Mark Carter was heading home after his failed attempt to secure a job at the Shelon Organization. Frustrated and mumbling to himself, he trudged across a long bridge.
On the same bridge, a girl named Sophie jogged with her headphones on, music blasting to keep her pace steady. Suddenly, a strong and unusual gust of wind snatched her phone from her hand and sent it flying off the bridge. Sophie rushed to the edge, looking down in despair.
"My phone... this is bad," she muttered, her eyes welling up with tears as she watched it land below.
Mark, passing by and witnessing the scene, commented dryly, "Good luck getting that back. Caution signs like 'Beware of Escaped Lions' should've been enough to convince you—this is not your day."
Hearing his sarcastic remark, Sophie turned and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Please," she pleaded. "I need that phone. It's important to me. Can you help me get it back?"
Mark looked at her tear-streaked face, unmoved by her desperation. He yanked his arm free. "Like hell I'm going down there just so you can be reunited with your precious phone," he said coldly. "If it was so important, maybe you shouldn't have been so careless."
Sophie, offended by his bluntness, clenched her fists in frustration. Desperate to get her phone back, she thought of another approach. Blushing slightly, she stammered, "If you... if you help me get my phone, I'll let you... umm..."
Mark immediately understood what she was implying, thanks to his life experiences. Before she could even finish her sentence, he sighed and muttered, "Unbelievable," then jumped off the bridge without hesitation.
The drop was about 20 feet, but Mark landed safely on the ground below. Without wasting time, he sprinted toward the phone, which had landed in a pile of grass. His sudden movement caught the attention of the lions lurking in the area. One by one, the predators began to surround him.
From the bridge, Sophie and a growing crowd of onlookers watched in shock, confusion, and horror as Mark faced the lions.
Sliding under one lion, he grabbed its tail and swung it into two others that were charging at him. A fourth lion pounced on him, aiming for his face. Mark shoved the lion's head back, grimacing. "Damn, your breath stinks," he said, then kicked the lion so hard it flew into the air, colliding with the bridge's railing and startling the people above.
Mark grabbed the phone from the grass and held it up triumphantly to show Sophie. At that moment, all the lions lunged at him, piling on top of him. Gasps echoed from the bridge as some bystanders called for help.
Moments later, Mark emerged from the pile, breaking free of the lions' grip. He dashed toward the bridge with the beasts chasing him, some managing to latch onto him as he ran. Reaching the bridge, Mark jumped 20 feet high, shaking off all but one lion still clinging to him.
Mark landed beside Sophie, who trembled in fear. He felt the remaining lion biting into his shoulder and flung it backward with little effort. Remarkably, he was uninjured.
The crowd stared at him in awe and disbelief. Mark glared back with a scowl, his intense expression intimidating everyone into quickly resuming their activities.
He handed Sophie her phone. "Now that you've got your phone back," he began, "I believe you owe me—"
"Like hell, you pervert!" Sophie interrupted, sticking her tongue out at him.
Mark froze in shock, his jaw dropping. "What?! After all that?" he sputtered as Sophie turned to run.
But Mark caught her by the arm before she could escape. "Listen, girly, I didn't just waste my time for nothing, you hear me?" he said, trying to look intimidating as he loomed over her. "Don't you dare give me that crap."
Sophie screamed, "Help! He's trying to touch me!" Her loud cries for help caught the attention of the crowd.
Mark panicked, gesturing wildly. "Shut up! That's not true!" he protested, but Sophie only screamed louder.
While Mark glanced around, trying to gauge the crowd's reaction, Sophie slipped from his grip and ran off.
"Damn brat," he muttered, resuming his walk home. "Like I care. I hope next time, it's you falling off the bridge."
As Mark continued down the bridge, he felt a sudden chill, as though someone was watching him. He looked up ahead and saw a middle-aged man standing there, staring at him with a calm, knowing smile.