The Red Dragons.

The Awakening

It was the year 1972 , And me and my family have just moved to New york to start a new life. I was excited . We moved into a nearly destroyed apartment which reeked of dead rats and looked like it was used for storing things like broken furniture and other stuff. My family consisted of my father , a hard working man but he was too straight forward to survive in this cruel world . My mother , Christina she was a religious woman , and my sister Angela . And then there was me , Michael Vittorio , and i was 13 years old.

In the urge of AdVenture , i roamed the streets of New york i found it quite interesting , my father worked for some guy named Luke Garcia. He was a real jerk. My father worked as what you might call slave labour because his job was to unload crates at some dock. I sometimes helped my father , but he always said "Son , You are not meant for this kind of job , you are destined for greatness" i guess its my fault that i never took him seriously. One day i met a 13-year old boy named Seno. He too was from a poor family and he too like me , had a thirst for adventure which was unquenchable. The scene of how i met him , was funny and Exciting. (Given below)

One day i , Michael , observed a boy named Seno , coming out of his house which was right infront of my house . As everyone he also wanted to make his mother proud of himself , he just walked towards a fruit stall and stole some apples ..... It was all going well until the Person who was incharge of the fruit stall , caught Seno , and went LOCO on him . I , could'nt see my neighbour getting beat up , i picked up a stone and threw it hard enough to make the guy bleed . Then i helped Seno get up , and then we ran , the Fruit stand guy gaVe chase but we got away successfully. Then Seno with a black eye said "Nice to meet you , i'm Seno". Me "I'm Michael and nice to meet you too". Seno "Thanks for helping me out in that , little Drama". Me "Well , i couldnt just stand there and do nothing . Anyway , what were you doing ?". Seno "Well , i was..... Just taking some fruits". Me "It looked like you were stealing , why did you do it ? " Seno (Sighs) "Its not my mistake , my father died when i was young , and i got a mother to feed. She's paralyzed....." I noticed tear's in Seno's eyes and i understood his Position , well what would any of us do if we were the only child and father and mother were helpless , i asked my self..... And i replied to Seno " Hey , look at me . Its okay..... Just try to avoid this stealing business or just get good at it." That was the moment when i saw Hope in Seno's eyes. Then he said "Let's go have some fun". Me "Sounds good." I followed him , and he led me to another fruit stall. There he again , started shop-lifting . And i helped him !. I distracted the fruit stall guy by asking stupid questions like " How old are you sir ? , how much do you make sir ? " and Seno just filled his oVer coats pockets with fruits. And without the Guy's raising the stall guy's suspicion. Then we shared the stolen fruits and went home . I could honestly say that , i dont know why but i felt a special connection with Seno . And that night me and my family ate a lot of fruits , usually somedays we had to go to bed in an empty stomach because , Father's job wasnt great . And as i laid down on my bed , i couldnt stop thinking about my adventures with Seno the next day.....

In the morning ,at 10:00AM .I heard some strange Voices downstairs , Mother and Father were arguing with someone , i couldnt understand it clearly but the voices were like (Strange man)"Just return it on Wednesday or -". Father replied " I will , but please , do not return to my house armed". And then the strange man left. I went downstairs and mother was sobbing , and father was trying to console her My sister was unaware of the Voices/Noises . I asked father , "Father , whats wrong ?". Father faked a smile and he had tears in his eyes which he was trying to hold back he replied "Nothing son , just take care of your mother." And then he took his coat , and just went outside. I sat near my mother and she said " Son , you have to go to school , I'll talk to your father tomorrow and -- Just go , i'm fine ". Then 2 hour's later , on 1:00pm i met with Seno. He also seemed scared and worried. He asked me " Hey , you seem..... Off. What is it ?". I replied "Oh , my parents want to send me to school. When they barely hold up on their own..... What are you worried about ?". Seno replied "i ahh..... Sort of , might have found out who my father is....." i almost screamt "WHAT !?!?! SENO THATS GREAT !". And then Seno said "He didnt marry my mother , he just raped her and left her with me. And do you know what Mum is saying ? She is saying that i should treat my idiot father with respect." Me "Oh , still isnt it great ? ". Seno " That basterd just sits on his couch all day and orders me to bring him his beer..... I'm just worried ". Me " aw , it'll be fine. " Lets have some fun". And by fun , we meant stealing edibles and running circles around old people , Vehicle surfing , pinching women's posteriours and blaming it on Young men , pissing on auto-mobiles and walking into random stores and saying "WE ARE YOUR SALVATION" in a very disturbing manner. After a long , fun and tiresome day , we returned home.
