Like A Phoenix ➳ Cobra Kai

Hello, Darkness! My Old Friend (24)

The day of the All Valley festival—in Kat's eyes, today would be the day that Cobra Kai solidifies their rivalry with Miyagi-Do. Kat winced at the thought of Cobra Kai stealing their opposing dojo's thunder. Then again, it's just business.

She sighed. Looking at her phone, she had tons of new messages from fighters of both dojos. The wisest thing to do in this situation is to remain as low-key as possible. Yet, with stature and wardrobe like Kat, it's nearly impossible. She opted for something inconspicuous usually, black would do the trick, but it's summertime—obviously not an ideal choice.

Perhaps she was overthinking it. In mental and physical regard, she needed to stay in the loop while remaining out of sight and mind. As noted, she wore a fitted cotton top with long lace sleeves, a black denim skirt, with black and white Nike high tops. In addition, she threw over an oversized sweater and wore a baseball cap for maximum invisibility.

The All Valley Fest demonstrations wouldn't begin for another few hours, though. There were mentions of rides, food, and additional entertainment. It was a shame she felt too cowardly to confront the most significant issue. Whose side would she inevitably have to choose? Whatever, being alone was nothing new.

Arriving at the festival, it was apparent that her friends wouldn't come until the last minute. In the distance, she recognized the LaRusso automobile logo, followed by Daniel, Amanda, Sam, and Robby loitering around their booth.

In response, she tugged on the strings of her hoodie and walked in the opposite direction. Like hell, she'd be confronted about ignoring messages, avoiding confrontation, or even taking sides. As she walked further from the business pop-ups, she found herself near the popcorn vendor, an older man, awfully tall, too, and with a curled mustache. How comical...

"I'll take a bucket, please." She said in a hushed voice, keeping herself as little as possible.

The man nodded, "$8.50, ma'am." He replied.

Kat gave him $20 and walked away before he could pay the difference. She didn't bother to turn back, let alone hold a conversation. It was one of those days where she craved something salty and wished for nothing more than to be left alone. She found a vacant park bench along the trail of green leaves, sitting unattended in the vast area. Perfect, she thought, taking a seat on the wooden bench.

She nibbled on popcorn kernels until her fingers felt slippery against her palms. Without warning, her phone began to buzz aggressively in her pocket. Kat attempted to slip her greased fingers into her jacket to fetch her phone, but it continued to slip with each tug. Grunting, she wiped the grease from her fingers on her skirt and proceeded to answer the call.

The screen lit up: "ENZO." Wonderful, what could be this important? "What's up?" Kat breathed.

"Kat, I need you to listen to me very carefully, alright? I have bad news...." Enzo admitted with hesitation.

She gritted her teeth in response. "You know, I don't appreciate cliffhangers." Kat laughed, relieving tension for whatever lousy news Enzo had.

"It's about your ex, Nick Bates. He was recently released from prison, he's on parole now, and rumor has it, he's back in California." Enzo sighed. He cleared his throat before continuing, "Look, I'm not saying he's coming for you. But, Kat...Please be careful. He's a highly dangerous individual. I think it is best if you avoid events with large groups of people."

"Ah, about that...." Kat cringed. "It's fine. I can handle it. I doubt he's back after everything." She reassured Enzo—more reassuring to herself than a seasoned vet with military training.

She promptly hung up on the older gentleman. Now that she was informed of Nick's possible return, it felt like nothing could surprise her again. Well, she jinxed it, didn't she?

Kat remained planted on the bench. As much as she tried, she couldn't move a muscle. The nightmare from the other night, then Eli—no, Hawk acting jealous, everything led to this moment. It must've been a sign. The devil is back, and no, he's not a little red man with horns and a tail. He can be beautiful because he's a fallen angel, and he used to be God's favorite. As far as Kat knew, the devil took the form of Nick Bates.

Suddenly, she lost her appetite for popcorn. As she remained planted on the bench, every ongoing bystander looked like Nick. A significantly shorter man would've sufficed the image. It didn't matter. She saw him everywhere. The man was simply inescapable. Before she knew it, sweat began to drip from her temples as her breathing began to hitch. Kat fluttered her eyes a bit before a wave of nausea smacked her across the face.

The popcorn that she placed next to her began to spill with a slight tilt of her leg. She watched in a blur as the popcorn vendor from before slowly approached. He first removed his oversized baseball cap, then stripped the fake mustache from his face, and tossed the waist-tied apron to the side.

"It's been a long time, Kat. I'd ask how you've been, but we know you're not doing well, not without me." He sighed.

Kat turned her head slightly towards the tall man. "Nick?" she murmured weakly.

He chuckled, rubbing his dry and cracked hands in a circular motion. "After everything, I did for you... You'd think, maybe, just maybe, you'd have the decency to visit me in prison." Nick's laughter died down, and the sounds of gritting teeth and heavy, gruff breaths escaped his parched lips.

She sat still, unable to move. The terror froze her body. All Kat could do was stare blankly at Nick, slowly blinking the tears away as a lump formed in her throat.

"Oh, baby... Don't cry." He grinned, roughly wiping the tears from her face. "What? Kat caught your tongue?" Nick began laughing hysterically, drawing attention from people nearby. Yet, none cared enough to notice Kat's motionless figure or how the more pronounced man towered over the girl.

"Kat?" A male voice shouted. Nick noticed the approaching figure and gave one last menacing grin towards Kat. "We'll meet again very soon." He whispered close to her face before disappearing into a large crowd.

Still paralyzed from what Kat assumed to be drugged popcorn, she slumped back onto the bench, feeling helpless and numb. Yet, all she could do was blink the tears that brimmed her eyes away.

"Kat? Oh god, no!" A male voice muttered. Kat felt hands cupping her face, soft and tender, but with her eyes fluttering shut, the figure before her appeared as a blur. The voice faded into nothingness, and knowing that the man's voice was not Nick and certainly not Hawk's, she felt at peace.

Silence. It's all Kat heard. She could only feel the soft, warm huffs of air that escaped from her mouth being reflected back at her face. But despite feeling relaxed and at peace, she sprung up from her rested state and clutched at her forehead as little droplets of sweat slid from her face. "Jesus, it's scolding hot in here. Am I—" she croaked, analyzing her surroundings, "in hell?"

Suddenly, a mature voice sounded from the other room, one Kat vaguely recognized. "Well, maybe I should reconsider the Japanese wallpaper, huh? Or is it too humid? Yeah, that's probably it." Daniel admitted with a nod.

"What happened?" Kat shot back, ignoring his lingering questions. "I-I was at Valley Fest. Then I saw Nick...." She dozed off while looking down at the wooden flooring.

Mr. LaRusso pursed his lips and stared back in confusion. "Nick?"

Kat cleared her throat before continuing, "Nick is an ex of mine. He was verbally and physically abusive. Then again, I guess the best thing that came from our relationship was the fire...." Kat dozed off again.

"Uh, what fire?" Daniel questioned, taking a seat on a nearby stool.

She took a deep breath before looking deep into Daniel's dark piercing eyes. "The one that killed my stepfather, of course," Kat remarked with a slight grin.

"Kat," he directed, "Robby found you knocked out and incoherent on a park bench. What happened with Nick?"

Smiling sadly, she shook her head softly. "He's back, and I'm damned if he sticks around. Nick proved that he could find me at any time and anywhere. I had my guard down, got some carnival popcorn, and somehow, I didn't recognize him underneath his pathetic disguise. If he can drug me without a second thought in broad daylight, then what's to say he won't kill me when we're alone or if I'm vulnerable?"