Barquisimeto, Venezuela.
--------------------------
"Damn it! Hurry up, Carlos!" - A tanned young man with a shaved head said urgently.
"Wait a bit longer, Víctor! We need to grab all the money back, or the boss will be mad!" - Another tanned boy replied as he stuffed wads of cash into a large garbage bag. He looked quite similar to the other young man, with the only differences being his curly black hair and a slightly younger appearance.
These two were brothers, Víctor and Carlos Mendoza. Víctor was the young man with the shaved head, the older one at 17. After their parents died, he took care of his younger brother.
Carlos was the younger one, with curly hair and only 14 years old. Unfortunately, due to life's hardships, he was already involved in the world of crime.
Currently, the two brothers worked for a criminal gang and were in the middle of a robbery at one of their rival faction's bases.
CLANG
"Shit! Run!" - Víctor shouted as he heard a loud metal noise. He grabbed a bag of money while opening the window of the room they were in and watched his brother climb out first.
"There they are!" - An angry man's voice was heard, followed by gunshots.
Bang Bang
"Come on, Víctor!" - Carlos said anxiously as he helped his brother out of the window. The two boys then grabbed a bag of money each and looked into each other's eyes.
"See you at the meeting point!" - Víctor placed his hand on the back of Carlos's head and spoke, looking at his brother. This wasn't the first time they had found themselves in such a situation.
"Hehe, don't worry!" - Carlos said with a grin. When it came to running away, there was no one in all of Venezuela who could catch these brothers. They then ran in separate directions as a man poked his head out of the window.
Bang Bang
"Fuck!" - The man tried to shoot Carlos, but the young boy was simply too fast. Without wasting time, the man shouted: "They're getting away! One went north, and the other went west!"
"Let's go! If they escape with the money, we're dead!" - Another man shouted as he jumped on a motorcycle and revved the engine.
"Move!" - The first man ran and also jumped on a motorcycle parked outside the warehouse. Along with him, five other henchmen mounted their bikes, and the loud roar of engines echoed as they split up, accelerating towards the boys.
"Better make sure you don't run off again, right?" - The man fired another shot at Carlos, this time in his right leg, right in the knee.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" - Carlos screamed in pain, clutching his legs as he curled up on the ground. In that moment, he knew this was the end. Many memories flooded his mind, along with countless regrets.
He remembered one specific moment: his mother sitting in the garden with a beautiful smile while he played baseball with his father and brother.
"Bro, I'm sorry. Looks like I'm finally going to stop being a burden to you." - Carlos thought sadly, realizing that after losing their parents, his brother would now lose him too.
"Hey boss!" - Carlos heard a voice. He looked towards it and saw the henchman he had flipped off earlier. Read the full story on m-vl-em-py-r
"You're finally here. And the other boy?" - The man with the scar spoke, seeming irritated at his subordinate's delay.
"The guys managed to catch him. He's already dead." - The henchman spoke, fearing further angering his boss.
"What?" - Carlos screamed in disbelief, tears streaming down his face upon hearing that his brother was dead.
"Tch! You're still alive?" - The henchman was annoyed by Carlos's interruption. Without thinking much, he quickly drew his gun and fired at the boy.
Bang Bang Bang Bang
Just like that, Carlos felt his consciousness fading. In the end, he left this world full of regrets, without being able to make his parents proud, without repaying his brother for taking care of him, and without pursuing his dream of playing professional baseball...
With his vision completely black, feeling his consciousness slipping away, Carlos saw a glowing screen, followed by a robotic voice.
[DING]
[You have been blessed with another chance!]
[Do you accept this chance to become the system's user?
Yes/No]
--------------------------
Author's note: Please read the author's thoughts, they are important for the story's development!