A week passed. My actiVities with Seno made me his best friend . And i was Seno's bestfriend too. To be honest , i felt sorry for the kid . And i was everything to him and he looked me in the eye with respect and loVe , and i could not just reject him. Seno due to his childhood on the streets made him street smart , and he was also well known among His cocky other friends. One day , Seno seemed more eXcited than usual , we met. And he said " Hey michael ! I'm so much eXcited to do this." Me"What are you talking about ?" Seno replied "Just follow me". Then i followed him , He led me to a school . I saw students rushing into the school , the students seemed happy and Sad at the same time , that eXpression indicated that they believed that ignorance is bliss. Many rich students came to school on Bi-cycles or their fathers dropped them off on their big fancy cars . Seno had this look in his eyes like he was jealous or , i couldnt figure it out completely. The students parked their bi-cycles and went into Their school. Then Seno went to a security guard and said "Hello dear sir , i seemed to have lost my key to this bicycle's lock" the security guard replied happily "well , it happens all the time ! Let me just break it off" then , the security guard Broke the lock off and Seno and i , successfully stole the bike. Seno asked "Well michael , what do you think ?" , (we were on our way to our houses) I replied with a disturbed conscience "Seno , stealing Fruits to fulfill our needs is one thing. But stealing a bicycle ?" he replied with a serious face "Look michael , Never driVe a good man to the leVel where he no longer cares , nobody cares for our needs and nobody will ever. Its time to take matters into our own hands." Seno's explaination seemed fair enough so , i didnt argue. When we reached our homes , Seno held my hand and said "Michael , you've been more than a friend to me , you've been a brother..... Take this bicycle as a small token of my appreciation" Me" Thanks Seno." And we went to our homes.
The neXt day , Mum rushed into my room and said "Michael dear , Get ready for school !" Me" Mum ! Without any warning you just rush in and say "Get ready for school" ?" Mum replied "Yes , get ready for school your bus will be here in 25Minutes. I ate my breakfast got dressed and after eXactly 25minutes , my bus arrived i hopped into the bus. And what an amazing surprise ! Seno was there too. I sat besides Seno and he said with a Disturbed look on his face "Dont ask me , and i wont ask you". I knew that his lousey father would have forced him to go to school. So i didnt ask. Then a 15 year old boy named Mark Wilson pulled my hair. I gave him a "i'm angry and dont do it again" look. He said "what ? I didnt do it" then i ignored him. After sometime he did it again ! And he spat on my hair too ! I became furious and i punched him on his ear. That basterd couldnt keep his balance for a few seconds then he gave me a surprised look and he charged upon me. I also made sure that if i was going to the hospital , i would have company. Seno also made the bastards nose bleed. Me Mark , and Seno were sent to the principal's office. When the principal saw Mark's face she said "Ooh , did you get mauled by tigers ? " Mark replied "Ha. Ha. These two assholes assaulted me" the principal knew that Mark was a bully , so She Ignored whateVer Mark said and told me and Seno to return to our classes..... Me to Seno "Thank you for having my back man" Seno " i'll always look out for you man " And then during Recess Mark returned to our class. Mark was in our class !. He said to me and Seno "You two better watch your backs from now on , cause that act meant war" Then he left..... Seno said to me "Dont worry , we'll get him before he gets us" My sister also went to the same school , i was not worried about Mark i was worried about Angela. In the Corridor of our school , Mark was trying to hit on my sister ! , but my sister was at school to study not to hit on people so she ignored him. Seno and i saw Mark trying hard to get Angela , so we went after Mark's real GirlFriend , OliVia. Seno just walked upto OliVia and said "Hey ! I'm new at this school . And i dont have any friends , i saw nobody more interesting than you" OliVia immediately found Seno interesting. So she and Seno walked to the canteen and had a drink. I also.walkes upto Seno and said "Hey there ! I'm Seno's only friend. And i can see why he seems so friendly towards you" Olivia immediately was inspired by me too she replied " Oh , so you two are friends ?" Seno "Yes , he is my only Bestfriend". Me " let me buy you a drink , or something to eat". Olivia immediately Declined and said "You two have such nice manners. Catch you later !". Then she left. Seno to me "See ? I haVe it under control "
Soon , it was hometime . Mark confronted me and said "Soon , i'm gonna get that bitch Angela" i resisted the temptation to punch him and ignored him and went on my way.....
