anna.”

As he was walking in the hallway of the patient sector, Zack’s happy expression started to fade, and he began to feel a little grim. But this feeling was nothing new for him. This was because he never knew in what condition he would encounter his mom when he visited. It could only get worse after all…

But he had to stay strong, so his mom wouldn’t notice. He felt that he was supposed to be her light in this dark moment and couldn’t show negative emotions in front of her.

He was getting closer and closer to the door of his moms’ room. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

‘Wait a minute.. did Anna just say the doctors checked? Does that mean there was a reason to check my mom!? No wait calm down, it could just be a casual check to see how she’s doing…. right?!’

Zack’s thoughts started going on a rampage as he was getting closer to his mom’s room. This anxiousness wasn’t anything new though.

“The exam from earlier today must be stressing me out.” He told himself to calm down.

After a while, he arrived in front of the door of his mom’s room.

'Calm down Zack….We’re here…..time to cheer mom up again’

*Zack opens door*

When Zack looked inside the room he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

His voice was barely able to leave his mouth. The reason being, that scene he saw before him was really confusing. 

His mom was laying on her bed like usual, but this time there were a few things different. She had all kinds of cords attached to her body and was wearing an oxygen mask. The sounds of beeping from the heart monitor surrounded the room. Two doctors were standing next to her bed and had slightly panicked faces. They were conversing, but he couldn’t make out what they were talking about as he was still in shock of the sight before him.

The doctors hadn’t even noticed Zack opening the door or the question that had barely left his mouth. One off the doctors was holding a note pad in one of his arms. During the conversation he glanced over his note pad and the look on his face changed. His slightly panicked face turned in to one filled with sadness. Zack saw this and chose to focus on the conversation.

“I guess she held on long enough these couple of years.”

“Yeah, too bad we couldn’t find the cause in the end.”

“That is most certainly a regret, but we did al in our power…or well.. we weren’t authorized to do more than we did.”

The doctors were conversing in a gloomy tone.

Zack couldn’t bear to listen to the conversation any longer. He tried to calm himself, but he felt his mind going blanc. His body was felt heavier with every word leaving the doctor’s mouth.

His mom was cheerfully talking to him on the phone just yesterday. He couldn’t guess what could have possibly caused such a turn of events.

He tightly clenched his fist to ready himself up for the facts of the matter. 

“One of you better come with one hell of a good explanation!” Zack said in an angrily loud tone.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Both of the doctors were looking at Zack with faces full of surprise. Naturally they were in shock. For them, Zack had just appeared out of nowhere. And to top it all, this youngster had the nerve to address them in such a rude way.

“Hey kid, this is not a room you can just burst in to. Who are you?” one of the doctors said in an irritated tone.  

Zack grinded his teeth against each other as he was trying to remain levelheaded. This was, because he heard what the doctors were talking about just now and couldn’t help but feel a little hostile towards them.

“The son.. of the women you are standing next to.”

The doctor his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. He could guess now why the boy had addressed them in this rude way. He must have heard the conversation of him and his colleague.

“Oh... eh.. Zack Florique I presume? Well this is.. uh..”

“This is exactly what it looks like. I’m going to keep it straight to the point mr. Florique” 

The partner of the doctor helped his colleague finish his sentence when he saw that he was in too much of a shock to do it himself.

He continued speaking in a calm way.

“Your mother is in a grave state as you can see. She has been in need for treatment for a long time now, but as of today she needs treatment right away. But honestly speaking, I don’t think you will be able to pay for the treatment. The incurrence companies don’t help much with these kinds of unknown diseases. If she remains in this state, she’ll be a vegetable in no time. And keeping her in the hospital in this state, will also cost a lot of money, since she will be taking the spots of people who actually can be helped. We are planning to release her this week if the situation doesn’t change. I presume you understand what this means?”

‘These bastards have no heart!’

After hearing the doctor’s words, time was moving in slow-motion for Zack. He was trying to process everything that was happening, in this slowly passing moment. ––

Zack’s unbounded rage was visible through his eyes. -- But he was a logical thinking guy, deep down he knew he couldn’t fully blame the doctors. No, in fact the doctors weren’t to blame for this situation at all.

–– During this time, he realized who the real person to blame was.

It was himself.

