"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid... He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world."
Outside on the streets of Chinatown there is a steady downfall of rain. For hours now the rain has kept it's steady pace, unwilling to give up, it won't stop not even for a second. Most people have submitted to nature and retreated to their flats…most have.
He walks down one of the sidewalks seemingly unaware of the hard rain. Thousands of droplets have already beaten down on his soaked head, his trench coat is beyond drenched. He's been walking for a long time now it is his regular route.
Every day he'd walk this path looking for any signs of trouble. He is Chinatown's number one defender after all. When criminals even believed they saw a shadow of him they'd head for higher ground. No one wanted to deal with him and any fools who dared were taught a lesson they'd never forget.
Not even the smallest smile crossed his face as he thought about all the scum he'd rounded up within the last few weeks. It actually caused him to frown the more he thought of it. The fact that there were so many bad people in his town.
Never mind the thoughts, he had work to do.
One of the darkest and dirtiest alleyways in all of Chinatown was where you could find the sweetest old lady on that rainy night. Her brown eyes nervously stared at the two men who stood before her. Knowing that each of them could easily put her to waste with very little effort the terrified old lady didn't dare move. To even speak at the moment was something she wouldn't consider doing.
The rainfall intensified and the wind picked up as the two men slowly made their way towards her. At that moment it was as if all time stood still, she didn't feel the freezing rain on her flesh, she couldn't hear the howling wind, and she couldn't see the pieces of trash blowing in the wind. She could only see one thing and that was the two men.
Devilish grins played across their faces as they continued making their way towards her. They took great pleasure in watching the horrified expressions she wore. Each time her face twisted in fear their hearts beat faster and faster with excitement. The thrill of it all was what drove them to attacking her. Besides they had gotten away with it two times before this, their confidence was at an all time high.
"I will only warn you once." The thug on the left said. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a five-inch blade. Without the slightest bit of hesitation the thug lunged forward and pressed the blade against the lady's neck. "If you even THINK about crying out for help I'll slit your throat."
The now horrified old lady pressed her head back against the slick concrete wall. She swallowed hard as a large lump began to form in her throat. The terror tingled through her entire body.
"Give me that!" the other thug snarled as he snatched the purse out of the lady's trembling hand.
Without any hesitation the man ripped open the purse and began to dig through it like a rabid animal. Carelessly he tossed out all of her belongings; pictures, drivers license, cell phone and more now rested in freezing puddles as more droplets of rain continued to beat down on them. It was the money he was looking for, that and nothing else. Neither of the men cared about anything else that purse held, neither of them cared what belongings of the old lady they tarnished and destroyed forever. Precious memories forever lost as the photos began to wrinkle and fade in the puddles. They were scum of the greatest degree but like so many others who believed they could run the streets of Chinatown without any trouble, they were severely wrong.
"Get the money already!" The first thug spat at his partner. "I don't want to stand in this rain any longer than I have to!"
"I'm looking for it!" The purse-snatcher shouted. Nearly all of her belongings were now strewn across the puddle-ridden pavement. With the purse practically empty he found the green, which he had been looking for all along. "Well I'll be a son of a bitch!!"
"What?" The first thug asked, now angrily digging the blade a bit deeper into her neck.
"Twenty bucks! That's all this old hag's got!" He tossed the purse down to the ground and furiously smashed his feet down on it. "You stupid bitch, you made us waste our precious time on you and, for what, twenty dollars!!"
"I'm gonna waste her." The thug snarled as he continued to push the blade into her neck. Finally he broke the skin, small droplets of blood began to streak down her neck. They quickly mixed in with the rain and began to soak her clothing.
He continued his nightly crusade, passing by alleyway after alleyway until finally spotting the one with all the action. The man looked over the situation for a moment and, came to the conclusion he wouldn't even break a sweat. Two men holding up a poor old lady, sadly this was something that was happening more often. He would make an example out of these two men that was the idea that flowed through his mind as he advanced a few more steps.
"Then hurry up and waste the bitch, ain't nobody gonna miss her anyway." The thug with the twenty dollars in his hand said.
"I will miss her."
