Second Adventure (AWC Sequel)

Recruit IV

"Hi, fool."

A smirk came out of her face as she tightened her hold on the guy's wrist before he could even land his filthy, callous hand on the poor girl's face. She pushed his arm which made him step backward along with the other guys that he was with. She then stepped in front of the girl who seemed to be scared yet in awe that someone stepped up for her.

"Oh hi, Leira," the guy answered with the same smirk upon having his surprised back, "Are you going to take her belongings instead?"

The girl named Leira tilted her head, "Since when did I take someone else's belonging?"

"Are you kidding me?" the man asked through a scoff, "You just took mine last night!"

Leira chuckled, "Ah, that."

"Don't you dare laugh at me, stupida. Do you think I wouldn't get back at you for that? We were almost chased by the police because of you!"

"Oh, you weren't caught? What a bummer," she further teased, "I should have led the police to your base, but hey, I am going to miss your poopy troop if it happens that you are brought to their place. But knowing the police, of course, they are fools and almost ineffective so you're still safe if you have money."

She was good at that, provoking the others until they were fuming and lose their sanity that all they could think of was to kill the opponent. While she was all calm and enjoying how she smacked the person who couldn't even land a finger on her because of too much blind by anger, it was what she wanted to see, that felt brutal at the same time fun to witness how she was good with pressing someone's button.

"Oh, come on, girl. I know you liked me too much so you wouldn't do that," the guy cockily said, trying to hold her shoulder but she was quick enough to hold his wrist and twist it to the side, "A-Aww! Stop! I'm just kidding!"

"Well, I'm not. How many times did I tell you to stop harassing kids who were working hard to earn their money, huh?" She let go of his hand and pushed him away again.

"And how many times did I tell you to back off and mind your own business? I wouldn't let myself starve just like what you were doing," he replied as he regained his strength from the forceful push that she gave him.

Leira snorted, "You know, you are already at the church, why don't you try to listen to the sermon while you are here? According to the sermon last week, if I am not mistaken," she took out the bread that Hera gave from earlier and took a bite from it, "If you are kind to people, you do not have to beg for something, the blessings will fall unto you automatically. Haven't you heard that?"

The guy scoffed and looked at Leira with amusement, "I didn't peg you to listen with the sermon. You were one with us before if you're forgetting. You have done more vicious things like us before, you are way evil than us and you have the audacity to listen to the sermon? You are one thick-faced."

Hera peeped her head from being hidden by Leira's back, "Look, God forgives. It doesn't matter if-"

"Shut up!" the guy exclaimed in annoyance to whatever Hera was about to say, but hearing the first few words, he knew it would be irrelevant, "Look, I don't wanna waste more time. I just want to get all this woman's earnings-"

"And who says I would let you?" Leira asked as she once again towered over Hera and hid her from her back. She was motioning her hands at her back, telling Hera as silent as possible to run now because she was sure this would end up b****y as it always was whenever she came face to face with these guys.

But Hera barely knew this woman, and she sure couldn't understand any of this hand sign that she was doing so instead of getting away like what she was telling her. She went near like she was attached to her back which completely caught the girl off guard.

"What are you doing?" Leira whispered sharply, "Get off of me and go away!"

"Huh? Didn't you-"

"No! I mean, go run fast!" Leira cut her sentence off in irritation, pushing her to the back.

"Playing like a hero now, Lei? Let's see how would you end up dead with that role," the guy said and run to her, a knife in his hand as he lunged forward.

In time with how she pushed Hera to the side, she immediately dodged the stab that had almost been buried on her side. She was used to this kind of nightlife especially when it comes to this certain people. These guys, like what the guy said earlier, were very familiar to her as she had once worked with them in terms of stealing and bullying the kids that had been diligently asking for food to survive the day only to be taken away by them.

