Chapter 4 Gangs

• The beautiful woman came over to where the gangsters were laughing drunkenly at the shivering girl in the puddle. She looked curiously at the muddy red-haired girl and despite that she was dripping with filthy water, her dark tan skin was rather unique compared to the others around her. It was almost like the girl didn’t get her tan from the sun, nor simply from birth. This, however, was not important to the woman, it was the fear on the poor girl’s face.
• The terror engraved into the little girl’s trembling dull green eyes was something the woman had seen before. Countless times, in fact, all during and throughout the Third World War. It was the look of absolute loss, terror, and disbelief. Things a child should never have to know.
• Casually putting a hand on the shoulder of one of the closest men, the woman asked, “What is going on here?"
• The man turned to her drunkenly, with a stupid smile on his face. "Matt saw this girl walking and tripped her. Ha-ha, she fell into the puddle like a rock thrown at the river. Splash!"
• The woman, though still calm, tightened her grip slightly, "Oh yeah?"
• "Yeah, ha-ha!" The man answered breathing hard into the woman's face. His breath reeked of booze.
• The woman gave him an inquisitive look, "She fell in, like this?"
• The woman then violently pushed the drunk towards the big puddle and at the same moment she stepped on his foot, causing him to fall flat headfirst into the muddy water. The puddle was deep enough that his head became fully submerged and he came up gasping and flailing his arms about.
• Upon seeing this, some of the others around the puddle laughed at the sight of their friend splashing about while struggling to stand. However, he was so drunk that he kept slipping and floundering helplessly in the muddy water. Two of the gangsters watching, that weren't quite so plastered from the booze, got mad. They approached the woman with a menacing aurora about them.
• The first to speak was a short guy in a red shirt, "What do you think you are doing? Don't you know who we are?"
• "We’re part of the Mad Dogs." The other added while patting his chest angrily. He had a blue and black striped shirt on and a teardrop tattoo under one eye. "If you know what's good for you, then you better think of a way to apologize to us. You understand me?"
• The woman rolled her grey eyes. "Apologize? To two roaches like you, never."
• The man with the blue and black striped shirt pointed a cocky finger at her, "Hey boys, this freaky tall girl thinks she's something. We’ll show you that we ain't no punks."
• He reached out to grab the woman, but instead she suddenly grabbed his left arm and twisted it upwards and to the left until his elbow popped! He yelped in pain and clutched at his bent elbow. Then without wasting a second, she kicked him back into the red shirt guy standing closely behind him. They both collapsed into a tangled heap. The other drunken gangsters saw this and started yelling insults as they proceeded to try to attack the aggressive woman. That is when everything erupted into chaos on this usually quiet market street.
• Hanna struggled and slipped around in the mud puddle trying with little success to distance herself from the dangerous fight. Eventually Hanna managed to make it out and she quickly crawled behind a nearby, overflowing trash can. From the trash can’s limited safety, Hanna watched as the street fight progressed. Though she was scared, Hanna couldn’t look away, for the pretty woman was too amazing.
• A beer bottle whizzed past the woman's head and its thrower tried punching at her, but she simply stepped back and pushed his arm away causing him to stumble past her. Another taller man on her right pulled out a switch blade and tried slashing at her stomach multiple times. Merely stepping back calmly, she avoided every clumsy strike with ease.
• The taller man became frustrated and overextended a stab at her gut. The woman saw her chance and grabbing his wrist, she gave a sharp yank sending the blade clattering away. Then she kneed him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.
• The two women that were also at the puddle had run off shouting into the tavern and three heavy set men came lumbering out. Two of them were holding metal bats with barbed wire wrapped around them and the other had a short fireman's axe. The woman didn't appear concerned about these reinforcements at all. She simply tossed aside the winded taller man in her grip, and she made the act look far too easy.
• At that moment from behind, the guy that had chucked the beer bottle at her, tried tackling her around the waistline and pull her to the ground. However, when he did collide into her, she didn't even budge a step.
• She merely looked down at him and smiled with a pitying look, “Was that all the strength you had?”
• She then grabbed him firmly by his belt and the back of his neck and swung him with ease at the three men coming out from the tavern. He flew nearly six meters! The men from the tavern jumped back in surprise, avoiding their buddy's flying body. The man's flailing body landed and skid across the pavement before his head hit the bottom stair of the tavern entrance. As he came to a stop it was clear he was knocked unconscious.
• The gangsters changed their approach and now they started to circle her in the street carefully. From behind the woman, the rest of the drunken gangsters that were by the puddle, quickly encircled her. She now had three armed men in front, five drunken men behind her and two that were incapacitated on the ground. Dozens of spectators from the market and side streets had now started to watch the fight curiously, but they kept their distance. It was not every day that someone would challenge the Mad Dogs openly in broad daylight.
