The Anti-Bully

By Bob Dowd

Bryan had a gift. He had been blessed with unusual strength and speed, and he was prepared to use both to protect the students in his school that were being bullied. His willingness to stand up for those that could not stand up for themselves led him on to the mean streets, and soon he found himself at war with a vicious street gang.

And then he met Samantha. Now the stakes were higher.

Will there ever be an end to bullies and gang members? Will Bryan have to fight for the rest of his life? Can he always protect Samantha from the cowards that would do her harm? Can there be courage without fear?

If Bryan is not afraid, then is he a hero or just a young man with a gift and a willingness to use it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524538668

Bob Dowd

Bob Dowd is currently a member of the RCMP and has been so for twenty-three years. He lives in Manitoba with his wife, Carol.

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Copyright © 2016 by Bob Dowd.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 08/31/2016

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DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this book to those that have stepped between bullies and their victims. It is not always an easy place to stand and I salute you.

Bryan opened his eyes.

It was Tuesday morning.

So what?

It was just another Tuesday; was it not?

No.

This one felt different.

He felt different.

Something had changed in his body again. This particular feeling had started six months ago. He did not know what to make of it at first but now he just accepted it. When he began to notice the changes initially though, he was a little worried. He had often wondered if he should tell his mother, or go to a doctor, but after a while he found that it felt good, so he left it alone. He started to look forward to waking up in the morning and checking out whatever had changed since he fell asleep the night before. He felt more rejuvenated every day. His body felt like it was getting stronger; and it was not just a feeling. He had tested it. He could pick up things he had never been able to come close to lifting before. He could do twice as many pull-ups and chin-ups as he had ever done.

Why?

It was not natural. He was aware of that. He was only seventeen and knew he had entered puberty late in life, but that was all done with. This was something entirely off the wall. This feeling was not something that had been covered in school where the gym teacher tried to prepare young boys and girls for the ‘change’ they would be experiencing as they entered their teenage years. This was just something he had come to accept.

He rolled onto his side and sat on the edge of the bed. What a great feeling! He had always been a confident young man, but this was more than that. He felt he could do anything.

He looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly. There was not a cloud to be seen. He let his eyes follow the skyline. He could see several houses from where he was, but there was no one else moving yet. It was too early. An hour from now, the neighborhood would be buzzing as those that had jobs, readied themselves for work.

He needed to get moving soon though, or his mother would be coming up the stairs coaxing him along. She was not the sort of person that would yell at him; she would just remind him of the time and how he needed to get moving. She would be relentless about it though, until he finally started to move fast enough to satisfy her. She was raising him alone and she was always careful to not alienate him. She never wanted to push him too hard, but, at the same time she wanted him to accomplish something. Just sitting around was not going to cut it. Not with her. His mother’s name was Jackie and she was the driving force in his life. He was going to amount to something if it killed her.

He thought briefly about his father, who had died in a car crash ten years ago. Bryan could remember him, but not real well. He had been a happy man, always laughing and telling jokes. Bryan could see his face sometimes; if he focused hard enough. There were also vague images and mental pictures. He could even remember flashes of playing with him in a park on some swings, but that was it. Sometimes he wondered if his mother had ever recovered from losing him. She had not dated for years, and then when she did finally go out, on the rare occasion, she found some reason to not have a second date. Bryan felt sorry for some of the guys Jackie had dumped. A few had seemed real nice when he met them, but, there was always something wrong with them according to her.

Bryan slowly stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. He made a face. Some days he wished he was better looking. His mother always told him he was handsome, but he knew he was average. The girls at school did not notice he even existed. He watched as some of the other guys could cause a scene by simply walking down the hall. The pretty girls would giggle and smile at them. The less pretty girls would do nothing outward, but they would watch the hunks as far as they could see them. But it did not bother Bryan. He was happy enough with the way he looked. Average was better than ugly. And of course he had his new muscles. It seemed like every day they grew. They were not huge and grotesque like the body builders he had seen in the magazines that were strewn about in the weight room at school, but they were definitely bigger than they were last week.

He ran his fingers through his short hair. It was just a little past his ears, but he knew it would not be long before Jackie sat him down and trimmed it. There was no money to pay someone else to cut his hair, so she did it. Not a bad job either.

