"What now?" Hugo straightened his back. The look in his eyes changed as he swung his fist in the air, aiming it at Eric's face. He could see the horror in his eyes as he readied himself.
Eric glared, "Who do you think you are? Wait till I stand up and let's fight! For all I know, you are just a pussy!" He yelled out loud, mocking Hugo.
He knew that he was already defeated and he had no chance of reclaiming himself. All he could do now was to mock Hugo in hopes that he will get shaken.
But Hugo knew what Eric was trying to do. Ad he wouldn't stoop down his level to someone whose fate was already muddy dirty.
"Although I like pussy, I am not one." He stammered in rage as his fist successfully landed on his face. Eric completely laid down on the ground, barely conscious.
The remaining man instantly let go of the last child under their care. He knelt to the ground and placed his hands together, begging for mercy.
"Sir! Sir, please spare me… I have a family as well! I was just paid a large sum of money because my wife is sick!" The man pleaded with all his might. He can already do as much as this, to be saved.
Hugo do not want to spare his life. However, a pair of hands pulled his shirt tightly. In there, he saw Hailey looking at him with teary eyes. He instantly kneels on the ground so they could be in the same level.
"Are you alright? Did it hurt somewhere?" He questioned continuously. He placed his hands on her arms, moving her from side to side to see if she has any bruises on her body.
"Can you let go of him now, brother?" Hailey muttered in a low voice. Tears were still streaming down her face as she looked at Hugo.
"Is that what you want?" Hugo breathed out as she caressed Hailey's cheeks. His poor sister must be traumatized by what happened.
Hailey silently nodded as she wrapped around her arms on Hugo's body, hugging him tightly.
Hugo lightly smiled to assure Hailey. His sister must be scared of violence now that she witnessed one. And even though he was hesitant to let go of the man, he had to do so for his sister.
"Go now."
He announced that made the man instantly sprint for his survival. When he saw that there was no one left, he took a deep breath and sighed. He hugged Hailey back which left the little girl crying.
"Shhh," He tried to console Hailey with all his might, but she wouldn't stop crying. Standing up, she placed Hailey behind his back when people started to surround them.
"Thank you for saving my child!" An old woman cried in gratitude as she showed her son who was only 5 years in age. "I do not know what to do without you."
"Thank you, kind sir!"
"We won't forget this heroic act that you did!"
The people praised him. A smile rose up to his lips, knowing that the people around him appreciated what he did.
"Is the police still not here?" He curiously asked when he saw that there was still no one around.
The same old woman from earlier shook her head. "It seems like the police don't care about us! We should let the people know what happened and how incompetent the president is!"
The other people agreed with the old woman. They were sharing their own opinions and their disappointment on why the police were still not there to assess the area.
"Without you, our child's life will still be in danger!" A man shouted as he raised his hands.
Hugo just laughed. He smiled at them after glancing at Hailey to see if she was alright already. When he saw that she had stopped crying, he patted her head.
"That's nothing at all. We are one after all. We should be helping each other in times like this." He answered.
Deciding that it was better for them to go already and went home, Hugo took Hailey's hands and gently held them. "Let's go now?" He smiled.
This made Hailey comfortable. She placed his other hand on Hugo's shirt before turning her eyes at everyone. "Let's go home now, brother." She blurted out in a low voice.
"We should get going now," Hugo announced and the people parted to give them space.
But, they haven't even taken a few steps yet before a sound of a gun resonated. Hugo's eyes widened when he felt a pang of pain hitting his back.
The crowd fell into a commotion.
Soon after sounds of a siren followed. Yet, it was too late for it already.
Hugo could feel a bullet piercing his skin. He felt fluid coming out of his mouth and when he tried to touch it, he saw that it was a shade of red.
He immediately looked at Hailey. He smiled at her as his knees wobbled, causing him to kneel in the cold ground.
"Run…" He uttered when another sound coming from a gun sounded.
His senses were starting to disappear as his body went numb. It was as if his mind was not working already. The only thing that he knew was that everyone was in a panic as police started rushing their way to the place.
When Hugo saw that a bullet was close to his sister's body, his mouth automatically opened.
"Stop…"
Barely even making a sound, the time stopped with his command. Gathering his last strength, his trembling hands grabbed the necklace on his neck. He threw it to the floor, breaking the glass container around it.
The golden string flew midair as if it was dancing with the wind.
That was the last thing that he remembered as his consciousness turned dark and his eyes closed.
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