GTA V : The golden

The cold water dripped down Ramiro's face, seeping into his soaked skin, feeling like icy threads piercing his naked body. He forced his eyes open, relying on each drop to clear his foggy mind, but the pain was almost overwhelming. His body was suspended, head down and feet bound by an iron chain, a humiliating position that made every part of him ache. The air in the room was bitterly cold, and the chill tormented him with every movement. He was only in his underwear, leaving his body exposed to the biting air.

Silence surrounded him, with faint sounds coming from a distance, maybe people moving in the dark. But the room was steeped in stillness, and darkness enveloped everything, except for a light that suddenly flashed on, searing his eyes. They felt like they would explode, but he tried to close them, in vain. The moment the light vanished, darkness returned, but he didn't feel relief, but rather a greater heaviness in his body with every move.

As his consciousness slowly returned, he noticed movement near him. From the shadows, another man emerged, carrying an empty water bucket. The man stood before him, his steady blue eyes fixed on him with a cold, frozen look. It didn't take long for Ramiro to recognize him; he had seen him before.

"You..." Ramiro whispered with difficulty, his voice hoarse, barely audible.

The man smiled coldly, then slowly placed the bucket on the ground, saying in a calm but challenging tone, "I think I had some scores to settle."

Ramiro tried to lift his head despite the pain that squeezed his neck, but he quickly remembered. "You... you're the same man. The same guy who... who refused to sell his car."

The man paused for a moment, silent, his eyes watching him, but there was nothing in his eyes but a frightening calm. Then he moved towards the bucket, placed it aside gently, and pulled a long metal rod from his small bag. Ramiro felt something strange in his heart, a hidden fear rushing inside him.

"Do you think I'll let you walk away peacefully?" Ramiro said in a tense voice, growing louder, his eyes flashing with threat. "You know the vagos! Do you think you'll get away with kidnapping me?"

Before he could continue his threat, the rod swung.

It struck him hard on the side of his body, and Ramiro felt like his bones were shattered by the force of the blow. He screamed from the impact, the pain intensifying in his body.

"You son of a bitch, you crazy bastard,! ~Ramiro said, gasping for air, his eyes filled with rage.

But the man didn't respond, instead, he moved closer, the rod in his hands moving slowly as if he was enjoying the sight of him. And his eyes showed no expression other than that cold look. Ramiro was suffering from the pain, from sharp pains as if his entire side was broken.

Ramiro spoke quickly as he saw the man raise the rod again, "Wait!, I swear to God... it was just a joke! Come on... let's work this out, no need for this!"

"Hff," Ethan sighed, running his hand through his hair before grabbing Ramiro's jaw tightly, "You know what? You're really a pathetic person, Ramiro. Did you think I'd let you go after I got my hands on you?"

"You always think you can get away with everything easily, don't you?" Ethan said, gripping Ramiro's jaw even harder, making him feel like his jaw would break under his grip. "But you won't escape this time, Ramiro. Now, we're going to talk differently. The way people like you understand."

Ramiro tried to press his lips together, but the pain was killing him. "You... you're insane! What do you want from me?"

Ethan looked at him coldly, then suddenly took his hand off Ramiro's jaw, stepping back. "What I want from you is to realize that you were wrong. You were wrong when you treated things like a game. Now, I'm going to teach you that there's always a price for what you do."

Ramiro was panting, as if his mind was trying to process every word Ethan said. At this moment, he began to realize that the man in front of him was not just a passerby, but a cold and cruel being, ready to go to the extreme.

In desperation, resorting to threats with fear, "Listen - if you do anything to me, the Fagos will come after you, and if they find you, believe me, you'll wish you were dead."

Suddenly, without warning, he received a powerful punch in the stomach, "Gohhh!" His eyes widened and he screamed in pain.

"You're wrong to think that threats will save you," Ethan said, his voice devoid of any expression, but the words were heavy as rocks. He approached him, extending his hand again towards his mouth.

Ramiro, trying to lift his head despite his pain, looked at Ethan with his eyes full of despair. He no longer had the strength to threaten or scream. The pain had extinguished all desire to resist. He tried to whisper, but a very faint voice came out of him: "...Just let me go... what do you want?"

Ethan didn't answer, just looked at him, before hitting him with the rod on the other side.

