My parents called to tell me that the friends of our relatives will come to visit so me and my younger brother have to go to Chinatown to greet them. Usually I would have stayed at home but after what happened a while ago, I decided to come with him. So we got into the car and my brother drove to Chinatown and said, "Did our parents say where to wait for them?"

I shook my head and made sure he can see my response on the mirror.

"Really? What about the time?"

I shook my head.

"What the hell!"

"God..." he sighed.

I know, seriously...

Once we got to Chinatown, we decided to drive around to see if there are some people waiting, if long enough, there's a chance it's them. I got out of the car to look around for a time being when someone ran by me and looked around with a suspicious look on his face before spotting me and said, "Here!" slamming a digital camera into my hands.

After that, he ran off.

I was wondering what was going on, especially since no sane person would ditch a perfectly good digital camera. Checking to see what might have been wrong with the camera that caused the person to want to ditch it, I wasn't able to find a damage to it or anything. That's when I started to turn on the camera to see if there's something wrong with how it worked.

Remembering that I have to find the relatives, I carefully looked for some people who could be waiting for someone to pick them up. After wandering for hours (and getting some awkward stares from people whom I asked if they're waiting for someone), I became tired and decided to find a place to take a rest. At this point, couple of women (one was grabbing other by the arm) ran by me and I started to wonder what was going on, especially after what happened earlier that day.

Not long after, a couple of burly men ran by me and one of them knocked me over.

Angrily, I got up and gave chase, following them into the restaurant.

I went in and saw a woman fighting off two men as one of them was knocked backward right onto me. After he got up, the man then charged to the woman in an attempt to hold her down so his partner can beat her. But then I got up and saw one of them attempted to go after the younger girl saying, "If your sister won't cooperate, I'm sure she will..." as it gets drowned out by the crowd who filed out of the building, pushing me out in the process (and it wasn't even big either). After a while, I went back in and saw the cook calling the police.

Then one of the men was knocked onto me again and this time, I took an empty beer bottle and smashed it onto his head, knocking him out. I looked to see the woman finally subduing the person she was fighting with.

The cook then asked, "What happened here?"

I shrugged.

The woman then walked up to me and said, "Who are you?"

"What are you doing getting involved in this? If you're a passerby, I think you better leave or you'll be dragged into this mess as you're likely have no clue what went on."

I nodded in agreement and was about to leave when I heard someone groaned and said, "You can't run from us any longer...soon you will have to work with us...or..."

The woman turned to the man person she defeated and yelled, "What? Or what? I don't care what happens, I won't be a part of your little conspiracy and dragging my sister into this..." as the man interrupts with a laugh.

"It doesn't matter, the police wouldn't be able keep us in due to our connections and we'll be back much more prepared, there's nothing you can do!"

But then a grin came upon my face as I raised my camera and showed it to the woman.

"What?" she asked.

I picked up the menu from the table and the cook realized what I was about to ask for before I could ask him. He gave me the pen and I immediately wrote down a note before giving it to the woman.

She read the note and said, "That's interesting...I was starting to wonder why you couldn't tell me but I can see the reason, it's too cruel...I guess I have no choice."

The cook agreed to phone the police and tell them the situation have been resolved as we forced the two men to pose shirtless in a homoerotic manner. After taking about a dozen of photos, the men put their shirts back on and walked out of the door, each with a depressing look on their face.

I gave the woman the camera and she understood.

"I'll make sure to keep this safe in case they come back for me and my family, thank you." she said.

I nodded.

Just as she was ready to leave, she started to check out the files on the camera when her smile suddenly disappeared from her face.

"Why do you have these pictures in the camera?" she asked, showing me some photos that finally explain the reason why the owner ditched it.

"You're sick...you're really sick!" she yelled.

"Yes I'm aware that such so-called 'modeling' sites are legal in certain countries but even then, to have such photos stored in your camera..."

I was about to explain to her before she continues on.

"Because you helped us, I won't call the police but it doesn't mean I'll let you off the hook that easily."

I walked back to Canal Street waiting for my brother when he stopped by and rolled down the window.

"Did you find them yet?" he asked.

I shook my head.

Then he did a double take and said, "What the hell happened to you? Forget it, we'll keep looking." before driving away.

I wished we brough a cellphone with us, maybe we could have asked them where we're supposed to meet the relatives. Then it hits me, why didn't we call them back in the first place?

I smacked myself in the face and started to bite down on my fingers when I heard someone yelling, "You let them get away?!"

"Someone interfered an-"

"There's no excuse for your incompetence, you two used to work as enforcers for Monsanto and I expected better from you!" said the gruff voice.

"And yet after you two have been beaten by a woman, you also ran off...I told you that I would bail you two out had you been arrested, instead you fools ran away!"

I crept carefully and peeked at the alley to see two men from before with one person wearing a black winter coat!

Wouldn't it be a bit suspicious?

I kept on listening and the following conversation goes like this.

"The reason why I hired you two is because I was hoping that you idiots would be able to force that bitch to work for us so her programming can help us bring this city down to its knees!"

More I hear him talk, more it hurts my throat.

"For god's sake you two used to pressure farmers into accepting deals by Monsanto and force people to accept poison added to the crops, now you guys are expecting me to believe that you have been beaten by a couple of nobodies?"

