HOLY NIGHT SEBASTIAN
I had nothing else to do but run out of this amusement park. I wanted to go home. 'Are you okay? What happened to you?' the security guard asked me with concern when he saw me crying while exiting. Overwhelmed by my tears, I found it impossible to articulate a response, so I just nodded at the guard. "Are you sure?' he double-checked, and I nodded again.
I took my bike parked outside the entrance. As I pulled it along, I couldn't stop sobbing. I wiped away my tears with my arm. I didn't know it would hurt this much. It turns out that Moryn has liked Rhyme for a long time, but because of me, she's been holding back his feelings. Now, how will I face them again?
I hopped onto my bike and pedaled as fast as I could. Little did I know, my efforts to surpass Rhyme were pointless because it turns out I've been losing in this game for a long time. In the end, I'm still the loser. "Look out!" I heard a woman shout from a bike beside me. Because my vision was blurred from tears, I didn't notice her approaching.
I quickly turned to the side to avoid a collision. Because of my sudden turn, my bike fell and I wasn't able to support myself to prevent it. The impact of my fall was strong. The woman stopped and looked at me angrily. "If you're going to kill yourself, don't involve me!" she said angrily and rode her bike away.
I winced in pain and struggled to stand up, despite the difficulty. As a result, the right side of my pants tore near the bottom. The bruises I obtained yesterday from the track and field were now added to. But these wounds were nothing compared to the pain I was feeling now.
I walked aimlessly, leaving my bike lying there. I didn't know where I was going, I just wanted to get away from them. I felt like a drunkard, walking without a destination while still crying. The things I heard and saw earlier kept replaying in my mind. I wish I hadn't looked for them.
"Hey, dude, look!" I looked up when I heard a male voice. "Whoa, dude! Even with her tomboyish style, she still looks pretty!" Another one of his companion said. I could see the extreme excitement on their faces as they looked at me from head to toe. The first one who spoke was wearing a black long-sleeve t-shirt, while the other one had a red t-shirt and a gray beanie hat.
I took a step back as they started approaching me. I was so unlucky today. I couldn't fight them, especially when my body was weak from the fall earlier. It would have been better if I hadn't left my bike behind. "Miss, how did you end up here?" one of them asked with a teasing tone.
I looked around the entire surroundings. I didn't realize that I had ended up in this remote place. It was already night, and the only light was the flickering of a streetlight. The road was one-way, but there were tall and imposing buildings. "Miss, if you're lost, come with us, we'll take you home," offered the person wearing the beanie hat. I glanced at what the person wearing the black long-sleeve t-shirt was holding. It was a slightly long metal object.
I let out a sigh. I knew that they had malicious intentions towards me, and I had no idea how to escape from them. As they stood in front of me, getting closer, I wanted to cover my nose because the mixture of cigarette and alcohol smell coming from both of them was overwhelming. Sometimes, they would even bite their lips while staring at me intently.
"Dude, I'll go first, okay."
"No way! It should be me because I was the first one who saw her."
While they were talking and arguing, I slowly took a few steps back and then ran as fast as I could. "Dude, she's escaping!" one shouted. I ran even faster back to the path I had taken. I endured all the pain in my body, just to escape from those two perverts. I retraced the path I had taken earlier, knowing that I was nearing the highway as the sound of cars echoed in my ears. I tried to follow the source of the sound, stealing a quick glance behind me as I kept running. A surge of nervousness washed over me when I realized they were closing in on me.
"Gotcha!" The guy in the black long-sleeve t-shirt suddenly grabbed my arm. "Let go of me!" I said defiantly, kicking his knee, causing him to release his grip on me. As I was about to turn and resume my escape, I froze in my tracks upon seeing his accomplice already standing in front of me.
"And where are you going?" He adjusted his beanie hat and looked at me with a smirk. "You're making us tired, huh?" he added. "You know, just stop resisting. There's nothing you can do now anyway." He started taking steps closer to me. "She's strong, dude. My knee hurts so much." I looked again at the person wearing the black t-shirt, who was holding the metal rod.
My heart started beating faster. I had no chance against them because there were two of them, and I was feeling weak at the moment. Just as the person wearing the beanie hat was about to grab me, I quickly punched him in the face. This made him turn his head to the right and take a step back from the impact of my punch. He slowly turned back to face me with fierce, glaring eyes.
