The Vigilante.

[Kitosdad]

The Vigilante stood at the end of the alley, waiting, just waiting for the appearance of a gang or a solitary gang member.
He was aching to dole-out some severe punishment to these low-life youths whose pastime seemed to centre around disturbing the peace and assaulting anyone who dared to enter "their" territory.

The were especially brave when the offender was alone on disabled in some way.
This was when they really showed just how brave they were.
Yes, he had seen them often enough to know exactly who they were.
He had no intention of making any error and punishing some innocent youth by mistake.

How many times had he phoned the police to report some violation or crime, and how often had the police done anything about it?
Dozens of calls and nothing ever done to follow them up.
Well, he'd had enough.
If the police had better things to do with their time, then it was up to decent citizens to act themselves.

He was so preoccupied with his inner thoughts that he failed to see the three gang members saunter down the alley until they were almost upon him.
"Hey old man, watcha' doin' in our alley?"
"You wasn't thinking about stealing something waz'you," sneered the leader of the group.
"No, not at all. I was just going home," he lamely replied.
"Well get going then before you get yourself into trouble you old fool."
They all laughed at this and as he walked slowly past, the smallest youth plunged his hand into the old man's overcoat pocket.
"You got any money in here Grandad?," he said, and then howled in pain as the rat trap smashed down onto his fingers.

The old man smiled and brought his cane hard across the face of the one standing with his hands in his pockets, and turning quickly he jabbed the cane directly into the eye of the leader of the group.
The boy shrieked in pain and put his hand to his eye, just as the cane once again lashed him across the side of the neck.
He couldn't breath and sank to his knees.
The smallest member had almost succeeded in removing the rat trap from his fingers when he too was slashed across the throat with the heavy cane.
He began to choke and gasp for breath.

This wasn't the way it was supposed to be the boys thought to themselves, as once more each was lashed with the heavy came.
They slowly scrambled to their feet and stumbled back out of the alley.

The old man walked to his apartment and having locked the door securely, he looked out of the window.
The usual gang were assembled there, but he was happy to see that they were three less in number.
Perhaps the gang would begin to understand that people were not prepared to allow them to do just whatever they wanted without retribution being meted out on them in return.
The vigilante hoped so, but somehow he doubted it.
No doubt he would have to act again, and soon.

Kitos.
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