"Come to think of it, why did you run away?"

Neither of the two men said anything.

"Forget it! We'll just have to keep track of that woman and make sure no one will interfere...what are you guys shuddering?"

"N-nothing boss!"

"Okay, we'll have to disappear for a while, last thing we need is attracting suspicion."

I quickly hid behind the dumpster and waited until they passed by. Afterward, I went to follow them and made sure they won't hear me which is a bit easier to do so with many people walking by.

After navigating through the busy crowd, I saw the three climbing into a limo and started to drive away. I climbed onto the top of the roof and held on while hoping that they didn't hear something as it happened. After several stops, I looked up and saw an oversized shack before looking around to see trees all over the place, making me realize that we're in Central Park.

As soon as the limo stopped, I quickly leaped off the vehicle and hid behind the bush.

Once they got out of the vehicle, the figure in a winter coat and a ski mask then said to the two men, "Once we get in there, you will face the consequence of your cowardice!"

The two men fell to their knees and begged, "Please, anything but that!"

"If you don't come into the headquarter, your punishment will come much sooner!"

The two got up and followed the figure along with the driver into the building as I sat there and listen.

"I have had it with your failures. It's bad enough that you guys fucked up each time but to back down like this? This is just as well..."

"No...no, please...no..."

"Anything but that!"

I started to feel bad for those guys.

"All you had to do was to get her to join us, even with force and you still failed, I can I be able to keep up my operation if you two keep on screwing up?"

"Please..."

"Guards, hold him and make sure he watches his friend's punishment so he'll know what will be coming to him..."

"No, please...please, I beg of you!"

"Shut up, your ass is mine!"

"Not the belt, not the belt, not the belt!"

"You may call this an abuse but even the union ain't saving your ass!"

Whack!

"OW!"

"Whack!"

"GAH!"

"Giddyup motherfucker!"

Whack!

"ACK!"

"Every single time, every single fucking time!"

Whack!

"OOH!"

Whack!

"AAAH!"

Whack!"

"OW!"

Whack!

"EEEK!"

Whack!

"YEOW!"

Whack, whack, whack!

"..."

Whack!

"OUW..."

"Now go to the room and sleep. Don't wake up until I tell you to you stupid motherfucker!"

"Now it's your turn,"

"Wait, no...no, not the belt, not the belt, not the belt!"

WHACK!

"AGH!"

"Squeal like a pig!"

There was a sob.

"Squeal I say!"

Whack!

"AIEEE!"

"I said SQUEAL!"

Whack!

"OW!"

"SQUEAL!"

Whack!

"EEE!"

"SQUEAL MOTHERFUCKER! SQUEAL!"

Whack!

"OOO..."

"SQUEAL!"

Followed by several more whacks.

"GAH!"

"SQUEAL!"

Whack!

Then there was a suffocating sound followed by, "Squee..."

"Again!"

Whack!

"Squee..."

"Louder!"

Whack!

"S-squee..."

"LOUDER!"

Whack!"

"SQUEE..."

"Good, now go to your room and don't come down here until I tell you so, we're having a house party and you two aren't invited!"

What was going on in there?

Taking couple of steps back and turned to leave when someone opened the door and saw me!

"Hey, what are you doing here? Intruder!"

I sprinted out of the park, stripping past couple of joggers in the process before making my way to the subway station right outside of the entrance. Catching my breath, I start vomiting some glob of yellow gunk into the garbage bin. Once I was finished, I turned and bumped into a homeless who gave me a glare and said, "I eat out of that you know." before taking out a switchblade and pressed it against my throat.

"If I ever catch you puking in my snack box again, I will cut you up and have you for lunch, understand?"

I slowly nodded in fear once he placed his weapon back into his pocket.

Unable to move because of what happened, my legs continued to shake for several minutes before I was able to regain my composure. Then I took the train and amde some exhanges in order to get back to Canal Street where I would wait for my brother to drive by to pick me up once he finds where our visiting relatives from China are.

Turns out he did figured it out and drove back home to pick up the cellphone and call our parents where to find the relatives. Also it turns out that they did realized that they forgot to tell us where to pick them up and tried to call us but being that we leave the cell phone at home, it tells you something. Because of that, I waited by the entrace of the subway station for hours before he finally turns up with our relatives inside the car. After giving them a brief tour around the city, we then dropped them off at our cousin's where they would stay for a while before returning home ourselves.

All and all, it wasn't a complete waste of time, because I learned something new that day. As it turns out, there's a group of people setting up some kind of operation to bring the city down.

But why?

That's when I spend the next few days preparing myself to find out.

However, later that night my brother came into the kitchen and said, "It's for you."

I took the phone and my dad wasn't happy about the near fiasco that happened during the day which kept our relatives waiting for countless hours. Then he called me stupid and said that I couldn't do anything right. I thought about tossing the phone but kept on listening as several more verbal abuse would be hurled on my way, feeling as if the wind blew from the phone as I started to shake in anger.

Once it was over, I took a deep breath and put the phone back before walking into the living room where I punched the wall in frustration.

Did he have to call me stupid? I mean it wasn't my fault that I wasn't told where to find them.

Last thing I need is getting my self-esteem shot down more than ever and I had too much of that...more than enough to last several lifetimes.