Alice

The fight

Elias
 
I slam the door behind me as I leave, every inch of me is burning with anger. How could he do this to himself. Jack is as stubborn as they come but this is madness. I walk to the end of the hall and see a vending machine, a coke always seems to calm me down for some reason. I push in a quarter and out pops the can. The misses always says to get diet coke instead because I’m getting older but they put the same amount of shit in both just a bit less sugar in diet.

   I chug it down and it cools me, I sit for a few moments and think it over, this darn guy. I’ve trained him for years, watched him start, and put up with this thinking it would end soon, just one more I kept thinking every fight. Just one more, but here we are. The least I managed to do was get him out of those old backstreet dump fighting agencies he used to be in back in his younger days. Those places were dangerous, bunch of steroid heads and criminals with no regard for anyone, Just out for a quick buck. Now we’re actually in a professional organization, but still why is he fighting here. The guy has enough money to buy this fight company ten times over.

   I Crumple the coke can and throw it on the ground because I know what I have to do now that the anger is subsiding. I can’t just leave him to do this alone, even though I don’t support it, he’s about to fight, if he does it alone he could end up beat to a pulp, or worse. I sigh as I hear the main event being announced. I have to get out there with him.

                                     ***
Jack

Max finishes wrapping my hands and the showrunners  enter, “We’re ready to go, you’re up now.”

“Okay, max gather everything, lets go.”

I and the team head out to the arena entrance doors. I stare at them, my nerves jumping, blood pulsing, I know behind these two blue doors is chaos. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, behind these two doors is my life.
The showrunner stars counting “And 10, 9-
My mind goes blank
“3, 2, 1…”
The doors burst open and the blinding white lights of the stadium fills my vision. The roar of the crowd blasts me, I am alive.

  We march down to the cage. The fans boo more than they cheer. This is a blood sport and I’m fighting one of the bloodiest men in the game. They want to see me beaten and broken.
  
We approach the cage and I disrobe until I'm in my fighting shorts only. The officials check my gloves and mouth guard for discrepancies then give me the Okay. I turn and look up at the cage… All of my nerves die, my mind quiets and with every step toward the cage, parts of me fall away. I can no longer hear the boo’s of the crowd all I see is my goal, to dismantle bulldog Frazer.

  My feet hit the canvas, feeling it, tasting it, smooth and solid. I smell the blood of those who were in before me as I make a lap around the cage, the antiseptic used to clean it in between fights floats in to me, it can't mask the metallic tang that lies beneath.

  The crowd goes silent for a moment as bulldog’s entrance music starts. Here he comes. He and his crew run down to the cage, he looks massive. A heavily tattooed, mohawked, hulk of a man, with a pitbull looking face. The stats say he’s 6’3 but he looks at least 6’5. The officials check him and he enters the cage, I can feel the weight of him as he climbs the steps, he looks like he was carved out of stone.

  Our eyes meet, his gaze is rage filled, his killer intent is on full display. The crowd roars for him as he raises his hands. I turn back to my corner and to my surprise, Elias is there with Max, I didn’t even see him come. The fight is about to start but I hurry over “Elias, you came back…”

“Couldn’t just leave you to get killed… and by the looks of that motherfucker, you’re in for a long night. He looks really heavy, meaning he may get tired quicker, but his punches will be hard and he’ll be difficult to wrestle, use your punches and kicks like we practiced, use strikes only and avoid tying up with him or wrestling at all costs, okay?”

I nod.

“Okay Jack, lets get this thing started!” Eias shouts.

I turn around and head to the center of the cage where the referee stands, bulldog is mere inches from me, the only thing in our way is the referee and two officials. The referee begins to speak “Alright gentlemen, I want a good clean fight, no eye pokes, knees to the head of a downed opponent, kicks to the groin etc, you know the drill, any questions?”

We both say no. “Okay touch gloves if you so desire and return to your corners, when the bell rings come out fighting.”

I offer my hands for a glove touch and bulldog slaps them away, the crowd roars. I’ve prepared for this. I’m going to chop him down. I return to my corner with my eyes locked on the hulk in front of me. I wait for the ref's signal and the bell to come out. The bell sounds and the referee drops his hand. I raise mines and come out fighting.