Alexander Petrov

Petrov was smoking his third cigarette of the day, scanning the surrounding alleys with poorly concealed weariness. He'd been a patrol officer for seven years, and this trudging from street to street had long since become tiresome, no matter how hard he tried to brighten up his workdays with anything: sifting through old archives and unsolved cases, evening strolls, meaningless conversations with colleagues, sorting through reports even when there were no orders.
Lately, Alexander's life had taken a sharp turn, throwing him out of his usual rhythm. He had divorced his wife, and although the feelings in their marriage had long since faded, it still hit him harder than anything else. The property division had been rather protracted and painful, and at work, no one cared at all—he'd been double-duty since one of his experienced colleagues had suddenly quit. Petrov didn't know how much longer he could continue like this. Even now, as he walked through the boring streets on yet another patrol.
The policeman was moving through a crime-ridden neighborhood known for its high number of showdowns, constant calls, and violent crimes. A scream, followed by a dull thud, came from a gateway around the corner, and Sasha, regaining his composure, quickly headed toward the sound.
"You bastard, look me in the eyes!" an unfamiliar, rough voice, whose owner was pressing the frightened girl against a battered brick wall, echoed in the evening darkness.
—You'll give me back every single penny, bitch, do you hear? Or do you want more?!
The man raised his fist again to strike, but this time he was stopped by a loud whistle from the guy who was slowly approaching them.
“Citizen, keep your hands to yourself,” the blue-eyed man said evenly, even too calmly, twirling the stun gun he had taken out earlier in his palm.
Growling through his teeth, the intruder reluctantly retreated, then quickly slipped away through another passage. Petrov didn't care: such situations were commonplace in this area; no one dealt with them anymore. Turning around, the man wanted to leave as quickly as possible.