Dog Fights

Chapter 10; Smoke and Mirrors

"Ezra!" Josh shouts, startling him back into reality. He looks up, seeing that the father's face had melted into understanding. "Calm down, son, you're going to hyperventilate. Just relax for a moment- we'll talk."

"He's telling the truth," Leon finally speaks, turning to his computer screen. He reaches forward and clicks the monitor on, watching it blink for a moment before the black page with Ezra's picture and bio appears. He sighs. "I know you told me to stop doing this, but I had to see for myself. Look- this is an site used for finding and trafficking escaped supernatural fighters. This is his file."

Josh eyes his son for a moment, stepping forward and leaning down to see the screen. He looks at the picture, glancing at the vampire for a moment before looking back at the monitor. "One hundred and thirty six kills?" Josh asks, "were those the other creatures you were put against?"

Ezra stops moving, looking at the man. "One hundred and thirty six?" he asks quietly, disbelief showing in his watering eyes, "that many?"

"How long did you do these, 'dog fights'?" Josh asks, using the arrow key to scroll down the different categories under Ezra's name. He never would have guessed there was so much to know about him.

"I don't know," Ezra stutters, "I think a little over five years- but I never had any sense of time while I was there."

"Wait." Leon leans against his desk next to his father, scrolling back up to something the other had passed by. "Ezra- did you ever travel to fight?"

He hesitates, drawing back memories of dark and cold cages and boxes. "We did, but never out of the city. Anyone that wanted to go against me came here."

"It says your next fight is the annual Hidden Powers ring," Leon says, reading the text, "isn't that a huge fighting arena?"

Ezra steps forward, ignoring Josh's look as he puts his hand on Leon's shoulder and leans over. "It says active," Ezra says, furrowing his eyebrows down, "I'm still signed up for it. Why would I not be taken off?"

"Well, wouldn't that hurt that guy's reputation?" Leon's mother asks, looking over Josh's shoulder the same way Ezra is to Leon, "if that's a big fight- it'd be a lot of money. He's probably waiting until last minute to pull your name."

"That might be why they turned to the police to find you," Leon says, pointing at the next line. "Look, the date of the fight is the next full moon. They don't have that long to find you."

"That's really brave," Ezra says quietly, "he has a lot of confidence to keep my name on there without having me ready to fight... He must have a lead, or know something I don't that's keeping him so sure of himself."

"It does say your status is spotted," Leon says, "but I don't see why they wouldn't seize you as soon as they had the chance; they'd be missing a huge opportunity. And with so little time left-"

The group jumps as something begins to ring downstairs, the shrill high pitched noise making Ezra cringe. "What is that?" Ezra hisses, feeling worry pang in his chest as Josh turns and hastily exits the room.

"That's the security alarm," Leon say quietly, paranoia reading clear in his voice. Leon's mother runs after her husband, Ezra tensing up as Leon grabs his arm and pulls him back before he can follow the adults.

"That was the backdoor alarm," Leon says in a quiet voice, gripping tight to Ezra's arm, "just quiet; wait."

Ezra stands stiff, practically hearing Leon's pounding heart. His hand feels hot against his cool skin, sweat loose on his palm as he stands frozen. Quiet fills the house, silent except for the occasional footstep or breathing. He doesn't realize he's holding his breath until his lungs begin to burn.