Bryan smiled at himself in the mirror. Better than using a bowl like the Hillbillies.

He slipped into the clothes his mother had laid out for him the night before. Wow; seventeen and his mother still laid out his clothes. He smiled at that too. No big deal though; just make sure no one at school found out. He would be teased forever if anyone was made aware how much his mother fussed over him. It was not that he was bullied; it was just that he was one of the quiet kids. He did not have any friends so he just kept to himself. Sometimes the macho types would say something to him, trying to get a response, but he would just look at them for a few seconds and then walk away. He had no desire to fight, but he would not run. It was not in his nature. So for the most part, he was left alone, and he liked it that way.

As he pulled on the familiar blue jeans and t-shirt, Bryan thought about the coming summer holidays. What would he do this year? After thinking about it for a few seconds he realized he would probably just wander around the city again; like he did last year. He never tired of walking around and watching people. He enjoyed the situations he encountered on almost a daily basis. The city he lived in never failed to produce situations to entertain him. That was for certain.

He turned his attention back to the mirror and looked at what he was wearing. If he had any other clothes, no one would know it. This combination was all he ever wore.

He scooted down the stairs and into the bathroom. There was no bathroom on the upper floor; just two bedrooms; although no one slept in the second one. Jackie used the master bedroom on the main floor and it worked out well. There were days when she came home from work so exhausted that she would not be able to climb the stairs to get to her bed anyway.

The rest of the house was typical. On the main floor there was a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and a full bathroom. It was not fancy, but at their income level, they were lucky to have it.

In minutes Bryan was ready for school. No shower for him. He almost always showered at night before he went to bed. It was a ritual he had started when he was young and it had stuck with him.

He sat at the table and ate the toast and jam that was waiting for him. His mother was in the basement doing laundry and would be up in a few minutes.

He thought again about the feelings he had been having for the last few weeks. It seemed he could not get enough to eat and was always looking for something more to scarf down. He did try not to make a pig of himself though. His mother worked very hard to put food on the table and he knew that if he ate too much, she would go hungry.

Hey you! His mother had come up the stairs quietly behind him, trying to startle him.

He did not react. As a young boy it had annoyed him to no end when someone would sneak up and try to scare him. When he jumped, they would laugh and make fun of him. It was when one of the kids at school called him a pussy that he decided he would not jump any more. From that day forward whenever something frightened him, he would immediately take a deep, quiet breath and calm himself down. At first he would jump and then relax but it did not take long before his body would not jump. It immediately relaxed. Someone would jump out from around a corner and yell and he would just take a quiet breath and stare at them–no reaction at all. It gave him great satisfaction to be able to do that.

Hey yourself, Bryan replied. You’re looking good today Mom.

Jackie was thirty seven years old, five feet, six inches tall, and a very attractive woman. She knew it too, but she liked to pull Bryan’s chain.

Okay, what do you want? If you’re sucking up like that, I know you are trying to get something out of me. Jackie was always the skeptic.

I’m crushed. Bryan faked an arrow in his heart. You kill me. I give out such a nice compliment and you shoot me down.

Jackie laughed and pulled the fridge door open. Alright, if you say so.

By the way, I need a few dollars for school. We are going to a museum tomorrow and the teacher said we will need about fifteen bucks. Bryan could not resist a smirk as he waited for his mother to respond.

Jackie looked at him with the look of a mother saying ‘I told you so’. Bryan just grinned like an idiot.

Go get my purse. I doubt there is any money in there, but we can check.

Bryan knew she was kidding. She always kept a little extra hidden so that he would not miss out on anything at school. He retrieved the worn out black bag that she called a purse, and after only a few seconds of digging, she had a twenty in her hand.

I expect five dollars change.

No worries, was the last thing she heard as he disappeared out the front door.

‘Damn, that kid is fast,’ she thought to herself. ‘He should be on the track team.’

By the time Jackie finished her thought Bryan was a block away and running like a madman. He could not believe his energy level and he felt like he could go forever. He had always liked to run and did so everywhere he went, but today he was faster than he had ever been. It was ten blocks to school and it went by in a flash. He was not even breathing hard when he sprinted up the steps and through the big doors; down the hall to his home room and into his desk. It felt like only seconds since he had left the house.