'I have been only thinking about future plans all this time, while mom needed help as soon as possible. I was being way too optimistic… yes, me of all people. I’ve only been fooling myself thinking I could change the situation.’

Tears started filling Zack’s eyes as he was realizing al his errors of the past few years. His mom was his world, and he was losing her.

An expression of regret could be seen on the doctor’s face, as he was watching Zack break apart right in front of him. Harsh as it may be, the doctor had only spoken the truth.

Zack just simply couldn’t accept it like this.

“There must be someway right? I’ll do anything sir.. just please take care of my mother!” The despair in his voice could be heard loud and clear.

“We…we can’t do that Mr. Florique….. We’re not authorized.” One of the doctor’s said while trying to remain composed.

Now both doctors were avoiding Zack’s gaze. All they felt was pity for this young man. For them, the fact of the matter was, that the youngster in front of them was just simply unlucky. But like him, there were many others in the hospital with unfortunate situations. So, the thought of making an exception didn’t even cross the doctor’s minds. 

After looking at both doctors, Zack realized that talking wouldn’t change anything. Unable to handle reality, Zack ran out of the room. He was sprinting trough the hallway of the hospital without paying any regard to his surroundings. He even bumped against a few workers and patients, but he didn’t mind. All he was thinking about at this moment, was to escape reality.

At a certain point, he reached the reception room. His eyes were still teary as he was running for the exit. Right before he was about the grab the door of the exit, a soothing voice reached his ears.

“Zack are you going already?”

These were the words of Anna, who was dumfounded by the way Zack was rushing out of the same hospital he had just entered 10 minutes ago.

Without paying any regard to the words of Anna, Zack grabbed the exit.

*exit door opens*

Amsterdam – West (Botrex Street)

The light has left the sky while the night started to take over. The only visible light left was from the lampposts on the streets. The snow had stopped falling from the sky, but on the ground laid a big pile of snow, that could reach the waist of a standing toddler. The allies were empty, and except for some pubs and cafés, the streets were dead.

Looking down the street, you could see the shadow of a man walking. His steps were heavy, and his shoulders looked like that of a Deadman. He was nicely packed, wearing a thick hooded winter jacket, and a scarf, which was concealing his mouth. He was facing the ground, and his eyes had a darkened layer around them.

This man was Zack.

After getting the news about his mom and running out of the hospital, Zack had aimlessly dragged himself around the city for hours until he arrived at Botrex Street.

He didn’t even know where he was. He had never been to this part of town before, but he did not care about that fact. Reality was not something he wanted to think about at the moment.

As he was searching for various methods to escape the real world, his gaze fell upon a pub. He started reading the sign on the roof of the pub with a blanc face.

“The Viking..”

He slowly made his way to the entrance of the pub. He thought that maybe a few drinks would help him to ease his mind.

*Door of the pub opens* 

This place was quite big, or better yet, it looked big because there were just a few people inside at the moment. The number of customers present at the pub could be counted with both hands. Something noteworthy also, was that all the people in the bar right now could be called suspicious, to say the least. There were 1 or 2 people who could be seen as ‘normal’, but the others just simply looked like gang members.

The floor of the pub was made out of oak wood. The floor wasn’t really dirty but squashy from al the melted snow. Every step could clearly be heard with a wet, squashy sound. The tables, and chairs also seemed to be made out of wood. They had some scratches, and stains here and there.

Staying in this pub for a few minutes would make you realize, that the squashy floor wasn’t even the worst part, -- this place reeked of beer and weed.

While shifting his scarf beneath his mouth, so that he could talk, Zack decided to walk to the barman, who was standing behind the bar, centered in the middle of the pub.

The bar had the form of half a circle. This was because the back of the bar reached the wall of the pub. The bar was surrounded by typical bar chairs, which were also made out of wood. The bar chairs had red cushions stuck on them for comfort. Behind the barman, stood something that looked like a library bookshelf. Except, instead of books, the shelfs were full of bottles filled with liquor.

*Squash* *squash* *squash* *squash* *squash*

Upon reaching one of the chairs in front of the bar, Zack looked at the barman.

“Can I have a shot of whiskey.” He asked while taking a seat. 

“Coming right up sir!” the barman said in a jolly way while analyzing Zack. 

