Night Jog II

Unknowingly, Terry managed to jog all the way to the outer zone which is an area yet to be developed.

This part of the zone was well known as the 'Lover's Den.' It was branded with this name because most people who go here were couples. The trees and bushes serve as the curtain for the couples who spent time here. Every now and then, you can hear and see couples busying themselves for whatever activity you can think of.

Terry didn't mind the environment here but since he already jogged for a long distance, he decides to turn back. He didn't manage to follow his planned route because of his 'vending machine hunt'.

As he jogs back, he saw someone running towards his direction. 'Weak' he thought as he observed the man. He also noticed the bloody nose, teary eyes, and swollen face of the man. The man runs past him like the wind, it seemed like he's been in a one-sided fight and running away from it.

Shaking his head, he picked up his pace when suddenly, he heard a scream.

The scream was loud but since a lot of 'noise' can be heard here regularly, people around got used to it. They only consider it as some 'play' made by some couple to excite themselves.

The figure of the man who ran past him earlier flashed in his mind so he decided to locate where the scream came from.

It's dark around this area and the only light source is the coming from the moonlight and a few lamp post. He hurried to the source of the scream which is located within the 'Lover's Den'. He decides to hide behind the trees and blend with the darkness instead of announcing his arrival. 'Observe before acting.' Is what he always does.

What he witnessed was a middle-aged man, holding a woman's wrist forcefully. He heard the man talk loudly, not minding if someone hears him or not.

"That boyfriend of yours already left. Cowards like that don't deserve you. Let me show you how a 'real man' acts." the middle-aged man said with a smirk.

This statement made the woman struggle more, she screamed as she flung her bag who luckily hit the man's face. The pain made the man loosen his grip which gave her the chance to run. She started to run and the man followed like a hungry wolf.

Terry who's observing from the dark now understood what happened. It seems like that man left his girlfriend here after being beaten by this man. He can only shake his head and thought, 'What a coward.' Thinking up to this, he suddenly squatted and started to look for something on the ground. He then picks up 3 thumb size stone then weigh each stone then nodded. 'This should be enough.'

While Terry was busy looking for his stones, the man managed to catch up with the woman and then pushed her on the ground. He then tried to get on top of her body to secure his dominance but like a wounded animal, the woman kicked and clawed, struggling. She somehow managed to claw the man's face which made the latter furious. He then stood up and without hesitation, he kicked the woman's stomach.

The woman cried while clutching her stomach. She was about to scream one again but the man threatened to stomp on her stomach so she didn't dare to.

Terry watching all this can't help but think, 'It's the first day of my 'Re-do' yet it seems like violence will hunt me once again.' He stepped out of hiding then proclaimed, "Stop." he emulates a deep authoritarian voice thinking that he might be able to stop the man without using violence. He didn't get out of the tree's shade so only his silhouette can be seen. He also put his jacket's hoodie for another layer of 'protection'.

The man looked at the source of the voice and scowled, "Mind your own f*cking business." Then he starts to once again, get on top of the woman.

"Swoosh"

While busying himself, the man suddenly heard a sound. He then felt something hit the back of his head. He touched his head and felt pain. He also felt that his hand touched something sticky and when looked at it closely, he noticed that it's his blood.

"I said stop." Terry said in a deeper voice. He threw one of the stones he found earlier. He's thinking that it should be enough to make the man stop but he underestimated the other party. Instead of running, the man stood up with menacing eyes. He runs towards him while shouting, "You F*cker." The distance between them was about 10 meters and in just a few seconds, the man shortened the distance.

9 meters, 8 meters, 7 meters…

If this man knew Terry, instead of closing in, he would be running for his life right now. In his previous life, he was not known for his brutality, also not for being the best in his profession, he was known for his ability called 'Territory '. Not a single person lived to tell the tale of what it feels like to be in the 'Territory'. All sort of nicknames was given to him because of his ability such as '5 Meter Demon', 'God's Kiss', and 'Devil's Temper'.

"Whoever invades the 'Territory ' shall die." Was the famous saying in the underground world.

As the man got closer and closer, Terry's eyes got colder and colder. If someone was standing beside him right now, he/she would feel the temperature drop each passing second.

6.5 meters, 6 meters. "Swoosh"

As the man's feet step on the 6-meter distance, Terry closed his eyes, took a deep breath then flick a stone in his hands using his thumb. He didn't let the man get within the range of his 'Territory'. He doesn't want to go back to his previous self, he didn't want to be 'Little Nine' he used to be.