The classroom was almost full. Bryan lived in the north end, and while no one there had much money, they did seem to be good at making babies. Some of the families had six or eight kids in them and lots of those were from different fathers.

Parent teacher day was the most confusing day of the year in this school.

Bryan almost laughed out loud at that thought.

At nine sharp, Mr. Anderson entered the room. That man was never late. The lessons began as usual and the day progressed like all the others before.

School was not Bryan’s favorite thing, but…He knew the importance of an education. His mother spent many hours helping him with his homework, and many more after that encouraging him to read more and do more. She reminded him regularly that he was going to attend some sort of post secondary education, even if it killed them both.

Bryan spent most of the day doing his best, but unfortunately there was a lot of time spent gawking around the room. There were several pretty girls that sat together near the front of the class and Bryan never tired of looking at them.

He was a teen age boy after all.

School ended and Bryan escaped the big building as fast as he could. He wandered across the street and walked the few blocks to the park where he sat on a swing. Jackie would not be home for three more hours due to the fact she always put in an extra hour or two of over time, just to keep ahead of the ‘wolf at the door’, as she put it.

As he sat there, Bryan let his mind wander back through his childhood. His earliest memories started at about five. He could remember going to kindergarten and having a couple of friends. They had drifted out of his life though, and he had never made any new ones. It just did not seem important to him to have someone around him all the time. He really liked being alone.

After his father died, Bryan would spend hours sitting in his room alone. He would let his mind wander as he pictured far off lands and people that were so different from those he was used too, it would seem they were from a different planet. His mother did the same. She would sit for hours staring out the window, not moving and barely breathing. Both were wondering how different their lives would have been if Bryan’s father had not died. It was a long time before their house returned to any visible state of normalcy.

His father had died when he was struck on the driver’s door by a drunk driver. That was what his mother had told him when he got older. Apparently, his father never had a chance. The drunk came through a red light and drilled him when he was on his way home from work. He was dead instantly. Some days Bryan thought about the man that had killed his father. Some days he wanted to beat that man to death with his fists.

His fists! His mind drifted again. Somewhere around eight or nine he had started punching things. He would hit walls, or the floor, or the side of buildings. Anything that would not break. He was not destructive. He just wanted to be able to hit things. Now, after all those years of toughening up his knuckles, he could walk past a brick building and pound it with a closed fist. Of course he did not hurt the bricks, but it did not hurt his knuckles either. When he could, he would find a board and set it up in the basement, before his mom came home. If the boards were only one inch thick, he could punch right through them. Even one that was eight inches wide. He remembered the day he had found that particular target; it was four months ago. He ran all the way home because he could not wait to try it. He had six bricks that he kept on his book shelf. To anyone else, they appeared to just keep his books from falling over. To Bryan, they were the support for his next victim; in this case, a one by eight pine board. He had stacked the bricks in two piles, one on top of the other and carefully laid the board across the gap between them. Every boy had seen some karate guy do this a hundred times. Set the board on the bricks; make a few funny faces and noises, and ‘POW’, send your fist through the board as hard as you could. The only difference for Bryan was he never made any funny faces or noises. He just set the board on the bricks, looked at it for a second and then punched it with everything he had. He would always picture his fist on the other side of the board. That was where he wanted his hand to go; to the empty space under the board. And it never let him down.

He could feel his muscles strain as they reacted to the message his brain was sending them. The message that this particular piece of board needed to be destroyed. The message that required all the strength and speed the muscles could provide. The brain was not let down. Bryan’s fist was a blur as he felt the contact between wood and bone. He relished that split second where the decision was made. Did the hand break or did the board break?

The board shattered! Bryan would raise himself up afterward and just stand there looking at his hand. Not a mark.

Amazing!

That was four months ago; shortly after he had started to feel extra energized.