Just when Zack wanted to plant his head on the bar from fatigue, he noticed a man sitting next to him.

‘Was he here all along?! How couldn’t I have noticed him?’

Zack quickly lifted his head up with a mystified look on his face. Zack had every right to be confused, because the man sitting next to him was too close, and too big to miss.

As Zack was glancing at him from the corner of his eyes, he could tell that the man had quite the presence. This man had a dark skin color and looked quite big. Zack was quite tall himself, but this man surpassed him by more than a little. The man was tall and wide. Because the man was wearing a thick jacket, it was hard to tell if it was fat or muscle that made him look that big. He was giving of a gloomy vibe wearing a black beanie and a black jacket. The scars on his hands gave off the impression of him being a man used to doing hard labor. His age was hard to tell, but it could be between the age of 25 and 35.

‘He must be 6,5 feet tall or something. What a monster.’ 

Zack was thinking to himself, without trying to let the man notice he was looking at him. The more he looked at the large man, the more he couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed his presence sooner.

After a while Zack realized the man had noticed his gaze, so he decided to ignore the man.

“Here you go sir." 

The barman slid a small glass filled with a brownish, gold looking liquid in the direction of Zack. 

The truth was that Zack had never drunk alcohol in his life. He once heard students talk about whiskey at school and how it helped them with depression. That’s the only reason Zack ordered it.

“Thank you.”

*gulp*

Zack didn’t hesitate to chug all of the whiskey down his throat right after he thanked the barman.

He could feel a burning sensation in his chest while he held back his urge to cough. The taste of the whiskey made the corners of his mouth move downwards, and before he knew it he was showing a disgusted facial expression. His body was refusing this liquid called whiskey without question, but he refused to listen to his body. 

“Another one.” He barely got that sentence out with a straight face.

“Ah..a Yes sir!”

As the barman turned around to prepare another shot, the man sitting next to Zack opened his mouth.

“Hey kid, getting wasted in this part of town is suicide.”

The big man next to him had spoken indifferently without looking at Zack. One could argue about if he was even talking to Zack in the first place.

“Hmph, if I want to commit suicide, then that should be none of your business, right?”

Zack was flabbergasted about what just came out of his own mouth. Normally he would have never said such a thing to a man looking like the terminator himself. But after what happened today, Zack just didn’t seem to care about anything.

A smirk appeared on the man’s face.

“You’re right, that’s none of my business.”

The man turned his face to meet Zack’s eyes.

Zack’s eyes widened. The man sitting next to him, his eyes were blue with traces of different accents of the same color. It seemed as if his eyes were alive. Anna her eyes couldn’t even compare to the ones Zack was looking at right now. Just as Zack was starting to lose himself in the eyes of the stranger, a thought occurred to him.

‘They can’t possibly be real… must be special lenses.’

While in his mind the moment had lasted a long time, -- in the real world their eyes had only met for a second.

“I know those eyes of yours. Quit the tough act kid.”

Before continuing, the man grabbed Zack’s shoulder and closed in on him.

“Death is very real my boy, albeit what you are seeking right now is something far away from reality.” He mockingly said with a faint smile.

After seeing Zack’s dumfounded face, the man let go of Zack’s shoulder and pulled his face away.

Zack was trying to understand what the man had just told him, but he couldn’t make anything out of it.

“Look at me…… wasting my time ridiculing a kid, I must be going nuts. Oldman thanks for the drinks, I’m out!”

The man left some money on the counter and took another quick look at Zack. His white teeth were made visible by the small grin that appeared on his face.

When he stood up, all the attention of the bar was focused on the man. It was as if all of them had suddenly noticed his presence. All of the customers looked at the man with surprised faces as the man calmly headed for the exit.

“What a weirdo.”

Zack let out these soft words immediately after the man had left the pub. He spoke softly, in case one of the man’s friends was sitting nearby.

‘What does he know? He doesn’t know what I’m going through… Screw him! Why am I even thinking about that guy?’

Zack didn’t like meddling in other people’s business. But like-wise, he disliked people meddling in his. Especially if it were strangers. That’s the reason the man’s behavior had rubbed Zack the wrong way.

As Zack tried to shake the small interaction he just had out of his mind, he kept ordering more and more drinks. 

