Serendipity & the Serpent

Don't Rain On My Parade

You ran until your feet felt as if they were going to fall off. Sprinting down the sidewalk at record speed, you saw the record shop up ahead.

You paid no attention to the cars in the parking lot as you barreled inside. The customers whipped their heads around to see who the intruder was. Your mother noticed your feral expression, and rushed over to you.

"Honey, what's going on? Are you alright?"

"Where is he?"

She blinked in confusion. "Who?"

"Blondie. Where is he?"

Realization washed over her face, then was followed by disappointment. You looked around the room frantically, fearing the worst.

He wasn't there.

"Doll, he didn't come in yet today."

No no no no.

You shut your eyes tightly, bringing your hands to your face. Tongue in cheek, you let your hands fall. Your voice was barely a whisper as you spoke. "I'll be right back."

Storming out of the building, you felt as though you were seeing red. Of course he wouldn't go to the record shop. He knew you would pick up on his little trick and go looking for him.

Fortunately enough, you knew exactly where else he would head after a school day.

You ran through the streets until the Cobra Kai dojo came into view. Swallowing your pride, you walked across the street and headed for the doors. The massive yellow snake stopped you in your tracks.

On second thought, maybe you could just catch him after practice.

A loud crash of thunder echoed out of the dark clouds rolling in over head. Great. This is just great.

You took a deep breath, suppressing your fear, and swung open the doors. If anything, you shouldn't be there long. All you needed was your skates and you would be on your way.

Shivers snaked down your spine the moment you stepped foot into the air conditioned building. But something within your gut told you that the air conditioning unit was not the cause of your sudden chills.

This was certainly the last place you wanted to be. Just walking past it everyday was enough to make your skin crawl. Being inside it's walls was another story.

You heard the shouting before you saw who they were erupting from.

"Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it?"

A chorus of voices followed. "No sensei!"

You gulped, getting a feel for your whereabouts. Turning to the left, your soul almost left your body when you caught sight of what you thought was another person. Instead, you were met face to face with a cardboard cut out of a man in fighting position.

"Pain does not exist in this dojo, does it?" You heard the voice shout again.

"No sensei!"

Along the wall were too many trophies to count, all stacked up neatly for a display. You looked at them, giving yourself something to do while you waited to confront Johnny.

"Defeat does not exist in this dojo, does it?"

"No sensei!"

Your eyes caught sight of a picture hanging on the wall. It was the same man whose cardboard cut out was sitting near the doorway. Within the frame, he wore army gear and held a rifle across his chest.