The alley was cloaked in darkness, a narrow corridor of uncertainty that stretched out before them. Arjun stood at its centre as he faced the looming threat of four thugs pressing them towards the wall . Beside him, Riya clutched his arm trembling in fear.
The leader of the group, stepped forward with cruel smirk. "Look what we have here," his voice filled with amusement. "A hero in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Suddenly, his expression relaxed as he tried to give his honest suggestion. "Think you can keep her safe from us—all alone? Are you taking us for some random thugs?" He took out his cigarette, lit it, and said with a puff of smoke, "I'll warn you one last time, kid. Leave while we're still being nice, or you'll pay for wasting our time."
Following the goon leader's words, the other goons revealed their hidden knives as a warning.
Arjun's jaw tightened. He didn't want to go through this. He had seen these kinds of scenes where the hero saves the girl and somehow comes out unscathed. However, reality is not a movie scene. Even if he was confident and managed to save her, there would be consequences for meddling with the wrong kind of people.
News of crimes was all too common in the dark alleys, and the thugs involved were generally part of the underworld mafia. They are the people even the police hesitated to face without enough force. And now, he was unarmed, meant to shield and rescue a vulnerable girl from the bunch of criminals.
But the situation was different now. He might not be a hero, but he practiced martial arts. The trophies at his home weren't earned through gambling. Surprise would be his greatest weapon to topple them—after all, they likely had no idea of his skills. Today, he will become the hero. All he needed was to disable them quickly and escape with Riya.
His blood was already boiling at its peak, knowing full well the lecherous intent these men had toward the girl he loved. It would be a shame not to teach them a lesson.. at least as a small payback.
'Fuck the aftermath. I'm not a man if I don't avenge my girl.'
His gaze locked on the leader. "Stay behind me, Riya. I've got this."
Riya's breath hitched as she clung to Arjun's arm. "Arjun, please be careful," she whispered, trembling in fear.
"I promise, Riya. Nothing's going to happen to you," Arjun said in a reassuring tone. He stepped forward, having made up his mind to give them a taste of his martial arts. The only thing he needed to be wary of was keeping an eye on Riya, in case they tried to sneak up on her.
The leader sneered. "You're brave, I'll give you that. But you're also a fool. We're going to have some fun with your girl here, and you're going to watch. For the rest of you," he addressed his goons, "break his legs, but don't kill him."
As the tension escalated, the three goons brandished their knives with menacing smiles, their intentions clear. With calculated malice, they began to encircle Arjun, their movements predatory and sinister.
Arjun remained vigilant, his stance shifting with each subtle movement of his adversaries. He kept a watchful eye on each of them, anticipating their next move with unwavering focus.
Suddenly, one goon to his left tried a kick, Arjun caught the leg and spun the attacker into another goon to his right.
However, in the midst of this manoeuvre, Arjun's attention was momentarily diverted, leaving him vulnerable to the goon behind him who seized the opportunity to strike, wielding his knife with lethal intent.
As the goon behind Arjun lunged forward with a glinting knife, Arjun's instincts kicked in with lightning speed. He smoothly dodged the attack and skilfully disarmed the thug by twisting his arm in the opposite direction.
"AHHHHHHHH! MY Hand ! MY Hand!!", the goon let out a pained cry, his knife clattering to the ground as he cradled his injured arm.
Crack! THUD!
Arjun didn't hesitate. He twisted the assailant's arm, dislocating his shoulder, and then yanked him down by his hair, slamming him onto the ground.
With one threat neutralized, Arjun turned to face the remaining goons. "Who's next?" he demanded.
The goons hesitated, startled by Arjun's display of strength. The leader's voice cut through the tension.
"He's alone! Tire him out and overwhelm him, you fools!" the leader barked, directing his goons to prepare for another attack.
The second goon charged forward recklessly as he swung his knife wildly.
Arjun faced his each blow with precise movements, parrying and dodging with expert skill, thanks to his martial art training. Finding an opening, he landed a swift punch to the goon's jaw, that turned out to be decisive.
BAM! CRUNCH!
As the goon writhed in pain, Arjun seized the opportunity to deliver a devastating headbutt that echoed through the alley.
The sickening crunch of bone against narrow path filled the air. The thug lay flat on the ground unconscious as blood pooled around from his nose.
Meanwhile, the third goon attempted to flank Arjun changed his target mid-fight and decided to go for Riya who stood frozen with fear.
But Arjun was quick, swiftly sweeping the man's legs out from under him with a well-aimed kick.
THUD!
Arjun pounced on the fallen goon, delivering a relentless barrage of blows until his opponent's face was a bloody mess.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
The goon cried out in pain and desperation, "No, please! Stop! I give up!"
But Arjun's fury knew no bounds as his relentless assault were fueled by a primal instinct to protect Riya. The cries of goon echoed through the dark alley, mingled with sickening sound of bone crushing assault.
"ARJUNN! NO STOP!" Riya cried out in desperation.
Bang! a sudden gunshot shattered the night air.
Arjun staggered, pain searing through his chest as he looked up in disbelief. The leader stood over him, gun aimed directly at his chest.
In his haste, he aimed to shoot Riya down, but the gun jammed. A sharp metallic click echoed in the air, and the leader's eyes furrowed. A glint of disappointment flickered across his face, quickly followed by a trace of panic.
"Lucky for you, it got jammed," he sneered. "Next time, if you come across, you can forget about escaping," he addressed Riya, "Pray to your gods that day never comes, if you know what's good for you."
Retreating into the darkness, the leader signaled to his men. "Get your sorry asses together before the cops show up."
As the goons fled the scene, Riya's screams of horror echoed through the alley.
She knelt beside Arjun, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to stem the flow of blood, her hands shaking as she prayed for help to arrive in time.