The Fight

It was a clear night; not a cloud in the sky. The moon was shining so bright, the streetlights were barely needed. Jake couldn’t help but look at the stars, wishing he was going anywhere else. Still sore from last time, Jake held his ribs and took a deep breath as he scanned the area to ensure he wasn’t being followed. He clutched his gym bag in his hand as he ducked into a dark alley, where even the man in the moon couldn’t see him. Jake walked up to a large, steel security door and knocked two times. A small window popped open and a set of eyes glared at him. “Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches,” Jake said confidently. The door opened and Jake walked in.

The room reeked of sweat and cigar smoke, making it unpleasant to breathe. There was a huge cage in the center of the room, lined with mats on the floor. The mats were stained with blood and other bodily fluids. There were a few chairs in the front row; which are reserved for the whales placing the biggest bets. The rest of the area is standing room only. Jake made his way to the back, to a make-shift locker room. “Hey kid,” Jake heard as he passed by an office door. He stopped and took a couple steps back to look inside. “Hello, Mr. Anders,” Jake said as he stepped in the room. “I’m counting on you; lots of deep pockets here tonight,” said Mr. Anders. “Yes, sir,” replied Jake, “I won’t let you down.” Jake couldn’t help but notice Mr. Anders writing in his little black book again. Mr. Anders keeps track of all the fighters and all the bets in that book. Mr. Anders caught Jake staring at the book, “go get ready,” he said, shooing Jake away.

Jake sat his bag down on a bench and started to get ready. Jake is Mr. Anders’ personal project, so he gets his own changing room. He stood in front of the mirror; his bruises from last week were starting to fade. The first fight of the night was underway, and the crowd was roaring. Jake could see Mr. Anders walking up behind him in the mirror. “You ready?” he asked Jake. “Always,” answered Jake. “The kid you’re up against tonight is a striker, so guard your face,” advised Mr. Anders. “His kick-game is weak, so that’s where you can get him,” he added. “Got it,” nodded Jake. “You keep winning like you have been and your debt will be paid in no time,” Mr. Anders said as he walked out. Jake nodded silently, then started jumping up and down and moving around to get his blood flowing.

Suddenly, the crowd began to shout louder and louder. Jake walked out to see what was going on. A kid named Eric, a small but feisty fighter Jake has fought before, was lying in the cage, motionless. Blood covered his face, both his eyes were swollen shut, and his nose was obviously broken. A huge man, with tree trunks for legs, was standing over Eric’s lifeless body with his arms raised in victory. A couple small guys ran into the cage and dragged Eric out by his arms. Jake couldn’t bear to watch anymore as Eric was taken outside. Jake knew it wasn’t good; fighters who are taken out back are rarely seen again.

Finally, it was Jake’s turn to enter the ring. The crowd was especially aggressive tonight; having already had a taste of blood. Jake is a returning champ, and a crowd favorite. The cheers were loud as he was entering the ring, but quickly turned to booing when his opponent was introduced. At first glance, Jake wasn’t too worried about his opponent. The two fighters were roughly in the same weight class, and Mr. Anders had already given him the inside scoop about this guy. “Watch his hands; kick hard,” Jake whispered to himself. The man reached the center of the ring and he and Jake came face to face for the first time.

There are no referees in these fights, because there are no rules in these fights. The fight ends when one opponent is unable to continue. If a fighter dies, he obviously loses the fight. His body is dragged out back and the winner gets to return next week to fight again. The fighters receive a small amount of money for winning, but the gamblers take the bulk of the money. Mr. Anders runs the fights, so he gets a cut from all the winnings. After attempting to steal Mr. Anders’ car a few years back, and totaling it during the high speed car chase that ensued, Jake fights each week to pay off his debt.

The cage is closed, Jake strikes first, and strikes hard, knocking his opponent up against the side of the cage. Jake alternates between head shots and body shots. He’s completely eliminated his opponent’s strength by not allowing him time or room to strike. Somehow, his opponent gets a good shot in, and Jake is knocked back. His opponent comes in quick and strikes hard, hitting Jake in the eye. Jake is dazed, all he can see are big black spots. Jake turns his back to his opponent and bends over like he’s in pain. The guy falls for it and attempts to attack Jake from behind. Jake uses a back kick to knock his opponent back a bit, then quickly turns around and lands a side kick upside his head. A tooth flies out of his opponent’s mouth and lands near the front row of the crowd. The crowd is going crazy. Jake catches a glimpse of Mr. Anders beside the cage. Mr. Anders is proud of his pawn, and smirks as Jake continues to dominate his opponent.