• "Awe come on, ten versus one. I guess I better take off my handicap then.” The woman mused while slipping her coffin off her back. She then dropped it onto the ground with a resounding ‘thud’.
• The spectators murmured when they heard how heavy it sounded, as if the sight of wearing a coffin alone wasn’t conspicuous enough. For an object to make a thudding sound like that could only mean it weighed a staggering amount. Yet she had been fighting this whole time with it on!
• "Come on then." The woman challenged mockingly motioning with her hand. "Let's see what the big bad gangsters can do."
• The gangsters were infuriated now, and the armed men charged at her first. The first guy on her left swung his bat at her head, but she dodged it by stepping calmly backwards. The second man on her right chopped down at her with his axe while she was retreating but she saw him coming well before becoming in danger. The woman leaned back just in time as the whooshing axe struck the road’s pavement to send sparks flying off in every direction. Then the third guy swung his bat at her as she stood up straight from dodging the axe. Without even being fazed, the woman reached out and grabbed at the bat with her bare hand, narrowly missing the barbed wire.
• The woman let out a mocking laugh, "You swing like an old lady. Can't you do any better?"
• “Where are you looking at?” The first armed gangster shouted from behind her.
• Wrenching the bat free from the third armed gangster’s weak grasp, the woman spun around to intercept the incoming swing.
• "Pa-ting!"
• The shock from the impact stung the gangsters hands and he let go of his bat with one hand, shaking it to release the tingling pain. Just as he did, the woman clocked him on the side of his head with her stolen bat with blurring speed. He crumpled to the ground as a deep, gash-like impression appeared on the man’s head, like a marshmallow with a bite taken out. The man had undoubtably been slain from the blow!
• The axe carrying man hollered and swung the axe at her again, but she neatly stepped back avoiding the swing with ease. She then kicked him on the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel at her feet. Tossing her stolen bat aside, she grabbed him by the neck and chin then twisted upwards.
• "Crunch!" His spine crackled loudly, killing him on the spot!
• From behind her the last disarmed guy jumped onto her back, yelling at the other five drunken guys dumbly watching everything going on, to help and attack. Shaking off their stupor, they all rushed at her. The woman wasn't hindered by the guy on her back in the slightest, but rather just looked annoyed at his presence. So, she merely grabbed him under his arm pit and flipped him over her shoulder, using a judo styled move, onto the street. Then, without even skipping a beat, kicked him in the jaw with a heavy thud, knocking him out.
• The other five guys made a series of swings and jabs at her, one even threw his last beer at her. However, they were all still quite drunk, and all their attacks were totally useless. She didn't even need to dodge some of them.
• She simply stepped forward knocking out the first man with a punch to his temple. The second guy she elbowed in the gut and slugged him in the jaw. The third gangster she kicked so hard in the chest, that she sent him careening into the wall of a nearby building. His body flew so fast that upon impact he left a clear outlined impression on the walls plastic siding.
• The last two guys stopped approaching the woman upon seeing all their buddies being beaten so easily and turned to run, but it was useless. The woman grabbed one guy by his hoodie and slammed his head onto the ground with an unsettling crunch. The other guy she easily ran down, tripped, and then pinned to the ground with her boot.
• The woman ground her boot into his back, as she knelt closer to him. Her voice was like ice in the man's ear. "Listen here, creep. Tell whoever you work for to stay clear of the lady with the coffin. You got it?"
• "Y-Yes!" The guy whimpered desperately to the woman.
• Getting off him she yelled, "Good. Now get!"
• Being freed, the last remaining uninjured guy scurried up and jogged unsteadily off down the road. If not for the seriousness of the situation, seeing the drunk man trying to run might have been comical.
• Turning sharply around, she kicked a guy that was getting up in the head and his head twisted nearly all the way around, killing him. Clearly, she either lacked empathy or was just very annoyed. This woman was not a stranger to violence, and it was unbelievably clear to all watching.
• She then walked back towards the first guy she had injured on the elbow. Seeing her coming back at him, he screamed and fled into the crowd clutching at his twisted arm. The woman snorted in disgust and chose to ignore him.
• A couple of people from the onlooking crowd cheered at the woman, upon seeing the fight was over and the gangsters defeated. While others talked amongst themselves, curious by the strength of the woman's attacks. Most just looked afraid seeing that so many men had been beaten down or killed and hurriedly left the market.
• The woman could hear some of what the crowd was murmuring about. The spectators were thinking that there was no way that this normal looking woman could have such inhuman strength, but she ignored all this commotion and simply walked back to her coffin and put it back on.
• Hanna's mouth was open in surprise and all she could think was, "What just happened?"
• Hanna then saw the woman had turned and started coming right for her. Hanna couldn't move, she was just too afraid and much too exhausted.
• The woman then crouched down towards Hanna and reached out a hand towards her. Unlike before, this motion was showing nothing but tenderness and care. She smiled kindly and said, "Hello there, little girl. Are you alright? My name is Lisa."