"Oh, so you're still fighting back, huh!" The one wearing with the beanie hat said with frustration. "Let me handle her, dude." Then, he raised the metal object he was holding to strike me, but I quickly dodged it. Despite feeling nervous and extremely scared, I tried my best to calm myself down. He grew even more furious, like those holes in his nose widened. I slowly stepped back. The pounding of my heart became so loud that it felt like the only thing I could hear in the entire surroundings.
"You're so annoying!" The man shouted, raising the metal object again to strike me, but I kicked his hand, causing him to let go and the metal object to fly off into the distance. I screamed as someone suddenly grabbed me from behind. I hadn't noticed that his other companion was already behind me. He tightly held onto my arm to prevent me from moving.
I groaned in pain as the man in front of me punched me in the stomach, causing me to be released by the person behind me. I fell down and clutched my stomach, unable to hold back tears from the intense pain that made it feel as though I couldn't move my body. "Get up!" The man who had struck me grabbed my T-shirt, trying to help me stand, and then forcefully threw me against the wall. The impact landed on my back, and the pain was so intense that I felt like I might faint. Once again, I collapsed to the ground.
I thought he would finally stop, but he approached me once again and choked me, forcing me to stand and lean against the fire wall. I could hardly breathe. I tried to remove his hand from around my throat, but it felt like I had no strength left to do so. "That's enough, dude. She won't be able to move anymore. We can do whatever we want to her now," his companion said with a sinister grin. Even though I wanted to scream and plead for mercy, no words came out of my mouth due to the tightness of his grip around my neck.
"What in the world do you think you're doing?" They both stopped when we heard the cold voice of another man. They both turned to look at the one who spoke, and the man released his grip on me. I was finally able to breathe properly again, but I felt weak and sat down due to exhaustion. I looked at the newcomer, and I recognized the serious expression on Rhyme's face.
"What's it to you! Mind your own business!" The man in the beanie hat angrily shouted as he boldly walked towards Rhyme. Despite Rhyme's serious facial expression, I felt a chilling anger lurking behind him. It was the first time I had seen him like this since we were kids. I was stunned as Rhyme stood face to face with the man, and then he suddenly punched him with full force, directly hitting his face. The impact of Rhyme's punch caused the man to stumble and fall to the ground. His companion was taken aback by the surprise turn of events.
"You idiot! What have you done!" The man's companion angrily shouted. He quickly retrieved the metal rod that had been thrown earlier and charged towards Rhyme, intending to strike him. But Rhyme swiftly intercepted the rod, twisting it and forcing the man to release his grip on that rusty metal rod.
Rhyme's gaze was intimidating as he stared at the man. The man took a step back, feeling a bit intimidated by Rhyme's approach. "How dare you lay your filthy hands on her," Rhyme said sternly, but I could sense the underlying intensity in his words. He suddenly punched the man, landing a blow on his nose. The impact was strong, causing the man to stagger and have a nosebleed, struggling to maintain his balance as he stepped back.
I felt a sense of unease as Rhyme picked up the metal rod and walked towards the man once again. "What you did to her is unforgivable," he said, and then struck the man with all his might. The man fell, but Rhyme didn't stop there. He repeatedly kicked the man's stomach as if releasing all his pent-up anger.
I wanted to approach Rhyme and stop him, but I was too weak to move my body. I closed my eyes, leaning against the fire wall. I couldn't bear to witness any more of what was happening. After a few moments, silence fell over the surroundings, prompting me to open my eyes again. I lifted my gaze and saw Rhyme standing right in front of me.
I shifted my gaze to the two unconscious men lying on the ground. Rhyme squatted down and stared at me. I felt like I was about to cry again. His intimidating aura from earlier was now gone. If he hadn't arrived, I would have been in serious danger. Without saying a word, he gently lifted me up. None of us spoke. He began walking away from that place, carrying me in his arms. I stared at him. Now I suddenly remembered the scenario I witnessed earlier when he was talking to Moryn, which was the reason why I left them and the amusement park without saying goodbye.
"You really are a crybaby," he said softly. It was only now that I noticed tears streaming down my face. "How do you expect to surpass me if you keep acting like that?" he added, without even glancing at me. I didn't know how to respond. I was just too exhausted after everything I had been through.