Jake goes into a trance, and convinces himself he has no choice but to render this man unconscious. Jake strikes harder and harder. The man falls, but Jake doesn’t stop. Jake is relentless; sitting on top of the man and delivering blow after blow to the man’s face, while his head bounces off the mat. Suddenly, Jake remembers seeing Eric earlier in the night, and he remembered watching helplessly as they dragged his lifeless body out back. Jake came to and looked down at his opponent, who had stopped fighting back a long time ago. Jake had won. He got up slowly, the savage crowd was screaming for more. Jake didn’t revel in his victory, he just slowly walked out of the ring and back to his locker room. Jake cleaned himself up and left the building as soon as possible.

The morning sun was shining brightly through the window. Jake opened his eyes, well, his one good eye, and attempted to lift his head. His neck was stiff from sleeping on the couch. He sat up, and his wet shirt clung to his chest. The bag of frozen peas he fell asleep with was now a soggy mess. Jake stood up to take his wet shirt off; there was no part of his body that didn’t hurt. He cringed in pain as he pulled his shirt over his head. “Damn bro,” Jesse, Jake's roommate, said loudly as he walked into the room, “look at your eye!” “You should see the other guy,” laughed Jake. “How long are you going to keep doing this, dude?” Jesse asked seriously. “I don’t have a choice right now,” answered Jake. Jake walked into the bathroom and slammed the door. He examined his face in the mirror. His left eye was almost swollen completely shut, and his bottom lip was busted. Jake raised his hand to his face and noticed his busted knuckles in the mirror. He looked down at his swollen hand and tried to make a fist, but it was stiff and sore. Jake sat down on the edge of the bathtub and put his head in his hands; his ears were still ringing from last night’s rambunctious crowd.

Jake was startled by his ringing phone. “Hey man!” a voice yelled on the other end of the phone, it was one of the other fighters Jake had become friends with. “Did you hear what happened this morning?” he asked excitedly. “No dude,” Jake said in a groggy voice, “I just woke up.” “The police found Eric’s body down by the river. Apparently he didn’t make it last night, and whoever was in charge of getting rid of his body didn’t do such a good job.” “Man,” Jake said, upset, “I knew he didn’t look good when they dragged him out last night. That’s a shame, he was a good kid.” “The police put out a statement saying they know there is an underground fight ring somewhere in town, this isn’t the first body they’ve found, and they are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the people responsible,” the caller continued. “Are you going to turn it in?” asked Jake. “Hell no!” the caller said loudly, “I don’t have a death wish.” “Yeah, I know right,” laughed Jake. “Well, I thought I’d let you know,” the caller said, “you took quite a beating last night; you may want to stay off the street for a few days.” “Thanks, bro,” said Jake, as he hung up the phone.

Jake sat and thought about the phone call. All he had to do was get his hands on that little black book Mr. Anders keeps in his desk. It would have all the information the police would need. He could collect the $20,000 reward and disappear. Jake dismissed the idea quickly, “that’s a death sentence.” Although, it would mean he would never have to fight again. Jake thought about it once more, then jumped up, grabbed his backpack, and ran out the door.

Jake knew the club would be on high alert with the discovery of another dead fighter by police. Jake took the chance and went anyway. Mr. Anders was surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?” he asked Jake. “I think I left my headphones in the back last night,” Jake answered. “Well hurry and get them,” Mr. Anders urged, “we’re going to lock this place up in case the police come snooping.” Jake headed back towards his locker room, but turned around and watched Mr. Anders head towards the front of the building. Jake ducked into Mr. Anders’ office and found the notebook in his desk drawer. Jake shoved the notebook in his backpack and hurried out of the building.

Jake knew Mr. Anders would discover the missing notebook quickly, especially with everything going on, so he ran straight to the police department and didn’t look back. Jake walked into the police station and everyone stopped to look at him. A detective walked over to Jake and asked if he was there to give them information on the underground fight ring. Jake shook his head, “if I give you this information, you have to give me protection.” “If the information is worth it,” started the detective, “then you have yourself a deal.” “Oh, it’s worth it!” Jake said confidently.

The little black notebook had all the information in it the police needed to bring down the whole organization. Mr. Anders was arrested and held on several charges, including murder. The notebook also led to the arrest of several distinguished businessmen in town. Jake received the $20,000 reward, and was relocated by the police. He is finally free of his debt to Mr. Anders, and never has to fight again.