Jaws of Death

Chapter 32

The Daredevil felt the swish of the knife that slashed through the air as Marcus Lyman tried to cut his throat. He bent back and swiveled out of reach. Lyman tried again with no result. His senses were perked up with the adrenaline. Guessing by his opponent's heavy breath and footsteps, Daredevil guessed that he had a heavy-set appearance.

But his moves were nothing like that of a heavy-set man. Lyman had the agility of a mountain lion, with the way he charged. His breathing was still normal even after a dozen slashes at The Daredevil. That was very indicative of the level of fitness the man possessed.

The Daredevil dodged another slash and tried to hit him enough to dispose of the knife. But his kicks were parried. Without waiting, The Daredevil tried to hit him with a flurry of punches and jabs aimed to knock the knife out of his hand.

Two of them connected. Daredevil heard the knife clatter to the floor.

With a heavy grunt, Lyman punched him right on the side of his face that rattled Daredevil's skull for a second. He tried to respond with one of his own. But the man was so quick and furiously good at combat. There was a certain street fighting trait to Lyman's moves which matched up with Matt Murdock's intensive martial art training. Lyman was also unpredictable which made The Daredevil be on the receiving end of several jabs and hooks.

The Daredevil grabbed Lyman and shoulder tackled him towards the wall. They dashed on the wall with a loud thump. But Lyman kept punching him on his back. Each blow rang throughout his spinal column and he groaned in pain. Grabbing his waist, Lyman threw him bodily sideways on to the wall.

Daredevil slumped to the ground in pain. He was already bleeding from the mouth. His tooth had been knocked out of his mouth and his whole body burned from fatigue. Every move he did made him feel weaker than before. But he had to keep fighting. There was no running away from this, he knew. This was his destiny.

Lyman was upon him, stomping every inch of Daredevil's body he could reach. He grabbed his face and drove it into the ground with such a force that his victim felt his skull vibrate from the impact.

"You call yourself The Devil, but you fight like a man." Lyman muttered in his ear as he banged his head into the ground again and again. "Just a weak, tired man."

Trying to rally his strength, Daredevil grabbed Lyman's leg and used his momentum to toss him to the ground. Springing himself up, Daredevil tried to use the foothold he had on his leg to snap his ankle bone. Yet, a kick connected with his jaw sent him reeling backward.

Lyman was back to his feet and on him within a second. A jab and right hook connected with The Daredevil's chin and ribs. Without pause, Lyman grabbed The Daredevil and hit him right on the ribs with his knees. Again and again. He probably felt his ribs crack, for he threw him on the floor before him, confident that he had dealt a lasting blow.

Matt Murdock still tried to get up, his breathing ragged.

Lyman kicked his face into the wall and waited.

Matt Murdock still stirred as he tried to get back to his feet!

Lyman grabbed the steel chair and smacked it right into Murdock's skull. There was a sick sound of steel smashing on a human bone. Lyman waited, breathing hard.

Matt Murdock was still stirring, his brain reeling from the devastating blow.

Lyman knew the time had come. He had to end it. Once he was done with The Daredevil, he would have to run down to help the others. Slowly, he walked over to his knife and picked it up.

The Daredevil was on his feet, staggering.

Marcus Lyman charged against his nemesis and stabbed him right in his gut. The knife entered into his gut with a sickening crush. With his hands, he pressed the knife deeper into his gut, watching the man before him falter. The part of his face and mouth visible beneath the mask was shivering with unspeakable words. Thick blood spurted out of his mouth in torrential amounts.

Lyman pulled out the knife and stabbed again.

He pulled it out again, rubbing it on his shirt as his victim collapsed to the ground. Lyman listened with his ears livened up. There was not much sound of the battle below him. He had heard a gunfire and an explosion. But then, there had been silence. There was no sign of Billy Russo or Alexander Toomes or any of his henchmen. He would have to go downstairs and check.

He moved towards the door, when he heard the noise. He turned around.

The Daredevil was stirring fervently, trying to get to his knees. His shivering arms were outstretched as he tried to pick himself from the ground again.

Lyman picked up the knife and calmly walked over to the struggling man. He kicked him over on the floor. He had to deal a deathly blow this time. He would have to cut his neck out.

Lyman bent down and aimed for the throat. Assembling every bit of energy he had left in the body, Matt Murdock grabbed his assailant's arm and shoved his legs around his neck in a triangle choke. The movement was so sudden that Lyman's knife dropped out of his hand. The legs were intertwined around his neck in a perfect Judo Triangle choke. Lyman's eyes were bulging out of his socket as he gasped for breath. The Daredevil had grabbed both his arms and were using them as leverage to tighten the grip around his neck.

"AAaaarrgghh" The Daredevil groaned in pain. He wasn't sure who was going to pass out first, him or his opponent. But he held on with every ounce of strength he had. This was the only way to save Karen. This was the only way for his salvation.

Lyman coughed up in suffocation. Using his size advantage, he tried to lift the Daredevil onto his shoulders bodily from the floor. But he couldn't. He couldn't muster enough strength to carry out the feat.

Both men were wallowing in their pain. Their muscles groaned with the effort of trying to stay alive. Lyman and Daredevil held on with whatever strength they possessed, each minute took them closer to death.

WHAM!!

At that moment, the ceiling gave way and a torrent of bricks and cement rained down on the duo. Two humans crashed down into the room. One of them in red and blue spandex while the other possessed a metallic armour on his chest which was sparking and sizzling.

The bricks had struck Lyman right on his head while Daredevil had been sheltered by Lyman's body above him. The latter had passed out in a cough of blood and stupor. Daredevil moved, trying to gain a sense of his surroundings. His ears were ringing. It was a moment before he could hear the heartbeats of the men in the room.

Gaining his bearings, he struggled to drag his broken body and limped towards the door.