CHAPTER 5

Leon was wandering the streets like a zombie, barely dodging the incoming traffic and catching himself from stumbling over at the last moment. The betrayal, shock and disappointment from the day’s events was driving him to the edge of a nervous breakdown. 

He didn't know where he was, or where his other belongings were… his phone, his bank card, the reports– he wasn't aware of anything at this point.

All he knew was that some time during the phone call with Addie, he had walked out of the hospital without saying a word to anyone. What was the point of staying anyway? 

It's not like anyone could help him get back control of his life, or his savings; nobody could offer him anything other than pity. 

He didn't want to talk to anyone, nor did he want to sit and wallow in self- pity; and so, he was out on the streets, while memories flashed before his eyes. And in hindsight, his whole life starting from childhood to adulthood, just seemed like a collection of missed opportunities and shattered dreams… and there he was in the middle of everything, helpless and hopeless. 

He thought about his wife’s words, she used to call him a loser who didn't have the courage to stand up for himself… and maybe, she was right. 

He was a total loser: who had allowed his boss to mistreat and bully him, he had allowed his wife to walk over him like a doormat and even cheat on him, and now, he was being tortured by a fatal disease. 

It was a good thing that he was going to die soon, because in any case, he couldn't think of a good enough reason to keep living. 

Leon was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when the sun had set and the sky had darkened. It was already night time, and the city was lit by the cold and harsh glow of streetlights. 

By the time he came to his senses, the streets were almost deserted, but Leon didn’t even know where to go. 

He couldn't go back home, because it would only remind him of his wife's betrayal… neither did he have any family or friends in the city where he could crash for the night, and it's not like he could go to a hotel with just twenty dollars in his account. 

He felt lost, wandering aimlessly through the city’s streets, his mind numb… 

However, at this moment, the sound of tires screeching to a halt echoed in the empty streets. Leon was startled and he looked up, only to see a car pulling to a stop abruptly beside him. 

Before he could react, several men had surrounded him, their faces hard and menacing. It took him some moments to realize that his path was blocked by a pair of tall and muscular men. 

Leon turned around, hoping to find some other way, but more gangsters approached from every direction, cutting off any chance of retreat and effectively trapping him there. 

The leader of the group, a tall man with a scar running down his cheek, stepped forward. Even though it was dark and the light from the street lamps was not very bright, the predatory glint in the leader's eyes could not be missed. 

Leon’s heart pounded in his chest, but he felt too exhausted and defeated to even consider running. He knew that there was no point in that, they would chase him down anyway. 

"Stop running like a scared bunny, little boy! Be a man for once in your life." 

The leader challenged, and for some reason, this line really pushed Leon's buttons. He frowned, asking; 

“What do you want? Why are you bothering me?”

The leader sneered;

“Easy there, tiger. Don't be in such a hurry, we have plenty of time for questions and answers tonight. Because someone has paid us well to teach you a lesson.”

It didn't take Leon long to figure out what was happening; it had to be his boss, who had sent these gangsters to put him in his place. 

But this was the final straw in a day, which had been filled with non-stop humiliation and betrayal. Anger welled up inside Leon, pushing out all the fear and sadness from his chest and replacing it with pure adrenaline. 

Leon's eyes turned red with rage as he stared down the leader. He had stayed quiet and endured enough for today, and he wasn't going to listen to everything silently anymore.

“Then you can tell your master, I’m done with this shit!” 

Without thinking, Leon charged at the leader, and his sudden aggression took the gangsters by surprise. They had expected a broken man, who would be easy to intimidate; at least after a few good punches. 

Leon jumped on him, grabbing the leader by the collar and shaking him, and screaming like a wild beast. This was completely unexpected, and even the leader stumbled back by the sheer force of this, along with his shock and fear. 

After all, they were just gangsters, not soldiers who had been trained to handle any level of aggression. 

In fact, the other men were also caught off guard by this unexpected display of aggression, and for a moment, they stood there, not knowing what to do. The leader, now panicked, yelled out;

"What are you bastards waiting for!? Just help me and get this dog off me! Do something!”

His underlings, who were initially stunned and frozen in their places, acted as if the leader's voice had electrocuted them.

They suddenly jumped into action and rushed forward to pull Leon away from him. 

But Leon had nearly lost control of his own body and mind, and in his anger, he tightened his grip around the leader’s neck, choking him aggressively. 

"You have messed with the wrong guy today! Now you’ll pay for it!”

One of the gangsters freaked out on seeing that the leader's face was turning blue, and in his desperation, he grabbed a baseball bat. 

Acting out of sheer panic, he swung the bat with his full strength, striking the back of Leon’s head with a loud thud. Immediately, Leon’s grip went slack, and he crumpled to the ground.

The leader, gasping for breath, staggered to his feet. He was definitely relieved to have the wild beast away from himself, even though he would never admit that he was genuinely scared for his life.

He felt his frustration rising as he looked down at Leo, and delivered a heavy kick to his side. He laughed out loud, a cruel, mocking sound. 

“Now who's the one paying, huh?! Are you having fun now, tough guy?”

The leader had taunted Leon to mock him, expecting that he would either curl up after the kick to his ribs, or at least groan and moan in pain. Unexpectedly though, there was complete silence. 

The leader’s laughter faltered, and he felt a creeping sense of dread take over him. He forced himself to calm down, kneeling beside Leon and reaching out with trembling fingers to check for a pulse.

As his fingers touched Leon’s neck, he felt nothing. No breath, no heartbeat.

The reality hit him like a punch to the gut as the leader screamed in horror, stumbling backward and falling onto the pavement. 

"He… he is dead!" 

His eyes were wide with fear as he stared at the body of the man… lying on the road in a pool of blood, completely lifeless.

________