It was late at night. A brown-skinned teenager was sitting on a bench. He wore a black suit. His blue eyes were fixed on the distant stars, seemingly lost in thought. The cigarette in his hand was lit yet he hadn't taken a single puff.
Inside the dark park, a single street lamp was illuminating the boy. His curly hair was short and unkempt. The facial hair on his chin and the mustache gave him the air of a university student.
A few rustles could be heard between the trees, but there was no wind. A person appeared from the darkness at that moment and walked towards the boy sitting on the bench, eventually stopping two meters away from him.
The boy was still staring at the stars. Not paying any attention to the person in front of him. After a few seconds the boy uttered a single sentence, his expression sad.
"... Did you kill her... Nicolas?"
"You know I would never do that! I loved your sister!... Why are you asking me that Jacob."
Nicolas' face was tense as he replied subconsciously, almost unable to control the tone of his voice. Jacob got up and looked at him with angry eyes. His voice became rough as he shouted angrily.
"A few policemen came asking questions about you the day my sister died!!! Don't try to deny it!!!"
"But I didn't kill he-!"
Before Nicolas could finish what he was saying, Jacob closed the distance between the two and grabbed him by his throat. His big arm was strangling Nicolas to death.
With great effort Nicolas tried to shake his arm away but to no avail. A word escaped his lips before he knew it.
"...Why?..."
Hearing this from him, Jacob's veins on his face bulged. He tightened his grasp around Nicolas' neck. He could hardly breathe now.
"You ask why?!!!Just die fucking murderer!!!"
Nicolas was now feeling dizzy, his consciousness fading. But he could still move. He bit his lower lip and grabbed Jacob's arms. He did something completely unexpected, catching even his strangler by surprise.
He closed the distance between them even more and smashed his head onto Jacob's, knocking him back. He let Nicolas out of his grasp while putting his hands on his forehead.
At this point Nicolas spoke with an angry voice that seemed more like a roar, his words slicing through the air sharper than knives.
"You dare doubt me you fucking animal!!! You inferior thing unworthy of being human!!! You dare accuse me of killing her?!!!"
Jacob was taken aback by Nicolas' sudden outburst, but his surprise didn't last long. Nicolas punched him in the stomach. He felt like his insides were twisting, making him have the urge to vomit. Even after the punch, Jacob didn't back out.
He retaliated without hesitation, striking Nicolas at his jaw with a right cross. Then he saw Nicolas' face. The veins on his neck, face and hands were bulging with an unusual blue color. A light blue that was slightly shining.
Staggering back a few steps, Nicolas' eyes looked unfocused, his breaths ragged. But he didn't stop. He lunged at Jacob, aiming at his head like a wild beast, driven solely on instinct, but he wasn't quick enough.
Jacob bent down and, with his right leg, hit Nicolas' legs horizontally. He immediately fell to the soil, where Jacob hit him at the right side of his chest with both of his elbows.
Nicolas lay weakly on the ground, his eyes feeling heavy. His whole body in pain. His lungs empty of air. His consciousness gradually fading.
Then, suddenly, he saw a punch coming straight for his face. Everything went black.
*
When Nicolas woke up, he felt his whole body being in pain.
"Ugh...!"
He opened his eyes with great effort, only to see a brown man looking closely at him, a few centimeters away.
"What... the fuck...happened?..."
"I knocked you unconscious. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Jacob said with an emotionless voice. Nicolas touched his forehead because he had a severe headache, but he felt something liquid. It was blood. Then he touched his jaw. Following that his chest. He was in so much pain that he felt like his bones were broken.
"Did I get hit by a truck or something? I feel like I'm dying."
His speaking sounded weird because of his jaw but Jacob understood his words.
"Well... I knocked you unconscious pretty hard... Anyways, it's a relief that you're not attacking me mindlessly like before. You're a really racist son of a bitch, you know that? I don't know what my sister found in you, really."
Jacob said with a relieved voice. Compared to Jacob, Nicolas was confused.
