"Come on, Manny! Just a few more miles!"
Luke slowed his strides, turned his head, and looked back at the sweating Manny. They were on their third mile of the day, and it seemed like Manny was having an off day today. Usually, he was able to keep up with him on their runs.
"I know that! Just finding my rhythm!" Manny ran up beside him and smiled at him. "Don't worry about me, just run like usual."
Luke nodded and picked up speed as Manny lagged a bit behind him but managed to keep up. It was a giant change of pace from where they first started running with Harvey for their training. In their first run, Manny couldn't keep up with Harvey at all, not that he was much better off, but he at least kept Harvey's back in view.
"We gotta get a good run out of this one today if we want to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow!" Luke yelled out to Manny as they turned the corner from their quiet neighborhood; looking around, he noticed they had entered a busy shopping center close to his house.
"Yeah! Our one cheat day!" Manny said excitedly as he ran up next to him. "I've been looking forward to Thanksgiving ever since I started training."
Luke chuckled and nodded. Since they received their training and diet plans from Harvey, they stuck to eating healthy and nutritious meals. It was the best way to build muscle and get the most out of their training.
Looking over to Manny, Luke smiled and saw the changes his friend's body had gone through. Where Manny's body was once fat and round, now he stood with a stronger and firmer body. Sure, he did have some remaining fat on him, but Harvey said it should all be worked off in a few more months.
"Yeah, me too. This diet Harvey gave us is rigorous." Luke dodged and evaded any people who walked in front of him. "I'm looking forward to some apple pie."
Manny weaved under a man who was waving his arms in the air as he spoke animatedly on the phone. "Didn't Haley say she was making an apple pie?"
Luke tripped but quickly recovered in his stride. He grimaced and turned to Manny. "Did she? Well, there goes the pie…"
The two continued running through the crowds for several more minutes, focusing on maintaining control over their breathing and keeping up with their set pace.
"..elp."
Luke stopped in his tracks and looked around. He turned and saw Manny skid to a stop and looked at him oddly. "Luke? Why are you-"
"Shh. Listen." Luke and Manny looked around and listened to their environment. Manny's brows furrowed, and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm not hearing anything-"
"Help!"
Both boys ran down an alleyway to their left; they ran quickly but silently and stopped at the corner. Luke peeked around the brick wall and saw two men standing before a boy, possibly a few years younger than him.
"Damn, kid, will you shut up already." The man dressed in black jeans and a hoodie said as he kicked the boy back into the brick wall. "Just tell us where your stupid brother is, and we'll be on our way."
"Your brother has something that belongs to us. We need it back." The other man, dressed in a blue denim jacket with tanned pants, said. "Where is he?"
The boy stood up, grasping his stomach in pain. He was dressed in a red hoodie and blue jeans; his expression turned from grimace to enraged.
"Fuck you! You really think I'd tell you where Eric is?" The boy took one step forward and looked at the men defiantly. "I'd never sell out my brother!"
"Damn, kid." The man in the denim jacket walked forward while cracking his knuckles menacingly.
"Luke! What do we do!" Manny whispered and shook his shoulder from their hidden spot. "We need to call for help!"
Luke immediately thought about calling Harvey to help but knew his powerful friend wouldn't arrive in time. Calling the police would also take too long. What should he do?!
"We have to help." Luke turned around and looked at Manny, who looked at him like he was crazy.
"You can't be serious, Luke!" Manny grabbed his shoulder and shook it. "What are we supposed to do?!"
"What have we been training for then?!" Luke rolled his shoulder, causing Manny's hand to slide off.
"We've been training to get stronger! To defend ourselves and our family!" Manny grabbed his arm and pulled him away as he grabbed his phone and dialed the police. "This is above us!"
Luke looked down and glared at the floor. Manny was right. One wrong move and something dangerous could happen. But when the sounds of rustling and grunts of pain sounded out from behind him, Luke pulled his arm away and ran around the corner. Ignoring Manny's shouts.
Running forward, Luke saw both men kicking the downed boy as he covered his body in an attempt to protect himself. Quickly thinking of a plan of attack, Luke steeled his resolve and picked up speed.
"HEY!"
Both men turned around at his shout, and Luke jumped up to the side of the brick wall, used it as a springboard to jump even higher in the air, and landed a powerful punch to the man dressed in black. The strike was effective because the man dropped to the ground, completely out cold.
"What the hell! Where'd you come from?!" The man in the denim jacket backed up and looked at him in surprise.
Landing in a crouch, Luke looked up at the man apprehensively. Wincing in pain, Luke felt a sharp pain in his right fist. Apparently, hitting a person in the face hurt—a lot. The downed boy looked at him in shock and surprise.
"S-Stop! You think y-you can just beat on someone weaker than you?!" Luke cringed at how unsure and shaky his voice was. "Leave him alone!"
"Stupid kid." The man pulled out a gun, causing Luke to freeze. "Playing hero was a stupid-"
BAM
Luke jumped at the noice but saw the man fall towards the trash bins near the wall. Turning his head, Luke saw Manny holding a steel pipe. Manny looked down at the man and then at his hands, which started shaking slightly. Turning to the left, Manny saw the dropped gun and calmed himself.
