Author's POV:
One of the masked men, who stood at a towering height — about 30 cm taller than John — loomed over him. That meant he was at least two meters tall. Not even John thought he could take him on… or did he?
Masked Man I:
(shouting) "Stop shouting at me!"
Masked Man I (calmer):
"Stop shouting. Like I said, the boss wants you dead, and because of his mercy, he will let you leave this world with dignity… knowing what you are about to die for. What purpose."
John (thinking to himself):
So this lot was sent here to kill me and Janet? And why kill me for a lover's spat in the first place, when she utterly rejected me?
(He said all this while still being unconscious about anything, then he spoke aloud.)
"Then why kill me and Janet? We aren't even lovers!"
John was now visibly pissed because someone else was blaming him for his problems — not accepting his rejection. As he thought this, he remembered all his previous encounters and the number of rejections he faced and moved on from. Meanwhile, an overgrown man-baby was busy blaming him for a so-called problem that wasn't even real to begin with.
John was now mad to the brim.
"Then at least tell me his name. Please."
(He put on a clown's face and started talking to the man who was larger than him.)
---
Masked Man I:
(Looking at John, who was shorter than him — a brown man with short, well-kept hair and bold brown eyes. He had been wearing official clothes, but now they were rugged because he was off work.)
The man smiled, thinking he had cornered them.
"You think I'm a fool? That I'd tell you? You gotta be stupid, punk, to think I'd disclose anything to you."
John (thinking):
Well, I tried.
(He looked at Janet and then winked at her. Janet, thrown to the ground while the thugs were busy bragging, didn't notice he had already slipped away from his clothes — but she had already seen he had a plan.)
She had spotted the gun, which was near his head, so he took a gamble. He had been taught martial arts from a young age in his family but had refused to practice daily. But over the past few months, he had begun training again — trying to cope after his worst breakup ever.
And luckily, Janet was physically fit and did exercises daily. She had a petite frame and could not be caught as easily.
So when he caught the gun, some shots had already been fired in the air, but he was too busy to notice where they had come from. He had only a few seconds to act, but because of the confusion and unexpected reaction by the two, the speed of the other thugs was slower.
Those few seconds were all he needed.
He did a reverse gun hold and shot the man on his forehead and did a chokehold on him in the same instant.
(He thought to himself: Thank you, Almighty, for my family's wealth. Otherwise, I might be dead by now — and them forcing me to learn self-defense and how to use a gun.)
He then used the man as a shield and immediately shot the second and third men in their knees. As they fell, he kept moving closer to them. He told them to throw their guns away, but one of them was faking it and tried to shoot him. He jumped to the side, but it was too late.
Luckily, he was still holding the gun in a proper stance and, though he was shot in the shoulder, he fired back — hitting the man and knocking him down with a third pfft in the bushes, while the goon was groaning in pain.
He cursed aloud but then went quiet so the others wouldn't notice he was hurt.
---
He had to hurry up, get up, and make sure he had immobilized both men. The other two, because one of them was knocked out cold, were struggling due to the pain.
John slowly stood up and ripped his shirt, tying it around his wounded arm. He tightened it and stayed down for a few seconds before moving again.
The fourth and fifth guys were out of John's reach and were chasing Janet, but luckily the wind picked up subtly, and John heard Janet's voice in the nearby subtle breeze.
He stood up with pain and started moving toward the voice.
While walking, he didn't hear the steps behind him — not until it was too late. But by luck — or was it his senses — he moved just as the man tried to hit him from behind.
He was down but not disoriented. Despite the pain and adrenaline in his system, he didn't let go of the gun. He rolled on the fallen leaves and shot the man several times.
The fourth man was down.
---
John said to himself, "I'm lucky he didn't have a gun, or I would be seriously dead by now."
But he didn't leave without a scar — he was profusely bleeding from the back of his head, a throbbing pain that wouldn't stop.
But with sheer will, he woke up and followed the voice.
---
He touched himself to check if everything was alright, then started walking again. He got to where the voices were — now turned to screams. He hurried as much as he could, and by the time he got there, he shot the last man in the back.
---
It was as if this man was a fool — helping himself on someone when you're not sure if your friends are alright.
John quickly took the man's jacket off and used it to hide her torn clothes. He then patted her and said in soft words:
> "It'll be okay. Don't worry about it. I'm here now."
She hugged him tightly, and after a few moments of tears, she calmed down.
She recovered slightly from the shock and looked at him straight in the eyes and said:
>"You fool. This is when you act you should have come sooner ?"
She said in a soft, sobbing voice.