Cheers erupted from all angles of the warehouse, echoing through the space, through my ears and through my nervous system.
"Welcome to this enthralling Monday night!" The man began, his eyes circling the crowd, his face clean shaven, wearing a cheap suit and tacky shoes "We are all here for one reason, and that one reason is to watch, the biggest, meanest, bloodiest fight any of us have ever seen!"
With each pointless sentence the presenter spoke, the fans and on-watchers roared and shouted. I couldn't fathom the number of sadism in one room.
While the hype continued around me, my eyes scanned the area, searching for familiar faces. The ones that I had both wanted and not wanted to see. I hoped Brad was somewhere nearby, knowing that he was another trusting face on our side. It was as I did so, that I stopped on two faces I knew all too well.
I froze at the sight of Dillon and Jaz, both whom stood on the opposite side of the large gap between us. My eyes burned into their faces, and I hoped that in some miraculous miracle, I would sporadically develop laser vision, melting the grins off their smug expressions.
They must have sensed the heat on their cheeks, because it didn't take long for them to spot me too. Jaz folded his arms and gave me a blood-curdling wink, while Dillon blew me a kiss that landed in the pit of my stomach with disgust.
I shuddered and tried to remember what Phoenix had told me. I couldn't let them belittle me, it was weak and it was destroying me from the inside out.
Nova had also noticed the faces, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, staring directly at them with his lips pulled into a tight line. Like an intimidating stand off in progress, Dillon and Jaston were sided with the appearance of Reid and when I noticed the next person to join them, my mouth hit the floor.
"What is he doing here?" I mumbled, shocked
"Who?" Nova had heard me, leaning down to my ear, watching me carefully with knotted eyebrows
"Oscar" I couldn't believe the name as I spoke it, my eyes glued on my old friend who had not yet noticed me on the other side.
"I guess he's here to support his brother, I haven't seen him in a long while" Nova shrugged
"Last time we heard they weren't on speaking terms" Harlan joined in conversation, standing beside me with his arms over his broad chest, his muscle intimidating to anyone who saw him.
"His brother?" I repeated, unable to pick the pieces up and put them logically together
"Gonzales, Garret Gonzales is Oscar's older brother Eden, you didn't know?" Nova asked me while the low music changed again, this time returning to it's high bass and overpowering loudness
I shook my head "No"
The sounds of cheering quickly became louder then ever before, nearly shaking the fragile steel structure of the warehouse. It was due to the presenter, who had just introduced Phoenix's competition, Garret Gonzales.
"You ain't ever seen a man fight like this man right here before, he is one mean, keen fighting machine who destroys anyone or anything in his path. If you dare see this man in a dark alley, you better start running like hell. Undefeated, violent and unforgiving, we welcome back the one, the only, the Great Gonzales!"
My balance was challenged as the floor shook with noise. Noise that was support for this man, this man that had committed so many heinous crimes against so many innocent people. I thought about Phoenix and Jett's sister, I thought about myself. I wondered if anyone's opinion would change if they knew the full story, if they knew what he was really capable of.
The presenter had described him to a T, but he, nor anyone else knew just how honestly real it had been. This wasn't a game, this wasn't a show, this was brutality at it's finest.
For the first, and hopefully for the last time, I saw Gonzales as he entered with two men by his side.
Time stood still and the eerie similarities between him and his brother, hit me in the face like a cold hard slap against my cheek. They had the same eyes, the same skin, the same face shape, but at the same time, were two completely different people.
Gonzales was build like a truck, the muscle on his bare chest and arms brooding and defined. His black hair was swooped back with large amounts of hair gel to keep the length from interrupting his view.
As support growled for him, my stomach rolled. He reveled in it, throwing his arms up, egging them on. He smiled a perfect set of teeth that looked as though they hadn't taken a single punch while he circled the square space in the middle of the warehouse.
Suddenly, I was the one wishing I had a pistol, or a knife. One single round, or stab, would end him, end this, put him in the one place he really belonged. I grit my teeth as I watched on, wishing there was something I could do to pay this man back for the misery he had caused so many.
Rummaging through my livid thoughts, I was yanked away by the sound of Phoenix's introduction.
"Fighting runs in the blood of our challenged fighter, and he has not disappointed! This man is always the one to watch, young, experienced and the darkest of horses in the stallion pack, you better watch your girls tonight guys, give a shout, give a cheer for the one and only Phox Marx!"
In a surprising reaction, the crowd of onlookers cheered just as loudly as they had for Gonzales. They seemed to be at an even popularity, supporters unsure of who to follow, or simply there to watch them both kill one another.
