3 Cold Night

The sun would soon set and it was getting colder. Leon was still running in the direction he was pointed to. He didn't really care about the bike, but he could not just accept someone taking the gift his parents gave him without doing anything. Although he was growing distant, he still felt very much grateful about everything they had done for him.

It didn't take long to spot a guy standing with his bike while talking to someone in front of an old building. The kid with his bike had the uniform of his school, he should be someone from one of the advanced classes. He was talking to a tattooed guy who looked like he was about 17.

"Hey, that is mine. Give it back!" he shouted as he approached

"f*** off, kid" snarled the older one threateningly

"Give. It. Back."

"What are you talking about? The bike wasn't locked. Can you prove that it is yours? I don't care anyway, I already traded it. Just beat it." The kid from the same school sneered

Leon was fuming. He didn't say anything anymore and just threw a punch at the older kid's face. The kid was surprised, he didn't expect the skinny boy in front of him would actually attack, he wanted to react but there was no time, the punch came too fast. The guy was knocked down holding his bleeding mouth and staring astounded at Leon. The hit was much harder than it should have been, coming from a slim arm. He felt a few of his teeth coming out.

Leon's hand was covered in blood too; it was hard to tell if it was from his hand or the older kid's mouth. He did not have time to care as the other guy was already coming at him.

The guy tried punching him in the stomach but Leon just jumped back a little. Fighting felt oddly natural for him, his opponents movements seemed slow and his body reacted as if by instinct. He kept dodging the guy's hits while waiting for a chance to get in range.

The guy was sweating hard, getting more and more angry and panicked as time passed. He had already taken two punches in the stomach, feeling like his insides were churning, but he couldn't manage to hit back.

His hopes went up a little when he saw the other kid was finally getting up, but he knew he couldn't count on him too much. He decided to swallow his pride and shout for help from the people who were inside the building.

Leon could hear other people approaching and knew things were not looking good for him even if he was winning right now. He tried to turn and run but the tattooed guy was blocking his path, he would not let Leon get away unscathed after hitting him so much.

Leon started getting frantic. He stopped caring if he got hit, just trading blows with the other two. He kicked the other kid on the knee, which soon was followed by a loud 'crack'. The kid screamed in pain as he fell to the ground holding his leg.

The other guy was startled but didn't give way. The others would soon arrive.

Leon knew he had no time left. He jumped towards the enemy trying to knock him down and he almost succeeded but the weight difference was too high. The guy took the chance to grab hold of him, punching him on his sides.

Leon took the pain and answered by kicking the guy away, but when he turned around he noticed he was surrounded already. There were three others guys giving a perplexed look to the scene in front of them. They couldn't believe that a scrawny kid put two older boys down.

"What is this s***? You got beaten by a little shrimp, huh?" – one of the three laughed at the tattooed guy who was getting up

"Shut up! The kid is tougher than he looks. Just get him!"

The only way Leon could escape now was downing another one and running with all he got. The struggle got very chaotic. Leon was hitting people left and right while being beaten back. His body was aching all over. He was getting dizzy and the mob was getting angrier. At some point, someone pulled a knife and stabbed him without thinking. When the others saw all the blood running out they just ran away. The stabber soon followed, leaving the kid who passed out from pain on the ground without looking back.

Leon looked incredulous at the blood flowing through his fingers. His legs couldn't support him anymore and he fell to the ground, it was getting harder to breath and the cold air hurt more than his wounds at this point.

All he could do now was laugh in self-derision. He never forgot the stupid locker but he was just out of his head this morning, now there was no one around to help and he would die because of a stupid bike.

Maybe this was fine too, he thought. Leon comforted himself thinking that he could at least get away from the feeling of getting crazier by the day. Whatever there is beyond death, it would soon not be a mystery anymore. There was nothing to miss about this life anyway.

Leon then thought about his adoptive parents. He felt sorry for them and hoped they would not be too sad with his death. They deserved better than this. He was disappointing enough already.

There was Victoria too. She was the only one who did not make him feel out of place, and for whatever reason she seemed very attached to him. Leon silently wished for her to find happiness.

His body was finally getting numb to the pain, all he could feel now was the cold. Familiar faces from his dreams were flashing in his mind. At some point he could swear he saw Victoria's sobbing face, she was crying her eyes out. He tried to smile and say everything was going to be all right but only blood came out. His eyes slowly closed as his conscience faded away.

It was a really cold night.