The next day Mark didnt even make eye contact with me he completely ignored me. And when we reached school , Seno was busy kissing OliVia. I approached Seno as soon as he , finished his , work and whispered in his ear "Are you crazy ? How did you even get to her ?" (Seno to OliVia)"Excuse us my dear OliVia" OliVia giggled and replied "Just come back soon" then Seno replied "Dude , He messed with my sister , he's gonna get what he deserVes....." Me"You mean Angie ? " Seno "Yes , your sister is my sister , learn to play like a puppet master , brother mine. The world is a nasty place , If you dont make a stand against People like Mark there are just gonna be more like'em" Seno's words inspired me and i will admit he was becoming a role-model for me. And after a few moments Seno again started kissing OliVia. And at that moment , Mark entered the classroom . He approached Seno angrily and Shouted "WHAT THE FUC* DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING !" then , he punched Seno , I charged at Mark and this time i charged with a pen , i gave Mark a scar on his lips , so that he may never kiss with confidence again. I actually didnt target his lips , i was just ready to stab him to death , again , i could not just see Seno getting beat up. But i missed and his lips were made the final target. We three were again sent to the principals office. This time , we were Suspended for 2 months.
Mark said to me and Seno "Be at Bar21 at 9:00 and bring backup , cuz you people are gonna die there. And if you are not there , i'll attack you in your houses" "Oh we'll be there , and we'll bring your mom's bangers"replied Seno with confidence..... When i reached home , Mum was there waiting for me and she said "Care to explain , Michael Vittorio ? " i replied " that boy was trying to Hit on Angela , he deserVed it" mum replied "Just be careful my son , Keep your head down , and we'll survive" "Mum , if we the community dosent stand up to the bullies , there will be just more of the" Seno's words coming out of my mouth. Mum had a confused but a proud look on her face. Then , the long awaited Time was at our heads , 9:00pm. I met up with Seno and asked "Where the hell would we get Guys from ? Mark would have an army at his command !" Seno replied with confidence "RelaX bud , I got it. Bar21 was it ? Lets go" then we marched. When we got there a Mysterious guy was standing just outside the bar he asked Seno "Should i give the permission ?" "Not yet" replied Seno. The bar was filled with 20-25 people all behind Mark. Mark came out and said "You came here to die alone , Mother*Uckers ?" Seno replied "Not alone , as i mentioned , i have your mothers bangers behind me !" and people started to come out of streets , Bikers , Drunk Cops , Armed Guys , Labours , And some other criminals such as Sex Offenders , Child rapists and eVen Drug Dealers and Drug abusers. We had almost 50 guys , all armed with knives or some with even guns. Some of Mark's backup even ran away. And Seno said "As i said , I haVe your Fathers" with an evil smirk on his face. Mark said "A real lion fights alone , come face me alone you two bastards" Seno instantly replied "Only a fool would now stand , you know that you are Outnumbered" Mark said with his legs vibrating "C'mon guys , surely we can work something out , right ?" Seno "Aw , dont try to persuade me , Speak to my brother here , if he chooses to forgive you , so will i " Mark "Please Michael , forgive me , i was wrong" i replied " on a few terms we will forgive you" Mark replied "anything , just get me out of this shit" I replied "Set OliVia free , do not talk to her , break up with her. Do not disturb my sister ever again , look out for her , if i'm not present and Most importantly , You treat everybody nicely from now on , no more bullying" Seno "Wow michael , good demands" then we all returned to our houses.....
The next morning , we were completely free , Without a cause. We were sitting in a park me and Seno. And out of the blue , Seno asked me "Michael , wanna Make some money ? I have seen that you are good with your fists" Me "Sure Seno " He replied "There are several underground Fightclubs where People are put to fight each other , for entertainment. And fighters make Some serious money. And i have a friend who can get you in". Me"Sure , lets go." then we went to a Building's basement. There was a Cage , a stage and a great big crowd and there were a lot of bets on fighters too. The owner of this fightclub was a guy named Edward Brad . He approached us and Seno said "Hey Braddy , Give my friend a chance here" Brad replied "Sure , its always nice to see young blood spill over the stage" with a smirk on his face. The next moment , i was in the stage , My opponent was A 17 year old male. I overheard people calling me "NewBlood" and the crowd also said that , i wouldnt last a round . Only a few people betted that i would win , The next moment , the match started.
