The Peacekeepers

Part Two; Chapter Thirty

Battle of the Titans

We ran into each other full speed and continued our fight. I hit him in the mouth with a right jab as he hits me in the ribs with a body hook. I planned on clinching but we had both stumbled back and went back to striking. Sounds of amazement fill the air. 

"This is crazy!"

"Look at them go!"

"Get him Drake! Kick some ass!"

A whole bunch of other comments and cheerings mixed together in a blured chatter but the only sound that stuck out more than all the others wasn't a yell or cheer but a small, meek, worried voice of a girl.

"Drake... don't lose bubbie. Please." I hear Alice. My life. My one constant. I expected a little bit of resentment to be honest but hearing her... Seeing her. I've been the only dependable person in her life for so long... I can't lose. I won't lose! I simply cannot afford to lose!

I dodge a jab, get on Crimson's inside and drive a knee into his gut. He is bent over my knee stammering in pain. I'm out of breath. He recovers and shoves me aside. I stumble back and he charges at me. I see him twist his body around. I'm not quick enough to block it. He hits me with a spinning back fist. It slams into me with the force of a freight train! My head snaps back hard. My vision blurs. My ears ring. I feel myself drift into unconciousness. I never been hit this hard in my entire life.

Get up Drake. Get up! I can't lose! He'll kill everyone if I do! Everyone I care about! I will not be the death of them. I stand up, face him and push myself into my stance. My Muay Thai kickboxing stance passed to me by my Uncle.

"Why can't you just die, you little product of Ren's bullshit! Why can't you just lay down and die?"

I'm panting hard now but my vision clears up in those few seconds. I can already feel where he hit me swelling. "I won't lay down and die." I say as defiantly as possible. "Because a have something to protect. I can't die, because I have something to live for! This place is my home! These people are my people! And you're not welcome here!"

We run at each other again. We twisted our bodies at the same time. I pivoted on my left foot and spin my heel around and it impacts the back of Crimson's fist. We spin back into stance and I see him make a damned amature mistake. His legs are crossed and he's off balance. It's now or never. I run up and kick his ankle out from under him. I grab the sides of his head and slam my forehead into his nose. I head the bridge shatter and feel warm blood splatter my face.

I rear my fist back and slam it into his face and then into his ribs. They crack from the force of my hits. He's bent over exclaiming in pain. I pull his arm around his back and pop it out of it's socket. I slam my elbow into his back as I kick his feet out from under him, successfully slamming him on the ground. I kick him in the head and stomp on his knee, shattering it.

I won. I beat Crimson. This murderous monster is beaten... or is he? With rest and medical treatment he'll be back in fighting shape. He'll recover from this eventually. It would take a long time but he'll return or he'll terrorize some other settlement like ours. He'll just kill more people. This I cannot allow. He's in a perfect position for what I'm planning. Crawling away defeated and crestfallen toward the gate. So weak. So helpless. So, so helpless. Like those children he killed all those years ago.

I walk up to him and pin him to the ground with my foot on his lower back to stop him from crawling away.

"You're not getting away that easy Crimson. You're never gonna be able to fight again." He looks up at me, his face drained of color. His mouth gaping open, lower lip quivering, breathing heavy. Pathetic.

"What?" Is the only word that can successfully escape his mouth.

"Are you afraid Crimson?" I ask. "Are you afraid of me? Of what I'm capable of? Of what I'm about to do to you? You should be afraid you bastard. Ren told me what you did. You're a vicious, cold blooded killer. I could kill you. Right here and now, I could end your pitiful life. But I'm gonna do worse. I'm gonna make for certain you can never fight again. I'm going to end and prevent a legacy of terror."

I raise my foot up and slam it on his spine with all my might. His face drains color and expressionless. He probably felt the initial impact and that's it. I lift my foot away and step aside. He slips into unconsciousness. I felt his spine completely crumble. He's going to be paralyzed from the waist down at least. I did do worse than kill him in this manner. He'll never fight much less walk again. He'll never experience pleasure again. I've ended his bloodline here. I look up at the last member of the Crimson Squad. He's terrified. Shaking and stammering.

"Take your wounded and leave. Never come back. Go." I command him. He rushes over to me, picks Crimson up like the loyal dog he is and runs off, leaving the rest to their fate. I look back at Alice and use what's left of my strength to smile at her.

"Hey there, kid. I told ya I'd be back didn't I?" Tears of happiness ran down her face as she sprinted to hug me as hard as she could. Pain shot through my body as soon as her arms wrapped around me.

"Ah, shit!" I shouted in pain. Yeah, my ribs are definitely broken. She jumped back a bit and chuckled in amusement.

"Sorry about that Drake." A young woman said back to me. God, she's grown up. I missed a year of her life I plan on making up to her. "I guess I don't know my own strength anymore."

I lost my balance and stumbled; falling on my hands and knees. She went to help me up but I just rolled over on my back and let loose a small pain filled chuckle and tried catching my breath through my broken ribs.

"Hey Alice? I'm beat. I'm so tired. I'm gonna go to-" Before I can finish my sentence I pass out cold from exhaustion. I won. Now I can rest easy and we can bury our fallen Peacekeepers.

Rest in peace Gideon...