Hunt

Chapter 62: What Hangs in the Balance

"Fine." I say as I step from the parked car. Without another word I open the garage door, pulling the mats down that we used for sparring weeks ago. Turning I see Julie hesitating at the threshold. "Come on. You want to fight? Let's fight."

After a tentative step into the garage Julie finds her stride. Taking the initiative as she throws a wild first punch. Almost sprinting across the cement garage floor to close the distance between us. Ducking her wild swing I smack her on the back of her head as she passes, getting a death glare from her as she quickly recovers.

Without a word she slips into a defensive stance. One that Paul taught me when I was still learning to fight. She stares me down, as if waiting for me to make the next move. I'm more than happy to play into her hand a bit.

Stepping into my own stance I lunge. Throwing a haymaker as a distraction before following up with a roundhouse kick. I wouldn't be holding my punches this time. If she wanted to prove herself to me she'd have to deal with a full strength fighting. She'd have to fight hard as a hunter, and even harder if she wants to keep her spot as one.

As I anticipated she avoids my haymaker, dodging to the side right into my foot, which doesn't hit as hard as I intended it to. Only managing to graze her side. But I could still hear the hiss of air being forced from her lungs. She groans and staggers back.

Getting into a rhythm I quickly close the gap between us, reaching out in an attempt to grapple Julie. My aim is to throw her to the mats and pin her, where I'd force her to surrender. Ducking back she avoids my hands, using her change in momentum to kick wide. Getting as much strength as she could behind a well formed crescent kick.

Catching the kick at the last second I put an arm up just barely too late, her kick makes solid contact with my jaw. The force of the impact sends my head reeling as I'm suddenly blinking spots from my vision, the taste of iron on my tongue as I spit blood on the concrete floor. I don't get any time to process what had just happened before she's on top of me again. Having quickly turned the tides and gained the upper hand, she throws punch after punch into anywhere she can land her fist.

She was stronger than I anticipated. Despite her obvious anger she was staying surprisingly levelheaded. She wasn't rushing, not making the obvious mistakes I'd expect someone as angry as her to make. She kept good form with every punch, putting maximum power into every hit she lands against me. She learned quick. Very quick...

Deflecting a punch sideways, I grab her arm with my freehand. Wrenching downward as I take her off balance. The sudden change of direction gives me enough time to get my feet back under me. She may be quick, but Nyx was faster. Walker is stronger. I've fought a lot more skilled opponents in just the last month. So why was I being so slow? I was being sloppy. Despite my skill advantage she was winning this fight. It was as if she was destined to...

"Done yet?" She huffs, breathing hard as she puts space between us again.

I spit more blood to the ground. "Not a chance, it'll take more than that to get me to forfeit."

Breathing hard I make a faint to the side, crossing back over as she attempts to avoid the blow that isn't coming from where I had first moved. Planting my front foot I pivot, throwing my leg out as I aim a kick for her ribs. Her eyes go wide as she sees my foot all too late, unable to stop the blow from connecting square.

Julie staggers to the side, clutching her side as she struggles to maintain an upright position. Coughing as she tries to inhale. At the very least I had knocked the wind out of her. I think I just made my opening to end this whole thing for good...

Without any warning she lunges at me, throwing a hand up at my face. Her follow up is right behind it as I frantically dodge to the left. She's just too slow, as I grab her wrist and yank her towards me, throwing an underhand punch to her diaphragm, a page I take right out of Nyx's playbook. Using the momentum of her getting knocked off balance to my advantage as I get more power behind the punch. The air leaves her lungs again and she sputters to her knees. Leaving herself open to a follow up.