The Darkened Alley

It became a habit to go for a walk at night. Wherever I turned my head, a whole different culture was right in front of my eyes with all its might. Maybe that's why I started enjoying this so much, and there was no harm in getting some fresh air anyway. I kept in touch with my brother, of course, and it seemed like there was nothing to worry about on his side. That was a relief, and everything was just fine, and I was feeling like I could finally return home after three months.

Of course, I was still feeling a little odd; my head was still messy, and I was, in fact, very nervous at the thought of returning. No matter how much I deny it in my heart, I was still within the organization. Of course, things are easier when your big brother is the head of it, but still, it means a lot of responsibility since I'm an important member of the organization.

Maybe I was a little bit too distracted by my thoughts, I don't really remember. I took the wrong turn, and I couldn't realise that I was walking in a dark, empty alley until it was too late. There were three middle-aged men and a young lady in front of me. Even though I knew right away that trouble was coming, there seemed to be no turning back for me. I lost that chance as soon as I stepped into the alley.

I couldn't understand their language; I had no intention to learn it back then. But it wasn't that hard to see that the girl was in trouble. She was probably around my age, and I could see her school bag on the ground. To be honest, I was very calm at that moment. At least it was until they pointed a gun at my face.

I personally don't like the word "trauma." I always saw that word as an excuse for certain actions. It's like running away from your fears and using this word as a curtain to hide behind them. I was thinking that they were just cowards who couldn't face their fears. Maybe they were right after all, I still don't know. All I know is that I was shaking. Not because of the cold, not because of the fear of death, but I was shaking, and I couldn't name it at that moment.

And then, I saw the tears of that girl slowly flowing down her face. In this dark alley, I could see them shining with the very little light of the moon. But for me, those tears were more like a fire scene. Maybe that was the reason they were shining like this. Fire burns where it falls, they say. It was certain that her family would suffer the most, that's basically the meaning of it. Maybe that was the trigger for me, who knows. I wouldn't mind if it was just me, but as someone who experienced such pain in those past years, I couldn't just stand and watch that fire happen.

It wasn't like I was trying to become a hero, it was more like a matter of pride. Maybe just a month ago, I couldn't take such an action, but at that moment, my body was in good shape. In the end, I'm still a part of a mafia organization, and I was trained by the best people I have ever known. The world we were living in was tough, and thankfully, my father never gave up on me, even when I was resisting him.

Considering the distance, I was ready for the worst, honestly. It's not a video game after all, even one bullet has the potential to threaten your life, even if it hits you by your arm or leg. As I've already said, I wouldn't mind dying, especially for this kind of cause. But for some reason, the guy who held the gun didn't shoot me. Instead, he was gazing up at me, as if I were about to cause them a troublesome time. Well, I was probably giving them a hard time, so I'd have been irritated as well. But with that choice of his, they most likely lost their only advantage against me.

Since two of them were holding the girl tightly, the man put his gun aside and drew a knife out of his winter jacket. Of course, there was no intention by me to lose a man in his 40s; it didn't last long till I punched him in the nose. I was already in a position to punch the other two, and they had an obvious disadvantage against me in that situation. The girl was doing her best by struggling, forcing them to lose their balance and give me an opening. Those two old men stand no chance against me. I punched them again and again, until their whimpering stopped.

Of course, I didn't kill them. It's not like I could have done it, though. It'd have been a problem if I murdered people in a foreign country. In the current situation of the world, some Yakuza would most likely punch me to death as soon as they found me, since that kind of "justice" would only work against foreigners like me. As for the locals in this country, they don't have such concerns.

The whole fight lasted only a few minutes. It was way too one-sided, and I was happy about that. Now all I had to do was just leave the alley as if nothing had happened. The girl was safe, I was safe, everyone should be happy. Well, there was one single person who seemed to be a little bit angry about the situation, a fourth man.

I hadn't realised it until then, but there was a black car waiting right at the corner. That was the moment when it all started to make sense. The situation I found myself in was an attempt to kidnap that girl. That was the reason why the first man chose not to shoot me, they all wanted to stay out of unnecessary attention. And kidnapping a random girl in her 18s? Now that was a serious problem. The meaning of this kind of action would have meant something different in a different world than ours, but now is the era of the Mafia's. If somebody attempts to kidnap a young person, it could now only mean that this girl is somebody very important, more likely the daughter of some high-ranking yakuza.

As the fourth man hit my head with a baseball bat, all I could hear was the girl crying for help. Maybe that was the reason I haven't gotten the second hit, that stinky old man must have seen that they had lost that fight and fled. My mind was going blank, but I was somewhat happy. I don't know if it was because I saved the girl, or if I managed to survive another day. Maybe it was just because I was back from those blurry memories, it felt like being a human with emotions once more.

Whatever the reason, it was fine. It's been a very long time since I last smiled, so it was just fine...