It had to be that day

Sixteen-year-old Tandru , Timeless City

 A message popped up on his phone during math class; he ignored it. Tandru only half-listened to the teacher, his cheek resting in his palm, occasionally glancing out of the window next to him. 

 The sun was strong, but summer was only slowly setting in. He knew it was still chilly and wondered if Luna had taken her coat or left again without it. One of his legs kept moving restlessly without him being able to stop it, like an absurd desire to leave class for no reason.

 What the hell? Just because it was the last day of school for her and he had a week left? He frowned, annoyed. No, it wasn't that. 

 The professor called out a name, and he flinched, thinking he'd been caught off guard, but calmed down when another classmate walked over to the blackboard.

 He had felt restless all morning, for no good reason. Tandru tapped the phone screen to check the time and froze in place when he saw who had sent the message. Terrified, he pressed to see the message content.

 "The gang is attacking Luna today. I don't know the details; it looks like they smelled me somehow. I'm too late; she already left school. Man, I'm so sorry!"

 Tandru yanked his phone and backpack from next to the desk and stormed out of the classroom, not having time to explain or apologize. He'd arrive in fifteen minutes in the fastest taxi.

 He knew exactly where they would ambush her. "F***ing bastards!" he growled and ran full force down the hallways with the phone at his ear. Luckily, they were during classes and the halls were empty.

 "In three minutes, taxi number 654C will arrive. In three mi..." He hung up and tried to call Luna, but it had to be the day she forgot her phone at home; so often she was simply too oblivious to the existence of technology. "God damn it, Luna!"

 Pushing his muscles to the limit, he ran out into the high school courtyard at such high speed that the air stung his throat as he inhaled sharply. Tandru reached the front gates of the high school at the same time as the taxi did, into which he threw himself.

 "Sir, I'll give you an extra thirty bucks if you get to Short Street from Spring District in ten minutes." The guy wearing a yellow cap didn't hesitate to ask for an explanation but instantly put the car in gear and took off.

 Tandru rubbed his face nervously and tugged at the roots of his hair as buildings, cars and pedestrians passed by his window. He had sensed that something was wrong. "Bastards!" he muttered through gritted teeth, clenching his fists.

 On the way home from school, there was only one place they could attack her, even in broad daylight—the infamous Short Street. It was the sole pedestrian route, as most people drove to school. As the name suggested, it was very short, but flanked by high walls on both sides since it ran between two industrial buildings at a dead angle from the main street.

 Pressing his temples hard, he swore under his breath and felt his head throbbing. Why the hell didn't he listen to his instincts? He knew his mother wouldn't be leaving today. He knew...

 Ever since he'd gone to high school, Luna had been better off without him. Together with his mother, he'd managed to build a wall of protection around her. Timea had obtained the director's approval and arranged for cameras to be installed everywhere in the school, even in front of the bathroom doors. His absence led many who targeted her before, just to provoke him—entertained by his exaggerated protection—to lose interest and leave her alone. He'd started a chain that he couldn't stop after breaking the nose of the first thug who bullied her in front of him.

 But since his departure, he has managed to protect her so much better. She came and went with Timea, and he'd created a network of friends to monitor her every step. As a result, nothing had happened to her in the last few months; she even started coming home smiling. No one bothered her anymore, so he let his guard down. But today, Timea had to be part of an important end-of-school-year meeting, and Luna had to walk home alone.

 Even though Luna and his mother assured him that everything was fine now, when he had expressed his worries and offered to leave his classes earlier to pick her up. Those hellish losers had been waiting for a moment like this, and it came.

 The driver took the curve in the roundabout to their neighborhood so hard that Tandru grabbed the seat to hold on. At least it was this guy and not some older driver.

 Two more minutes.

 The car stopped with a screech as he let his money fall on the front seat and jumped out of the car. Like a bullet from a gun, he ran, fearing they might have lured her somewhere else. What if they were in another place? Fear gripped him even more, but soon, he heard a group's laugh as he entered the narrow, curved street, and his worst nightmare unfolded.

 Luna was lying on the ground, face down, covered in a black substance from head to toe. One of the girls held her hands behind her back and pulled her by them, while another had a hand in her hair and poured something from a jar over her head with the other. And because that didn't seem to be enough, there was another one kicking her in the side, and Luna... Luna didn't make a sound. Five more stood all around, laughing and having fun—four boys and a girl.

 "Tandru lunged at the attackers, propelling those restraining Luna's outstretched hands airborne, hurdling over the red-haired assailant who kicked her, both crashing to the ground. He seized the other assailant's jar and forcefully smashed it over her head, realizing there was honey inside, resulting in Luna's hair being freed as her head fell to the ground. His heart clenched—had she fainted...?

 However, he had no time to contemplate further or tend to her; all this had occurred before any of the gang members realized what was happening, but now they comprehended the situation.

 "How touching! The savior arrives to play the hero! Right on cue, lover boy, you couldn't have made my day any better. Two for the price of one."

 Tandru turned to the filthy mouth that had just barked, already knowing that it was that f***ing bastard - Mark. 

 In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of the girl who had been watching the scene, helping the others to their feet. Their curses and cries blended in the air, but Tandru had no time for distractions. The four thugs were closing in on him, ready to strike.

 He didn't wait for them to make their first move. Tandru jumped preemptively, aiming his kicks at their guts. His blows sent two of them crashing to the ground. But the others were quick to react, unleashing a flurry of punches at Tandru's ribs. A sharp knee to his back sent a jolt of pain through his body.

 Luna couldn't get off the ground and that drove him crazy.

 He managed to land a blow to Mark's jaw, despite Mark's height advantage. As the others attacked him, Mark's response was a relentless barrage of blows that rained down on Tandru like a hailstorm. 

 The only thing he felt was his anger which was the only force that kept him going, he knew he was losing.

 He could barely see Luna anymore, his eyes were closing and consciousness waned, mad desperation made him struggle in their stranglehold.