KILLJOY

Chapter 13: Life + Force

Eli skidded backwards, back bent down towards the floor as he was barely staying on his feet at this point, with one hand supporting him as he shakily stood back up. He was covered with shallow cuts and bruises as Ryder just laughed.
"Well, here I thought there was something in you. Mabye I was just being too quick about it."
He lifted a small handgun out of his pocket as he pointed it towards Liv, finger on the trigger as he looked Eli's way. Liv was making some sounds in protest, but the tape stuck to her mouth prevented any words from escaping her. Eli just looked dumbfounded as he pulled a stunt like this.
"Hey! I thought you said this was between the two of us, you asshole!"
Ryder waved the gun around haphazardly, as Eli was frozen, right where he wanted him.
"That was because I thought mabye you had a chance of giving me some fun." He smirked at him as he glanced at Liv for moment, as if to get is point across. "Seems I was wrong though... so tell me why I shouldn't shoot. Or better yet, show me."

Eli quickly bolted towards him, but a quick strike was all it took to get him tumbling back to the ground, struggling to even stand.
"You fucking... prick."
He held his gun away from her, now held loosely towards the floor as he walked over to the beaten excuse of a man before him. He just gave him a gentle kick in the side, not enough to cause any major damage. Yet.
"Get up. You're not done entertaining me, right?"
Another kick in the side, a bit harder as he saw Eli shudder.
"Get up already. Or are you done."
He went for another kick in the side as Eli held a hand out to catch it, bumping into it as he simply brought his leg back. That was before he kicked him harder, toppling him over onto his side as he continued to stand over him.
"I wonder what they saw in you that made them thing you had a shot.... Because right now, you're looking like a sorry excuse of a man."
He pointed the gun at Liv again as he looked back over to her, as if contemplating whether or not he should just end this little game right here. But he was enjoying this far too much.
"Would you like to watch her die?"
Those words alone sent a wave of nausea through him, and it was one that refused to cease.

— — —

He tried so hard, and for what? He didn't have a chance in hell from the start, so why did he even try picking a fight with Ryder. Because of her. He cared for her, hell she was the only reason he was working in this business in the first place. He gritted his teeth as he pressed his palm into the concrete under him.
Get up.
He looked up at him and just scowled as he saw him, as well as the weapon he held in his hands. If he couldn't do anything now, then she was dead.
Get up.
He kept repeating that in his head as if it would do something, his body already struggling to respond from his beating. But he still tried to push on, trying to get some kind of energy, a second wind— anything.
Get. Up.
Fire burned in his eyes as he looked again to the scene in front of him. Everything he worked for would be gone if he couldn't get his sorry ass off of the ground, and as he pushed up, it felt like something began to occur. As if little sparks of energy were firing off inside of him as he begun to push off the cold concrete, standing to his feet as he clenched his fist.
"I never said I was finished."

Ryder seemed to have a surprised look on his face for a moment, before dropping his gun on the ground, looking at Eli.
"I'll be damned. I really didn't think you had it in you!"
While Eli wasn't much aware of it, Ryder could see the signs of a new awakening. The flaring of a sort of aura around the person, a sudden burst of energy, and a confidence that could only be described as coming from thin air. Raw life force, something that only those select few with TICK potential could wield, or even see. Thin white bandages formed into existence as they wrapped around Eli's hands. And then, as quickly as the surge appeared... it stopped. Well, partially. It seemed like his energy output was almost being limited by them, as he could sense a lot of energy underneath them. Enough that it could be... worrying— if it build up.
"Well, show me what you got then. Unless you want me to put some lead through her skull."
Eli chuckled as he was ready to fight again, adrenaline beginning to numb the pain, entering a sort of high from the overdose of energy he was receiving.
"Wouldn't have it any other way!"