by J. R. Rain
“Can I ask you a question?” I looked at Tommy. I didn’t want to rub salt into Tommy’s wounds. But this had really been bugging me ever since I knew Tommy had been a werewolf. “Why would you fight me in a sport that is designed for humans?”
“Because I was a Tandra when I began my mixed martial arts training. I didn’t become a Carni until five years ago. I worked too hard at the sport to give it up. I wasn’t much stronger.”
“But being a Carni made you stronger?”
“A little bit.”
“And you don’t see anything wrong with that?”
“Josiah, if you want me to say I’m sorry that I fought MMA, knowing that I had an edge, I will. But I think the Triat gave me the punishment that I deserved. I was pretty much left for dead.”
“The hospital said you were dead. Did you die?”
“I’m not sure what happened. One moment, I was left at the door of the hospital and the next moment I woke up in the woods with dead rabbits and squirrels all around me.”
“You obviously turned into a werewolf on the following night. The following night was a full moon.”
“I realize that, I’m just not sure how it happened.”
“So, then what did you do when you turned back into a human?”
“I went looking for you. I was at the house and Yari was there to see you and said you weren’t answering the door for anyone. She told me that you needed time.”
“When was this?”
“About two weeks ago. She told me everything. She told me about Atticai trying to kill a girl named Lena. She said how you saved both Lena and her. She mentioned that you had been turned into a vampire. I felt awful for you, but I knew if anyone could help you deal with it, it was me.”
“I would have answered the door for you. You should have knocked.”
“I did knock—a couple times—but you didn’t answer. I figured you were dealing with a lot of major shit and I would speak to you when you were ready—”
“You being alive trumps anything I would have to deal with.”
“I just figured our time would come. I wasn’t going anywhere.”
My eyes began to well up. “Tommy, they pronounced you dead. I thought I had lost everything.”
Tommy put his hand on my shoulder. “I know, Josiah. I should have come to you sooner.” We shared an awkward silent moment that neither of us was used to. Tommy broke the silence with, “Show me the white eagle.”
“Seriously?” I said.
“Why not? I’m curious what you look like.”
“I don’t feel like it right now.” I really wasn’t in the mood.
“Come on, Josiah. Look at me. I’m beat up and broken down. I don’t ever ask for much.”
I looked at Tommy. His puppy dog eyes and bruised face and body were pulling at my heart strings. It was true. He didn’t ask for much, so I decided I would do it. “All right. I’ll do it this once. But this isn’t some kind of routine I’m going to pull out at parties to get you laid.”
“Very funny.”
I gave Tommy a look that said, ‘you better enjoy this cause this is the only time I’m going to do this just for the hell of it.’ I closed my eyes and concentrated. Immediately, I felt a rushing wind come over me and I dropped to the floor.
I squawked, as if to say, ‘here you go.’ I was the white eagle. I took off in flight, trying to navigate through the confinement of the gym. I nearly hit the ceiling and the walls right before I flew smack into Tommy’s arms. I was trying to land on his shoulder, but instead plowed into him. Damn, I was awful at this.
“Holy shit,” Tommy held me in his arms and petted my feathers. “You’re beautiful, Josiah! You have any idea what this means?”
Tommy let me go and I flew down on the concrete gym floor and transitioned back to a Mani. “What does what mean?”
“It means that you shouldn’t waste your time fighting Carni’s that you meet in a bar.”
“How do you know about that anyway?”
“Let’s just say I have been in the shadows.”
“Seriously? You have been following me?”
“Someone needed to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid.”
“Well, you did a great job with that,” I said sarcastically.
“You were bound to get challenged by a Carni out of the gate. Consider it a rite of passage.”
“I don’t need a rite of passage. I think defeating Atticai proved that I can take care of myself.”
“The Carni and Mani feud is epic, Josiah. You might have defeated a Mani stud like Atticai, but now you need to take care of your business with a Carni. Just kick his ass and get the hell out of there before they challenge you a second time. If you don’t leave after the first fight, you’ll be there all night. Trust me; you want no part of Goliath.”