‘And what’s up with calling me kid? I’m 20 you know!’

 ~A few moments later~

Zack had been having so many drinks, that he could pass out any minute. His head was resting on the bar as he was looking at the glass filled with tequila next to him with a absent gaze.

Normally the barman would kick out people that were this drunk, but Zack had given the barman a lot of money already halfway through his drinking spree. The money he gave to the barman was about double the value of the drinks he had drunk until now. And by looking at the way Zack had been drinking, the barman could tell he was reaching his limit. So, the barman decided to let him stay as long as he doesn’t puke.

*Squash* *squash* *squash*

Three figures approached the rear of the drunken Zack.

“Hey hey~! There you are buddy! I’ve been looking all over for you…. Let’s go home.”

Someone was speaking to Zack in a cheerful way, but this voice didn’t belong to anyone that Zack knew. 

No, these guys were members of the Maharia. ––

A local gang from the neighborhood. They were known for murders and robberies. The money they would gain from those crimes was quite a lot relatively speaking. But for how dirty your hand would get, it wouldn’t even be worth it for ordinary people. Unfortunately, these guys weren’t ordinary people. Each and every one of them had a twisted mind.

–– Two of the goons, next to the one who just spoke, each grabbed one of Zack’s arms and put them over their shoulder. Zack felt his feet dragging on the floor as both of the goons were carrying his weight while they were moving away from the bar.

The one on his left, had blonde sloppy hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed for a long time. Through his open smiling mouth, you could smell the stench of booze. His eyes were dark brown, and his nose was pointy, which made him somewhat resemble an owl.

The one on his right was a black man. He had a bald head and a scar on his cheek that could have been caused from either shaving, or a knife. Unlike his partner, he had a serious look with no form of glee whatsoever. His eyes looked devoid of emotion. As such, he was giving a more dangerous vibe then the guy on the other side.

But the most dangerous one was…

“Sorry Gerald… I’ll be taking this one with me.”

The goon who had acted like Zack’s friend was now addressing the barman in an acquittanced way.

The barman could do nothing but nod his head. Even though he had nothing against Zack, one would be foolish to start a discussion with members of the Maharia. If someone of the Maharia wanted you dead, you would die. That was the law around this part of town. And to top it all, the man standing in front of the barman was no pushover. His name was Barry, the craziest out of the bunch.

Barry was a pale-looking man who had black hair with a lot of small curls. His brown eyes were so dark, that they looked black. He had a pretty white smile. He looked like someone with a pure heart, but if you took the time to look deep in his eyes, you could see the soul of a complete madman.

“Let’s take our friend outside, shall we?”

The two goons followed Barry’s command and carried Zack outside. Zack was too dizzy to even notice he was being carried outside.

*Pub door opens*

They carried Zack to an ally not far from the pub.

“Here is good.” Barry said in a chilling tone that couldn’t be compared to the cheerfulness he had a minute ago.

As the goons stopped in the ally, Zack was still being carried on both their shoulders. Barry walked towards Zack, took of one of the gloves that he was wearing and put it in his pocket. 

“Please stay with me son. This might hurt a little”

*Pow!*

He punched Zack right on the jaw, with the same hand he had just removed the glove from. The sound of the impact was echoing through the ally. Zack’s dizziness was replaced with a rushing pain. Before he could react to the devastating hit he just got on his jaw, Barry came with another one.

*Pow!*

This one was aimed at his nose. Both of the goons let go of Zack as the impact of the blow made him fall back. Zack fell in the pack of snow and started curling up his body. 

‘I think it’s broken.’ Zack thought as the taste of iron started filling his mouth, and blood gushed out of his nostrils.

When he opened his mouth to tell them something, he sensed a drool of blood coming out of the corner of his mouth.

“P..Please stop.”

“This was to wake you up kiddo~ Now let’s get down to business.” Barry said with a smile on his face.

He walked towards Zack who was shaking and crawling in the snow. Zack was carrying himself on his hands and knees as he was trying to get up. When Barry stood in front of Zack, he bended down so that their eyes would be on the same level.

“Give me your I.D, your pay-card and all the money you have on you.”

Barry put his hand on Zack’s head while giving him these commands.

Zack didn’t hesitate one second to give him his wallet.

“Every..Everything is in there.”

