Reckless - Memoirs from the End of the World

Superman [Part 3]

"Good fight." It was Blake.

"Okay."

"Listen I have to tell you something."

"Spit it out then."

"Rob wants to fight you."

"Really?" I was surprised and I didn't like it. Rob knew I would beat him, he had to have a game plan, "Like a fair fight?"

"Come on Nam, of course it is." I knew him well enough now, he was lying his ass off.

"I don't want to fight."

"Well then I guess I'll just take all of this from you then, Superman." Rob had come in, he was probably outside listening and waiting to make such a grand entrance.

"What?"

"You will fight me, all those dicks out there calling YOU Superman, they all want to come here to see you huh? Well I guess I need to remind them who built this place, who made Superman."

"Rob, honestly?" He never answered, just looked at me with envy, "Man, this whole fighting thing was your Goddamn idea, you forced me into it and now what? Now you don't like it? What the fuck is wrong you?" He pointed his gun at me and walked closer.

"That's right, it is always me that makes things turn around here, every story has an end and I think its time to finish yours off now." The gun was pressed against my temple.

"How about I just leave?" I said.

I knew the fight had already started, even before he took a swing at me. He missed obviously.

"You're getting in the ring."

I had to give it to him; he started training real hard, even brought in a couple of guys to help him. Before I knew it there were even more fighters entering Dogville, all with one intent; to become the Superman.

"Dogs and bitches! Welcome to one of the most renowned fighting tournaments in the world!" The host announced, the crowed cheered ready for blood, "The best one yet, I guarantee it, the winner gets a one on one brawl the King himself, woooooo!" The crowd was in a frenzy.

"Listen Nam," it was Blake, "take it easy yeah, you've never done this many fights in one tourney before." That's right, I was pretty much up against everyone, eight fights in total.

"I don't care Blake; I don't care how many men I kill today."

"You can make this real easy for yourself."

"Fuck off Blake."

"God damn Nam, always the hero huh?"

"Maybe you should sign up."

"I ain't stupid," he walked off.

My first opponent was a big stocky lad; he was angry, real angry. His eyes were fierce and he wore his grimace well. I wondered if there were any humans left.

"Introducing, Big Mel the champion of Roads!" Didn't matter how many jeers he got, mine were always louder, the crowd chanted Superman over and over. "Fight!"

He came running, grunting like a real dog and waiting to strike. I dodged his punch but it he kept running and took me with him. I knew it, he had been pumped up with something, his body rock hard, inhumanly hard. Fucking cheaters, I expected nothing less. He came at me as I tried to get back up, a simple dodge roll allowed me to do so. I stood up and thrust my boot in his back; he lost his balance and that's when I mounted him, my arms around his neck, choking him to the ground. He struggled and tried his best to release my grip but it was too late. As he slept I cracked his neck and left him to die.

The crowd; ecstatic.

That was an easy one. I think they had hoped I wasn't ready, that years of winning had made me complacent. But I had known this time would come eventually and I trained for it. I mean what else was there to do? No one was stupid enough to attack us now, no one was reckless enough to try anything. We were pretty much a superpower now.

So I trained, knowing this day would come.

The next two fighters were allowed to double team me. One had rocks on his knuckles and the other was short and fast. The little one would stay out of sight as best he could and attack when the big guy with rocks got a shot or two off me. This one was easy. The big guy came in for what he though would be an easy hit and the little man followed. I caught the rocks with my bare hands and smashed into little man. I laughed because it was so damn poetic as the rocks bashed his skull in full force. I didn't even break a sweat.

Rob was growing desperate and that desperation became a whole new level of cruelty.

"Great people of Dogville, the next fighter to lose will get a consolation prize in the efforts of keeping spirits high." Spirits had to be kept high after I kept knocking them all out one by one. "The loser of the next fight takes this one home," I should've guessed. It was Penelope, the woman I would pay for, over and over. They were going to give her away as a slave. Her eyes fixated on mine, that desperation, the sadness.

I didn't have time for it and if anything it just made me mad. My next fight was pretty much a massacre, this guy. I just threw him around like a rag doll until he had no skin left. He kept shouting that he had gone and given up but that was my choice to make. I beat him so hard the crowd went silent. Didn't think these people had any shock left in them guess I was wrong. My opponent breathed his last as broke the last bone in his body. His eyeballs were all over the place and his body bent in ways it shouldn't have.

"It saddens us greatly but the rules are rules, the loser has faced death and therefore so out his prize."

Motherfuckers, they slit her throat; the blood was on the ground in seconds. Bye bye Penelope. Thank you for giving that little bit more, to keep fighting, to keep killing.

I stayed silent, no matter what they threw at me I just let my fists do the talking. Hell the had me dodging arrows and fighting, they had me pelted with rocks and fighting, they even set the ring on fire. But it didn't matter how many arrows pierced my skin or how many rocks bounced. It didn't matter how hot my skin got, I wanted Rob.

They lied to me. Eight fights would have been easy; I was on my twelfth one. The crowd had thinned out and I was getting real tired, my body was hurting. The only thing that was keeping me going was Rob.

TBC...