Calum's breath echoed in his ears as he kneeled over on the floor, trying to catch his breath as blood dripped down his lip. Bruises painted his tan skin, and his knuckles were sore from practice.
Edgar, an older man in his late forties with salt and pepper grey hair and a man sneer across his crooked face grabbed the younger boy by the back of the shirt and forced him up onto his feet.
"Go again," he demanded, shoving the boy into the ring toward his opponent. Joshua shook his head softly, his dirty blond waves sticking to his sweat-lined forehead as he panted softly.
"Give him a break," Josh said softly. "I don't think he has another spar left in him."
"What? Baby too tired?" Edgar mocked. Calum felt his defiance rev up his energy. He hated hearing people say he couldn't do something. Before he could think, his mind was overtaken by a white hot fury, and he was lunging toward the older boy. His fist connected with Joshua's jaw suddenly, causing the boy to stumble softly. It only took him a moment to regain his composure beside he was throwing his own punches. Calum felt his fist connect with his own ribs and he keeled over slightly with a loud cough. He turned quickly, feeling his anger rising in his chest before tackling the older boy to the floor and hitting him repeatedly. Edgar stayed shouting at him, but he wouldn't listen. It was as if all sounds in the room were suddenly gone as he focused in on his opponent and laid his blows.
Before he understood what was happening, Calum was being ripped away from Joshua. He continued to try to harm the boy before a hollow sound filled the air, drawing him back into reality. The soft sound of a slow clap filled the room followed by a voice.
"Well done," Ian's menacing voice floated through the air. Calum stopped fighting and shoved Edgar and another man he hadn't noticed away from him as he turned toward Ian. "That's the fight we need in our group... you may have a chance in your fight this weekend." Calum looked back toward Josh and felt his stomach turn suddenly. The boy was laying on the floor, nearly unconscious and bleeding heavily as Kasey kneeled over him and tried to get his attention. "Let's get you cleaned up..." Ian whispered to Calum before leading him out of the room. "How do you feel after your training today?" Calum's mind reeled. He couldn't get the image of Joshua's beaten form out of his mind. A mixture of satisfaction and guilt twisted through his stomach as he tried to find a response. Finally, he settled on one.
"Confident..." he muttered. "And angry."
"Good," Ian responded as they entered the boy's room. "Those will both help you in the arena..."
"Is Josh going to be okay?" He asked suddenly, turning to look at the older man.
"Oh, he'll be fine," he shrugged. "Joshy is a strong boy. He'll be right as rain in the morning - maybe a little moody after having his ass handed to him is all. You did well today. Take a shower and get some rest... you earned it."
"Where's Luke?" Calum asked quickly, noticing that the younger boy was still gone.
"He's probably just making the rounds still. He'll be back sometime tonight... don't worry about him. Bathroom's down the hall." Before Calum could ask anymore questions, Ian left him by himself. Calum took in a deep breath and reluctantly grabbed some new clothes from his discarded duffle bag on the floor. He made his way slowly down the hallway and found the restroom, closing the door quietly behind himself. He found a stack of clean towels next to the sink and grabbed one, throwing it on the floor closer to the shower so he could easily grab it as he stepped out later.
His muscles were sore, and he grimaced softly when he saw the blood and bruises that painted his face. Calum slowly lifted his shirt over his head, letting out a soft grunt as the pain in his side flared. He turned toward the shower and flipped on the water, turning it nearly to the hottest setting. Steam began filling the room and fogging over the mirror as he finished undressing before stepping into the hot stream of water.
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Fight Club (Rewritten) Luke Hemmings
FanfictionRage has always been the best form of motivation. Kidnapped, abused, neglected, and alone; Luke knows nothing other than rage. His life has been nothing more than endless moments of misfortunes for the past several years; ever since his father sold...