air.
Erika screamed before racing in the opposite direction, only to cower behind another vehicle. Then out of nowhere another guy appeared, about equal size and length, racing like a bull. This guy’s boots created loud thuds as he pounded the parking lot pavement. The entire sprint consisted of him trash talking, even though he couldn’t finish a full sentence. I had already assessed one opponent and wasn’t mentally prepared for another. Not yet.
The new guy’s brick-like body drew down on me. Rather than try to shut down the bum’s effect, he stood directly in the path, bracing for the inevitable. He bulldozed into me. We crashed into a nearby sports car. But I quickly leapt up from under the bearish grip. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Tony’s attempt to bum rush. Catching the overeager bastard off guard, I waited to the point where I was but a few footsteps away. Not only did I have the advantage of height, I carried a knack for cruelty. Perhaps something I’d buried along with the memories of my troubled childhood.
The second man’s shadow blanketed the space, so there was no discretion. I sensed him nearing and swung around, crushing down with a solid jab to the fiend. “Know who you’re fucking with!” I screamed out as my fist landed in the bastard’s jaw.
Though breathless and scattered, neither of the men gave up.
“There’s two of us, asshole.”
“We’re gonna murder your ass!”
I wasn’t one to be thrown by idle threats. There was a point in life, when I’d barely reached my teenaged years, when I’d observed street brawls and near death battles. Hell, I’d done my part at screwing things up. For a time I wanted nothing more than to be caught up in this lifestyle. But that was in the past. Moreover, my break-out years had provided just enough knowledge, just enough bravery. It helped shape the cruelty. But I eventually came to live a normal life once again. Unfortunately, however, from time to time, the guy that had been left behind needed to reappear when no one gave a shit about respect, making a decent living, and doing what was right.
From one to the other, I unleashed an onslaught of fury onto the men. Beyond the jabs, kicks and even full on body slams, I forgot about the calm man I’d created. Instead, I found myself sneaking back into the dark past, revisiting the beast of a caged man. Though I’d relocated to lower, slower Delaware, my mind reverted to desperate measures in the fight for my life. I blacked out.
~
Knox
~
I attempted to shift loose by rolling from one side to the next as they fought to secure me on the ground. The policemen were like flies, with the exception of their guns and sticks. “What the hell are you doing?” I asked, considering that the words were huskier since my chest shoved onto the concrete. Each of the cops had taken a region of my body. They didn’t appear to be too concerned with causing a scene, even though the two thugs were allowed to sit on the ground and have a conversation with law enforcement. And they ’weren’t even sitting. They were pressed against various tires; slouched to be exactly. Faces that were once tough and manipulative were now soaked in blood. Swollen eyes, nose bridges lumped up, and God knows what other unseen damage existed.
As Erika prepared to give a statement, she looked on with a glossy gaze as the cops cuffed and moved me off the other men. Next the medics tried to dress the scratches she’d sustained from the shattered glass. I watched her from the corners of my eyes, suddenly wondering if she had been passing judgment. Reality sank back in as I turned away to catch a glimpse of Tony. Our eyes connected. But Erika was the root of this drama. The jackass had made a fool of himself, for the sake of a chick that didn’t want him. Now, she wouldn’t take her eyes off me. She pulled to me, as much as the cops would allow. Tony was shredded, yet she pitied me.
“Dude slaughtered
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