4th Wall Universe

The Fighter

#TheFighter

#AnExtremelyShortStory

#ByDannyJQuick

#4thWallUniverse

"Ramo, get the camera ready, he's here." Karen Brinkley commands from the front seat of the NEWS van as a dark blue Lexus pulls up to the side of the gym where they have been staking out for about three hours.

"You really think it's him?" Remo asks as he lifts the mid-sized camera up to his shoulder and reaches for the door to yank it open.

"We're about to find out." Karen responds as she hops down out of the van. The wind blows her long, brown hair and fills her nostrils with the stench of aerobics. "Jeez, I can smell the locker room from outside. " Karen scrunches up her nose but speeds up her gait and never takes her eyes off of the car. "keep it in tight on his face Ramo, I want to catch his reactions to my question."

"Yes maam." Ramo exclaims as he tries to keep up with Karen's pace. She finally breaks her gaze away from the vehicle as two men get out of the car. She looks back over her shoulder at Ramo, more serious than he's ever seen her before and grumbles.

"And make sure the damned lens cap is off this time!" She barks and then turns back to the car approach from the passenger's side where a lean young man exits the car and stares directly at her.

" Uh oh," the young man says as he stands and shuts the door to the car, watching the reporter breeze past him raising her hand to wave at the driver of the car.

"Mr Durham!" She exclaims, instantly getting his attention. The tall and muscular Terrell Durham seems shocked to see the reporter charging towards him at his place of business and turns his body in a defensive posture.

"Yes?" Terrell says, wide eyed and hesitant, like a deer caught in headlights.

"I'm Karen Brinkley with-"

"Karen Brinkley!" The young man behind her belts out as he circles around the cameraman to try to get the reporter's attention and steps in between her and Terrell. "You're the investigative reporter who did the piece about King Supreme once living in Vegas City. You really think both Aceblade AND King Supreme live in Vegas City? What are the odds of-"

"I got it DJ, I'll meet you at the speed bag." Terrell interrupts and puts his hand on DJ's shoulder, hinting at him to move on.

"No problem champ, but be careful with this one, she's a fighter too." DJ says and backs away, allowing Karen and her cameraman access to the former Heavyweight champion of the world.

"How can I help you?" Terrell asks as he holds a black and red gym bag firmly in his right hand and lifts the strap over his head to rest the strap on his left shoulder. He grimaces and barely moves his left arm.

"I just have a few questions for you." Karen responds and then begins her assault. "The first of which is, why you never came back to defend your title?"

"Well, Ms Brinkley, I accomplished all I wanted to as a fighter, and the business part of it didn't interest me, so I chose to go out on top." Terrell answers matter-of-factly hoping that Karen won't dig much deeper. But he knows she will.

"So... it had nothing to do with Gutshot trying to have you killed after the fight?" She asks and the stretches the microphone back towards his face for a response. Terrell giggles but answers.

"That's the part of the business I was talking about." He says and then pauses to look back over his shoulder as a few passersby yell out in adoration of him. "There's no reason to get killed when I can still do what I love and help people here at the same time Ms Brinkley."