The two men eye's widened as they heard the voice coming from behind them. Slowly they turned their heads around to see the one person they had feared would catch up with them. Now as both of them faced him they realized he wasn't even looking at them. His eyes were locked on the old lady; his eyes were fixed on the terror that could clearly be seen on her face. Slowly and steadily the man's eyes moved down to all her belongings, now very much soaked and ruined. Then once again he fixed his eyes on the lady, even through all the rain he could spot the tears coming from her eyes, and he could see the blood dripping from her neck.
He played the situation over in his head a couple of times and then finally locked his eyes on the two men who stood before him. The look sent a chill up their spines, it was not one of anger…no it was far worse. The look was cold and emotionless, it was as if they were looking into the eyes of a dead man, hollow and empty eyes yet they could see the cold air leaving his mouth, they could see his fists clenching tightly together. He blocked their only exit, there was no way out.
"We knew we would…meet you eventually." The man said while clenching onto the blade in his hand. "So it is you, Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu."
"God…is it really him?!" The man who now gripped the twenty-dollar bill tighter than ever asked. "Is it really the Master of Kung Fu?!"
"Gentle, a fair warning." started Shang-Chi. "Neither of you are leaving this alleyway unscathed. Before your punishment begins, I insist you give her back that twenty dollar bill you hold in your sweaty little palm."
The two thugs exchanged glances each could see the fear in the other's eyes. They had no choice though, there was only one thing they could do now.
"NO!" The man who held the money shouted. He ran to the side and grabbed hold of one of the many garbage cans in the alleyway. With a single swift movement he tossed the can at Shang.
Shang's emotionless expression remained in tact as he stepped forward and batted away the incoming trashcan. The second man was already coming at Shang, the five-inch blade still in his right hand.
"I'll slit your throat!!"
Shang took a few steps back and watched while the blade wielding man came at him. Remembering the expression on the lady's face he held back nothing as the man slashed at him with all of his speed. With a single step to the side Shang dodged the strike and delivered a hard punch that connected with the man's ribs. He was so fast the thug didn't have the slightest chance of dodging the attack.
"ARGH!!" screamed the man as his body smashed into the wall.
Shang was on top of the man within seconds.
*CRACK*
"ARGH!!!!!!!"
The pain echoed through his arm while he watched in horror as Shang mercilessly snapped it at the elbow. Bruised, beaten and in a serious amount of pain, the once blade wielding thug fell to the ground in a heap.
His assailant looked on in shock while his friend continued to scream out in pain. Thinking Shang was too preoccupied to spot him he forced himself to run towards the exit of the alleyway.
"And where are you going?" asked Shang.
Without looking at the fleeing man he grabbed onto one of the garbage can lids and threw it like a Frisbee.
*CRACK*
The lid collided with the man's head an odd pinging noise could be heard as it bounced off of his head. After one single yelp of pain it was over. His body met the cold, concrete floor, and a puddle of blood beginning to form from the fresh wound in the side of his head. Shang had hit him hard enough to knock him out but, not hard enough to kill him. Killing wasn't his forte, that would only lower himself to their level but pain and suffering that certainly was fine.
"Perhaps next time you will think twice before attacking a poor innocent lady." said Shang as he made his way over to the lady. "They will be of no harm to you any longer."
"Thank…you…"
Shang looked down at the ground. All of her belongs were soaked but they could still mean something to her, he thought. He reached down and carefully picked each of them up, slowly placing them all into her purse and handing them all back to her.
"Dirty and wrinkled but not lost." said Shang. "They will dry, perhaps they won't be the way you remember them but you will still have them."
"Thank…you…" she choked out again.
Shang walked over to the unconscious man and pulled the wet twenty-dollar bill out of his hand. He pocketed it and pulled out a fresh twenty-dollar bill from his own wallet.
"Here." said Shang as he handed her the fresh bill.
The old lady took the bill while nervously smiling at Shang. She placed the money into one of her pockets and then looked at the two men who now rested on the ground.
"Go now." insisted Shang. "I ask of you only one thing. Call the police, tell them what happened and let them know where these two men are."
"I will." she replied. "Thank you, Shang-Chi."
Shang nodded at the old lady while placing a warm hand on her side. He watched as she hurriedly made her way out of the alleyway. She would reach home soon Shang knew this. After patrolling the streets for so long many of the faces were familiar to him, as well as where they lived. He knew this town like the back of his hand; after all he was their protector. Even some of those he had rescued through the years went as far as to call him their savior.
