While listening to music, Arthur pedaled at high speed through the streets. His bike didn't stop at all, and he deftly took advantage of the traffic lights.
Despite his smooth movements, Arthur's mind was a little troubled.
'Everyone thought slavery was over, but it looks like it just went into hiding... how long have they been there? And if Five was that strong, why doesn't he try to break free?' Arthur thought, but could not come to a resolution. But, on the other hand, anger rose in his chest.
Forced work for others was something he hated, and especially being manipulated. His anger was directed at the Guild and whoever manipulated Amanda. But he also knew that he couldn't provoke a powerful force like the Guild, nor could he go after someone he didn't know who him was.
Anger was building and Arthur's fingers were tightening on the bike's handlebars. His old addiction called to relieve that stress, but he tried to hold back.
After some time, when passing by a shopping street, Arthur noticed a grocery store in the distance. His fingers were already itching to solve his problem, so he quickly stopped there on the way.
It was a small grocery store, with few shelves of basic products. It was obvious it was just a small family business. At the cashier, a pretty girl who looked to be in her 18s was reading a magazine while waiting for the first customers of the day. Some people were already inside, people who had things to do early.
Placing the bike somewhere nearby, Arthur entered the grocery store. As he passed the cashier, which was close to the exit, the girl looked up to see who had arrived, and her gaze got a little glazed over Arthur.
He went straight through and went to the snack shelf like cookies, crackers, etc. He grabbed some granola bars and cookies for breakfast. He also went to the freezer and grabbed some juice boxes. He saw some chocolate bars next to them but decided not to take them.
Walking over to the cashier, he passed a blonde woman who was sorting through the snack rack. Her physique was adequate and she looked serious. She appeared to be small, but her posture was firm and imposing.
Arthur paid so much attention to her because she somehow looked familiar to him, but he had no idea who she was.
As he was looking, the woman also looked at him. When she noticed Arthur's gaze on her, her already serious face showed anger and she turned away. Arthur smirked and continued towards the cashier.
Leaving his things at the checkout, the girl there looked at him and lost her way before continuing her work. Arthur's focus was not on the woman, but on what was behind her.
It was a display of some cigarette brands, and Arthur's fingers were already itchy. His throat started to get dry and his brain was screaming for it. Despite that, he was trying to control himself, as he didn't want it anymore.
He had made up his mind to quit smoking, so he wouldn't. Even so, his body and brain clamored for it. The girl caught Arthur's gaze, and even offered.
"Will you want some?" The girl asked innocently. She didn't really think this was for Arthur, but that it was for some of his relatives who asked to buy it.
"No... I don't want to..." Arthur replied, even though he was reluctant.
In that instant, his vision shifted to the freezer in the distance, where he remembered it had chocolate. Chocolate could also help reduce stress, so he could use it to replace. His body was strong, so a little sugar wasn't going to kill him.
"Just a moment, lady!" Arthur warned the girl and went there to get the chocolate.
Arthur's things were few, so the girl had already gone through the scanner and was just waiting for payment.
It was in that moment that the unexpected happened.
"EVERYBODY STOPPED, THIS IS A ROBBERY!!" A scream came from the entrance to the grocery store. A masked man in plain clothes entered, carrying a real gun.
"You!! Where's the safe!?!? Open the cashier and pass everything you have!!!" The man pointed the gun at the girl at the cashier and demanded.
The girl instantly turned pale and her body began to shake, unable to react. She didn't think that a robbery would happen anytime soon, and this was her first time in this situation.
"Quick!!" The man demanded again, pointing the gun straight at the girl's head.
She finally reacted and opened the cashier to withdraw the money. As it was still early, the cashier was full of bills to make change easier. She also took some keys inside, which were the keys to the safe.
"Everyone stays down and passes me everything of value!!" The man turned around and pointed the gun at everyone. There were few people and the shelves didn't block the view of those behind. So even from the entrance he could see everyone.
Arthur was a little shocked by this, but he wasn't too worried. He started to look around and noticed that the few people they had were also shaking.
One less. The woman he found familiar. She was actually crouching, and her hand was on her waist.
'Police officer?' Arthur wondered.
"And now, what are we going to do? I'm scared!" A lady who was shopping spoke to herself. She was clearly very scared.
Arthur shook his head and opened the freezer door to get the chocolate. He grabbed three bars and a box of strawberry juice.
He walked up to the cashier as if nothing was happening.
The man noticed his movements and shouted at him: "Hey, crazy, stay still or I'll shoot!!" He pointed the gun at Arthur.
Arthur didn't even want to know and kept walking.
The woman who was crouching was shocked by this boy's courage, and grabbed his leg as he was about to walk past her.
"Be quiet!" She babbled voicelessly, so Arthur would understand.
Arthur felt the tug on his leg and looked at her. But he only smiled slightly and took his leg out of her hands.
He continued to walk and the man started to get angry.
"Oh, motherfucker, you think I'm not going to shoot!? I already have a police arrest for murder!!" The man yelled and pointed the gun straight at Arthur's head.
"Did I ask something?" Arthur replied sarcastically.
"So fuck you!!" The man yelled as he pulled the trigger. He knew he needed to get away after that, but this motherfucker had already pissed him off enough. He didn't let the last one get away, why would he let this one slip away?
Bang! Bang!
Everyone closed their eyes so as not to see the tragedy. Had such a young boy really died in front of them? This world was rotting.
The woman crouched on the floor finally took out the gun she was holding, but unfortunately it was too late and she couldn't do anything. She just thought about the consequences of all this and sighed.
She was relatively new to the place and the profession, so she wasn't used to solving these things, especially when she was still going to the job.
She got up and was about to yell at the thief to stay put after he tried to run. But as soon as she looked at the scene in front of her, she was shocked.
The thief was on the floor, passed out. His head was swollen and the cashier counter had a dent in it, as if something had hit it hard. The boy who should have been bleeding right now was actually holding the thief's gun and standing very healthy.
Her mind went into shock as this really wasn't the outcome she had expected.
Arthur turned to her and smiled at the sight of the gun in her hand. He put the thief's gun on the ground and kicked at it.
"I'll leave the rest to you!" Arthur nodded to snap her out of her shock.
"Y-you! How did you do that?" the policewoman demanded.
Arthur didn't respond. He was already at the cashier, so he grabbed the barcode scanner and registered his products before putting ten R$100 bills in the cashier and closing it himself. The cashier girl was still in shock and couldn't react to anything.
Arthur smiled and shook her head calmly. With that, she woke up and stared at Arthur, still shocked.
"That's enough to fix the hole and the dent." Arthur pointed at the ceiling, which had a bullet hole, and the cashier that was slightly dented.
The cashier unwittingly agreed and Arthur just put his stuff in a bag and left. Everyone in the grocery store was still shocked, including the policewoman, and no one stopped him from going.
Before actually going, Arthur again looked at the policewoman and thought:
'She really is very familiar!'