The Precise Art Of Staying Alive

Chapter 45 - The Precise Art Of Secret Fight Clubs

I stood still for a second, before turning away, stumbling back and gripping River's arm.

"Run." I shouted at them, dragging them along as I sprinted through the forest, slowed by the fact that River seemed to have lost the ability to walk, let alone run. I crashed into a tree, scraping my arm on the rough bark, and tripped forward, using my momentum to run faster, my feet pounding against the soft dirt. River was shaking slightly, still stumbling along behind me, their blue hair a beacon to our location. I pushed forward, balking at the darkness that had suddenly enclosed me, and paused, only for a second. The second was all of the time that it took for Asher to catch up to us, his long legs easily crossing the distance I'd crossed. Theo wasn't far behind him, emerging out of the darkness by Asher's side. I tried to move again, but Theo pulled me back, holding my arm gently, but tight enough to keep me from running again. Asher went straight to River, and his arms encircled them as they collapsed forward, into his chest.

"Don't you dare hurt them!" I spat at Asher, but Asher was oblivious, his eyes fixed on River. I struggled against Theo's grip, which tightened slightly.

"Calm down Rhea. Think." Theo said softly.

"About what? About the fact that you're meeting with Asher in a creepy, deserted cabin at night." I snapped. This seemed to draw Asher's attention, and he finally looked up from River, his expression offended.

"Hey! The Fireplace is not creepy or deserted." He exclaimed.

"The Fireplace?" I echoed, frowning. Asher sighed, turning back to River to help them to their feet.

"It's how I make money, yeah? You getta a few people, throw 'em in the rings, and soon enough, you got all you need to keep the place running and your stomach full."

"Judging by who your dad is, I highly doubt you have any trouble keeping your stomach full." I said, still unsure of what exactly Asher was saying and whether or not I should trust him. Asher gave me a superior look.

"It's a figure of speech." He said lightly, and River's head jerked up.

"Wait, what do you mean the rings?" They asked carefully. Asher sighed, slumping against the tree.

"I'd kinda hoped to have kept it a secret, but The Fireplace is a fight club. People show up, take bets, drink, sometimes even fight. The latter two are often quite closely associated. We gotta main room, a couple of training rooms and a bar. It's a pretty nice set-up, considering the price." Asher said, babbling slightly.

"You can't expect me to believe that. As if your Dad would let a whole fight club go on under his nose." I scoffed. Asher gave me another superior look.

"He would. In fact, some of his officers are our best clients. Lake Meurtre is a small, boring town, so any entertainment is greatly welcome. I just happen to provide it." Asher said, walking back to the house, Theo at his heels.

"Wait, where are you going?" I asked. Asher paused, his gaze lingering on River, before turning to me.

"To show you around The Fireplace." He said, as if it were obvious. I glanced back towards River, who hadn't spoken a word since they'd seen Asher. River's eyes met mine and they stood up, brushing the dirt off them.

"It's a relief to know that you're not a murderer and in cahoots with Theo. Well, jury's still out on those, but at least it's not concrete." River remarked, walking up to Asher, who had frozen, with his eyes on them. River passed Asher, and I walked behind them, not wanting to but in. Asher remained still and River stopped, throwing a glance over their shoulder.

"Well, are you coming or not? From everything you've said about The Fireplace, it better be good." River drawled, a teasing note in their voice that I hadn't heard before. Asher hurried to catch up with River, a lazy grin on his face.

"Trust me, it is."

When we entered The Fireplace, the first thing that hit me was the smell. The whole place reeked of beer, sweat and blood, a sickening mixture that others seemed to revel in. The smell had been carried with the rush of heat that overwhelmed us as we walked in, unexpected and burning hot against my skin. We'd walked into what must've been the bar, all hardwood floors and wooden benches and chairs, rickety and old. Swinging lights hazily lit the room overhead, and it was bustling with people, drinking from glasses of beer. The tables were littered with empty glasses, and there was a row of empty shot glasses next to a man passed out on the floor. People were sitting on the seats and standing, taking up whatever space there was.

As I looked around, I recognised a few faces, but the bar seemed to mainly hold the older citizens of Lake Meurtre, as if it were a quaint tavern on the corner of a street and not the entrance to a flight club. The only visible door was an archway to the right, too crowded with people for me to see too much of it. Asher led us through the archway, easily pushing through the people to reveal what must've been the pits.

We stood on a small balcony, with concrete steps on either side leading down to a room, crowded with people, jostling to get a better view of the boxing ring in the middle. The concrete walls and floor were crusted with blood, dirt and spilt beer and people shoved us as they ran down to the fight, even with Asher by our side. The tall room was windowless and dark, with the majority of the room in shadow, save for the bright spotlight on the old boxing ring, it's mat stained with dark and cherry red blood alike, the old stains mixing with the new. People were shouting, cheering and swearing, the words building in volume until the sound was overwhelming, an inescapable din. In the corner, a few men brawled, a mess of kicks and punches, but people paid little attention to them, their gazes fixed tightly on the two people in the ring.

One was Catrin, her hair tied back tightly from her face, her oversized T-shirt traded for a tight, dark red top. My eyes flicked to the other, and I let out a slight gasp. Because there, standing facing Catrin and wiping the blood off her face, was Nicole.