Cut! Stop!
The sun rose, marking the dawn of a new day. His sister had already prepared breakfast and left first since it was also her first day at work.
After eating the meal, he left the house. Rafael started humming as he walked toward the school.
The place was some distance away. Normally, he should have ridden a bus, but as he was in a good mood, Rafael wanted to enjoy the calmness of the morning.
Despite it being quite early, the road was already bustling with activity. Many people were on their way to school, their offices, or just having a jog in the morning.
As he walked out of his neighborhood, Rafael passed by one of the abandoned parts of his city.
This one was quite famous for having some gangs hanging out as there were a few abandoned buildings and constructions in the place.
Looking at the abandoned building, Rafael couldn't help but think, 'What a waste, spending all the resources and money and leaving it all like this.
Better just give the money to me. I will use it for a better purpose.'
As he fantasized about what he could do with a lot of money on hand, a woman's scream reached his ears.
"Kyaaaa!!! Someone help!"
His eyes narrowed as he began making his way to where the sound came from. As he got close, he could see two muscular men with heavy builds surrounding a woman.
Both of them looked at the woman like they had just hit the jackpot.
The woman, meanwhile, was beautiful. She had a slender, curvy body with long, curly pink hair.
Her eyes were unique: one was amber, while the other was green like an emerald.
"Stop! Go away, don't touch me," the woman said with tears in her eyes as she took a step back.
"Come on, beauty, don't be shy. Why else would you be staying in this neighborhood if not looking for a companion?"
"My brother is right. A beautiful woman like you in this place is better off going with us."
Rafael hesitated. He didn't want any trouble since his and his sister's lives had just turned out to be better.
If he intervened and the thugs targeted him for revenge, that would be a huge problem.
It could also impact his sister in the worst case. He also needed to go to the school to finish the registration.
Although he still had time, who knew how things would escalate?
He would also need to take care of the woman in the worst case.
But his hesitation didn't last long. Seeing the teary eyes reminded him of his sister.
'If something like this happened to her, and I am not there…'
He clenched his fist as just the thought of it made his rage boil. 'Fuck it, I would want anyone at that place to rescue her no matter what the danger is.'
Rafael's eyes started looking around for a weapon. He was not stupid enough to go without any plan. He then saw a rusty crowbar abandoned on the sidewalk.
Holding it in his hand, Rafael started making his way toward them. He walked slowly, making sure they didn't realize he was coming.
As he came close, Rafael jumped.
BANG!
He hit one of the men on the back of his head.
The woman screamed in surprise as blood splurted in the air. The other thug turned his head back.
Rafael expected him to scream in anger or attack, but the man instead had a look of fear on his face combined with shock.
Rafael didn't know the reason for this, nor did he care. He used the opportunity to launch another attack.
BAM! Crack...
He hit as hard as possible, breaking one of the man's ribs. As both men went down, Rafael pulled the woman's soft hand, wanting to bring her to run away. But to his surprise, the woman stood firm in her step with a speechless look on her face.
All the fear and tears disappeared, replaced only with shock and disbelief.
Then, a loud voice pierced through the silence. "CUT! STOP! CUT!"
Rafael froze as he turned his gaze to the other side.
From his angle before, he could only see the woman being attacked through the open entrance. But now that he entered the abandoned building area and could see everything clearly, he saw there were many other people standing there looking at him speechless.
A camera, lighting, a few chairs, an RV for makeup…
It was clear to him now. He had just started the day doing the most shameful thing in his life ever. His face turned red.
Without waiting for them to respond, he threw the crowbar from his hand and did his secret technique.
BAIL!
Rafael escaped, sprinting like his life was on the line. It was like he was being hunted by a legion of demons.
"Hey, you! Wait!" the woman screamed from her lungs, but it was too late. She only saw the blur of the man's back. But she remembered the man's face clearly.
It was the first time in her long experience as an actress that something like this happened.
The other movie staff still froze, not knowing what to do, while the producer had his vein popped.
"What are you all looking at? Call the ambulance! And bring me the one responsible for guarding the area!"
Normally, in a movie set like this, there would always be a crew responsible for blocking the path, making sure no accidents happen.
But unfortunately, since it was early in the morning and it was just a retake of a small scene, the one responsible was now lazing around in the mini-market, taking a smoke while playing cards with his other co-workers.
He was all smiles, not knowing the rage of his boss waiting for him.
Meanwhile, Rafael was still sprinting for his life. Without realizing it, he reached the school entrance.
His entire body was covered in sweat, his lips were pale, and he was breathing heavily.
Looking at his appearance, one of the security quickly ran, approaching him.
"Young man, do you have a problem? Is someone dangerous following you?"