Zack simply couldn’t stop shaking. At first, he thought it was the cold, but after looking in to Barry’s eyes he knew that that wasn’t the case.

It was pure fear. He could sense that this guy had no empathy whatsoever.

“Hmmm, yeah everything is in here guys.”

Barry was smiling as he was looking in to the contents of the wallet he just got handed.

“You see kiddo, I like people like you. I can see that you’re smart and able to read situations fast. But I had rather wanted you to act like a superman, so that we could have some real fun~. 

Barry’s smile reached a level where the corners of his mouth looked like they would touch his ears. 

“You see my friend over there? He likes to have fun with guys. Can’t you help a brother out?” 

He was cheerfully pointing towards the goon with blonde hair.

Zack couldn’t believe what he just heard. This couldn’t really be happening to him.

“Yeahhh Barry I love this part!~”

The blonde guy let out a cheer while a lewd smile appeared on his face. He started walking towards Barry and Zack while putting one hand in his jacket, like he was searching for something. When the distance between him and Zack was almost nonexistent, he pulled out a knife which was as long as a butcher’s knife.

When Zack saw this, his mind returned to reality. Everything happening today was very real. He must have done something incredibly bad in his past life for this to be happening to him. All he wanted was to make his mom happy. Yet his mom would be leaving him soon, and he was about to be ravaged by some dirty goon and perhaps stabbed to death.

‘No.. No!’

Zack’s mind became as clear as day, even though he had so many drinks.

‘I can’t go like this!’ 

Zack threw some snow in the eyes of the blonde goon and started to make a run for it. At first, he slipped on the snow when he took his first step, but he grabbed the wall so that he wouldn’t fall down. As he was reaching the end of the ally, the goons started chasing after him. 

Normally he could have outrun these goons with ease, since he was quite athletic. Unfortunately, his body wasn’t as sober as his mind, and the thick snow on the streets wasn’t helping him either. The goons were slowly catching up.

“Yeah, run! That will make it more fun when I slice your **** off!” 

The blonde goon was still smiling as he was running.

‘If I get caught it’s game over’

Zack was dashing through the streets. Sometimes he would slip and fall on the ground, but he would quickly get up.

After crossing a few streets, Zack turned around to see how far the goons were behind him. Because of this, he was not able to see that he was running towards a figure.

*Bamm!!*

Zack fell on the ground as he bumped on to a man.

“Oh? 2 for the price of one?”

The blonde goon said this, as he crossed the corner to see that there were now two man in front of him instead of only Zack. He continued to speak...

“Hahahaha, you shouldn’t have left your house today. You are very unlucky sir!” the blonde man told the stranger in a derisive way.

‘Shit! I’ve gotten someone else involved.’ Zack thought while he was laying in the snow.

As the blonde goon was approaching the stranger, the others from the gang finally caught up. The blonde goon drew his knife and stabbed it towards the stranger.

Zack jumped in front of the stranger and got stabbed in the solar-plexus. Blood started gushing out of Zack’s mouth as the goon twisted his knife.

“Seems he was a superman after all guys! What an idiot.”

The blonde goon was cheerfully laughing with his friends, and afterwards he pulled the knife out of Zack’s stomach.

Zack fell on the ground. He had blood all over his stomach from the lethal wound.

“Damn, this kid is hella unlucky.” the stranger said while scratching his head.

This voice was familiar to Zack. Zack looked up too see the source of the voice.

It was a big man with a thick black jacket and a beanie. The man seemed very calm despite the events that were occurring right before his eyes. His deep blue eyes were not even focused on the goon or Zack, but on something completely else.

'Oh, it’s the big man from the bar? At least I was able to save someone in this pathetic life, even though it’s my fault he needed to be saved to begin with.’

Zack couldn’t help but mock himself as he felt his consciousness slowly fading away.

The faint smile Zack was showing while he was laying on the ground, irritated the blonde goon. Just when he was about deal the finishing blow by football-kicking Zack’s head, the blue-eyed man grabbed the goon by his throat, with one arm.

The other thugs that were at a distance were in shock of how quick the movement of the blue-eyed man was. They didn’t even catch the moment when he moved to grab him.