Bok! The sound of metal hitting flesh. Ethan paused for a moment, watching Ramiro groan and writhe in pain. The sound of the metal hitting his body echoed in his ear.

"You've killed and raped many women, if you don't get what you want, you start acting crazy?" Ethan said as he continued to beat him.

Ethan continued to beat Ramiro mercilessly, each blow making a terrible sound between metal and flesh. Ramiro was screaming in pain, but his screams began to turn into a faint moan, as if his strength was beginning to fade with each blow. Ethan stopped for a moment, breathing deeply, then said in a calm voice,

"Last time, you scratched the car in anger, as if you didn't expect to be rejected. Admit it, you were planning to target me and steal the car, weren't you? Even if it meant killing?"

Ramiro, who was trying to catch his breath, looked at Ethan with eyes full of terror. He remembered that moment clearly.

Ethan stopped suddenly, his metal rod raised in the air, breathing deeply as he watched Ramiro gasp in pain. Ramiro's eyes were filled with terror and despair, and his body was trembling from the unbearable pain.

"I'll give you a chance..." Ethan said in a calm but sharp voice, as he looked at Ramiro with that cold, merciless look. "Why do you do all this?"

Ramiro, who was trying to catch his breath, looked at Ethan with tear-filled eyes. He was in pain, not only physically, but also mentally. After a moment of silence, he whispered in a hoarse voice full of sadness and anger: "Because... because life has never been fair to me. Everything was always against me. I never got anything easily... The Fagos, my real family, are the ones who took care of me, who taught me how to be self-reliant, and anyone who doesn't know the Fagos will get what they deserve," he said angrily under his tired body.

Ethan listened to him attentively, his eyes still fixed on him, but something in his expression began to change. "That's really sad..." Ethan said quietly, as if talking to himself more than to Ramiro. "Your life was hard..."

Then, slowly, Ethan placed the metal rod on the ground, the sound echoing in the cold room. Ramiro looked at him in astonishment, as if he didn't expect this sudden stop?!

Ethan looked at him with deep sadness, "You did all this because the Fagos are your family, and you hate those who underestimate them, what deep loyalty is this?"

From his small bag, Ethan pulled out a sharp knife, the gleam of the blade shining in the dim light. Ramiro felt his heart race, his eyes widening with horror. "No... please..." Ramiro whispered, his voice trembling.

"Well..." Ethan said calmly, as he slowly approached Ramiro, the knife in his hand gleaming as if promising blood. "But that doesn't justify why you targeted me."

Ramiro desperately tried to break free from his bonds, screaming in fear, "Get away from me, you maniac!!"

Ethan approached him, placing the knife in front of his stomach, "Scream as much as you want, no one can hear you here."

Ethan began to slowly cut Ramiro, the knife slicing through his skin as if drawing a painting of pain. Ramiro screamed in agony, tears streaming down his eyes as blood stained the ground beneath him. Each wound was deeper than the last, slowly drawing on his body as if drawing a new tattoo.

"Ahh! Stop! Please!" Ramiro screamed, his voice mixed with moans and pain. Blood was now flowing profusely, and his voice began to weaken with each new wound.

Ethan paused for a moment, looking at Ramiro who was now on the verge of losing consciousness from the intense pain. "That's how I felt when you scratched my car..." Ethan whispered, his voice full of coldness.

Ramiro was hanging upside down, his naked body dangling in the cold air like a slaughtered corpse. Blood was flowing from his deep

His body was shakin' like a leaf, all stiff from the cold, his skin pale and turnin' kinda blueish from losin' so much blood. Ethan stood there, his clothes soaked in red, lookin' like some messed-up art piece. Some of Ramiro's blood splattered on Ethan's face, streaks of dark red on his cheeks and forehead, makin' him look like a ghost from another world. His blue eyes were still ice cold, but somethin' flickered in 'em... somethin' like regret, or maybe he was just tired of the whole damn scene.

"Did you feel this pain when you scratched my ride?" Ethan said, his voice low, "Did you feel this pain when you were messin' with other folks?"

Ramiro, barely hangin' on, tried to open his heavy eyelids. Blood was comin' out of his mouth, mixed with spit, drippin' on his messed-up face. "I...I'm sorry..." he croaked, like he was searchin' for any way to stop the torture.