Next, Bryan’s mind wandered back to school. He thought about an incident that had happened there last week. One of the local bullies, Dan, had decided he should pick on one of the nerds, Jeff. Dan was big for his age and outweighed his hapless target by about seventy pounds. He also seemed to have unusual strength. Bryan was not sure if Dan worked at a job or if he had a home gym; all he knew for sure was that Dan could pick up a hundred and fifty pound man and throw him across the room. And Dan had a special personality too. A normal person would be ashamed to harass someone that much smaller, but not Dan. He was a true bully. He did not accomplish anything at school except to make everyone else around him miserable. Even most of the teachers were afraid of him. He was close to two hundred and twenty pounds and very strong. He would grab some poor soul who was just walking down the hall, and bend his arm behind his back until he cried. When you are in your teens, the last thing you want to do is cry in front of your peers. And that was what delighted this big goof. He enjoyed making them cry. Most of the teachers would just look the other way. One or two tried to intervene, but he would just curse at them and wander down the hall with his knuckles dragging, laughing all the way.

On this day, Dan grabbed Jeff as he was leaving the classroom. Jeff weighed less than one hundred and fifty pounds. He was skinny and not very tall. His biggest problem though, was that he had no courage. He was afraid of everybody and everything. That was a perfect target for a cowardly bully like Dan.

Dan threw the young man up against the locker so hard it looked like Jeff would pass out. For a few seconds the frail body slumped forward, but it did not fall. Despite obviously having had the wind knocked out of him, Jeff still tried to make an escape. There was terror in the young man’s eyes as he edged sideways, trying to get out of Dan’s reach as soon as he could. This just fuelled Dan’s attack. He delighted in the fear he caused others. He grabbed Jeff by the throat with one hand, his fingers biting deep into the soft flesh. Both the air and the blood were cut off to the brain. Jeff clawed at the hairy vice holding him. His eyes showed that he was sure he would die. This time Dan lifted his much lighter opponent right off the ground before tipping him over backwards and driving the back of Jeff’s head into the hard floor.

The sound was sickening. Watching it though–was worse.

Some kids almost threw up.

Jeff was out cold.

No one moved.

Bryan was at the back of the crowd and could not really see, but he heard a gasp from some of the girls. When he did step forward, he could see blood oozing out from behind Jeff’s head. It poured slowly across the tile floor, looking almost like thick red milk as it followed the grooves between the tiles. Two of the teachers came running down the hall, splitting the crowd as they strained to get to their injured student.

Jeff was not moving. It was entirely possible he was dead.

Who did this? Mrs. Bell asked, already knowing the answer. She looked right at Dan. You did this, I know you did. Her voice raised higher as she confronted him.

Mrs. Bell was not very big, but she was not afraid of Dan.

Unfortunately a show of courage did nothing to curb Dan’s idiotic behavior. He had been born with something missing. That little part that, when removed does not cause any damage, it just makes the person missing it an asshole.

You don’t know shit lady, Dan spit out as he turned and walked down the hall as though nothing had happened.

It almost seemed for a second that Mrs. Bell would go after him; but she thought better of it and turned her attention to Jeff. Dan had never touched a teacher, but it was always thought by everyone that he was very capable of doing it. It was just that no one had forced him into that corner yet.

An ambulance was called and Jeff was taken to the hospital. He never regained consciousness. As a matter of fact, from where Bryan was watching the paramedics do their magic, he could not even say for sure that Jeff was breathing. That was last week and Bryan had not seen him back at school since. It seemed weird that the police were not called, nor did the principal update the students on Jeff’s progress. But, Bryan did not give it much thought after that day. He had not know Jeff, and in a school the size of the one he went to, it was easy to not notice who was there; or not there. What he did think a lot about was his reaction to the situation. For the first time in his life he had thought maybe he should step in and stand up for Jeff. He was not much bigger than the poor nerd, at one hundred and seventy pounds, but he was a lot stronger, and he was not afraid of Dan. Bryan was also wondering if his new found strength and speed could see him through a fight with a gorilla the size of Dan. The very idea intrigued him.

Dan had not bothered Bryan since they crossed paths a while back. There had been the one occasion when Dan had grabbed him, but he let go when Bryan turned and looked him in the eyes.

Let me go, was all Bryan said as he pulled his arm out of the bigger man’s grasp.

