Just a Little Bump!?

It was a warm summer day, with clear skies and not a cloud in sight. The sun shone brightly high above, as it did when it was almost noon. A dark gray SUV crawled slowly on the painted floor of the mall's indoor parking lot. In it, a young couple giggled and exchanged corny jokes, as they searched for a free slot. The place wasn't particularly full, and they had plenty of spots to choose from. With convenience as a top priority, they tried to look for one that was near the entrance to the mall. Luckily, they found one, oddly enough closer than a slot reserved for people with disabilities. That was in no way their fault, just a silly quirk by the people who constructed the mall. They considered themselves lucky, and decided right then and there that they were going to have a great day.

As customary, the couple waited a while inside their vehicle. The man had perfectly parked the SUV inside the slot, and was particularly proud of the evenness of the space at both sides. They agreed that a celebration was warranted, so they moved their discussion to picking where they were going to splurge for their luncheon.

The man, who we'll call Jeb, was known for eating anything put in front of him, so he delegated the task of picking the restaurant to the other half of their duo. His companion, who was an alluring, shapely beauty, whose face could make even Helen of Troy envious, accepted the task with aplomb. After all, she was the more decisive one between the two of them, not to mention the superior appraiser of fine cuisine. Without her sound judgement, mental stability and quick wit, she was afraid that Jeb would be like a lost puppy. She didn't want that, of course, because she loved him dearly. Let's call her Leigh.

After discussing their options for a few minutes, they had narrowed their choice to the top two. Just as they were about to alight their precious vehicle, a worn, black Toyota Yaris that was littered with cheap-looking decal, parked right beside them on their left. The car had its windows down, and it was packed with what looked like a family of six.

"What about that new Greek place that opened up recently?" Jeb asked, adding another option to their list of choices. "I know you're on the fence about lamb, but if you give it another chance, it might change your mind."

"Hmm ... lamb."

All of a sudden, they heard a loud thud and their vehicle shook uncharacteristically. The couple was startled, and immediately investigated its source. From their periphery, they saw that the right door of the back seat of the Yaris had made an unwanted contact with their SUV. The Yaris was small, and even if it was parked directly on the line, it still had enough space to open its doors without hitting the adjacent vehicles. Considering that Jeb parked their SUV so perfectly, only an idiot would be dumb enough to commit such an infraction.

"Did he just—" Leigh blurted out. "Go out and check if there was damage."

Jeb wasn't a confrontational man. In fact, he avoided people as much as he can. He would rather search for hours rather than asking for directions. But, he loved his vehicle, almost like a child. So, he summoned enough courage to step out.

At that point, his anger was quickly bubbling up. He clenched his fist, in his valiant attempt to bottle up his rage. You see, Jeb was usually a calm person, but he had a deep-seated anger that grew inside of him. As much as Leigh wanted to calm him down, she knew he needed to learn to control his fury.

"What did you do?" he shouted angrily.

"It was nothing," the reckless man retorted with a defensive smile. "Just a little bump."

They were about the same age, but Jeb was about half a foot taller. Jeb had, how should I say this, a rather intimidating aura about him. He had stopped muggers and would-be trespassers before just by bellowing and shooting a sharp glance. But, this time, the man remained undeterred.

"Just a ... Just a little bump!?" At that point, Jeb was on the brink of losing it. He looked at the spot that was hit, but because of the lighting, he couldn't determine whether there was a scratch. The sound of the thud wasn't soft at all, so it was hard to believe that there wasn't any damage.

"Yeah, look see," the man followed pompously. "There isn't even a scratch, so chill."

"Chill!?"

The woman in the passenger seat of the Yaris urged her son to say sorry. She had a child on her lap, and a fistfight was the last thing she wanted to happen. The man, in turn, remained steadfast and unapologetic. He stood his ground, but his voice was undeniably shaking. It seemed like Jeb's intimidation stare was working on him, but he was too proud to admit it.

"No big deal about this," the man replied, touching the SUV. "Go back inside and get on with your day."

