The rest of the time left for the task, nothing really changed much. In school people evaded me as always, but now there was this rumour about how I did something to Chris. Teachers even believed it and they called the police which resulted in nothing, because there was no evidence of it. Karla stopped talking to me, but I could feel her looking at me with pity sometimes. Was I sad? Of course not. This way everything is much easier for me.

  Ah, I forgot that one day Ryan and Ethan stopped coming to school. Not that I really care. My afternoons were always the same. I would go to Martin’s house, he would tell me how to position for the stance and then continue beating me for one hour straight every day. After those weeks I still feel pain when he hits me, so I'm not sure if I’m making any progress.

  The morning run, as I call it. It has become pretty easy. Since that first day I haven’t encountered many thugs or any gang members. Specially because that street has been rarely silent for some weeks. I have been hearing from people that some guy went there and has been messing with the gangs. I don’t know if it's true, but last week I saw some blood stains on the walls of some houses in that street.

  I have been making great progress with kickboxing. Tomorrow is the last day of the task. I look at myself in the mirror and I can see the results of all my training. My shoulders become broader and bigger, the same happened with my arms. In every part of my body you could see bruises of my own kickboxing training and Martin’s beatings. Everything seemed to be going smoothly.

  Until this day. All I had been working for became nothing in an instant. I beat a group of people to a pulp. My knuckles covered in blood, my breath heavy and my heart pounding. In front of me people on the ground and one more guy still standing. He is someone I know, he is breathing and tears are falling from his eyes. Hi arms are clinging and he doesnt seem to be able to move them. I look at my hand. They are completely red.

  Today I went to school as if it was just another day. I passed by Mary’s office and she said that my foot was completely healed so the pills weren’t necessary anymore. For real, those pills were amazing. I jsut took one before running and all the pain dissapeared. On the morning though, I couldn't even walk. I went to class directly and I just sat at my desk. Everyone in the class avoided looking at me and muttered stuff about me, but I didn’t care. The class started, but Karla wasn’t in class. That was strange, she has never skipped class. She was really diligent with that stuff. I shaked my head.

  The day continued and she didn’t appear. It was break time. As I was immersed in my thoughts someone touched my shoulder from behind. I turned back and I saw a bulky tall guy with fierce eyes. He was emanating this feeling of anger. For others he may have been intimidating, but for me he was nowhere near.

  “What do you need?” I asked triying to be as polite as I could, despite hating that people touch me.

  “Do you know where Karla is?” His question took me aback.

  “Who are you and why are you asking that?” I answered trying to get information.

  He sighed. “I’m Karla’s brother. Daniel Mun”. I’m looking for my sister because yesterday she didn’t come home”. I couldn’t believe what he just said. I grabbed him by the shoulders.

  “WHAT? And you are asking me now? When she disappeared yesterday!” I was losing control.

  “I was going to ask the police yesterday, but when I arrived they told me that complaints couldn’t be made at that hour of the night. They told me to just come back today”. he said

  I was getting nervous and before I knew it I was squeezing his shoulders harder.

  “Hey, could you stop grabbing my shoulders, it doesn’t hurt, but it is pissing me off”.

  “Ah, sorry”. I release the grab. I start thinking about what we should do, but my mind was empty. I had never been really clever.

  Daniel asks for my phone number to communicate if I see anything related to her sister. The rest of the classes went on with normality. After lunchtime, I went directly to Martin's house and I just was not paying attention to him. He suddnely got angry and hit me hardly in my chest. It made me fall to the ground, but it didnt hurt that much.

  "AGH"

  "Why are you not paying attention. Today is the last day right? You should be more focused than any other day". He said to while looking directly to me.

  "It's nothing, sorry". I just tryed to focus the rest of the hour, but I couldn't. Went the time was over Martin scanned me from up to down.

  "Okay. I don't know if you are really ready for what will come in the future, but I can proudly say that you did your best. You can go now". Said Martin

  I was about to cross his house door. I turned back.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  "Martin! No. Master! Thank you for everything!" I bowed my head to show him respect and I got out of there.

  Martin just sighed and smiled looking at the ceiling. "The kid has grown well Mon".

  I spend at home the rest of the afternoon today. I didn't do my usual kickboxing training and I just decided to sleep. I was too tired from thinking too much about Karla plus my trianing with Martin today felt more intense than usually. I suddenly woke up with the vibrations of my phone. I thought at first that it could have been Dabniel. I didnt even get to see the time before I see who was sending texts.

  The text I received wasn’t from Daniel. It was from Ryan. I opened the message and it made me stop suddenly on the street. The message was not text but a picture. Then another message pops up. It was an address. I looked at the clock 22:40. I look again at the address. Tallaght. I start running to get there.

  I follow his instructions to get where he is. I arrived in an instant and despite running so much distance I was not even tired or breathing heavily. I felt heat up. In front of me I have Ryan. He has changed, I can feel it. He still wears his bandana. I can even see a cigarette on his right hand. His clothes are similar to the ones he used to wear. I was too angry to think about anything else.

  “RYAN! Fucking bastard! What’s the meaning of that message?”

