Chasing Blue

1. It All Happened Very Fast

This sucks. New city. New home. New school. ALL OF IT SUCKS.

I miss my old neighbourhood.

I miss James – my best friend since primary school.

Now, at the prime of my high school year, I had to move because of my dad's transfer and start in a new school as a new kid!

I frown and mumble at my misfortune on my walk back home with the groceries mom sent me to get from the nearby supermarket.

I pass the lit and buzzing street lamps in the night with my head hanging low.

A few steps from my second turn, I pass an alley where I hear someone yell, "You're dead meat!"

My legs stop and my body turns.

The dimly lit alley has 3, 4... 6 boys around my age.

Five of them have their backs to me, carrying baseball bats and wooden planks, which I assume are the weapons to be used against the unarmed boy standing at the front centre facing my way.

They don't notice me.

"You think you're better than us? You think you can get away after talking to me like that? Why don't you run your mouth now?" says the guy right in the middle of the gang with the weapons, in a screechy voice that I don't want to hear again.

The guy facing them at the centre looks eerily calm and doesn't respond.

He's very tall. From what I see here, squinting my eyes, he also looks muscular and fit, and is wearing a pair of black jeans and blue t-shirt.

Blue is still standing on his spot looking swell and bored like he's waiting for a bus or something.

"What's the matter? You forgot to speak?" asks the guy that sounds like a crow. The others laugh.

Blue still doesn't respond. I've a feeling he's doing this on purpose – to rile them up.

And on cue, the crow voiced guy gets agitated. "Fuck you! I'm gonna make you shout in pain!"

He lifts his baseball bat above his shoulder and walks towards Blue. I instinctively shout, "Stop!"

He stops and everyone looks at me. I take out my battery dead phone, hold it up and wave it like a trophy. "I called the cops!"

The crow voiced guy smirks and says, "Good, they can take him to a hospital when we're done with him."

Their nonchalant reaction to cops scares me. I thought they were just nasty high school boys but now they're giving off an ISO certified criminal vibes.

I don't know what to do. I look around and see that nobody's here except us. I didn't see any pedestrian on my way from the supermarket, either.

My legs shift under my body weight and my right arm tightens its grip around the handle of the heavy jute bag full of groceries.

The crow voiced guy turns his attention back to Blue and runs at him with his bat ready to swing.

Before I could shout at him again to stop, I see him fall to the ground on his side.

It all happened very fast.

Blue punched his face at the speed and strength of a tornado and the guy went down.

The fallen guy doesn't get back up.

I think he's unconscious.

The other guys hesitate for a second before they all charge at Blue like the henchmen in a Jackie Chan movie.

Blue's movements are swift and precise as he brings his knuckles and heels against the guys at their weak spots, making them squeal in pain and kiss the ground fast before they even realize they are falling.

It was all over in under two minutes.

Blue stands there for a few seconds, probably making sure that none of them gets back up and bothers him again.

After he was sure, Blue walks towards my direction. Sparing me a quick glance, he turns left and walks away.

I look back into the alley. The guys are still down on the ground. I see little limb movements in some but no one looks like they'll be getting up anytime soon.

I turn to Blue who just took a right turn.

I look at the grocery bag in my hand. Mom didn't say it's urgent.

I make up my mind and run to catch Blue before I lose him.

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