"You—" Jeb blurted out, followed by a string of profanities. "Get your hand off my car, shut the [flip] up, and just apologize for your mistake!"

"What mistake!? Cool your jets, buckeroo. Nothing to see here. It was just a little bump, s'all."

What followed was a collective facepalm. They didn't know, but volcanoes in the opposite side of the planet erupted in unison. Dark clouds blanketed the once blue sky, and large waves started to form just beyond the coast.

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"I'll show you a little bump."

Jeb grabbed the man's neck, and, in one swift motion, used his head to pummel the man's forehead. He grabbed the man's collar and threw him against the glass divider near the entrance. As the man tried to get back up, Jeb lunged at him and unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches.

The man's father, who remained inactive throughout the whole altercation, stepped out from the driver seat and tried to pacify the situation. He was, in a way, a bit too late, so he received a hard elbow to the gut for his troubles. In retaliation, he swung as hard as he could, but Jeb managed to evade his punch.

Furious, Jeb broke the father's arm and threw him at the initial aggressor. He let out a sinister roar, which served to alert the authorities.

Several security guards answered the call, and, without questioning the situation, sided with the people that were knocked down on the ground. One by one, they charged at Jeb only to be met by a devastating counter-offensive. A roundhouse kick to the face, a right hook on the chin, a low kick to the knee—this sequence seemed to repeat in random order until all of the assailants had their backs on the ground. At that point, they called in the reinforcements.

After a few minutes, a cavalcade of armed men marched towards the melee. Armed with batons and riot shields, they formed a line, then closed in on sole combatant. Jeb frothed at the mouth, and his eyes looked blank. He had some scratches and sustained some hits, but he remained standing. The group fell down like a stack of dominoes. Blood splattered everywhere, and bones cracked every second. Wails of agony echoed throughout the parking lot.

Pretty soon, random bystanders took to action, but they all fell down just the same. The onslaught went on for days, and the juggernaut that was once named Jeb eliminated challengers in droves. He became completely unrecognizable, consumed by the anger that he once bottled up. Plowing through the piles of dead bodies, he tried to scavenge for the arrogant man that started this whole affair. He found the coward curled up in a ball, waiting out the storm that he helped start.

The streets were painted red, and the walls were smeared with the blood of everyone that was unfortunate enough to stand in Jeb's way. Helicopters flew high above, trying to capture the carnage on camera. The whole city had been cordoned off, and was classified as a war zone. Prayer rallies all across the country called for the cessation of the violence.

Jeb emerged, dragging the man behind him. He turned to the cameras and proclaimed that this was the man that started this whole madness. The man was made to stand, then was forced to kneel. Jeb grabbed the man's lower jaw with his left hand, and the man's upper jaw with his right. The man cried and begged forgiveness, but Jeb wouldn't have it.

Suddenly, a slender hand rubbed against Jeb's back. He shot a sideglance to the person behind him, and was surprised to discover that it was Leigh. She flashed a comforting smile and reassured him that everything would be alright. In turn, he let go of the man and turned towards her. She grazed her hand above the gash near his left eye and—

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"Hey, hey, hey," an old man greeted as he entered the room. He carried a brown bag filled with groceries, as he closed the door behind him. "What are you all up to?"

"Grampa!" the children greeted him in unison.

"Oh, nothing, dear," the grandmother replied as she sat in the cushion. "How was your trip to the grocery?"

"Gramma was just telling us about the Great Culling," one of the children answered.

"Hmm she is, is she?"

"So, what did we learn here today, children?" the grandmother asked.

"Never let your anger consume you?" one of the children inquired.

"That's not it," the grandfather interjected. He walked towards the kitchen and set the bag down. As they were all behind him, he shot a sideglance toward them. He had a noticeable scar near his left eye. "It's actually 'Learn to apologize when you made a mistake.'"

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As much as I want to say that this was a work of fiction, sadly, a lot of parts here are true. I'll leave you to decide which is which. I apologize for any typos. This was written in anger. Happy Monday Red, people!

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