Ace Of Spades (Complete Raw First Draft, Unedited)

Two: Poison

It was dark down the alley, but I knew the fourth person was Clyde. No one else I knew swore as much as he was now.

I clutched my side, already feeling the bruises forming, and stumbled toward them to help him out.

He was grinning like a mad man as he let the guy drop, unconscious, to the ground after slamming his head into the brick wall a few times. Then he swung back to the others as they hesitated.

I had the element of surprise, and jumped the guy closest to me, shoving him into the wall. I swung wildly at him as he pushed himself away from the bricks and came at me again.

Now that the odds were even, two on two, I managed to land a few satisfying blows, and what remained of the trio started backing up as Clyde joined me, thumping my shoulder reassuringly as we advanced on them.

"You good, Acey?" He asked me, his words slurring, telling me that he was just as drunk as I was.

"Yeah, man," I responded.

"Cool," he replied, "because I'm too fucking wasted for this shit, right now."

I heard a soft click, and glanced down to the switchblade he was twirling around his fingers like a pro. The other two noticed it as well. Clyde jumped at the bigger of the two and pinned him against the wall, raising the knife.

Clyde was slightly taller, but the other guy was bigger, similar to my build; stocky, broad shouldered and muscular. He might have been able to fight him off, but Clyde looked fucking insane, and he was pressing the knife firmly against the side of the other guy's face.

"You like hurting girls, huh?" He growled, putting even more pressure on the knife. He grinned, eyes flashing, and even I shuddered at the look he was wearing. "Me and Ace are gonna be up all night, digging your fucking graves."

The second guy made to grab Clyde and tear him away, but I grabbed him first and sucker punched him, then kicked him to the ground when he doubled over.

"You stay the fuck down, if you know what's good for you," I hissed at him, pushing his face against the filthy floor of the alley. He struggled to get up, but I held him there with one hand.

The guy Clyde had hold of started swearing and struggling as well. Clyde let him go, and I noticed the blood dripping down the side of his face where Clyde had cut him. I took it as my cue to let my guy up as well.

Then, the two of them turned and ran, leaving their still unconscious mate behind.

I heaved out the breath I'd been holding, still pulsing with adrenaline. Clyde grinned, slapping my back.

"You okay, buddy?"

I nodded, wishing I could muster the same sort of enthusiasm he was showing. I hadn't been in many fights before, and most of them had been when I was at school. I always tried to talk my way out of shit instead of throwing fists, or drawing knives. It was stupid, trying to take three guys at once, and I'd come out of that lucky, considering.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied. "You?"

I didn't need to ask, he was always okay after something like this. The guy was never as happy as when he'd bust his knuckled open on some dudes jaw.

"You fight like a pussy," he teased, and I flipped him off.

"Where's Bonnie?" I wondered.

"She's with that chick," he told me, leading the way back to the street. "She was pretty freaked out, when she ran off."

"Can't blame her for that," I grumbled.

He shrugged, leading the way across the street to some skips lining the brick wall.