"Arghhhh"

The man tumbled when he felt something hard hit his eyes. He rolls to the ground while holding his eyes screaming, he now knew that he kicked an iron plate and a very big one at that.

"How long are you going to scream?" asked Terry with a deep voice.

Hearing this, the man suddenly stopped screaming. The man while holding his eyes, even though in pain, didn't dare utter a sound. Right now, the way he looks at this unknown man in the darkness was like looking at a demon.

For a few minutes, only a soft sobbing from the woman could be heard, the 'Demon' didn't say anything either.

The man thought that he was given 'Pardon' so he decides to get out of this d*mn place to find an underground hospital for treatment. He turned around and just as he's about to take his first step, the 'Demon's voice' sounded.

"Where do you think you're going?" Terry asked.

Hearing this, the man turns around and unhesitatingly drops on his knees. He started to beg for mercy while crying.

"Sir Dem-, Sir, Mister, Boss, please spare this pitiful life of mine, my mother is sick, I have kids, I have a granddaughter, my family is waiting home for me. Please forgive me, sob, sob."

The man almost blurted out the word 'Demon' but manage to hold back. He made all sorts of cliche excuses to get out of his current predicament.

He then heard the 'Demon' mutter softly, "Waste of time means a waste of money."

The moment the 'Demon's word' registered in his mind, the man's brain suddenly started to work like it never before. In just a few seconds, he thought of a possible solution.

While one of his hands holds his wound, his other hand was busy reaching for all his valuables. He drops his wallet and emptied his pockets with all money he can find. Not even a penny was spared. Upon ensuring that no money was left in his body, the then push all his valuables using his one hand toward the direction of the 'Demon'.

"Sir Demo-, Good sir, I offer you all these valuables as an apology for wasting your time. Please spare this pitiful life of mine."

He once again almost blurted out the word 'Demon'. He then holds his breath, nervously waiting for his 'Verdict'.

"Go," Terry said after pondering for a moment. He didn't really care about this riffraff. He knows that these people have their own use. At the same time, regardless of how many you eliminate, more and more will emerge to replace them. So sometimes, the best course of action is to deterrence because it's also a type of control.

As the man heard what the 'Demon' said, he felt like a drowning man who suddenly got a hold of a floating plank of wood. Not minding his injuries, he scrambled to his feet and sprint without looking back. He didn't even dare to thank the 'Demon' for sparing his life, afraid that he would suddenly change his mind in the last second.

Terry while looking at man, can only shake his head. 'Am I that scary?' This question flashed in his mind.

Still in the shade of the tree, he looked at his hand only to find out that his thumb finger crooked in an awkward angle. He smiled bitterly with the thought, 'This body of mine is so fragile.' He then took a deep breath and used his other hand to place his dislocated thumb to its right position.

After fixing his dislocated finger, he stepped out of the shade and walk towards the man's 'offering'. He crouched down and pick all of it before placing it in his pocket. He didn't even bother counting his spoils before he proceed towards the pitiful woman.

The woman was hugging her knees while crying. She was now sitting mindlessly while sobbing. After all, who wouldn't be shocked by what happened. Her boyfriend left him here and she almost fell victim to a pervert. She can't imagine what might have happened if no one came to her aid.

Terry stops under the shade of another tree to prevent the woman from recognizing him. He wants to be anonymous because he didn't want to be the center of attention.

"Miss, are you OK.?" Terry changed his tone of voice to sound friendlier.

As if the woman hadn't heard anything, no response was made.

"Miss, you OK?" He asks once more in a louder volume.

Only then the woman heard him. She looked to the source of the voice, only to see an outline of a person. She can't see the man's figure clearly because of the darkness but she remembers this voice as the one who saved her. She responded with his question. "I'm OK now, Thank you so much, Mister."

Hearing her response, Terry then said "That's good. Can you stand up? You should call the police."

The woman being reminded, hurriedly reach out for her bag to get her phone. As soon as she gets her hand on the phone, she called the police. She didn't even bother to stand up. After she called the police, she once again hugs her feet for comfort.

Seeing this, Terry can't help but feel pity so he decides to stay longer until the police come. Of course, he's still hiding in the darkness.

In just a few minutes, police siren can be heard from a distance. That's the only time where the woman finally breathes a sigh of relief. She lifts her head and said "Thank you so much for saving me, Mister. You-" suddenly, she stopped speaking when she noticed that her savior already left.

She stood up and went to where her savior stood. Using her phone as a source of light, she checked the surroundings. The only thing she found was a piece of a thumb-size stone lying on the ground.