Omaru had felt the footsteps falling softly behind him since he left school more than 15 minutes ago. He wanted to confirm if he was being followed or just in a state of misunderstanding, but he was too scared to know the truth. It was early spring, and in this part of town, early spring means condensed fog all morning or, in this case, all evening long. The fog seemed to have thickened, Omaru observed, and that made him more shaky to know the truth. In this type of weather, teenagers going missing isn’t typical but it is possible. Omaru cursed himself for not going to the movie with his friends instead of wanting to go home.
When Omaru saw some figures up ahead, he felt slightly relieved. He wasn’t utterly alone in the thick fog and that made him feel better, though as he closes in on the figures, he realized how wrong he was. The three figures were students from Parkway High neighboring school, River High, easily known by their blue uniforms. Omaru knew how much his school hates River High, but he also knew how much River High hates his school. And there was no denying that those guys standing around on the school’s gates wasn’t looking for a fight with Omaru, beating up any student from Parkway High is beating that whole school up.
Omaru thought about changing course, but then he remembered the footsteps trailing behind him. What if he turns and hit a dead end, his stalker (or could it be stalkers?) will definitely take advantage and beat him up? Omaru made his decision right there at the end of the block, he would continue on going. It doesn’t matter, he has walked through here before and never got beaten up. Besides, it is better to face the known than the unknown.
“Look at that, Parkway,” Omaru heard one of the guys snickered.
“Stay calm,” Omaru told himself.
There was a couple laughter then the three River High guys moved from their spot. “Hey, Parkway, what'cha doing?”
“Better than the unknown,” Omaru told himself.
“What’s the matter?” asked the taller one out of the three. “Why so quiet?”
The guy that was laughing reached out his hand and laid it on Omaru’s shoulder, halting him in a stand still. “Where cha going?”
“Let me go,” Omaru said, surprised at how loud and confident his voice was. However, the hand didn’t let go, instead, it tightened its hold.
“Think you Parkways are so superior now, just because you guys won some fricking sports competitions against us?”
Omaru knew it, River High was still mad about all the wins.
“Let us teach you a lesson.”
Omaru felt his body shaken when he saw one of the guys lift up his hand in a tight punch. But then everything halted still when someone shouted, “He said let go, you dimwits.”
“Can’t understand English now?” another one called from the fog.
“I wouldn’t blame them. They are from River High,” a third voice said then a burst of laughter came from the fog.
“Why don’t you show yourself and not be a coward behind the fog, dimwits?” the guy holding onto Omaru said. The River High guys started laughing.
Omaru wished they would let him go and beat his stalkers, but they looked determined to keep him there. There is a possibility that they might join forces and beat Omaru up.
“He said let go.”
The River High guys all held themselves still. Omaru looked up and saw the pale faces of his bullies and how their eyes were glued to, probably, his stalkers in shock. Omaru took this chance to escape but then realized that, though the guy holding him was in shock as if he saw a ghost, his grip on Omaru’s shoulder was still as strong as ever.
One of the River High guys made the courage to move. He smirked, though Omaru could see the trace of nervousness in it. “S-so what? What’cha g-gonna do about it?”
Omaru heard one of his stalkers sighed, and before Omaru could realize that the “I’m so done with your shit” sigh ended, a punch landed right on the guy holding onto his shoulder’s face. The guy fell and dragged Omaru onto the ground with him. The other two were knocked down as well as a clear fight have already started with Omaru right in the middle of it.
Omaru crouched and did his best to protect himself. Someone wearing a red jacket grabbed his arm and a little fear of him being beaten up came from the shadows of his optimism. He panicked but then was confused when he was pulled out of the fight, away from the fists and punches, and facing the foggy street. He turned his head around to see how the fight was going and if he can escape. There were six in total, three from River High, their blue uniform stood out as Parkway’s casual clothing blended in. Omaru wasn’t sure if his stalkers, and savior in a way, were Parkway’s students, but he didn’t dare ask.
Since all six were busy with their evened fights, Omaru decided to take this opportunity to escape. He took a step forward and then dash into a sprint, the fastest he had run since his early track life in middle school.
“Wait,” someone called from the direction of the fight. Omaru didn’t. He kept his pace.
“Hold up man!” someone else called.
Now Omaru wasn’t sure who they were anymore. Are they the River High students or his stalkers? And Omaru wasn’t sure how he would feel if it was either of them. But before he could muster up something, he was knocked down to the ground by another body.
“I said wait,” the person huffed. He had Omaru’s body pinned down face first onto the ground. Omaru was too tired to even try to resist, so he just laid on the floor and waited for whatever fate that was coming for him. He was sure that these people were his stalkers now. The guy’s voice was the same and had the same attitude.
Two other finally caught up and stopped on each side of Omaru and his attacker. They both were out of breath.
“Damn, you can run.”
“Never doing that again, Ashi.”
Ashi, Omaru assumed, was the one on top of Omaru. The two on the either sides, Omaru observed, was tall and slightly muscular. And from the power that is still pinning Omaru down, Ashi was also muscular as well, and Omaru knew this was meant to happen. Omaru closed his eyes and braced for what is to happen next.
Suddenly the guy on top of Omaru slide off and laid beside him, his back to the ground. His arms and legs fell onto the ground with a heavy and tired thump as he sighed. “That was something else.”
Omaru opened his eyes and turned to his attacker, for the first time seeing his face that was at the moment accompanied by a shining smile. His attacker, Ashi or whatever his name was, was not muscular, but the opposite. He was average body size, not slim but not built, but was skinny as he was a fast runner. He was tall, that’s a feature that all three of his stalkers have. But his hair was black and short. He had on a red jacket.