"What...do you mean by a racist son of a bitch? I have never been racist to you or anyone else."
"You don't remember anything, huh?"
"What do you mean by that? You tried to strangle me to death and then I fainted. Isn't that right? And why are you looking all over me in such a curious manner?"
After hearing that Jacob tilted his head. His face depicting a confused expression.
"After I tried to strangle you to death, you got out of my palm and attacked me. Thankfully I do boxing as my hobby and you're not in shape or I would have died. You don't know how scary you looked. Especially those shining veins of yours. How do you even-..."
"Wait, wait, wait. Why didn't you kill me? I mean I tried to kill you. How do you know I won't do that again?"
"I don't. But I found this cool stick in case you attacked again."
Jacob then showed him a baseball bat thicker than his arm. Nicolas trembled slightly at the thought of dying by this thing.
Feeling a lot better than before, he got to his feet and stood at the same height as Jacob. A scratch was visible on his face but without any blood. Compared to him, Nicolas' face was half covered in blood. His mouth couldn't close completely due to his slightly dislocated jaw.
After a few seconds he realized something that seemed out of place.
"What did you mean by shining veins?!"
These news weren't unexpected for Nicolas. Since he regained consciousness, he had been feeling weird. He could feel something inside of him.
The strange part is that I can move it with my mind... Those doctors were saying some things that seem to click in with what is happening.
"The veins all over your body were shining blue. Are you some kind of lab rat or are you taking drugs?"
... My... veins?... I need time to find out myself.
"I'm leaving. I'm a wanted criminal. Goodbye, Jacob."
Nicolas had no time to waste. The police would find him sooner or later if he stayed still and the two people at the funeral would be chasing after him too.
Just as he was about to leave, Jacob called out to him.
"Wait!... I have something for you."
Afterwards, Jacob took out a piece of paper from his pocket along with a pendant.
"This is a route to get out of the city unseen... And this is the pendant you gave my sister... you know when."
Nicolas was surprised by this gift. He couldn't help but question it.
"Why are you giving me these? How do you know of a way out of the city secretly?"
"I guess you don't know. I'm the leader of a local gang. Nobody knows us because we don't act on the surface often. We use the sewers to move around just like many others. If you follow the red marker you'll get to Lagonisi. The rest is up to you."
"Then again, why are you giving these to me? How come I didn't know you lead a gang? Why didn't you kill me earlier? Why are you doing all of this?"
Nicolas had every right to be confused. The motives behind his actions seemed illogical.
A faint smile graced Jacob's face as he spoke. His eyes watery.
"... Because she told me that you were the only one for her in the whole world. That you would protect her even if you had to fight everyone... So, I'm going to trust you this time and help you leave... And I'm sorry about attacking you out of nowhere. I was really sad about her death and I couldn't contain myself... Come back after things have calmed down a little. We'll talk more then."
There was only one thing Nicolas could say in this situation.
"... Thank you Jacob... I'll come back to see you soon."
"Don't make me regret it. You should stay out of sight."
*
The next day, Nicolas had already arrived at Lagonisi by the time the news spoke about him.
""... He's an extremely dangerous criminal. He is armed and lurking in the city, ready to strike again... And now back to...""
""... Two days ago, Nicolas Hanais allegedly killed six people including his own family. His mother, his father and his brother died at two separate explosions set up by him. The wreckage of...""
""...The evidence found at the scene indicate that he killed a driver while mercilessly smashing his face on the steering wheel. Furthermore, it's presumed that he also killed his girlfriend...""
"... What the fuck... They say I killed her?!!!"
Nicolas couldn't help but get furious at these accusations.
"... Change of plans... I will kill them all, every single one, I won't hesitate, whoever it is they will die by my hands!"
After all, they had just insulted his lover. It was normal for him to desire their heads since she was now dead.
Nicolas was standing in front of a forest of countless trees blocking the morning sun from entering. He took a deep breath before entering. The sound of a whisper could be heard.
"I won't forget."
Nicolas disappeared into the shadows, as if he'd never been there.