Samuel had started living at the Texas railway station. After committing such a brutal murder, he couldn't bring himself to return to the orphanage as a criminal. He was living a miserable, destitute life, struggling through immense hardship. He was forced to survive solely on begging.
However, the money he collected from begging was frequently snatched away from him. A few delinquent boys his age who hung around the station, and even some of the older beggars, were responsible for these thefts. Because Samuel was naturally timid and soft-hearted, he never dared to protest.
One day, Samuel was going to a shop by the station with the money he'd collected. Suddenly, two guys blocked his path. One of them barked, ''Hey, give us the cash!''
Samuel got scared. Clutching the money tightly in his fist, he said, ''No, you take my money every day. I really need it today.''
"Hey, what do you mean you won't give it?''
The first boy grabbed the collar of Samuel's torn, dirty white vest, and immediately, the other boy snatched all the money from his hand, which had gone limp with fear.
Then, the first boy kicked Samuel hard in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.
As they were leaving with the money, the first boy's eyes fell upon the red stone-studded ring on Samuel's right hand. He quickly rushed back and began tugging at the ring. But this time, Samuel began to fight with all his might to save it.
Shocked by Samuel's sudden resistance, the guy barked, ''Oh really? Where's all this attitude coming from all of a sudden?''
Then Samuel replied, "I will never be able to give this away. My sister gave this to me."
Then the other boy let out a cold, twisted laugh and said, "Oh, so you have a sister? If I'd known that earlier, we wouldn't have bothered with you—we would've spent my time on her instead!"
Suddenly, Samuel went dead silent. Seeing this, the boy who was tormenting him stopped in his tracks. Samuel's breathing grew faster and louder, becoming a heavy, rhythmic wheeze. The first boy couldn't grasp what was happening. He asked mockingly, "What's the matter, kid? You crying now?"
Before the words could even leave the boy's mouth, Samuel lunged forward with a violent headbutt, shattering his nose. Then, with even greater speed, he threw himself onto the boy who had spoken ill of his sister. He rained blows upon him with his ring-clad right hand, striking him repeatedly until the boy's entire face was drenched in blood. All the homeless people and beggars from around the area gathered there, forming a silent circle around the scene.
After raining down 15 to 20 consecutive punches, Samuel finally snapped back to his senses. He scrambled to his feet. At first, he looked at his own right hand, stunned by the blood covering it. Then, he noticed the splatters of blood staining the bottom of his white vest.
He looked down at the two lying on the ground. One of them had the center of his face drenched in blood from a shattered nose; the other's condition was so horrific he was unrecognizable—his eyes were swollen and bloodshot, and his nose was so badly broken that it was impossible to even look at him.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain shot through his fingers and knuckles. Bringing his hand close to his face, he realized that tiny fragments of the second boy's teeth were embedded in his skin. His fingers, gripped by that stinging pain, went numb and began to tremble.
But now he realized that he was not weak. Therefore, there was no longer any reason for him to live his life in constant fear.
He looked at the crowd that had gathered around him.
It occurred to him that if he had felt this kind of power before, he would never have let a single scratch touch his sister.
For a moment, he blamed himself in his heart. Then, he decided that from now on, he would no longer live a life shadowed by fear. He had nothing left to lose. From this point on, his only focus would be on making his own life easier.
He glared at the surrounding crowd with eyes full of rage. Then, in a booming, thunderous voice, he declared, ''From today, this place belongs to me. Everything here will happen according to my will. If not, then every bit of humiliation I have endured all these time—I will return it to you, piece by piece!"
With those words, Samuel walked away. From that moment on, Samuel's reign over the station began. Just as everyone used to target Samuel to steal his money before, now Samuel was forcibly extorting money from everyone else. If his orders were disobeyed even slightly, the punishment was a brutal beating. Gradually, everyone at the station grew to live in absolute terror of him.
A year went by. At fifteen, Samuel was now far more powerful than before. His extortion business had expanded beyond the beggars; he was now collecting money from the illegal shops around the station and, at times, targeting lone travelers arriving late at night. In this way, the once fearful, soft-hearted boy named Samuel had transformed into a terrifying, cold-blooded, and formidable young man.
One night, in the deserted station, Samuel spotted two young boys on the platform. Seeing them alone, he began approaching them to carry out his dark business of mugging. They were huddled near the railway tracks, whispering about something. Moving a short distance away, Samuel pulled the hood of his black hoodie over his head and stood still in the shadows. It was then that he overheard their conversation.
One of them said, "New York wasn't exactly a great place to begin with. On top of that, it was hit by a flood right after a drought."
The other one replied, "The place was already notorious for criminal organizations. And now, the number of delinquent gangs is growing day by day. Just a few days ago, the exploits of a crew called the 'Street Dogs' became famous."
Then the first one laughed and said, "To think, they used to be nothing but orphaned beggars wandering around the station. And now? The whole damn territory belongs to them."
Those words had a profound impact on Samuel. The story mirrored his own life so closely it was unsettling. Finally, the other boy spoke up, ''But why are we even worrying about this? Our father is the biggest druglord in New York, after all."
The train roared into the station, and the two boys disappeared into it. But they left behind a lethal shift in Samuel's mindset. He realized that a powerful crew had risen from almost the exact same circumstances he was in.
Then why couldn't he build a crew of his own? Everyone at the station already moved at his beck and call. If he did this, it wouldn't be such a bad thing after all!
These thoughts ignited a dark, dangerous thrill within him.
He raced toward the other boys scattered across the station. Now, he was possessed by a single obsession—he would build a crew of his own!