Mafiosi and Chance (you)

Rain lashed the rubble, the air smelling of damp and rust. Chance dashed across the hall, but Mafioso had already blocked the exit—a lightning-fast lunge, a heavy swing of his cane. The whistle of metal, a dull thud: Chance barely managed to raise his hand, but the cane still slammed into his shoulder—a sharp, searing pain exploded beneath the skin. He gasped and backed away, tripped over broken brick, and fell to his knees.

The mafioso moved closer, his breathing heavy, his eyes dark and cold.
“Stop running,” he exhaled and swung again.

Chance instinctively rolled away, but didn't quite manage to escape—the cane grazed his ribs, leaving a long, stinging mark. He gritted his teeth, feeling the warm moisture soaking through the fabric, and yet he jerked upright, swaying. His vision blurred, but he stubbornly held his hand out, as if that would stop the pursuit.

"I'm not hiding!" his voice broke, but Chance forced himself to speak louder. "I'm trying... to fix everything!"

The mafioso froze for a moment, lowered his cane, and for a second, the gesture betrayed not anger, but that same debilitating fatigue. But the next moment, he straightened up again, sternly enunciating his words:

— They fix it with action. And you're just wasting your breath.

He stepped closer. Chance closed his eyes, expecting another blow—but none came. Instead, Mafioso grabbed him sharply by the elbow, holding him on his feet, and quietly, through clenched teeth, said:

"If you really want to settle this, just stand still for at least a minute. Enough of this circus."

Chance was breathing heavily, pain pulsing in his shoulder and ribs, but he didn't break free. He slowly opened his eyes and, looking straight at Mafioso, exhaled hoarsely:

• Okay. One minute. But then you'll listen.

The mafioso narrowed his eyes slightly, as if weighing whether he could believe these words, and finally unclenched his fingers, taking a half-step back. A tense silence fell over the room—only the rain pounding the roof and Chance's ragged breathing broke it.