"L-Luke. A-Are you alright?" Manny asked as he dropped the pipe and walked up to him.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine." Luke nodded and turned to the boy, who was now standing and leaning against the brick wall behind him. "Are you alright?"
"Oh! Yeah!" The boy in the red hoodie exclaimed as he nodded his head. "T-Thanks for the help!"
"Don't mention it." Luke nodded and looked down at the two men as they groaned and moved. Apparently, they weren't entirely out cold.
"Let's get out of here." Manny looked at them both. They all nodded and ran out of the alley.
Luke turned his head as he ran and saw the men slowly get up from the ground. They were shaking their heads in pain. Luke cursed in his head and glared ahead. What he did was really stupid. If Mann didn't step in, would he have been shot? It was too close.
•••
"So, what's your name?"
Manny looked over at the boy in the hoodie and saw him rub his chest in pain. He must have received pretty strong hits before Luke intervened; Manny couldn't help but feel some shame for hesitating in helping out.
'I thought I've changed… am I still the same?' Manny thought with a frown.
"Uh, I'm Simon… Simon Williams." Simon smiled and nodded at him and Luke. "Thanks for helping me back there. I wasn't sure how I would get out of that situation."
"Don't worry about that. We just did what was right." Luke smiled and nodded.
Manny nodded and turned his head at the sound of kids laughing and running around. After running away from the city's inner part, they made their way out to a park several blocks away. This location was safe enough.
"I'm not sure if you two are just brace or stupid." Simon smiled and turned to look at a squirrel run by them. "Thank you, though, really."
"What did those guys want?" Luke asked as he leaned forward on the bench they all sat on.
"…listen I appreciate the help, but that's not really any of your business." Simon looked to the side and stood up from the bench. "I have to go now. My curfew is coming up."
Manny wanted to object but knew he didn't have a reason to. Simon was right. Whatever was going on wasn't really any of their business. But he couldn't help but feel like that was the wrong thing to do. Turning to Luke, he saw his friend make a troubled face.
"Okay." Manny nodded and relented. "It was nice meeting you, Simon."
Simon frowned, turned to them both, and nodded. Manny walked over to Luke and patted his shoulder. He could see that Luke wanted to say something to keep Simon from leaving, but you can't help someone who doesn't want help.
"We did all we could, Luke." Manny looked at Simon's back as he exited the park and left their sight.
"You're right." Luke shook his head and pulled out his phone. "WE did all we could."
"Who are you calling?" Manny asked as Luke waited for whoever he was calling to pick up. Luke turned to him with a smile.
"Someone that can help."
•••
"Goddamn kids." A man in a blue denim jacket said as he messaged his head. "When I see them again, I'll be sure to put a bullet in their skulls."
"Not without me, Colby." The man in all back stretched his jaw from where he was punched. "I gotta settle the score with that kid that decked me."
"Forget about those kids for now, Henry." Colby looked to his right down the dark, silent road behind a closed building off the Old Bank District. "Matt said he saw Eric head back to his old stomping grounds. Just keep your eyes open for that prick."
Henry nodded, lit up another cigarette, and took a long drag. They were both standing side by side, hiding underneath an old dirty awning, completely bathed in the shadows. They continued to wait for another forty minutes until a figure turned the corner and walked down the dark street.
The figure was dressed in a dark blue hoodie, black jeans, and medium-length curly black hair. This was Eric Williams, the brother of Simon Williams. The man they were waiting for.
"There he is."
Both Henry and Colby started to walk in Eric's direction, ready to extract the information regarding the location of their missing item. They watched as Eric walked into a dirty old building; this must be where he was hiding the item.
"What even is that's in that vial?" Colby asked as he and Henry snuck around the corner and peeked into the entryway Eric just walked through.
"Who knows? We were just paid to move it, not to know what's in it." Henry pulled out his pistol and silently made his way through the building. Looking for any sign of Eric.
"It's gotta be important if they're paying us a hundred grand just to get it back." Colby tilted his head at the sound of footsteps further into the building. Henry nodded and walked forward.
"That's because our boss is buying our silence. If whoever he's working for found out he lost such an important item, he'd lose his head." Henrys whispered as they stopped at the sight of Eric kneeling on the ground.
Eric pulled out a flathead screwdriver and pried a piece of the floorboard up. He then grabbed it and placed the board next to him. Reaching down, Eric pulled out a small box that contained the vile.
"That must be it." Colby nodded and was about to enter the room, only to stop when Eric spoke.
"Simon?!" Eric turned to look at his younger brother as he sneaked around the corner and walked up to him. "No, no, no! You CANNOT be here right now!"
"Eric! There are guys looking for you!" Simon yelled back with a panicked look on his face. "Whatever you're involved with, you have to stop!"
"Damnit, Simon, go home! This is dangerous!" Eric put down the box and walked up to his brother to try and push him out of the room and back to where he had entered from. "J-Just go home and I'll be there soon. Okay?"
"Not unless you're coming with me!" Simon turned around and smacked Eric's hands off him. "We either both go home, or no one does!"
At this point, both Colby and Henry have seen enough. They both walked into the room and aimed their guns at the two brothers.
"Kids right, Eric." Henry spoke, causing both of the Williams brothers to jump. "No one is going home tonight."