Alyssa ♔
_______________

My stomach churns at his twisted expression, his eyes meeting mine with a flash of regret. I suddenly push forward, ready to scream at him to watch out, but it's already too late.

The sickening crunch of flesh against flesh reverberates through cheers, leaving me nauseous. I peek through my fingers, spotting glimpses of Max's bloody nose and wishing I hadn't.

Max steadies himself before Alexis can swing. He plans to wear him down, I'm sure, but spotting us in the crowd had distracted him enough to force him off course. I'm just hoping, praying, that we haven't put him in any more danger.

With his fists closed tight against his face, Max dances around on the balls of his feet, only for Alexis to feign a right hook before sucker-punching him straight in the stomach. I feel the impact all the way in my gut and fight to keep myself steady. I'm not an idiot – I know that underground fight clubs aren't renowned for their rules, but even bare-knuckle boxing has guidelines. Why isn't the ref doing anything?

Kino tightens his hand around my arm, a desperate attempt to keep me grounded, but it does little to help. The crowd around us surges forward, shoving us back and forth in the current and making me feel the overwhelming urge to be sick.

Still hunched over, Max manages to dodge Alexis' jab at the last second. I lean forward, clenching my fists as the pair begin to circle one another. Right now, nothing else matters anymore. Not Max leaving or my heartache or how angry I am – all that matters is he gets through this.

"We need to do something," I say, but Kino doesn't look at me. Like everyone else in this basement tonight, he can't take his eyes off the cage.

"It's too late."

I look around at the bloodthirsty faces and realize he's right. Max leaving the fight before it's even started would likely result in a brawl. Tonight, These people came here for blood and are not leaving without it.

When Kino called to tell me he needed my help, I had no idea what to expect, but it wasn't finding him outside of my house holding a business card.

"I found it in his bedroom," he'd said when I asked what it was. "It's a card to this underground fight club he used to go to after Dad left. The last time he fought there, he came back half dead, and my mom had to take care of him for weeks." He paused and said with a shaking breath, "I think that's where he is right now, but if I show up alone, he won't listen to me. I'm hoping if you come too, he'll have no choice."

Guilt – that was the first thing I felt, as if maybe Max fighting was my fault. I'd told him he did me a favor by leaving, and now there he was at some underground fight club trying to get himself killed. Despite the fact I shouldn't have cared, walking away – no matter how angry I felt – was never an option. Not with him.

"Okay, I'll come," I said and pulled out my phone to call an Uber. "If we get there early, we can stop him before he does something stupid." Turning to Tiana, who'd already changed into her pajamas for our sleepover, I bit my lip. "I'm so sorry, Tee, but I have to go. Do you want to come, or do you want us to drop you home?" 

Her mouth parted, and she looked between us with uncertainty. For the first time, her world and Max's world were colliding, and I didn't blame her for being scared. "You go," she said, squeezing my arm. "My parents would kill me if they found out." 

I nodded and hugged her before turning to Kino, noting the underlying fear in his expression. "He'll be fine, Kino. I promise."

Now, staring at the cage, I'm not so sure, but I swallow the bile in my throat and try to stay calm. Max is one of the best boxers I know, which means if anyone can make it through a fight like this, it's him. I hold onto that feeling, refusing to think of the worst possible scenario, but it creeps into my thoughts anyway. It's strange – all I'd wanted last week was for Max to hurt as much as possible, and now all I want is for him to be safe.

The pair of them continue to circle each other, their muscles taut and eyes locked in a fierce gaze. The dim lighting casts an eery sheen on their sweat-slicked skin, accentuating the contours of their hardened expressions. Despite his obvious pain right now, it's clear Max is no longer playing it safe. He's ready for blood.

Diving forward, Max throws an uppercut. Alexis dodges, avoiding the blow, and counters with a dirty left hook. It lands squarely on Max's jaw, but he manages to absorb the impact and fire back with a series of lightning-quick punches.

Alexis backs away, trying to catch his breath, but Max is relentless, pressing the attack like a machine. Alexis dodges and weaves, trying to avoid the blows as best as he can, but his footwork is sloppy, and right now, his size works against him, something Max is using to his advantage.

As though he knows this, Alexis succumbs to a few more hits before opening his fist and, with a dirty viciousness, claws Max's face.

Max recoils in pain, instantly left with four bloody scratches trailing his cheek. The sight fills me with anger, my heart pounding with an overwhelming desire to protect Max and kill Alexis.

With each hit, the commotion grows louder, a chaotic symphony of voices and thuds drowning out rational thought. The crowd pulses and surges, bodies pressed together like sardines. I can feel the heat radiating from their slick, perspiring skin, mingling with my own clammy palms.

Before today, I'd always seen the art in boxing, the beauty that lies between discipline and violence. Each fighter would take a calculated approach, deflecting and evading incoming attacks with deft footwork and swift parries, showing their tactical prowess. This, in comparison, is like watching a society without rules: wild and dangerous and clouded in dishonor. Down here, all I see is bloodlust.