“Was he that giant bald guy back at the bar?”
“Did he have a long, braided goatee?”
“Yup,” I said.
“That’s Goliath. And he is as filthy as they come. He doesn’t play by the rules, and he never quits a fight. No matter how long it takes.”
“Will he be there?”
“Oh, that grizzly bear wouldn’t miss a duel for his life.” Tommy slipped through the ropes and hopped on the concrete floor where I was standing.
“Any advice for me about the bartender?”
“The owner challenged you?” Tommy’s laugh echoed through the gym.
“What’s so funny?”
“You’ll have no problem kicking his ass. He’s all talk. A couple of high kicks should finish him off pretty quick. What time is the battle?”
I looked at Tommy. His bruises and scratches seemed fresh. I didn’t want him to get hurt anymore. This wasn’t his fight. It was mine, and I could take care of myself. “It’s scheduled for 3:30,” I lied. “3:30 a.m., of course.”
“Of course.”
Tommy said, “I’m going to meet up with Yari and we’ll meet up with you before. You don’t want to walk in there alone.”
“Tommy, you can’t go. You have been banned by them.”
“I just want to see their faces when I show up alive.”
“You think that would be safe?”
“Who gives a shit about safety? Those assholes left me for dead.”
I took a deep breath. “I’m going to take off and get some fresh air.”
“No more working out. Go have a Slurpee or a Red Bull. Find a nice tree and mentally go over your takedowns and submission moves. You probably won’t even have to use them, but you can never be too careful.”
“Will do, Tommy. Will do.” I transitioned and flew out the same window I had come in through.
Chapter Four
I took Tommy’s advice and flew over to Hillcrest Park in Fullerton. When I got there, I transitioned to Mani and spent about an hour lying under a tree getting my head right—getting myself in the right frame of mind to take on another immortal creature. The reality of the situation was serious because I was not sure how to prepare for the fight. Therefore, I prepared the same way I would for any fight. I meditated and walked through my takedowns and submissions. I went over and over them until I knew I was ready.
I thought about Lena, and how amazing she looked tonight. I couldn’t help but feel an immense bond with her. Why? Was it because I was the one who turned her into a Mani? Or was it because of something else, something deeper and less tangible? All I knew was that she would have no part of tonight; I would not allow it. No one would be involved except me.
I glanced at my cell phone and realized that I had 45 minutes until the fight. It was time to go. I transformed into the eagle and flew to Taco Bell to get my truck. I circled the parking lot, waiting for the night manager to get into his car and leave. When the coast was clear, I decided to try something different. I tried transitioning back to Mani simultaneously as I landed. It kind of worked. I didn’t land perfectly on my feet, but at least I didn’t fall down. I stumbled a little, but ca
ught my balance.
I opened my truck and was pleased that no one had stolen my radio since I had left it unlocked. I reached down and grabbed my keys from under the seat. I started my truck and took off out of the parking lot.
I drove up Imperial Street toward the mountains. Sure enough, there was a giant ranch right before the mountain trail started. I guess that was Barner’s Ranch. I parked my truck at the bottom, and walked up the side of the road by myself. I looked up into the dark sky, “Well, Triat,” I called out. “If I’m the guy you want for all of this, then please keep me safe.” I continued to walk and I figured I should cover all my bases. I looked up to the sky one more time. “Whoever is in charge of all this? Keep me safe.”
I began my trek up a dirt path that led to a large ranch. I could hear Carni shouting and laughing like a lynch mob ready to jump me from all sides. Instead, they kept their distance while taunting me from dark places along the road. That’s all they did—taunt.
I was wearing the same blue jeans and black t-shirt that I had on earlier in the evening.
I had to admit I had never felt this way before an altercation. I almost felt like nothing could hurt me, as if I was protected by some supernatural force.
