Ghost In Red

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"Oh, well… that doesn't sound good… on my part. Sh*t. I'm in deep sh*t, Vid." I muttered and rubbed my temples with my right fingers, and I let out a heavy sigh.    

"Indeed, dipshit. Why the heck did you get snatched in the first place, huh? What are you going to do now? You can't even get back here. And I don't even know if you have eaten dinner already. What are you going to eat for the next few days, huh? Tell me! Didn't you put even a one-dollar bill in any of your socks? Bra? Panty? Anywhere in your body? You didn't, did you, Sydney? Tell me! You are going through hell right now! God knows what will happen to you there while broken as f*ck." Vidia ranted worse than my dead grandma and mom combined, and I bit my lower lip because she's damn right. I didn't. I have no other extra money anywhere except these pennies in my jeans' left pocket.    

"Oh, Sydney, what are you going to do next? Wait, I should go to you. I'm going there. I'm going to buy a plane ticket with your money. I'm coming to you, Sydney! Wait for me!" She raved, making me feel stunned, and I moistened my lips before talking to calm her down.    

"Wait, hold your horses, Vidia. What about school? It's exam week. You shouldn't be missing it." I protested and waited for her answer. And I flinched in surprise when she belted on the other line.    

"Are you f*cking stupid, or are you a total idiot? I don't f*cking care! I would rather fail and go back to primary school than let you suffer there being homeless and hungry, knowing that you can't survive there for long. I don't f*cking care, you get it, b*tch? I'm going there, and no one can stop me. I'm hanging up. Stand by, and wait for my call tomorrow when I land there. Bye!" She angrily asserted and ended the call, and I looked at OJ, who was wearing a bewildered face.    

"What happened?" OJ curiously asked me, and I gulped, then slowly nodded my head.    

"She's gone mad." I shortly answered and stood up from the bench, and I let out a heavy breath.    

"She's coming here soon. Maybe tomorrow." I added as we began walking to our rented quarter's direction, and all I know is that this will be a very long walk tonight just to get there. These pennies in my pocket can't afford the fare to be there quicker.    

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After walking on the sidewalk for about an hour, we halted when I saw a vending machine.    

I need water. And I guess I still have some coins here to buy one bottle of it.    

"Are you okay, Syd? We can take a rest for a while. I think we are half a mile close. We are almost there." OJ asked and suggested, and I agreed.    

"Yep. I need to hydrate for a sec." I answered and inserted a coin in the coin slot and waited for my bottled water to fall out of the hole.    

When I had the bottle in my hand, I twisted its cap open and took a sip.    

While I was closing the bottle to save the remaining water for later, I suddenly noticed that someone was standing in front of the establishment right next to where I was, and he was glancing at me while he was scrolling something on his phone. What caught my attention is that he is wearing a black hoodie jacket and a facemask.    

"Syd, look to your left. Don't those three guys wear the same outfit as the one who snatched your wallet? Isn't that Jeffrey guy one of them, is he?" OJ warned me, and I snapped my head left and looked at the people coming near to where we were.    

This is not good, partly.    

"They do. I guess we don't need to find my wallet then. It's the one who is coming back to us." I replied and looked to my right and saw the guy with the phone earlier walking in my direction, too. I felt kind of threatened, but I won't run away without giving them what they deserved.    

"Oh, no. Be careful, Syd. One of them just took out a knife from his pocket." My girlfriend worriedly said, and I tried to keep my cool and think. There are four of them, and I am all alone with a ghost as my buddy. This is going to be fun, or not. Wish me luck.    

"Hey! You are that b*tch who broke three of my brother's ribs! You are going to pay for that!" One of them yelled at me.    

I just stood there where I was earlier, fronting the vending machine, and raised an eyebrow at them, and I crossed my arms on my chest.    

"And? He shouldn't have snatched my wallet, d*ckhead. Where is it, Jeffrey? Or do you want me to break all your ribs, too? I'm giving you a chance to give it back to me now while there is nothing broken yet. Or we could do it the other way. I wouldn't mind." I sternly warned them, and I looked from my left to right and saw they were trying to intimidate me with their number and sharp blades.    

I admit that I had never gotten into a real intense street fight before, and I feel pretty confident that I stand no chance against them. Come on. They are men with weapons! And they must be gangsters or street rats. I absolutely have no idea yet how to defeat them without getting any serious injury. Or should I run away while I still can?    

Oh, I wish you were here, Adam! This has been your pastime since high school.    

"What about we break yours? Oh, no, not just break, but we'll make you bleed, too. That is much better, ain't it?" Another guy jeered at me, and they all laughed, and I let out a scoff and laughed with them, making them stop and glare at me.    

"Syd, I suggest we should run now. Let's go. Please? I don't want you getting hurt. Come on, Sydney." OJ asked me, and I believe she got the point there. But I badly need my wallet back. I will take this moment. I guess I stand a chance if someone will pass by and help me out or call the police. Then the men in uniform will be the ones to chase them or the guards at the nearby establishments here. That sounds like a good idea.    

"No. I'm going to fight them. I'll be fine, Oj. By the way, thanks for your concern. I highly appreciate that." I whispered to my girl and winked at her, and I received an unpaintable face of disbelief from her.    

"Sydney, no. Please! Let's go! Don't be full of yourself. Your safety is more important here. Leave that wallet alone!" The mad ghost in red yelled and tried to hold my left arm to drag me out of the assembling tension near this vending machine before me, and I gulped.    

"I agree. Let's go!" I muttered without any second thoughts when the man on my right ran in my direction.    

As I could not go to my left, I decided to quickly run to the highway to go to the opposite side of the road to escape from them.    

"Syd, watch out!" I heard OJ calling me out, and I felt a strong force gripping the strap of my sling bag while I was almost in the middle of the highway, where there were vehicles running both ways, and some were honking at us.    

I tried to pull my bag from the bastard holding it from behind me, but I felt something like a pang on my back. Then I realized that he didn't just cut my skin but also the strap of my bag, making me tumble forward on the concrete road. And there was a very bright light on my left, blinding me, and there were lots of noises around.    

The last thing I heard and saw was OJ reaching for me while crying out my name.    

"Sydney! No!"