Behind the bars

"Lower your gun sergeant! don't act before you know." I said scornfully.

"I said both of you leave him or face Death!!!" that stubborn Sergeant roared.

"I won't leave him until he spills from his mouth the name," Alessio said with full determination.

"I don't know what yore talking about, leave him now!" Sergeant shouted. Suddenly that hyena's eyes become filled with evil and he smirked at us he looked towards the sergeant and changed his colours like a chameleon, he innocently said while pleading,

"Sir please save me these robbers were threatening unarmed innocent people"

"Shut up you liar! " Alessio punched his face hard.

The sergeant fired near Alessio, the bullet stroke right by his arm tearing off his shirt's sleeve and giving another a straight cut exposing the raged blood from his arm.

"if you won't listen to me now, this bullet will go through your chest!" Sergeant warned.

"Leave him Alessio" I cried.

"But sir-" He looked at me with his eyes full of rage and a pleading tone.

"Leave him I said" I raised my voice.

"Ugh!"

He left his collar fiercely which had droplets of Alessio's young blood. That chameleon fell to the ground and smiled with his filthy mouth filled with blood. Alessio stood up straight, the moonlight making his blood seen clearly which filled his shirt with blood and every drop of his pure blood was dripping off his sleeve.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm.....fine," he said while his face clearly showed the pain he was going through.

"Why did you beat all of these men, do you know it's considered a crime to attack unarmed people!" an Officer came from behind and said. He looked like a powerful one and the most prominent of these officers, the rest of them saluted him, he was wearing the prestigious uniform with a raised police cap, and his nose was sharp so were his eyes. A huge muscle-man striking his baton on his other hand.

"What do you mean to beat them? THEY WERE ABOUT TO KILL US!" Alessio stepped towards the Officer and said angrily.

"Hey young man! How dare you raise your voice against the Chief Officer, don't you know who he is?" One of his officers came near to Alessio and said it by looking straight with his angered eyes.

"Bu-" Alessio resisted.

"Alessio calm your nerves. I will handle this. We were not attacking these unarmed people they were the ones who were sent to kill us." I tried to explain the situation politely.

"Do you have any proof regarding your statement?" Chief Officer asked in a questioning tone.

"This cut on my cheek, this dagger, this fallen arrow isn't enough evident?" Alessio picked the weapons from the ground and showed them the evidence.

The hyena who was moments ago pleading to spare him instantly spoke up energetically and said,

"We are ordinary tradesmen and were carrying these weapons to be saved from this kind of robber. What wrong did we do? I and my mates were only travelling from here silently. These two men came and asked us to give them our money while pointing their guns at us, when we refused they started beating us and these other weapons weren't of any use to save us from these beasts. Look all of them died and the gun is still with this dreadful man."

"NO, HE IS LYING!!!" Alessio shouted to justify.

"We will find out the truth and the lies, Search them!" Chief Officer said.

They started searching us like we are thieves, Whenever one of them looked at us with such a hideous sight I felt like a criminal who has done a horrendous crime and was about to get a death sentence. Blood was continuously seeping from Alessio's cuts like a stream and drenched his entire shirt. But they didn't even bother by that and being stone-hearted thoroughly checked our coat pockets, pant's pockets and then one of their officers took my gun from my waistband and said,

"Here sire! we found it." in an achieving tone.

"Hmm, well now what you have to say, young man." He took the gun and showed it to Alessio.

"That's-"

"Enough of your lies! We will take you to our Superintendent he will decide what to do with you."

"Are you serious? what kind of justice is this you're capturing the victims instead of the real criminals!" I said.

"Sergeant!" Officer cried.

"Yes sir"

"Anyone who resists showing no mercy to him at all, Kill them." by listening this sergeant's eyes widened but he could say nothing more than,

"Yes sir."

"what no to" Alessio struggled.

"Didn't you hear what the Chief Officer said!" He said in a loud tone and then whispered in Alessio's ear,

"Please don't make it difficult for me son. "

Alessio looked at him with a surprised look on his face which was half-covered with blood. He left himself helplessly and without further resisting he let them handcuff him. Then the other officer forcefully handcuffed me and made us both sit in the carriage.

