Poison & Wine [Eric Coulter]

11.

"Next fight - Olivia versus Malcolm," Eric's voice called out over the noise in the training room. Olivia's farms fell to her sides as she stepped back from her punching bag, still swinging from her blows. She turned and looked at Malcolm as he discarded his boots at the side of the ring, then to Eric, who had stepped up next to Four on the opposite side, his face set in a hard line. He didn't look at her.

She made her way to the ring, stepped out of her boots and onto the mat as the other transfers and a few of the Dauntless-borns gathered around. She took a moment to size him up, never having given him much mind before. He was about the same height as James, at least six-foot, but he appeared significantly stronger. He was at least twice her size and Eric knew it.

Anger swelled inside of her. What the hell was he playing at?

Olivia and Malcolm circled each other, each of them waiting for the other to make the first move. She pushed her distracted thoughts to the back of her mind as she steadied her breathing and waited for him to make a move. His weight shifted to his right leg and his fist came at her, but she ducked the swing and popped up on the other side of him, one arm up protecting her face and the other, her stomach as he slowly turned, finally realizing she was on the other side of him.

He was slow. She could use that.

He threw another blow at her, faster, but still she ducked around him, delivering a kick to the back of his knees in hopes he'd fall forward. He simply stumbled, quickly regaining his balance as he turned back to her. Fire in his eyes, he lunged at her. The air rushed out of her lungs as his shoulder came into contact with her chest, slamming her to the ground. Malcolm came down on top of her, crushing her beneath his weight and threw a blow at the side of her face, connecting with her temple. The room around her blurred.

Olivia clenched her teeth as another blow connected with the other side of her head, then her jaw. She used all of her strength to focus and brought her right knee up under him and forced it into his groin. A look of shock came over him as he groaned and fell to the side in the fetal position, freeing her to shakily stand and deliver another kick to his ribs.

The room around her blurred again as she swayed on her feet. Her head swam as a male voice called out, "finish it".

With all of the force she had left, she raised her foot and delivered one last blow to the side of Malcolm's head and his movement ceased as he fell unconscious. Olivia stumbled back from the edge of the mat, her vision fuzzy and growing darker with each moment that passed. She felt her legs shake and give out from under her, and everything went black.

>>>

"Liv... hey."

A distant voice shook Olivia awake as the darkness began to fade. Her eyes fluttered open, only to snap shut again at the assault of the harsh light overhead. Her head swam as she slowly opened her eyes again, squinting into the light as she attempted to focus on the room around her and the figure at her bedside.