Outside on the streets of Chinatown there is a steady downfall of rain. For hours now the rain has kept it's steady pace, unwilling to give up, it won't stop not even for a second. Most people have submitted to nature and retreated to their flats…most have.
He walks down one of the sidewalks seemingly unaware of the hard rain. Thousands of droplets have already beaten down on his soaked head, his trench coat is beyond drenched. He's been walking for a long time now it is his regular route.
Every day he'd walk this path looking for any signs of trouble. He is Chinatown's number one defender after all. When criminals even believed they saw a shadow of him they'd head for higher ground. No one wanted to deal with him and any fools who dared were taught a lesson they'd never forget.
Not even the smallest smile crossed his face as he thought about all the scum he'd rounded up within the last few weeks. It actually caused him to frown the more he thought of it. The fact that there were so many bad people in his town.
Never mind the thoughts, he had work to do.
One of the darkest and dirtiest alleyways in all of Chinatown was where you could find the sweetest old lady on that rainy night. Her brown eyes nervously stared at the two men who stood before her. Knowing that each of them could easily put her to waste with very little effort the terrified old lady didn't dare move. To even speak at the moment was something she wouldn't consider doing.
The rainfall intensified and the wind picked up as the two men slowly made their way towards her. At that moment it was as if all time stood still, she didn't feel the freezing rain on her flesh, she couldn't hear the howling wind, and she couldn't see the pieces of trash blowing in the wind. She could only see one thing and that was the two men.
Devilish grins played across their faces as they continued making their way towards her. They took great pleasure in watching the horrified expressions she wore. Each time her face twisted in fear their hearts beat faster and faster with excitement. The thrill of it all was what drove them to attacking her. Besides they had gotten away with it two times before this, their confidence was at an all time high.
"I will only warn you once." The thug on the left said. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a five-inch blade. Without the slightest bit of hesitation the thug lunged forward and pressed the blade against the lady's neck. "If you even THINK about crying out for help I'll slit your throat."
The now horrified old lady pressed her head back against the slick concrete wall. She swallowed hard as a large lump began to form in her throat. The terror tingled through her entire body.
"Give me that!" the other thug snarled as he snatched the purse out of the lady's trembling hand.
Without any hesitation the man ripped open the purse and began to dig through it like a rabid animal. Carelessly he tossed out all of her belongings; pictures, drivers license, cell phone and more now rested in freezing puddles as more droplets of rain continued to beat down on them. It was the money he was looking for, that and nothing else. Neither of the men cared about anything else that purse held, neither of them cared what belongings of the old lady they tarnished and destroyed forever. Precious memories forever lost as the photos began to wrinkle and fade in the puddles. They were scum of the greatest degree but like so many others who believed they could run the streets of Chinatown without any trouble, they were severely wrong.
"Get the money already!" The first thug spat at his partner. "I don't want to stand in this rain any longer than I have to!"
"I'm looking for it!" The purse-snatcher shouted. Nearly all of her belongings were now strewn across the puddle-ridden pavement. With the purse practically empty he found the green, which he had been looking for all along. "Well I'll be a son of a bitch!!"
"What?" The first thug asked, now angrily digging the blade a bit deeper into her neck.
"Twenty bucks! That's all this old hag's got!" He tossed the purse down to the ground and furiously smashed his feet down on it. "You stupid bitch, you made us waste our precious time on you and, for what, twenty dollars!!"
"I'm gonna waste her." The thug snarled as he continued to push the blade into her neck. Finally he broke the skin, small droplets of blood began to streak down her neck. They quickly mixed in with the rain and began to soak her clothing.
He continued his nightly crusade, passing by alleyway after alleyway until finally spotting the one with all the action. The man looked over the situation for a moment and, came to the conclusion he wouldn't even break a sweat. Two men holding up a poor old lady, sadly this was something that was happening more often. He would make an example out of these two men that was the idea that flowed through his mind as he advanced a few more steps.
"Then hurry up and waste the bitch, ain't nobody gonna miss her anyway." The thug with the twenty dollars in his hand said.
"I will miss her."