Ethan glanced at his hands, clenching the knife a little, hearin' Ramiro whine. He looked at the body that was full of life before, now a lifeless corpse, takin' its last breaths.

"Damn... this ain't like me. Why does this feel so natural?"

"Was it even worth it?" Ethan thought, gettin' all twisted up inside. "Nah, I did the right thing. If I didn't stop him, he woulda done way worse stuff." Ethan took a deep breath, gettin' ready to finish things off.

But then he froze.

A sound in the distance, but clear enough to snap him back to reality. Car engines, a bunch of 'em. The sound was gettin' closer.

Ramiro was still barely breathin', his body almost unresponsive, but his lips moved slowly, like the last bit of him wanted to say somethin'.

"va...gos..." he whispered, so weak, but Ethan heard him clear as day.

Ethan's eyes narrowed, he spun around quick and got close to Ramiro, his grip on the knife tighten' up. "What did you say?"

But Ramiro didn't answer, his head tilted a little, like he used up all his energy on that one word. But it didn't need explainin'.

Ethan turned around fast, walked to the door, opened it a crack, and peeked outside. Headlights were shinin' on the walls, shadows movin' as the cars got closer. He didn't have much time.

He took a big breath and started cleanin' up the mess as fast as he could. He grabbed another cloth, wiped the handle he touched, then looked at the body hangin' there. No time to hide it.

"Damn it..." he muttered, takin' another deep breath, watchin' the lights get closer, the engines cuttin' off. Ethan didn't need to overthink it. Time was runnin' out.

He took one last look at Ramiro, still hangin' upside down, barely alive. No time to finish him off now, but he knew he wouldn't be goin' anywhere in that state, not with all that bleedin'.

He moved quick to the window, opened it quiet, and looked down. The harbor was right below the buildin', the dark water stretchin' along the dock. He had no other choice.

Footsteps were comin' closer. Voices, men talkin' low, movin' careful. No time.

"Damn it..." he cursed again, stepped onto the window sill, took a deep breath, and before he could even think twice, he jumped.

The cold air smacked him in the face, he felt the ground pullin' him down fast. Then, he hit the water, sinkin' for a second before comin' back up, gaspin' from the shock and the cold.

"Fuck!"

He started cussin' as he swam away from the dock, his heart poundin' as he tried to figure out what just happened. How did they find him? He was at the harbor, far from any place they knew about. They shouldn't have been able to track him that quick.

"How the hell did they find me?" he wondered, swimmin' hard, his eyes searchin' the harbor for any boats or places to hide.

While his body floated on the cold water, Ethan took a deep breath, tryin' to stop the shivers runnin' through him. He lifted his head a little, his eyes on the dock where some flashlights started movin' around. He couldn't stay in the water, he had to move, now.

He pushed himself, swimmin' silent till he got to the edge of the harbor, grabbed the solid edge, then pulled himself up, water drippin' from his heavy clothes. He crawled a bit, tryin' to get his breath back before standin' up, steppin' light on the wet ground.

He spun around quick, he could hear the men talkin', their footsteps comin' closer to the buildin' where he left Ramiro hangin'. They were on high alert, lookin' for any sign of him. He only had a few seconds before they spread out.

He moved fast through the harbor, hidin' between the big containers, watchin' silent as a black car rolled by slow, its lights searchin' the area. They must've known he was still around. Getin' away wasn't gonna be easy.

He took a shortcut, walkin' along the containers till he got to the end of the dock, where a low fence separated the harbor from the back street. It wasn't too high, but it was enough to slow down anyone chasin' him.

He didn't think twice—he took off runnin', grabbed the top of the fence, then pulled himself over easy before droppin' down on the other side, landin' soft to cushion the impact on his feet.

He stopped for a second, listenin'—no alarm yet. Maybe they didn't see him, but he wasn't takin' any chances.

He looked up at the narrow street in front of him, the streetlights were dim, and the sounds of the night life drifted in from the nearby alleys. He let out a slow breath, then took off fast into one of the dark alleys, his feet poundin' on the concrete.

Ethan faded away from the area quietly, creepin' away slowly, dodgin' the nearby cars, headin' into the city...