I decided to save the girl.
In the moment I wasn't sure what came over me. My body moved like it was tied to the strings of fate itself. I dropped my bag and started to run across the street.
The two men had reached the girl and instantly tried to snatch her. Without hesitation I drew my sword and in one motion sliced off the hands of both men. I heard the thud as the severed body parts hit the floor. The blood and screams created a symphony of pain and regret. One of the men tried to reach out to grab me.
"Some habits are too hard to break, I guess" I thought to myself.
I took the girl and crossed the street once again.
"Are you ok?" I asked. "What's your name?"
The girl stayed silent.
"Where are your parents?"
No response.
The girl was eerily calm. She looked up at me with grey eyes so deep that I found myself lost in her gaze. To this day I don't know why I said what I did next.
"Do you have somewhere to stay?"
The girl shook her head.
"Do you want to come with me?"
The girl nodded.
Before going home, I decided to get her something to eat. Handing her the bag of sweets I watched her face change from one of indifference to one of pure joy. She hurriedly ripped open the bag and started to devour all the sweets. While she did, I noticed something…
Anger. Pure undefiled anger filled my bones.
The girl's tongue had been cut out. It was something that I had heard that one gang in particular loved to do. For those who couldn't pay back their loans they would cut out their tongues, taking their voice. But to do it to a child…
The girl tugged on my sleeve grasping my attention. Looking up at me she smiled. It was the type of smile that reminds you why you try so hard at your job, why you go the extra mile, why you decided to have a child in the first place.
That smile solidified my decision.
From that day onward my mother and I took care of this girl. We called her Five. Five was a peculiar kid. She would go days without smiling like she was going through a midlife crisis. Then, like a switch was flipped, she would be all smiles once again, laughing and enjoying life just like any regular child.
Anytime I saw her I saw something I hadn't in a long time.
Light.