She had grown out of it and changed when one kid that she stole the food from reportedly perished and the guilt has just eaten her up which pushed her to stop and decided to take herself away from them. The reason why she was recruited in their group was because of her strength and undeniable strong aura that made her the scariest among the beggars, that even before when she was using it in a wrong way that she would just stand in front of the other beggars, they would immediately get their things out and give everything to her.

And now that she was the strongest, these guys who claimed to be the toughest because they were the ones who held her before she stopped, were nothing but a bunch of weak people for her. She could easily dodge their fists that were thrown at them, even the knives on their hands were put on the ground because of her great skills in fighting.

Hera, on the other side, was just watching in awe with every swift move of Leira. She was flinching every time she was being hit, but she would cheer whenever the girl would give it back to the guys with a lot more force than them.

"Go! You go, girl! Punch him! Yes! Whoo!" she cheered which really seemed to be not a great idea at all.

It didn't go on like that. The guys had changed their attention to her, as they kept Leira busy, they went to her side and held her arms.

"Wait, don't! Hands off of me!" she shouted, trying to pull their hands off of her but a punch on her stomach had silenced her up.

"Get her money!" the guy on her left said, urging the other who was closer to the yellow plastic bag that she used as her pocket where all of her earned money that was all already divided and meant for something.

"No!" she said with a frown, now her time holding the guy's arm to refrain her from running to her place. "Please, don't."

"Shut up!"

Another punch had made her groan and leaned forward in pain as she almost passed out. But the groan of the guy whom she just let go that was on his way to her money had kept her awake as he groaned and fell down on the ground.

It was once again Leira who stopped him. She then went to the side to where they were. The guy let go of Hera as she kicked him on his face with her tattered shoes.

"Are you good? If you're not, you have to."

Hera didn't know if she should feel grateful for her for checking up on her or if she should glare at her because she didn't even let her answer as she immediately pulled her to the side for a run.

"Get your money, and let's get out of here," she said upon reaching the side where her things and money were. "Hurry!"

"Okay, okay! You don't need to shout," Hers replied as she immediately gathered her things. Her numbered clothes, her money, and her food.

However, they weren't even away from the church yet, they were already once again cornered by the already beaten but never giving up as they even laughed upon having them in the middle who looked like rats in the middle of the aggressive street cats.

"If this girl could have just given me your money and you didn't come in, we wouldn't be in this situation at all," the leader said as he flexed his knife and played it on his hand as he gave a boastful grin.

Leira pulled Hera to her back, protecting her once more, "Let the girl go, fool. Let's settle this between us."

The guy scoffed, "No, Lei. You go, we'll settle this between us. You just inserted yourself when you're not even invited here."

"Apparently, this girl is my business, you can't-"

The guy thrust his knife to them, and if not for her fast reflex, the two would have been stabbed. However, they forgot that they were surrounded by them as a shriek came out from Hera's mouth when she saw the guy at her back already had his knife in the air and ready to thrust forward.

Arms wrapped around her and changed their position, Leira covered her and was ready to receive the jab instead of hers, and that alone had made her heart swell in gratefulness. She barely knew this girl, but she was already ready to give her life for her safety.

The awaited piercing stab of the knife didn't come as only the deafening sound of a police siren was heard blaring around the church, causing everyone to jerk and run. After all, these street kids only were scared of the police to the point that hearing just the siren was enough to push them away.

Even if there were no police at all.

The two looked around upon realizing that, there really was no police car, not even a light, but only the alarm that blew them off. They found the source of it on the dark and most side of the church, it was hidden and would not be seen unless they squint, which they did.

A man went out of it, and She couldn't help the gasp escaped her lips upon seeing him. It was the man who provided her with money, food, and clothes that would immediately walk out without even waiting for her thank you. Now, he saved her.

"Y-you..."

"Hermes."

She looked at Leira, "You know him?"

She nodded, "Yeah. He has been interested in me for years ago."

The man went to them with his neutral facial expression, he looked at Leira and then to Hera, then he smiled. Hera was weirded out, why would he suddenly smile? While Leira just rolled her eyes in irritation.

"Do you want to join my team?"