Ultraviolet

Chapter Forty-Nine: The King of Fighters

Work was packed that night. It seemed that everyone decided to turn up, and I was struggling to keep up with drink orders. More than once I dropped glasses of all shapes and sizes onto the ground and spent most of my work time sweeping up the messes I made.

"Violet?" Jess called over the crowd as she filled up a ridiculously sized "pint" glass with beer. "You seem a little stressed. I'll get Jack to sub in for you so you can have a little break."

At this point, I was completely defeated. I nodded and headed off to her office, taking a seat in an armchair and groaning. I stayed like that for a moment, even considered curling up and falling asleep right there, but eventually came to my senses. Even though I wasn't much use bartending right now, I could still help out.

I think Jess spoils me at work. The boys main job is to be bodyguards. They guard the bar, but mostly they guard Adrianna. Their secondary objective is upkeep. They keep the bar tidy, they stock the drinks, and they take out the trash. In my month or so working here, not once have I taken out the trash.

One guard, usually Andy, is stuck going around and grabbing empty bottles and dropping in a bin behind the bar, and once the bins full he'll dump the trash bags in the hallway. I don't think he's supposed to, but Andy never really gives a shit what he's supposed to do. His main prerogative is usually to annoy everyone, and in his spare time he does just enough to not get fired.

The bin fills up pretty quickly, we were only half-way through the night and four trash bags lined the back hallway. I looped my fingers around the handles and trudged off to the back door, all four bags in tow.

I struggled for a moment, trying to twist the smooth door handle with a couple sweaty fingers, before the knob twisted and the door swung open. My hands tightened on the bags and I heaved them out the door, making a quite a commotion as the glass hit against each other.

Ignoring the rancid smell of the bins and the many flies buzzing around it, I pushed up the lid. The black plastic slammed against the brick wall behind it and I dumped the bags in, dusting off my hands.

A sound, only faint, curled around the corner of a protruding wall. From where I was I couldn't see the door to the basement, which is where the sound travelled from. I stood behind the wall and listened as two people, two men, whispered angrily.

I couldn't make out any words as they continued. Then I heard a deep yelp, then a sound like an anvil being dropped on a cushion followed by a long loud groan. I didn't realise until a second later that it was a fight. Those soft pounds were punches landing on someones stomach.

It escalated quickly, and the belly jabs turned into loud whip cracking sounds of swings to the face. The man cried out for help. Begged God to save him.

The sounds made me sick. Everything in me screamed "RUN". My brain was using all its power to set me on flight mode, but I couldn't help the ice cold guilt running through my veins. I had to try to help, even if I knew I couldn't.

I ran around the corner, hoping the element of surprise might make up for my complete lack of skills in combat.

My feet screeched to a stop as I stared before me. Hadeon stood over an older man, holding him off the ground by his collar. He didn't hear me, so he didn't stop. He pounded his fist on the man's face over and over and over. The guy looked completely defenceless, hopeless. His eyes were swollen shut and his face was covered in blood. I didn't think it was even possible to bleed that much, to have that much blood in your body.

"What the fuck?" My voice trembled. It sounded far away and echoed in between the punches.

Hadeon turned quickly and stepped to me. I stumbled back, tripping over my own feet and falling onto the hard gravel. Sharp pain shot up my spine from the fall.

Something behind his eyes softened, but he quickly turned back to the man and kicked him square in the ribs. Hadeon ignored me, ignored how afraid I was of him right now.

I felt bile rise up my throat as I watched Hadeon's hands, the ones that roamed my body only hours ago, transformed into weapons of destruction. I scrambled to my feet and ran. I didn't have any control over my self, my brain was completely scrambled and my feet took control.

Zigzagging past blocks, I tried to find something, anything, that was familiar. I rounded a corner to the park.

It looked darker than when I'd come here with Ty. No lights were strung between the trees and the entire street was less lively. I fell down on a bench and struggled to breath.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called the only person I could think off, praying they would pick up.