I approached a grassy field at the north end of the ranch. I stood there alone. On the other side of the field appeared to be at least 30 to 40 Carni. The area had about half a dozen giant rocks scattered throughout. They almost appeared to be boulders. Not sure what kind of landscaping design this was, but it was definitely different. The noise and laughter soon stopped as I approached. It was obvious these ignoramuses had no idea who I was. They all looked at me amused, as if I had walked up to my own execution. I liked to be underestimated, I liked that a lot.
In the middle of this hairy, dirty mob stood my opponent, the bartender. I don’t think he was thirty yet. But hell, he was a Carni; he could have been this age for 300 years. He made his way to the front. I was less impressed with the bartender’s stature and more impressed with the seven-foot-plus wild beast in the back. It appeared that Goliath had made his way to the show. Something told me he was not here as a spectator.
“You alone?” the bartender asked with a nervous crackle in his voice.
“Yes,” I said staring directly at him. I was amused that he appeared anxious.
“You really are new at this,” he laughed. All his Carni cohorts laughed like a grisly choir of deadheads. “You are either a bad ass or just stupid.”
“I would go with the first,” I said plainly. I walked a little closer to him. About seventy-five feet separated us. “So how do we do this?”
“You’re asking me how to fight?” He turned to the others and laughed.
“No, I definitely don’t need any advice on how to fight. I’m going to kick your ass, and I’m going to do it rather quickly. What I do want to know is this: once I’m done with you, is that going to be it?”
“You sound pretty confident, blood sucker.”
“It’s not confidence, hairball. It’s what I know. What I know is someone like you can’t last two minutes with someone like me.”
“I could kick this pretty boy’s ass,” a woman yelled out from the crowd. “Are we sure that this is even a man?”
I looked at the woman. She was at least fifty and about 50 pounds overweight. I smiled bemusedly at her. “Listen, ma’am. Do yourself a favor and don’t come anywhere near me.”
“Ma’am?” The woman said. “This little twig just called me ma’am.”
Little Twig? I decided to take off my shirt so everyone could see I was definitely not a twig.
“What?” the bartender said. “You think because you spent some time in the gym that it matters out here on the ranch. You’re going to need to do more than just flex, pretty boy.”
I stared at the grisly mob. They looked like something out of a bad seventies’ movie starring Billy Jack.
“Kick his disgusting Mani ass!” the fifty-year-old woman yelled out.
“Let’s get this going,” a man from the mob yelled out.
“Kick his ass, Brian!” another echoed in.
“Brian?” I yelled out. “Your name is Brian?”
“Why the hell do you care?”
“When I write my memoirs, I want to be able to call you by name.” I turned to the mob and said, “So, if one of you can grab a piece of paper and pass it around, would everyone sign it with your first and last names? I promise, you will all become infamous after tonight.”
“Kill him,” a man from the back yelled out. I looked over. It was Goliath.
Kill him? Damn this was real. This wasn’t a stupid college fight. This was as real as the night I became a Mani. At least then, I had Yari on my side. Tonight, by choice, I was alone.
I slapped my body all over to get my blood flowing, doing it the same way I would before a mixed martial arts fight. I didn’t know if I had blood anymore, but slapping myself was doing the trick. I was ready to go.
Here we go! I circled Brian. I had him come out to me by nodding my head and motioning to come and get me. This was a safety measure. It is common to circle each other in a fight. So, being that I was outnumbered 30 to 1, it was in my best interest to move the fight away from his friends. You never want to turn your back on a group that wants to rip off your head. These guys not only wanted to rip it off, they wanted to display it at their bar.
“It’s show time, you Mani piece of shit.” Brian charged at me. I focused my eyes on my opponent, and this is the part where everything goes in slow motion. All my life—whenever I fight—it would seem as if time would almost stand still. My brain goes into what I call Good-Will-Hunting mode. I am able to dissect and break down my opponents weaknesses in milliseconds. This would allow me to do the most damage by delivering the least amount of energy.
