"I’m okay, baby," he whispered, though every word cost him. "We’re okay."
Maya’s screams were high and piercing, echoing off the narrow brick walls. She tried to grab her father’s arm, her small hands trembling. "Stop! Please stop!" she cried, her voice breaking. homeless dad and daughter gets beat up the end
Elias saw them first. He felt the familiar cold spike of fear in his gut. He stood up slowly, keeping Maya behind him, his hands raised in a gesture that was half-plea and half-shield. "I’m okay, baby," he whispered, though every word cost him
The leader, a boy barely twenty with a jagged scar across his eyebrow, smirked. "This isn't a campsite, old man. It’s an eyesore." He felt the familiar cold spike of fear in his gut
The first blow was a sudden, jarring kick to Elias’s ribs. He gasped, the air leaving his lungs in a painful rush, but he didn't move from his spot in front of Maya. He took the brunt of the next strike—a heavy fist to the jaw—and then another to his temple.