My eyes lay on the full moon which was fading away as the new sun at dusk was rising. What kind of Rise this is? The coldness of this city has frozen the hearts of the powerful people living in it. No mercy is shown, no justice has been granted, and the only thing that rules here is Power. Living in an urban city still with the rule of the jungle. I looked at Alessio who was constantly staring at me in such a way that I wanted to disappear from this world to escape the shame I was feeling at that time. I was once again fallen into the deep ocean of shame, grief and regrets.

"Come down quick!" some constables dragged both of us from the carriage

"Where are you taking us?" I asked

"To the lock-up." He replied,

"Why? What is our crime huh? Without interrogating them you left them there and brought us here?" I said.

"You said you would take us to your Superintendent!" Alessio said.

"He will come in some days for his visit until then stay here." he pushed us inside the locker.

"Let us out, LET US OUT!!!" Alessio screamed his lungs out while vigorously holding and shaking prison bars as if he would break them, with that force his cut seeped even more, but those heartless officers became deaf and didn't listen to him as if he never existed!

"It's of no use, don't exert yourself." I sighed.

UGH! he punched hard on the brick wall and cried with pain and looked at his hand, his knuckles became red and his hand was shivering.

STOP IT ALESSIO! I shouted, what will you get by doing this huh? don't you know it's of no use we have no choice instead of waiting for that Chief?

Why is my life nothing going the right way WHY? he screamed with agony and pain.

Look what you did to yourself, show it to me.

Don't even dare to touch me! This all happened because of you! If you didn't trust your friend then we would've not ended up like this, I warned you of his chivalry! You!

He grabbed my collar and banged me against the wall, looked at me with his ocean blue eyes violently in my eyes, sweat dropped from his face combined with his blood dropped on my coat, the enraged gritting of his teeth was showing his frustrations, depressions, anger and helplessness. Then suddenly he left my collar and sat on a farther corner hiding his face. I knew that something was not right with him, he was disturbed. I went towards him and sat next to him.

"Leave me alone," he said while his voice was cracking because of his tears.

"Alessio, you have been concealing these emotions for way too long. But now is the time to let them out. You've been strong for a long time, but you know what?

"Hmm? "he asked in a teary voice.

"People don't cry because they are weak, it's because they have been strong for a long time."

With that Alessio wiped his face and looked at me like a man who was trying fully to conceal his emotions but a tear left his eye, I patted his shoulder with reassurance.

"Afterall, Alessio you're a seventeen-year-old boy who is burdened since your father's death when you were just seven you also have the right to express your emotions but you concealed them as long as you could to not overburden your poorly mother and sister and been strong for them."

"Hmm, You're right sir. But a poor man doesn't have any concern more than feeding his family. I didn't have a normal life like any other kid, I couldn't afford to play with other kids and live my life carelessly I had way bigger things to take care of. When my father died, my mother fought bravely against that Lorenzo she is the most fierce woman I have ever seen, she fought him regardless of his power. Not only did she fight for my dad as a great wife but also fed us as a wonderful mother. My mother used to work in the fields tirelessly the entire day without caring if it was day or night, a deadly fierce storm or scorching sun. I started selling things which I found anywhere which were old and thrown by people as useless, I use to repair them and sell them to others. Sometimes I would work as a waiter, bartender any job I could get to feed my family, as my mother was getting old day by day I took the entire responsibility of my house along with fighting for justice from your dear friend Edmondson. Things were getting tougher with each setting sun, Lorenzo's men used to come to our place and used to threaten us and we would have to feed them money to satisfy the greed of those greedy dogs. Everything was getting out of control my mother was sick and my sister's educational expense was coming up as well. I never cried in front of them and stood strong, strong enough to bear any storm no matter how strong it would be. When they took my family, that was the end for me, my whole world collapsed. Then I came in here for help, at first, I wanted to kill you but when I met John and he told me about you."

"Then?"

"I decided to trust you."

"Really?"

"Yes, but there is something I want to ask."

"What?"

"What was the reason you left my Father's case and disappeared for ten years!??"