Brian, my werewolf friend, charged me like a bull. So, I knew that very little force would knock him down. As he came up on me, I bent down and swept my left leg, and tripped him. I hit his leg with an extreme amount of force. He did a face plant into the grassy dirt field.
Brian pushed himself out of the mud and got to his knees. He hollered out, “You better not use any of your Mani wizardry. The second you do, all bets are off.”
I didn’t know how to do anything other than transition to an eagle. Even that was a challenge for me. “You’re lucky, bar-back-boy,” I said as I circled around him on the ground. “I don’t know any magic tricks; I’m just one tough motherfucker.”
“We’ll see about that.” He got to his feet and came at me again. This time instead of charging me like a bull, he ran up to me and held firm like a horse being pulled in by a lasso. I just stayed there and did not waste a drop of energy. He was bobbing and weaving like Cassius Clay on speed. He was show boating for his Carni audience. He began peek-a-booing with me. That’s when a fighter puts his hands to his face and then drops them, so he is vulnerable like you would simulate a game of peek-a-boo with a child.
All I was doing was timing each peek-a-boo. Each one was two seconds faster. The last one he did was ten seconds, so this one should be eight seconds. I counted to seven in my head and I knew it would take only a second to high kick him like Tommy had told me to do. I raised my leg and high-kicked him right in his smug face and just laid him out. I had completely knocked him out.
The Carni ran over to their fallen friend and surrounded him like they were protecting a piece of meat from an opposing animal.
“Get him,” one guy yelled out. “He used Mani magic.”
“No, I didn’t! I did a standard high kick made famous by the Nintendo video game, Shaq Fu.”
“Someone take him to the hospital,” a large, toothless man yelled out.
“Wait a second. Your boy is done. I used no magic. As a matter of fact, I barely used human fighting. Isn’t this the part where you kick his ass some more and leave him for dead like you did to Tommy?”
“He knows Kyro!” the same toothless man yelled out.
“No
body touches Brian,” Goliath yelled out from the back. “I’ll take care of him after I kick this pip squeak’s ass.” Goliath stretched his arms and walked toward me.
“Goliath, is it?” I asked in a cocky, but polite tone.
“You heard of me,” Goliath smiled from the corner of his mouth.
“Not until tonight. You’re kind of hard to miss.”
This guy was over seven feet tall and over 450 pounds. He was the largest man or thing I had ever seen. He was wearing cut-off jeans with a Harley Davidson T-shirt that was two sizes too small. I looked at his feet, of course he had 2-inch thick Doc Martens, so he could pound a guy even harder. Unfortunately, I was going to be that guy. I wasn’t looking forward to feeling his size 18 shoe crushed against my skull. His face was scarred in the way only a street fighter would appreciate.
“I guarantee one of your Bruce Lee kicks won’t even faze me, little man.” He then pulled out a chain that was apparently in his back pocket.
I looked up at the moon to make sure it was still a half moon. I couldn’t be too cautious.
I would hate to fight this guy when he was a werewolf. “That’s okay.” I said. “I didn’t even break a sweat.” My adrenaline was amped. I had just floored a guy with two kicks. I didn’t care that this guy was twice my size.
“All right,” I said. “Round two.”
Goliath stood there like a rhinoceros. His hands were up and his feet were shoulder-width apart.
It was obvious that he wanted me to strike first. A guy like this would wait for his prey to make a mistake and then pretty much sit on him and beat the crap out of him. He had one giant problem. I wasn’t going to make any mistakes. I knew if I made just one, it would be the end of me.
“Come and get me!” he shouted.
“Nah, big boy. If you want a piece of this; you’re going to have to come and get it.” I mirrored his fighting stance, and stood like a statue.
“Let’s go, Josiah Reign, Mr. MMA fighter. You had a 4-1 record and got your ass beat by Kyro himself.