Nothing more was said. Bryan had glared at Dan, not blinking, almost looking right through him, and then he just turned and walked away.

Dan never approached him again.

That was how bullies operated. They would only pick on those that could not, or would not defend themselves.

Could Bryan defend himself? He was wondering about that again. He had always felt that he was stronger than normal. He could do plenty of chin-ups and push-ups, and that was before the surge in strength had started. In the last six months he had felt his strength increase substantially. He did not fear any of the other bullies in the school either, even when he was outnumbered. His confidence was growing as fast as his strength. He would just walk right past them as though they did not exist.

It worked; they left him alone.

Still, he wondered if he should not have helped Jeff.

As Bryan sat alone on the swing, he watched the people walk down the sidewalks. No one looked at anyone else. No one even noticed that they were not alone on the street. They just hustled along, oblivious to anything else but their own little world. Even when someone bumped into someone else, there was nothing. Not an ‘excuse me’, or ‘I’m sorry’. They just hurried along as though their very lives depended on arriving at their destination ASAP.

Bryan looked at his watch. He had been sitting on the swing for over an hour. He got up and started for home. His mother had mentioned that they were having potatoes with supper tonight. That meant that he had to peel them and get them cooking so they would be ready when she got there. With the potatoes, they would have something simple, like a ham sandwich or hot dogs. They did not exactly eat like kings, but, they were never hungry.

Except lately.

Damn! He was hungry all the time now.

Bryan walked up the steps to his house, used his key to open the lock and entered, just as he had done hundreds of times before. Only this time was different. His mother was already home. He could hear her in the kitchen. Her voice was not normal though. If fear had a sound it was on the edge of the words coming from Jackie’s mouth. Something was really bothering her.

Bryan stepped into the kitchen, his eyes scanning for his mother.

Jackie was standing in the corner, by the fridge; her eyes were red. She was not crying, but she was close, and she was really scared. Bryan could see the reason clearly. A man that Bryan had only met once before was standing just inside the back door. Jackie had dated him a couple of weeks ago. He was one of the rare ones that she had dated twice. Then she dumped him. The man looked at Bryan. It was not a good look. There was hate etched into the very lines of the man’s face, as though someone was attacking his very existence; his right to be a man.

This guy was mad!

Get out kid. Take a hike.

Bryan ignored him. What’s going on Mom? Bryan asked as he watched the man out of the corner of his eye. There was no way he would be foolish enough to turn his back or let his guard down; but Bryan also wanted to hear what his mother had to say. Maybe this situation could be resolved with just a few of the right words.

Steve and I are just talking. Go back to the park. I will come and get you when supper is ready.

I’m not telling you again kid! BEAT IT! Or you’re going to get hurt! Steve was almost yelling and the veins in his forehead looked ready to burst.

Why is he in our house? Bryan had now stepped a little closer to his mother, placing himself between her and Steve. He also edged his body so that if Steve made a sudden move, Bryan could slip out of Steve’s path in either direction.

I’m here because your mother is a tramp. She thinks she can dump me after two dates. I’m the best thing that has happened to her and there is no way I’m just going to get shit on and leave. Not that it’s any of your business. Steve had completely lost his temper. His eyes were wide and full of anger. His mouth was open and his lips were pulled back like he was snarling.

Then he reached for Bryan.

Steve was an average sized man, about five foot eleven and one hundred and ninety pounds. It was apparent that he was an office worker. He was not very tanned and did not appear to be overly muscular. Bryan watched Steve’s hand coming towards him with an obvious amazement. It seemed like slow motion. With almost no effort, Bryan brushed away Steve’s outstretched fingers and shoved him back across the kitchen, causing him to almost fall over a chair.

Back off, and get out of our house. Bryan stated with authority, but, he did not raise his voice. That was not his way.

It was obvious though, he was not kidding.

Neither was Steve.

