On the Street

Smack-smack! Those are punches to the face. I run over and break up the fight. "Guys! What are you doing?" The "guys" look at me with glazed eyes. One's got blood streaming from his nose. The other's mouth is a bloody mess. "Stop it!" I yell. "What's wrong with you? Are you crazy?"

There I am, this short little dude with a turned-up nose and glasses. Perfect punching bag material, right? "Where'd you come from?" one of them growls. "Let's fuck him up!" suggests the other.

Suddenly, a gang shows up. This pretty boy breaks away from the group. He's got these brown eyes, drowning in booze. (These days, you can buy vodka and beer on every corner around here).

"What the fuck are you bothering people for, asshole? Want a smack in the face? I'll give you one!"

I realize I'm in deep shit. Any second now, all three of them are gonna jump me. I might be older than the lot of them, but that's not gonna help me here... There's no way I can fight them off.

Out of nowhere, this guy appears behind me. He's walking a dog – tiny little black thing. But the guy himself? He's huge. Like, six and a half feet tall, pushing 220 pounds.

"Why are you hassling this man?" he asks.

"Who the hell are you?" the pretty boy squeals. "You think you're tough or something? Want a beating?"

"What did you say?" The big guy drops the leash and takes a step forward.

"Oh, fuck!" Pretty Boy dramatically rips open his shirt. But right then, someone from the gang grabs him by the throat and yanks him back. It's this guy in a blue tank top – solid build, sober, and clearly in charge.

"Puppies!" the big guy spits, then picks up the leash. "Let's get out of here, quick!"

I head home, just down the street. Why the hell did I get involved? I should've let them kill each other. Preferably for good. Clean up the gene pool a bit. That big guy really saved my ass, though. If it wasn't for him, who knows how this would've ended. Actually, I do know. And I don't even have health insurance.

Russia. Small town. Street corner. Early evening. Saturday.