I keep my focus on Max, who returns Alexis' attack with a flurry of strikes, his movements swift and calculated. He maneuvers around his opponent, searching for openings and delivering blows with a ferocity that sets me on edge. While I've watched him fight nearly hundreds of times, I've never seen him fight like this.

It scares me.

As the fight continues, the air crackles with anticipation. Hands dart out, connecting with anything and everything they can reach, from their heads down to their feet. Alexis swings his fist, landing it squarely in the middle of Max's throat, and I feel the punch deep in my core. But if Max feels anything amid the adrenaline, he doesn't show it. He returns the hit with a groin shot that makes Alexis howl in pain.

I focus on my feet, unable to stomach another moment of this, and that's when I feel the clammy grip of someone's hand as they jerk me around. Adrenaline pumping, my fist comes out, ready to land a blow to their face when I realize it's Khalil.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" he wants to know.

I collapse into him a little, relieved to find a familiar face, but before I can speak, Kino's face contorts with a dark intensity as he turns to face Khalil, his gaze piercing and cold. A surge of tension fills the air as he takes a step forward, forcefully shoving Khalil in the chest.

The impact leaves Khalil momentarily stunned, his arms rising defensively. "What the hell, man."

"Is this your doing?" Kino asks. His eyes shine with anger, and I've never seen him so furious before. Right now, he looks just like Max.

Khalil frowns, but from the flash of guilt in his eyes, Kino is right. "Hey," he says, raising his arms, "Max needed money, and I told him I could get him a fight if he wanted, just like old times. It was his decision, though–" he glances at the cage again, watching as Alexis tries and fails to gouge Max's eye out, "–a lot has clearly changed since then." 

Ignoring the pair, I turn to the cage and realize just how badly injured Max is. Blood trickles from his lip, and one of his eyes has swollen so much that it's almost closed shut. I feel myself lean forward, watching in horror as Max briefly tilts his head to the side to spit out a mouthful of blood. From there, Max briefly looks past the cage's bars to meet my gaze. It only lasts a second, half a second, before he turns to Alexis and circles him again.

For the next few minutes, they dance around each other, each waiting for the other to make a mistake. And then it happens – Alexis overextends, leaving himself open. Max takes advantage, landing a hard right hook to his jaw. He staggers back but doesn't go down. Instead, he comes back at Max with renewed energy, his punches coming fast and hard.

I wince as Max quickly dives to the left, narrowly escaping Alexis' fist before launching a flurry of rapid jabs, striking with precision and speed. I hold my breath, waiting for the moment it's finally over, because I don't think I can take anymore. I don't think Max can either.

With a sudden burst of energy, Alexis lunges forward, throwing a series of punches that catch Max off guard. He lands a solid left jab, followed by a right hook and a powerful uppercut. Alexis staggers backward, dazed by the onslaught, and Max seizes the opportunity to attack.

Limping forward, he throws a set of punches, each one leaving a splatter of blood across the purple-stained canvas until the last right hook knocks Alexis clean off his feet, sending him down to the mat.

The crowd, which had momentarily calmed in the final moments, explodes with energy. People begin to shout as money changes hands, and the ref takes his place in the cage again, ignoring Alexis' unconscious body as he raises Max's fist. "Ladies and gentlemen, One Club's Max O'Connor!"

What can only be described as pandemonium follows. Pushed and pulled by the hyped-up crowd, I stumble and lose my footing, my body becoming a canvas for the trampling feet around me. Each impact sends a jolt of pain through my skin, but I can only think of getting to my feet and finding Max. Stand up, Alyssa.

Through a blur of shadows, I catch a glimpse of Kino, his face etched with horror as he fights against the current to reach me. His hands grab hold of me, his grip firm and unwavering amidst the tumultuous sea of limbs. He pulls me upright, his efforts a lifeline amidst the chaos.

"Alyssa!" he calls, but I can barely him. The shouts and exhortations of the crowd sound hollow and distant as if I'm moving underwater. I fight to stay upright, clinging to Kino as I search the crowd for Max.

"Alyssa, you're bleeding," Kino says. He reaches out, brushing his thumb across the tip of my eyebrow, and when he draws his finger away, it's dark with blood.

I pull away in search of Max, who exits the cage while clutching his side and swiftly pushes toward us. The crowd closes in on him, some reveling in his victory, raising their voices and slapping his back, while others shove and jostle him.

Somewhere in the distance, what looks like a heated altercation breaks out, and it's the spark that ignites chaos. Shoves turn into a frenzy of pushing, and I watch in horror as Max is shoved back, caught up in the onslaught. Then, just like that, he goes down.

A/N

Comment a heart if you're ready for the next chapter tomorrow! ❤️

What country are you reading from?