He may have been an office worker, but he had spent a considerable amount of time training in various martial arts. And, he was a very violent man. He did not like to be told what to do by any one, especially someone he viewed as a punk kid. He slid into a stance that was obviously learned from many years of taking karate, or something similar. Without hesitation he moved sideways and then straight at Bryan. He faked a punch and then let go with a round house kick. It was a fast and violent move. If the foot connected the side of Bryan’s face it would be very possible that his neck would snap. He would be either paralyzed or dead. It was a move that should have caught Bryan off guard and landed on the side of his head. But Bryan’s head was not there anymore. With reflexes that would make a cat blush, Bryan had dropped to the floor, and with everything he had, he punched Steve right in the testicles. The result was as expected. Steve folded like a rag. Bryan shuffled sideways and struck again. This time, at the outside of Steve’s left knee. It did not break as the young fist connected, but there was obvious damage. The leg buckled and Steve crashed to the ground as he tried desperately to decide which hurt the most; his knee or his balls. The face he was making now did not have hate on it any more. His eyes were being squeezed shut so tightly, it seemed they might never be opened again. The clenched teeth ground together as the closing mouth tried to hold back the screams bouncing around in Steve’s head.

Jackie put her hand over her mouth and stood still, not moving, barely breathing. She had no clue what she had just witnessed.

Get up and get out. If you don’t, I’m going to hurt you more. And just so we understand each other; don’t come back. I’m not sure what your problem is, but I am real sure it is not my mother’s problem. As he finished his sentence, Bryan closed his hand on a bunch of Steve’s hair, pulling his head back.

I’m not kidding. Get up and get out. NOW! This time Bryan raised his voice just a little. Steve heard him, very clearly. Without saying a single word, he got up, still clutching his damaged goods and stumbled out the back door.

Don’t bother my mother again. I will find you if you do. Bryan felt he had to add that last part, just in case Steve got his courage up after a few drinks and decided he needed revenge.

What was that? Jackie was looking at Bryan as though he had two heads. Where did you learn to do that?

Now she was moving to sit down; before she fell down.

I have no idea. It was just a reaction. I sure wasn’t going to just stand there and let him hit me.

Yeah, but you moved like someone in a Jackie Chan movie. How did you know what to do?

I hit him in the nuts Mom. You don’t have to take lessons for that. It’s kind of basic. Brian was looking out the back window to make sure Steve left the yard.

Suddenly he realized what he had said, and he turned back towards Jackie.

Mother and son looked at each other for two seconds before they burst out laughing.

I guess that doesn’t require a lot of training does it? Jackie forced out as she continued to chuckle.

Nope. I’m pretty sure I was born with that one up my sleeve. That comment caused them to begin another round of the giggles.

Well, I’m sure glad you were here. I was in a tight spot.

What was that all about anyway? Now Bryan was getting to the point quickly. He suddenly remembered the look on his mother’s face when he walked in. He wanted to know what had scared her so.

Jackie stood up and looked out the window herself. She too, wanted to make sure the man who had frightened her and threatened her son was gone.

I got a call from Steve while I was at work. He was mad that I had broken up with him. Stupid man! We dated twice. He made it sound like we had been together for years. He was going on about how I couldn’t get rid of him that easy, and how he could make my life hell. Anyway, during his little tirade, he said something about coming here and having a man to man talk with you. And then he hung up. I panicked and grabbed a cab back here in case you came home early, but you weren’t here. When I didn’t see him, I came into the house and tried to calm down. But of course I forgot to lock the back door behind me. Suddenly, he was in here. And he was wild. He was threatening to kill me–and you. He said he would take all three of us out together. He went on and on about being a trained killer and how no one could stop him. What a dipshit. How many times did you hit him? Twice? And he dropped like a sack of potatoes. Some trained killer! Jackie was shaking her head as she looked for a place to sit down again.

The trained killer comment caused them both to start laughing again.

When she regained her composure, Jackie rose and turned towards the sink. I’m starting supper. Get cleaned up and give me a hand.

No worries, was all Bryan said. He sauntered up to his room as though today was like any other. He tried to pretend it was all so commonplace. But, down inside he knew it was not. He had felt something; and it felt like invincibility.

He was sure he liked it.

Supper was extra good tonight. Jackie had made more than normal. Somehow she knew that Bryan was hungrier than usual and as always she did her best to keep him happy.

What do you know about Steve? Bryan was thinking that he might have to find him later if his mother started getting anonymous calls or threats of some kind.

"Not much. He is a customer where