  “Mark”. Ryan had a cocky smile on his face. “How have you been?”

  “Answer the fucking question!” I was getting more pissed off.

  “It means exactly what you think. It was funny to play with her. Haha”. He was literally laughing while licking his lips.

  The content of the image was a picture of Karla completely beaten up and tied with a rope.

  “Why did you beat Karla? What has she done to you!” I asked.

  “That girl? She did nothing. You too seemed close, so I thought it was a good way to crush you and to punish you for doing something to Chris”. He said.

  I was left speechless. I release my clenched fists and I stopped tensing my body.

  "That's what I thought at first, but... This sensation. This feeling of power. Uuuuu. I could get used to it. So this was what you felt when you bullyed others uhh". Said while Huging himself.

  Now, despite Ryan approaching me I didn't do anything. “What happened Mark?” Says Ryan with a teasing tone. “Won’t you hit me? You can't, right? Hahahaha. You know that something worse could happen to Karla”.

  Behind Ryan someone walked toward us.

  “Mark, it's been some time, how are you?”. That was Ethan’s voice. I look at him.

  “Ethan. Are you also into this shit?” I was angry. My hands were so closed into a fist that it felt as if it was gonna start bleeding out of nowhere. My heart was racing, but the feeling of guilt didn’t go away.

  “What are you gonna do Mark? Are you sure you're gonna beat us?” Ethan then took out his hoodie. Under it he was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt. On his neck I could see it. The tattoo of the shatterfists. Ryan took out his hoodie too and showed the same. Both of them had 2 fingers tattooed.

  “If you hit us, our gang will look for you and for your loved ones. Even if that one bastard has been taking care of our illegal stuff and the criminal activity of this street, our gang has too many bad guys”. Ethan and Ryan had cocky smiles on their faces.

  “How did two losers like you end up in a gang?” I ask, trying to buy time to think of a plan.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you. After we did all the stuff with Cruz and you went unconscious…”

  Some week ago in the gym…

  “We did it!” Said Ryan looking at Chris and Ethan.

  “We will finally be able to live a normal life and not get bullied”.

  Chris sighed and nodded while looking at Mark, who seemed to be unconscious on the floor. Suddenly Mon who was watching everything from the teachers zone, got up and approached them. Cruz recognized him at that moment and a big and wide smile was put on his face. You could even say that it was a creepy smile.

  Mon approached Mark and got down on his knees to check his pulse. He was still alive and breathing, just unconscious. He sighed and while he was still down Cruz got closer to him and while having his hands on his pockets started talking to Mon.

  “Aren’t you gonna greet me after so much time”. Mon looked back at Cruz, but decided to ignore him. He took Mark on his back and just started walking out of the gym. Cruz grabbed his shoulder while smiling at him. Mon looked again at Cruz, now with a menacing look. He approached him and muttered in his Cruz’s ear.

  “Do you really wanna do this here? With all these people looking?” Cruz stopped smiling and looked behind him. All the teachers and the kids were looking at them. He decided to just release his grab and take a puff of his cigarette. Mon continued walking, but before exiting he said one last thing.

  “Chris, Ryan, Ethan. You have accomplished something that you were seeking a long time ago, but don’t let that get you overboard. Continue with your lives or improve yourselves. Don’t waste this opportunity”. After saying that he got out of there.

  Cruz looked at them and took a puff on his cigarette. He approaches Chris and mutters something to him.

  “I’m done here then”. Cruz took the briefcase with the money and got out of the gym.

  After that Ryan and Ethan went the next day to school and they spread the video of Mark's humiliation and added some made up stuff to ridicule him even more. Everyone started praising them. That made Ethan’s and Ryan’s ego go up. With all that ruckus of Mark’s downfall, not only the people who were from that school heard about that. Mark was kind of famous on the street and many thugs knew him and were scared of him.

  In the end, Mark’s downfall came to the ears of the shatterfists gang.

  On Tallaght street, there were multiple hideouts for gangs. In one of them some guys were reunited playing cards and smoking. Someone opened the door.

  “Group leader, I have important news! Mark, the bully from Ridgewood High, has been beaten and humiliated and there is a video of it”.

  One of the guys takes a puff on his cigarette.“So that bastard has finally fallen. Do you know who has done it?” Asked the responsible of group 3 in the shatterfist gang. Cillian Kane. He was a tall but skinny looking guy. He had a low fade cut. His clothes were a t-shirt with a juvenil shirt over it and he was wearing some trainers with straight blue jeans.

  “We don’t know for sure, but there have been two kids from that school that are being praised. They may have been the ones”. Said Sean Doyle. He is the informant guy of group 3.

  “Go look for them with Maeve Brennan. Try to catch their attention anyway”. Said Cillian. Next to him was a stunning girl with dark red hair. Long legs. She was wearing baggy trousers and a street oversized hoodie. On her ankle there was a small knife.

  “So, what do I have to do?”. Said the girl.

  “First we need to make sure they are useful. Go to the school and look for them. Check if they are the ones who really took Mark down”. Said Cillian