"You know, most stories are about death", Diego said as he took off his training gloves. Despite their protection, his knuckles were painted in a light shade of red.
"Bro, what are you talking about?", Kobra looked at him confused as he changed his shirt for something that wasn't covered sweat, "Not everything's about someone dying".
"Not death-death, dumbass. I mean metaphorical death, as in the end of something", the young martial artist tapped his friend's shoulder with his fist, "Think about it, most stories have people losing something important to them to build conflict. Sometimes it's a person, sometimes a lifestyle, or, in your case, your hopes of not getting your ass kicked today".
"Keep talking, next day you're kissing the mat", Kobra moved Diego's fist out of the way and playfully took the crane stance, sending light kicks in his sparring partner's direction. The first time he'd tried that was how he'd earned his nickname, a nickname he'd grown attached to.
"Knock it off, I'm trying to change", that day's victor couldn't hold his laugh. After all, he was witnessing a charming imitation of The Karate Kid.
"Besides," Kobra started to say, "by that same thing most stories are about life. You lose stuff, and you've got no other choice but to keep on living without it".
"You two, stop goofing around and change already", the young men froze in place when they heard their master's voice, "Gym's about to close".
The pair got back into taking off their training clothes. Diego looked again at his friend, who was trying to get his hair in place after the fight he'd lost.
"Hey, are you going to the seminar?"
"Can't go man".
"Oh, come on, we're going to learn cap stuff. Sensei says that you can rip a guy's face off with one", the more excited one of the two shared while doing his best impression of someone losing his face.
"I need to save some cash. You know how it goes, money is king".
"Shame", Diego couldn't hide his disappointment, he was looking forward to trying out the new techniques with his friend, "Well, I'll tell you about it next class".
With only a small enough delay to avoid another strict comment from their master, they managed to leave the gym at the same time as the other students. Despite all the different ages in the class, it was a strange day whenever their instructor didn't have to remember them to hurry up, more so with those that had both kids and loose lips. The sun was already hiding out by the horizon, and it was time to go home and rest for the next day, to let their bruises heal.
"See you man", Diego said, bumping fists with Kobra.
"See you, don't get your face ripped off", his friend said with a wink and a smile.
"Good job today, boys. Sleep well, tomorrow we have more work to do", their master said to them before bowing. As they had done so many times before, they both mirrored his bow, as a sign of mutual respect.
Diego was now alone on his way home, the sounds of people talking and their cars waking up fading away with every step. Now his only company was the cold wind that chilled his body. He zipped his jacket and let his legs move on automatic, leaving his mind to wander around and forget the weight that clung to his body, his muscles feeling heavy as stones. He dreamt of the shower he would take right after crossing the door, of how refreshing it would feel, until a sudden meowing ripped him away from his daydreaming. Curious, he looked around for the source of the sound, until he finally found a brown cat looking at him from behind some plants.
The young man couldn't help himself, feeling the all-too-common desire to pet the animal. With a smile, he slowly walked to it and extended his arm. The cat sniffed it as its part in that ritual and, declared his approval by bumping his head into the hand and giving the human permission to pet him. He didn't waste a single second.
"God, you're just so cute!", the boy said while petting the cat to both of their hearts content, stroking the full length of its body, from nose to tail, and squashing and massaging every last spot on its head. The cat, on its part, purred with pleasure with all the attention it was receiving, like the diva that all cats knew they were. But suddenly and without any notice, the cat jumped and hissed. Yet, Diego noticed it wasn't hissing at him, but something behind him, and spun around in a swift motion, only to find a knife pointing at his gut.
"Hey, you!", a voice violently caught all of his attention, "Wallet and phone, now!"
A young boy was in front of him, tightly holding the knife. He looked like he still had a few years left before he'd finally get some hair to grow around his chin. The amateur martial artist gave him a quick scan, the same way as it had been drilled into his head countless times. The boy looked uneasy, and his grip on the blade wasn't that strong, as if he was scared of it. He seemed so out of place holding that thing that Diego almost felt pity for him for what he was about to do. Almost.
"You deaf or something?", the assailant said timidly. It was like watching a kitten trying to pass as a lion.
"Whatever you say, boss", smiling an obnoxious smirk, Diego took his hands out of his pockets and raised them. Of course, his hands weren't too high up, just a bit under his shoulders. The perfect height for a surprise attack.
Before the boy could spit any more bravado, Diego slapped the back of the hand holding the knife as fast as he could. The weapon flew away, and the would-be thief didn't know what had happened. His world had turned upside down in a second, and the martial arts aficionado enjoyed the moment way more than he should. He took a few seconds to taste the feelings of power before leaping like a tiger towards the boy.
"Boo!", Diego screamed right at his assailant's face, swimming in a sea of confidence. He was feeling invincible.
Before the boy could jump back, Diego locked his hands behind one of the shoulders and pinned him down. He kicked and squirmed, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't escape.
"You aren't very good at this", Diego said playfully. He was well aware that he should have just left after dealing with him, and if his master could see him right now, he'd be in a lot of trouble. Still, the boy was barely a threat, so there couldn't possibly be any problem with having some fun with him.
"Let me go!", the kid screamed.
"Come on, when am I going to get the chance to ask someone why they mug people?", the martial artist said playfully, enjoying every second of it, "I want to hear your story!"
The mugger didn't answer. Instead, he kept trying to break free from the knee on his back and the one behind his neck with poor results.
"Look, you're not going anywhere until I get up, so how about…?", Diego suddenly shut up. He felt something sharp by his side, sharp and cold. He looked there, only to find a knife sticking out of his bloodied jacket and the hand that was tightly holding it. Up the arm was another boy, maybe a bit older than the other one, with a panicked look. He pushed the young man to the floor like a rag, his body having lost all of its strength in a moment. His confidence had left him, and he was now a weak creature, slowly painting the floor red with the blood flowing out of his body.
"Oh my god, what have you done?!", the would-be assailant said while getting up, terrified. At his feet, Diego was desperately trying to keep the rest of his blood from leaking out.
"Shut up, just shut up and let's go!", the other one answered before grabbing his friend by the arm and running away.
They fled, scared of what their own actions had brought and trying to escape from the memories that would haunt them forever. Meanwhile, Diego felt colder with each passing second, curled in a ball as he tried to stop all his warmth from crawling out of his body.
"Idiot", he thought to himself, "class after class that I had to be aware of my surroundings, I had it drilled into my head. The one time I need it, its when I don't even bother". Between the insults he gave himself, he could hear his instructor reprimanding him, an earful that he would be gladly taking instead.
How didn't you see that coming? I know you could have wiped the floor with him.
Did I ever teach you to not look around?
You trained for this exact thing, it should have been easy.
Diego was afraid, more afraid than ever in his life. He didn't want to die. There was still so much more he had to do with his life, so much more time he wanted to spend with his friends and family, so many places to see. The cold kept biting at him ever stronger, stealing his strength away with every moment like a leech. He hoped, begged, for someone to come to his rescue before it was too late.
"Go away", he said, trying to make Death stay far from him, fighting for every last second of breath, "There's still a lot I want to do".
His eyes were heavy. His vision blurred. Soon after, he felt numb, and the pavement didn't feel so hard now. He fell in the arms of a slumber deep like no other. Everything went dark, time and space lost their meaning. It should have been the tragic end of his short story, but unbeknownst to him, someone had plans for him. Plans, and a contract.