My opponent charged at me , I dodged him and Just slapped him on his ear , which threw him off-Balance. He held his ear for almost 4 seconds , because if you hit an ear with enough force you can throw your Enemy offbalance and even Rupture the ear-drum. Then the opponent charged again , This time i ducked and punched him below the ribs and above the belly-button because there is a vein there , and if you hit it hard enough , You can murder your opponent and if you dont hit it with enough force you can atleast , Cut the opponents Air supply. And atlast , when he was just standing there , wondering what was even happening to him , i pulled his legs (He felt) and i punched his Face as hard as i could. His face was bloody , and the match was over. I recieved 620Dollars because i was a rookie at this. Then i went out of the stage , the crowd was surprised and amazed. I went out with Seno. Seno asked with an amazed look on his face "How did you do that bro " i replied With a smile on my face "With just a little knowledge of Weakpoints and Your support " Seno" you know , there is gonna be a tournament , the final winner gets 1700Dollars. I replied "Sure. We'll split it" Seno sarcastically replied "Assh*le (Laughs) okay , we'll share a beer , not the money. Your treat" "Lets get a beer right now!" i replied . Then we went to Bar21 where they even gave Drinks to Young ones. Me and Seno got a Beer , Got all drunk up and went home , silently.
The next day , we again at night Went to our Fight club. The tournament was being held , and by A stroke of luck i wasnt late for it , i was in ! . And this time , the crowd was acting friendly towards me. Because they had seen me the PreVious day , and what i was capable of. And soon the fight started.
(1st round i Succeeded)(Against a 18Years.old)
(2nd round i suceeded)(Against a 17 years old)
And i was making good progress , i finally made it to the Final Round. It was against a 21 years old PedoPhile named Will Norton.
The round begun , Will charged at me , And he struck me On my Ribs. Then he tried to..... Rape me..... He was trying to take my clothes off infront the Crowd , and nobody was gonna stop him. Seno passed me a hammer , and i Just smashed the Guy's head with it. The match ended with the crowd Motionless , still as A tree , they Gasped by the horror they had seen. Seno grabbed me and said "Let's go , we've had enough" we collected the money from the Owner and left.....
Seno asked "Are you Okay ?" shockingly and in horror i replied "Okay ? How am i supposed to be okay ? I just did what i didnt thought i was Able to do !" Seno "But my friend you did it". I replied (disturbed) "How the FU*K am i supposed to live with this !?". Seno hugged me and said calmly "Micheal , brother mine , There are people in this world that cannot be counted upon. There are people who DeserVe more than Death. And that Will guy deserVed it." I replied with tears in my eye's "I know in my heart that i did not do the right thing. He deserved a chance." Seno replied "Michael , You did the world a favour. You know ? That whenEver a child assaulter is Sent to jail , he Recieves Less jail time than a Drug Dealer ?. How is that justice ?" I had a feeling in my heart that Seno was right. He continued "want to know my opinion ? You did the right thing killing that Child-Fuc*er. If you had'nt killed him , God knows how many children he would have Fuc**d."Suddenly i felt something , I recieved .....Peace..... It was like something was Awaking inside me , something that was in my heart before but never Felt alive. It actually felt great. And all because of Seno , he consoled me. Seno said "C'mon we made a thousand bucks tonight lets celebrate !" and again we went to Bar21 , Seno and i bought Beers and sat down. He asked "How are you feeling". I shook my head. He said "You did some justice to this world. You wanna know what is Injustice ? Whenever a Meth-head or a pot-smoker is caught he recieves Almost 1year. And for what ? That he was minding his own business ruining nobody's life ? . And whenever a Pedophile is arrested he recieves almost 6-7months. Who the hell asks to get Fuc*ed ? A pedophile ruins His Victim's life. And he recieves less time in jail ? Thats injustice. A rapist is ruining a childs life , and a drug-abuser is ruining his own life. So tell me Dear Michael which one is More dangerous ?" i replied with no regret and no remorse "You have a point Seno. I have done the right thing." Then we went home
When i was at peace , in my bed , With nobody eXpecting anything from me i thought to myself "Seno is right. There is Injustice in this world. And if we dont stand up to people like him , there will just be more , like him." then i got up from my bed and snuck into my parents bed room , and placed 1200Dollars that remained from my fight. (Where my mum kept money). The next day , i woke up and i found my mother and Sister screaming and Crying ! I hurried downstairs , and saw my Father's body lying on the floor , motionless with a hole in his chest precisely at his heart. He was dead !. Tears crawled down my face with anger and sadness. Mother said "Son , go upstairs!" i asked (Controlling my tears)"Who did this ?" Mother replied "Son , go to your room. Now." i understood the situation and went back to my room , locked it , cryed untill my eyes hurt and almost at 2 hours later , the police arriVed. Seno Rushes into my house with Horror on his face , he Hugged my mother and said "Ma'am , I am sorry for your loss. I'll make sure that whoever Did this , pays....." Mother said "Seno ! God loves people who forgive others sins" Seno hugged my sister and said the same words that he said to my Mum and my sister replied "Good. Make sure he pays !" then Seno Stormed into my room. He hugged me and said "hush now my brother. You know i have a friend who is gonna Publish a beautiful song in the future , he sang it to me to Get my reviews. I'll sing it to you."
