At the age of 14, Gabino already felt like an outsider in a world that rejected him. School, which should have been a place of learning and friendship, had become a battlefield where he fought daily against the wounds of humiliation. Laughter echoed in his mind, and the echo of insults haunted him even when he left the school building. He walked through the streets of Zerk, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, his head down, trying to escape the gaze of others.
On one of those gray days, as the cold winds blew through the streets, Gabino spotted a group of young people leaning against a wall, enveloped in a cloud of smoke. They were different, emanating an aura of power and contempt that fascinated him. The local mafia gang, known for its brutality and influence, was there, smoking cigarettes, laughing and exchanging provocations. Gabino stood at a distance, watching every movement, every gesture. Something inside him was pulsing, and a mixture of fear and attraction enveloped him.
One of the group members, a young man with scars that told stories of past battles, noticed Gabino. With a mischievous smile, he approached, the others following his gaze. "Look, the purple one is here," he said, his voice full of sarcasm. "What are you doing, boy? Waiting for someone? Or just hiding in the shadows?"
Gabino felt his adrenaline rise, a mix of shame and a hidden desire to belong to that world. "Nothing," he replied, trying to sound indifferent, but his voice betrayed his insecurity. He was about to walk away, when the boy stopped him. "Hey, calm down. You don't look as weak as the others. How about taking a closer look?"
Curiosity overcame fear, and Gabino approached. Their conversations were about power, respect, and the adrenaline that came from crime. They talked about robberies, confrontations with rivals, women, and how exciting life in the shadows was. For Gabino, each word was an invitation to a new world, a world where he would no longer be a victim.
The gang noticed the change in the boy, the way his eyes lit up as he listened to the stories. With a nod, the gang leader offered Gabino a cigarette. "Try this. Here, you can be whoever you want. No one cares what color you are."
As he took his first drag, Gabino felt an explosion of sensations. The smoke enveloped him like a cloak, and he realized that this was the first step towards a new life. He didn't know he was about to dive into a world of crime, but the promise of power and respect drew him like a magnet.
In that moment, Gabino made a choice. He would no longer be the boy who suffered. He would become part of the mafia, a world where he could finally control his destiny. And so, under the dim light of a cloudy day, he began his journey into crime, a journey that would lead him to become the villain he had always been destined to be.