The Mysterious Demon

-Dominic’s POV-

It’s been three weeks now since I’ve left and made it to London. My true home. From what I could tell, my legs were pretty much fully recovered and I was that little bit freer.

I had been staying at my biological parents’ home ever since I left America. The only reason I knew where it was was that Nick had once told me that he bought the house as soon as he could in order to preserve the little we had of our biological parents.

I was in a place that felt so weird to me. I was stood in a place I knew so little about whereas in America I knew everything but I liked it this way. It was like a new opponent and I was ready to fight.

23:00

I put my mask on, wrapped my hand with bandages, and went towards a bar I had come to find using some research was the best street fighting bar in London. Fortunately, one of the few things I had brought with me was my street fighter ID so getting into the bar wasn’t a problem and once I was in, I couldn’t help but let a grin land on my face. I had missed this.

However, when I went to sign up for a fight my grin faltered.

“Get lost doll-face! This isn’t a place for a pretty little lady like yourself,” the guy doing the sign-ups said, laughing when I got to the station. “You belong in my bed, not in the ring!” he carried on which made me scoff and put my ID on the table. He immediately stopped laughing once who saw it and his mouth hung open a little bit. “You’re kidding, right? You’re not actually-?” He scanned my hidden face and then looked back at the card, face going white, “I’ll sign you in right away” I smiled back at him, “thank you.”

Not long passed when a match ended and the same guy who signed me in came to commentate, announcing the next match.

“HELLO, MY BEAUTIFUL CROWD! IS EVERYONE ENJOYING THEIR NIGHT!?” He asked through the mike and people screamed out in reply, sounding like music to my ears. “GLAD TO HEAR IT ‘CUZ WE’VE GOT SOMETHING SPECIAL COMING IN NEXT! FIRST OF ALL, COME ON UP DESTROYER!!” My ears perked at this name, it was familiar. I looked at the man who walked into the ring, he had a similar build to Xavier but was a little shorter. Everyone cheered at the announcement, it was also a familiar cheer. One that was saved for the best.

“NOW WHO WILL GET TO FIGHT ENGLAND’S STRONGEST FIGHTER TONIGHT?!” Ah yes, that’s right. No wonder I thought he was familiar. He was Mr fourth strongest. “COMING ALL THE WAY FROM AMERICA, THE SECOND STRONGEST STREET FIGHTER IN THE WORLD AND DRAWED AT FIRST OF THE U. S, PLEASE COME UP… THE MYSTERIOUS DEMONNN!!” I was announced and a grin made it’s way to my face. I walked up to the ring in confidence. People around me looking at me with either shock or hate and the number of bets were rising.

I stood at my corner of the ring, watching Destroyer at his, and my hand went up to my chest going in to grab- oh.. I froze for a second. I had forgotten that I didn’t have my jacket with me anymore and that hurt. Usually, before a fight, Xavier would give me some sort of encouragement and it wasn’t until that very moment that I realized I needed it. It was our routine and now I was a mess. He wasn’t here with me, to watch me, to congratulate me on my win-

I shook my head at myself. I couldn’t let these thoughts consume me. I was going to win this match. I swore to myself that I’d never lose again and no matter what, I was going to prove to Xavier that I am strong and I deserve to be a street fighter.

The commentator stood in between us and after a short countdown, we were told to start. “We meet again M. D,” Destroyer says while taking a few swings to which I easily dodge. “Indeed we do. I can’t wait to beat you the same way I beat you a month ago,” I tease which I could tell made his adrenalin pumping. This time he quickly moved towards me before doing a turning kick which caught me off guard. From what I remembered his moves were more the boxing type the last time we fought so I hadn’t expected taekwondo from him. The kick went through my block and I collided onto the floor. He was fast and quickly came down with his elbow which made me groan when it hit my rib. Crack.

My breathing suddenly got tight and I started to panic when suddenly I remembered: I wasn’t going to lose.

The destroyer was getting into a headlock position, one I was familiar with so I didn’t let him have the pleasure of holding me down any longer. First, I elbowed his own neck sharply which loosed his legs from my torso. Then, I grabbed his arm and pulled him around me and under me. I kept twisting his arm behind his back and held his head down with my other hand, pushing him down, holding my position and pushing until I heard a pop from his shoulder, earning me a load moan of pain from him. I leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “Tap out or I’ll break your legs too,” and with that his free hand hesitantly slammed down three times.

“DESTROYER TAPPED OUT, M. D YOU ARE THE WINNER!” I let go of the Destroyer and stood up with a happy sigh which mixed into the cheers I got from the crowd. I walked out of the ring, grabbed my money, and made my way through the crowd, people congratulating me and high fiving me on the way out.

But once I walked out of the door, my smile vanished. I felt alone. Empty. The darkness around me only encouraged this feeling. Shadows around me reminded me of the people I left behind. Was leaving the right thing for me to do?

My mind spiralled and I couldn’t think straight so my hands instinctively went to my pocket and took out a cigarette. I lit one up and put it in my mouth, breathing in a deep breath.

The silence I was in was then disrupted by a voice shouting behind me but not at me. “What the fuck was that?! You lost to a girl! I bet over five thousand pounds on you and I lost it! You’re a liar too! You didn’t come second place a month ago, you lost to her then too!” I frowned at these words. It wasn’t what a trainer should be saying to his trainee even if he had lost. It was definitely the Destroyer who was being shouted at and the shouting continued until I lost my patience.

I turned a wall and faced the two, “will you shut the fuck up already? Your voice pisses me off.” The trainer scoffed when he saw me whilst the Destroyer looked at me with curiosity. I blew out some smoke and stepped into the light. “You’re lucky you’re not dead mate, I’m sure Destroyer could crush you instantly if he wanted to. In fact, I’m not sure why he hasn’t already.” I stepped closer to the two until I was face to face with the trainer who was conveniently my height.

“If you were my trainer,” I started, bringing the lit side of my cig closer to his face, “I’d make sure you bowed down to me and if you said anything in protest, I step on you like the low life you are. So Fuck off.” I threatened in all seriousness. He seemed to get the message clearly, fear evident in his quivering hands.

“S-shut up!” He said before quickly turning around and leaving which made me chuckle to myself, Destroyer joining in.

“Thanks for that,” He said and I turned to him, noticing him holding the shoulder I popped earlier. “What me to fix it?” I motioned towards his shoulder and he looked at me confused. “Isn’t it broken?” “No, just dislocated.” I put my cigarette back in my mouth and grabbed a hold of his shoulder and arm-, “hey wait-” -and popped them back into place. “Fucking hell!” he yelled but after a moment he moved it around with little to no problem.

“Thanks..” he said, a little shocked which made me smirk. “No problem man,” “You surprisingly don’t sound very American. If anything, you would like you’re from here… are you?” He then asked slowly. I grinned at his question, finishing off the cig and stepping on it.

“It wouldn’t be much of a mystery if I told you.”

I then turned to start walking away but, “I’ll see you tomorrow then?” he called out which made me laugh, shaking my head a little and lifting an arm, signalling a good-bye, leaving his question unanswered.

01:00Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I leaned against the railing of London Bridge and looked out at the river while smoking another cig.

I felt alone again.

Watching another breath of smoke dance in the wind as it floated away, I uttered the words,

“I miss you.”

.