But that was just the beginning of the chain of shocking events. ––

What happened after he grabbed the thug, even had the bleeding Zack rubbing his eyes. The thugs standing on the side were convinced that they were hallucinating because of the liquor. Because what they were seeing could simply not be real.

–– The blue-eyed man was lifting the thug of the ground with one arm.

Zack was astounded by the superhuman strength he was witnessing.

The legs of the thug were kicking in all directions struggling to break free of his grip. He was using his knife to stab the arm, and pry open the grip that was holding him in the air. But the blue-eyed man wasn’t showing any signs of letting go.

“I’d rather not take such a pitiful soul as yours…”

The blue-eyed man was speaking as his blue eyes started showing a faint gleam. At the same time also, small puffs of blue smoke could be seen coming out of the palm that was holding the goon up.

“But there is no such thing as pity for the wicked.”

*whoeeeeshhhh*

Scorching blue flames started appearing on the body of the lifted thug. The kicks became even more violent. He dropped the knife and was trying everything to release the grip of the blue-eyed man standing right in front of him.

But with no success.

He wanted to scream but his throat seemed to be crushed and burned by the pressure and heat of the hand that was holding him.

The blue flames kept dancing on him, until they were on every part of his body. His body was turning darker and darker from the burns. The flames kept their size and fury and showed no signs of dying out.

The burning black skin turned to bones. But even then, the flames weren’t going out. The flames burned every little ounce of the thug, until there was nothing left to burn. It even burned the ashes, and then…

The flames vanished. 

The palm that was once holding a body, now was just holding a gust of air. Everything that proved that there once was a human-being in that hand, had burned away and disappeared together with the flames.

Before the other 2 goons could react, the blue-eyed man seemed to have disappeared from where he was standing. They were more than shocked to see that the man that had disappeared before their very eyes, had reappeared right in between them. The blue-eyed man calmly looked at the scared faces next to him and opened his mouth.

“If you make others suffer you must be prepared to suffer too.” 

His voice was devoid of emotion.

Barry’s partner pulled out a Glock and aimed it at the head of the man before him, who gave of a vibe of the grim-reaper himself.

(Note: A Glock is a type of handgun.)

“DIE FREAK!”

*Pap* *pap*

Two bullets flew out of the gun at the same second it was drawn.

The blue-eyed man shifted his head slightly to the side which resulted in the 2 bullets barely missing their target. His gaze had stayed locked on the goon, as if the bullets had never been a threat to him. As the bullets were flying past his cheek, he grabbed the face of the man behind the trigger.

The cold hand on the goon's face, and the blue glow emitting from the pupils of the man before him left him paralyzed. The fearful eyes of the goon showed that he already knew what kind of fate awaited him.

Blue flames started blazing on the body of the goon. Screams of agony could be heard coming from the man. ––

One could compare it to the sounds you would hear at the gates of hell.

–– Yet, because there was a hand on his face, the sound of his screams weren’t that loud. In a matter of seconds, the flames had consumed his whole body and anything on it. Even the handgun was consumed by the flames. 

Eventually, just like with the blonde goon, the flames disappeared together with everything that was burning.

Just when the blue-eyed man turned around to grab Barry, who was already running a few meters further ahead, he noticed Zack’s life energy fading away.

“Tssk, this kid.”

After scratching his head, he walked towards Zack who was laying in the snow unconscious. He bended down and put a finger on the place where Zack had been stabbed.

A small white flame appeared where the man’s finger and Zack’s wound made contact. The white flame seemed to be closing the wound slowly. 

After a while, –– when the wound was completely closed –– the man stood up and let out a long sigh.

“*sigh~*, He’s beyond help, but with this much healing he might live…. As a cripple tho.”

The man looked at Zack’s body with pity showing on his face.

“I told you it was suicide kid.” The man casually said as he turned around.

*mush* *mush* *mush* *mush* *mush* *mush*……

The steps of the blue-eyed man were getting further and further away until not even his shadow could be seen.

A few minutes after the man had left, something strange happened.

*Woeeeshhhhh*

Zack’s whole body became covered in white flames. The wounds on his face, caused by the hits he had received from Barry, were fading away. Even small scars on his body that weren’t caused today started to heal. The flames didn’t stop burning until his skin looked flawless.

The flames disappeared as Zack remained unconscious during the whole process.

What did just happen....?