Then Seno sang "Close your eyes. HaVe no fear. The monster's gone. He's on the run.
Beautiful beautiful beautiful , beautiful boy...... Beautiful beautiful beautiful , Beautiful boy....."
I dont know why , but Seno's song actually calmed me down. And i giggled and said "Alright stop. You sound like a dying dog ". Seno replied with a smile on his face "Thats my brother ! He's back. Come....." "Where are we going?" i asked. And he replied "I know what happened to your Father" i replied in horror "What ?m he replied Just follow me. Then he took me To where my father worked we were Watching people work then suddenly Seno said to me "Luke Garcia , is the man you're looking for. He's a well known loanShark. And whenever a person fails to return the money , He sends his guys and the Victim recieVes a clean bullet to his heart." i felt down while wrapping my mind around the situation amd said "Are you sure that's our guy ?. He seemed like an Asshole but , he wouldnt kill anyone would he ?" Seno pulled me up and said "NoBody is as he seems bro." And Seno something in my eyes he asked "What are you planning ?" I replied angrily "To kill the fuc*er !" Seno said "Whoa , calm down man . We gotta plan the attack not just , Storm in and say "Hey ! We're here to kill you!" " Then we started planning. At eXactly 11:21 , Luke had a habbit to leave his office and smoke , alone. And that gave us a perfect oppurtunity. While Luke was busy lighting his cigarette , i approached him from behind and i had a crowbar in my hand. Seno was taking care of the environment (Lookout) . I approached him from behind and i said "Close your eyes , mother fu*ker , have no fear" he looked back and saw me with a crowbar in my hand , Then i just Smashed his head , His blood spewed all over me , he died instantly . Seno came towards me running and said "Good Job Micheal" then he dragged the body loaded it into a box , And threw the box into The sea. Seno Took the Crowbar from my hand and suddenly , a Policeman Standing in the shadows saw us and he Started to chase us . We ran as fast as we could , We ran into a street , there was a fence , i climbed through it easily , but when Seno tried , He failed . And he said "Go Michael ! Save yourself" i shouted "i'm not leaving you behind !" at that moment the policeman saw Seno trapped like a rat and he said "So young and a murderer already ?" Seno said to me calmly "The monster's gone , he's on the run" he told me to run and take care of his paralyzed mother. And i did as i was told , i ran as fast as i could , and Seno got Caught. I snuck into my home , and layed on my bed , Just thinking about what the fu*k had happened today. Thinking about the murders i slept and i didnt even noticed it. I had a dream and in that dream Seno and i were Running from an eagle. But the eagle caught Seno and i escaped and a moment later , the eagle returned Seno and he was looking..... Better..... Rich and Stylish. Then i woke up. My sister came running to My Room and said "Michael michael ! Seno killed Our Father's killer !" she was happy because the killer was killed and i could also notice the sadness in her eyes that Seno was caught. I knew the truth that i killed Luke , and Seno took the fall for it. I asked my sister "How did you know that it was Luke ?" Angela replied "Didnt you know ? The word on the street is that shooting people like that is Luke's signature move. And i know that Seno did it. I'm so proud of him !" Then Mother arrived in my room and Asked my sister to leaVe , and she did. Then mother asked me "The police came , this morning. And they said that Luke's body was found a crate. And that they had an eye witness who saw Seno and some other kid. Tell me the truth , was that you?" Tears were rolling down her eyes. After 6 seconds i replied "No it wasnt me"mother Had a smile on her face but her eyes still had tears. She hugged me and then left my room.
I guess sometimes , We have to lie to our Loved one's to protect and to make them feel safe. I never said this to Seno but , i felt like he was my Mentor. And he always had a way to make me feel happy. And now he's in jail. I am lucky to have a friend like him. If i continue his Lifestyle , his mission he would be proud me of , and i'll do just that.....
-HAMZA ;-)