The Fall

18. Fear

1.25.21

Connor's POV

"Prepare to die," his voice rang through my mind, and I knew as soon as I heard it that he wouldn't hold back on me just because I was his son. Today one of us would be either seriously injured or dead, and I have to make sure that it isn't me. I don't want to hurt him, but if there's a difference between living and dying, I have to live another day. Although my papa would be sad if I killed him, I need to take this one chance to be selfish for one of the first times in my life. It's high time I think for myself and not be a slave to the system. I will not be his plaything.

"Who says that I'll be the one dying today."

"You're far too weak to kill me. You think about others too much; I'm convinced you don't know what violence is. I will not allow you to run the revolution because you will not do it correctly. They need a fierce leader, and you can't be it."

"I may be weak, but Benji certainly isn't. He will lead us to victory, not through horrible attacks, but with a more mental game. Together he and I can get the world back to the way it used to be without needless death. We aren't the only people who can, but we have been chosen. You can't change that."

"You're both teenagers with no world experience. You will run our society into the ground."

"Then so be it. The Moon Goddess believes in us."

"You've grown foolish."

"Shut your ass up and fight me," I commanded since I was tired of the whole conversation. I felt as if my body no longer belonged to me, but I was able to ignore the dreadful feeling and took a single step closer to him.  There isn't time to think; it's now time for me to put myself ahead of others.

"Is that how you feel about this? Very well, we may battle." I didn't even have enough time to blink before a fist was coming at the side of my head, and there wasn't a second to spare. I have to hit him back or block him or something! However, I think he might have been right on the fact that I was too weak to understand violence. No matter how hard I willed it, I was unable to punch him back for the hit he had just landed on me. "You aren't able to hit me back, are you. I just hit you, so why don't you throw one down on me? Come on, I'm waiting. You've always been the pussy."

"I'm not a pussy!"

"Prove it then."

I looked up at him, staring down at me with beady red eyes. This isn't my father; he's someone else... maybe what that woman said was true. Maybe he's being fuelled by dark intentions as all demons have the DNA to do. I always wanted to believe that my father was a good man. I had myself convinced that he was immune from the temptations other of his kind feel. I guess that he wasn't the person that I had always thought he was. "You bastard."

"Don't you dare call me that!"

"I call it as it is." It's now that I realized that I'm not weak, but similar to Benji. I may be small when it comes to combat, but I'm bold in my word choice. I know how to get to someone with them; I can manipulate emotions with just a few syllables. I'm not as good at it as the other, but I have a small way with words myself. 

"Now you're really going to get it," my father snarled before lunging at me, and I was swift to dodge the coming blow. There was my advantage in hand to hand combat; I can be slippery as an otter. I stuck my left leg out to trip him, and I was actually pretty satisfied to see him fall flat onto his face. I then used the right one to keep him down on the ground by putting slight pressure between his shoulder blades with my heels. 

"Am I? Am I really?"

"I'm going to get you, mark my words!" he shouted, and I gave a coy smile.

"Says the one with his face in the dirt right now." 

"I don't have my face in the dirt, it's just in the ground!"

"You get the point." I dug the thick heel deeper into the space between his two arms before I looked down at him, and I could tell that he was hurt a bit from the force. However, I was exerting the bare minimum for keeping him down, so I didn't have any pity for him. He was the one who thought it was a bright idea to try and struggle his way out of this sticky situation.

"You're such an asshole! I didn't do anything to you, and here you are trying to undermine me again. I have done my very best to be a good father to you; I have done my darndest to keep my instincts in check because I feel like they would make you upset. Why do you throw it back in my face!?"

"There are situations that require it. I was given the care of Benji; he's the light of my world in the least romantic way possible. I will make sure that he succeeds in life if it's the last thing I do."

"You're going to give up everything for a dumb boy?"

"You've never understood the camaraderie we feel for each other. I know that you grew up feeling like you were alone all of the time, but I didn't. I was allowed to have friends, and I plan to keep those friends for the rest of my life. You may be able to cut ties easily, but I'm not."

"You're going to waste away your life with such trivial matters as having a friend?"

"I think that it's important to surround myself with people who have a positive impact on me. I want someone near me who likes me for me and not something else."

"You truly are a foolish boy aren't you."

"I like to think that I learned from the best." He attempted to surge up at that give, but my leg didn't cave at all no matter how hard he pushed. I stood on his spine harder, and I could tell that he was beginning to tear up from the feeling of the sharp heel in his back. No matter, I'm not going to give in. Maybe I do have some of that murderous intent that so many others do, but I haven't found my way to show it yet. It might be this...

"Let me go, and I'll leave you alone. I don't want this fight... I don't want to hurt my own son."

"Promise me that you will leave and allow us to lead this revolution."

"I will if you just let me go..."

"Promise."

"Go," I commanded while letting him up, and he ran down the stairs faster than one could say why. It felt weird having someone run from me, but I had to let it go... There's still a fight going on down below... I have to help.