The two men eye's widened as they heard the voice coming from behind them. Slowly they turned their heads around to see the one person they had feared would catch up with them. Now as both of them faced him they realized he wasn't even looking at them. His eyes were locked on the old lady; his eyes were fixed on the terror that could clearly be seen on her face. Slowly and steadily the man's eyes moved down to all her belongings, now very much soaked and ruined. Then once again he fixed his eyes on the lady, even through all the rain he could spot the tears coming from her eyes, and he could see the blood dripping from her neck.
He played the situation over in his head a couple of times and then finally locked his eyes on the two men who stood before him. The look sent a chill up their spines, it was not one of anger…no it was far worse. The look was cold and emotionless, it was as if they were looking into the eyes of a dead man, hollow and empty eyes yet they could see the cold air leaving his mouth, they could see his fists clenching tightly together. He blocked their only exit, there was no way out.
"We knew we would…meet you eventually." The man said while clenching onto the blade in his hand. "So it is you, Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu."
"God…is it really him?!" The man who now gripped the twenty-dollar bill tighter than ever asked. "Is it really the Master of Kung Fu?!"
"Gentle, a fair warning." started Shang-Chi. "Neither of you are leaving this alleyway unscathed. Before your punishment begins, I insist you give her back that twenty dollar bill you hold in your sweaty little palm."
The two thugs exchanged glances each could see the fear in the other's eyes. They had no choice though, there was only one thing they could do now.
"NO!" The man who held the money shouted. He ran to the side and grabbed hold of one of the many garbage cans in the alleyway. With a single swift movement he tossed the can at Shang.
Shang's emotionless expression remained in tact as he stepped forward and batted away the incoming trashcan. The second man was already coming at Shang, the five-inch blade still in his right hand.
"I'll slit your throat!!"
Shang took a few steps back and watched while the blade wielding man came at him. Remembering the expression on the lady's face he held back nothing as the man slashed at him with all of his speed. With a single step to the side Shang dodged the strike and delivered a hard punch that connected with the man's ribs. He was so fast the thug didn't have the slightest chance of dodging the attack.
"ARGH!!" screamed the man as his body smashed into the wall.
Shang was on top of the man within seconds.
*CRACK*
"ARGH!!!!!!!"
The pain echoed through his arm while he watched in horror as Shang mercilessly snapped it at the elbow. Bruised, beaten and in a serious amount of pain, the once blade wielding thug fell to the ground in a heap.
His assailant looked on in shock while his friend continued to scream out in pain. Thinking Shang was too preoccupied to spot him he forced himself to run towards the exit of the alleyway.
"And where are you going?" asked Shang.
Without looking at the fleeing man he grabbed onto one of the garbage can lids and threw it like a Frisbee.
*CRACK*
The lid collided with the man's head an odd pinging noise could be heard as it bounced off of his head. After one single yelp of pain it was over. His body met the cold, concrete floor, and a puddle of blood beginning to form from the fresh wound in the side of his head. Shang had hit him hard enough to knock him out but, not hard enough to kill him. Killing wasn't his forte, that would only lower himself to their level but pain and suffering that certainly was fine.
"Perhaps next time you will think twice before attacking a poor innocent lady." said Shang as he made his way over to the lady. "They will be of no harm to you any longer."
"Thank…you…"
Shang looked down at the ground. All of her belongs were soaked but they could still mean something to her, he thought. He reached down and carefully picked each of them up, slowly placing them all into her purse and handing them all back to her.
"Dirty and wrinkled but not lost." said Shang. "They will dry, perhaps they won't be the way you remember them but you will still have them."
"Thank…you…" she choked out again.
Shang walked over to the unconscious man and pulled the wet twenty-dollar bill out of his hand. He pocketed it and pulled out a fresh twenty-dollar bill from his own wallet.
"Here." said Shang as he handed her the fresh bill.
The old lady took the bill while nervously smiling at Shang. She placed the money into one of her pockets and then looked at the two men who now rested on the ground.
"Go now." insisted Shang. "I ask of you only one thing. Call the police, tell them what happened and let them know where these two men are."
"I will." she replied. "Thank you, Shang-Chi."
Shang nodded at the old lady while placing a warm hand on her side. He watched as she hurriedly made her way out of the alleyway. She would reach home soon Shang knew this. After patrolling the streets for so long many of the faces were familiar to him, as well as where they lived. He knew this town like the back of his hand; after all he was their protector. Even some of those he had rescued through the years went as far as to call him their savior.