Alex’s POV –
“Listen to me Alex!” Caleb says firmly, his face hovering inches away from mine. I try to focus on his words but the ring-ing in my head won’t stop. It’s pounding through my ears, drowning out the noise around me, including Caleb’s voice.
“I’m listening,” I say gruffly, swallowing half the bottle of water. I pull my arm back and let the remaining part of the water pour over my face, cooling me down. The icy chill to it instantly wakes me up and I sit up straighter, wide eyed.
“You can’t lose this fight Alex, there’s fifty grand on you dude,” Caleb mutters under his breath, holding me by the shoul-ders. I close my eyes and lean back against the wall, breathing deeply.
“I know Caleb.”
“So you have to win.”
“I know Caleb.”
“Don’t let him hit you again.”
“I know Caleb.”
“Are you listening to me Alex?” Caleb frowns, shaking me by the shoulders. I open my eyes, ignoring the pain flaring through my body.
“Yes Caleb.”
“Alex,” Caleb warns me, his tone serious. I breathe out deeply and shove him off me, standing to my feet. I bounce around on my heels, shaking my arms as I prep myself for another round. Hopefully, the winning round.
My knuckles are red raw and I can feel blood inside my mouth but that doesn’t surprise me. Protection isn’t allowed in these fights, it makes it more exciting for the sponsors. The men who bet on you are here for three things —
To win money, lots of it.
To see blood.
To witness a good fight.
And it was my job to give them all three of those things. You play dirty inside the ring, there are no rules. As long as I come out on top and alive, I’ve won. To surrender in a fight, you hold up your palm for five seconds. For me, surrender-ing isn’t an option. I have my own pride at stake.
Not to mention, fifty grand.
“I’m ready,” I say to Caleb, masking over my features with a cold hard stare. Caleb nods at me once before placing a hand on my shoulder, directing me back inside the ring. It isn’t a proper boxing ring. It’s simply a square in the middle of the floor, surrounded by all the sponsors. Their clutching cans of beer, smoking cigars whilst screaming and chanting. Papa stands at the top, his face expressionless as he stares me down. I hold his stare as I make my way back to the ring and no-tice how alike we must look right now.
Both of us have a deadly facial expression.
I tear my eyes off him and turn to face my opponent, my eyes glaring at him. He’s the same height as me and built equally as wide. Blood trickles down the side of his head but other than that, he’s fine. He managed to get a few good punches in the last round but I won’t allow him to do the same to me in this one.
“Coming back for more?” He chuckles under his breath, cocking his head from side to side. I keep my facial features neu-tral, feeling my arm tense from the sudden urge to reach out for his throat an squeeze the life from him.
“Just shut up and fight me,” I say bluntly.
He doesn’t need to be told twice.
He charges towards me and the crowd goes wild, all of them but Papa. He remains completely still as he watches my op-ponent lunge for my head, directing his blows towards my brain. I dodge out of his way and swing underneath his arm, taking the chance to hit out at his stomach. A groan comes from him as I land three jabs before bouncing backwards.
I hold my hand up and motion for him to come at me, a small smirk on my face. His eyes burn with hatred as he charges at me a second time, slamming his body weight into mine. This time, I let my knee come up, hard. It smacks into his face and the crunch noise echoes around me.
I’ve definitely broken his nose…
The men who have placed bets on me begin cheering wildly, their chants echoing through my ears. All of them are urging me to carry on hitting him, beat his body lifeless until they win.
So that’s what I do.
I continue to punch and kick him with the occasional head butt. I feel myself drown out the noise, the crowd around me becoming a blur. The only thing I focus on is my breathing as I lay into him, punch after punch. Blood clouds my vision and it stains my hands. I don’t know whether it’s his blood or mine. I lose myself in the fight, my mind clearing entirely.
I don’t know how long the fight lasts for until Caleb is pulling me back by the shoulders, restraining me. I breathe heavily, my eyes wide with adrenaline. My bare chest is rising up and down and sweat glistens all over me.
“It’s over Alex! It’s over!” He yells at me as he keeps me restrained. I finally stop struggling and shake my head, clearing my vision. My opponent is lying on the floor, lifeless. His body doesn’t move and his eyes are closed, face covered in blood. Red pools cover the floor and my shorts are now stained with it.
“Is it over?” I ask him, my voice only loud enough for him to hear. Behind me, Caleb nods, his face white as he stares at my opponent. I can see the fear in Caleb’s eyes despite him already knowing what I’m capable of. I tear my eyes off my lifeless opponent and stand up, my legs shaking underneath me.
“Good, collect the money.” I say, my eyes cold and emotionless. Caleb nods grimly at me before disappearing into the crowd. I glance up and meet eyes with Papa’s. He’s staring directly at me, a glimmer of victory in his eyes. I get the urge to head butt him as he nods towards me, letting me know I did well in the fight.
Of course I did well, I practically killed the guy.
I grit my teeth tightly and turn around, walking away from him. As I leave, I wipe my fists on my shorts, staining the fabric further with a mixture of my blood and the other guy’s blood.
Once I turn the corner and I’m out of everyone’s sight, I bend down, clutching my stomach. The sight of the guys lifeless body flashes through my mind and I retch, spewing up my guts all over the floor.