"Ah, sorry! I apologize!" Yelped Kou as he was rudely pushed aside by a stranger, his fingers instinctively slipped into the man's bag, snatching a loaf of bread and handful of rubles in the stranger's bag, Kou held his breath, eyes wild with panic and looking around to see if anyone saw him.
"Move, boy! There's other people behind you. You're not the only one!" Snapped the angry man, pushing Kou so hard that he had to grip the man's coat. Oh no, no! This can't be happening, now he just ande the man angerier! The man snapped his head up, and Kou tensed, readying for a harsh slap or shove. He didn't want to see himself being hit, so he closed his eyes and waited for a hit. He felt a harsh slap that eachoed in the mall square. Clutching his cheek in pain, he bit his cheeks not to make a sound.
"I'll pay you back." Whispered Kou, but the owrds felt like a lie, pay back? With what money? The word money was even too grand for him to say, too elegant to taint with his deed.
Kou's heartbeat pounded in his ears as he tore down the streets, the loaf of bread tightly clutched to his chest. Kou looked back to see the man from before bolting after him, with deep resentment in his gaze. Kou stumbled on his boots and almost fell down from the intensity of the man's gaze boring into his very being. It was a chilling expression, one that sent down bolts of fear and panic down the young boy's spine.
The snow loudly crunched under his broken down boots, and February snow storm was threatening to cover him wholly, but he didn't stop running, he couldn't stop until he was sure he was faraway from that street.
Kou stopped in an alleyway and gripped the loaf of bread, hungrily devouring a bit of it to stastify the always present hunger in his stomach, leaving a big portion of the small loaf to his older cousin, Horu.
His throat burned from the cold, and he felt the cold seeping into his fingers and body. Kou shivered and pulled out the stolen rubbles in his coat pockets to count them.
The loaf of bread was too sweet to pass, taking a bite of for Kou. The warm, sugary flavory crust of the bread melted on Kou's toungue, a rare luxury after months of eating stale and rotten food.
"Found him!" Yelled the angry person from before, now taking Kou up by his coat, sneering at his face. Kou felt his ears ringing from suddenly being picked in a harsh manner, the cold wind harshly blowing in his face. Kou closed his eyes, readying himself for a beating, and took a deep breath in, shivering and biting his lip not to scream. He couldn't be weak infront of this man, it would only make it more amusing for the man.
"You little theif! Give back what you stole, ragamuffin!" The angry man was a whole two heads taller than Kou, the breath of the man reeked of alcohol. Kou yelped, and sucked in a deep breath, holding the loaf of bread close to his chest. He couldn't let the man take it! Kou won't let the man take it!
"I need it for my cousin! I'll pay you back when i have money, i promise!" Said Kou, tears willing up in his eyes, and his whole body trembled with fear as the man narrowed his gaze. He didn't want to die! He didn't want to be beaten! He was terrified for his life, fearing one wrong word or action will set the man on a rampage. He barely resatined his tesrs from failling down his face, now now! He can't be weak now! He needs to be strong!
"A simple sorry won't save you, theif! Now get ready for a lesson, urchin!" The man harshly thrown Kou onto the ice and hit him with his leg to the stomach repeatedly, not even stopping when Kou was crying and screaming from pain. The man couldn't contridict himself more, what good man hits pooe defenseless kids for stealing a single loaf of bread? Only a selfish, cruel man would do this to a young child. It is truly ironic of the one calling himself a good person to be the opposite. To be truly good, what does it even mean? What is the definition of good for people? What is even good? No matter who you ask, the answer will always be different.
"That's what, urchins like you who steal good man's bread get! I'll have you know, you even got it easy, i could have killed you!" Snapped the man, as he hit Kou one last time, with much more force than before, making Kou choke out a cry. It hurt, it felt like his whoel rib bones got broken over and over again, he couldn't breath, he couldn't even get any air in. He struggled to breath in air, the cold was threatening to swallow him whole, his heart was nearly beating out of his chest from all the adrenaline he was feeling.
"A good man, hah? You call yourself a good man?! A good man doesn't crush starving boys under his boots and calls it justice!" Snapped Kou without thinking, his voice broke with every word spoken, he desperately wanted to scream out his words, to let them take control of his very being. He momentarily widened his eyes in horror at his words, he didn't even expect to hear thsoe words from himself, it come as shock to him. Kou fearing for his life, he was a theif but he wnated tp live, so he bolted as soon as he spoke those words. Run! He neeeded to run or else the man will definitely kill him, without mercy! He just needed to run faster, faster than the man!
That's whta stealing grts you in, huh? He really shouldn't have did this today, but because he's selfish and wanted a single loaf of sweet, savory bread for once he got hurt. Really, it was entirely his fault wasn't it? He's a disgusting liar, a theif, a street boy! He really wanted to scream, to cry out, to fught against this world and it's structure, but he is just a kid, 13 years of age. What can he even do? He's powerless in this kill or be killed world! He can't even defend himself against an adult, let alone change anything!
"When i find you, I'll skin you alive, boy! No one gets away with insulting me! Do you hear me, you little fucker?!" Yelled the man somewhere nearby. No, no! He needed to jump over thsi fence with his injuries, it felt liek the wounds were being ripped open further again and again, and the ribs hurt even more. It was getting harder to breath, he couldn't even think logically anymore. He didn't even realized when and how he jumped over the fence, the injuries barely registered in his panic driven state. Behind him, he felt he man looked at him, he felt how the man's eyes were full of unfiltered hate directed solely on him.
He couldn't hold back his tears any longer, they begun spilling down his face in the cold wind. He pushed his feet to run, even when he fell down face first in harsh cold ice, even when the man was far behind. He can't stop running, the man might still be near! Near enough to hurt him! Kill him even! He's not safe here!
Why? Why god why? What did he ever did to deserve this? Is this karma for all his sins and wrongdoings? Why do people look at him like he's a monster? What did he ever do to deserve this? Why did the man looked at him as if Kou was the monster? Why?