I winced at the presenters characteristic description. It was the furthest thing from what I knew Phoenix to be in the last few weeks I'd known him.
Appearing from the mass group Phoenix squeezed through to the ring, Jett and Rocco in follow. The second I saw him, my heart jumped out of my chest, my breathing becoming unstable and shallow. What I was about to witness could never be forgotten or erased from my memory, it would remained there, etched out in detail, haunting me for the rest of my life.
Instead of running around the ring like Gonzales had, Phoenix raised his hands, subtly thanking those who were genuinely supporting his safety and prevail.
I hadn't seen Phoenix in this stance in a long time, and it brought back a lot of unwanted memories. His hands were bound in thick protective bandage, his teeth covered by a clear mouth guard. He wore nothing but a pair of knee length baggy shorts and sneakers, just like Gonzales did. There was no protection for his organs, his heart, or his brain. He was unguarded and vulnerable for serious damage.
Phoenix and Gonzales were pulled together in the very center of the fighting ring. The man in the cheap suit that had introduced them stood between them playing the referee as well as the presenter. I could see the look in both their eyes, their lips moving as they spoke inaudible words to one another.
Whatever they said, it set them both on edge. I hadn't ever seen Phoenix's gaze so wild before, he looked terrifying, and I couldn't help but be worried for Gonzales.
With the two nose to nose, I noticed the differences in them. Phoenix was taller, but Gonzales was bigger. Gonzales was calmer than Phoenix, smiling at the anger he pulled from Phoenix. There was no way I could even guess who would win and who would lose. But I was about to have an idea.
When the referee slash presenter stepped backwards, removing himself from the pair, it began.
Cheers exploded, instructions and demands from the crowd being thrown out in a desperate attempt to win a probable bet.
Unintentionally, I grasped Nova's hand in mine, squeezing when the men's hands went up in fists, ready.
For a minute, the two just danced around one another, deciding who would take the first punch. Growing frustrated, I could tell Phoenix was losing his patience. He needed to take his time, but he wanted to pummel Gonzales, and for good reason.
Eventually, with Gonzales taunting him, he gave in. Phoenix took one powerful right swing toward his face, earning a shouting from his brother.
As expected, he had missed, and that's when Gonzales fought back, landing a left hand into his unguarded jaw. I cringed as Phoenix took the blow.
It hadn't been a hard punch, instead, it had been a taunting one, an intentional move to get a rise from Phoenix.
It worked.
"Don't lose focus Phoenix!" Nova beside me called, noticing what Jett and I had.
He was letting his hatred and revenge get the better of him.
Again, they watched each other for a minute, and then it began.
This time, Gonzales threw the punch, bending his knees to step forward with force in his arm.
Thankfully, Phoenix was aware and narrowly avoided it, using the moment to counter-attack, throwing his fist toward Gonzales.
Gonzales took the blow, but recovered quickly, dominantly using his left hand to swipe back, missing again.
The next few attacks were fast, mostly consisting of both men swooping each other, ducking and landing fists into each other's jaw.
The match was about even, until a fleeting moment of distraction gave Phoenix opportunity.
With anger in his eyes and revenge on his mind, he took no hesitation in retracting and colliding with a closed hand into Gonzales' face.
Drips of blood flew from his mouth, his guard unprotecting whatever had broken inside. I couldn't help but smile, hoping his perfect set of teeth were now damaged and rigid.
This movement had quickly wiped the grin off Garret's face, seriousness overtaking as he shook it off, glaring at his enemy.
My ears were hot, my hand numb from squeezing Nova so tightly. My lungs were dry and aching, my brain thumping from both the noise and anticipation of what would happen next.
Gonzales stretched his neck out and began his violent assault. His hands were in front of his face, bent as his knees were, his eyes were narrow while he let out a relentless array of punches.
Phoenix moved his feet, bobbing his head with his hands up. The punches collided with his forearms, and I could see that Phoenix was watching him carefully, waiting for that perfect moment.
Seconds later, it came. Jett had even noticed, calling him out on it.
Phoenix took the gap, and executed a right hook upwards, forcefully pounding his iron hand into Gonzales' nose.
Like earlier, a rainfall of blood was thrown through the air, landing on the floor, narrowly missing spectators.
This time, the liquid came from his nose, crimson red as it seeped down his face.
Gonzales was now livid.
Surviving the first few blows meant nothing. It was going to get worse and I knew how quick things could turn.
It took one second, one split second for things to go downhill.
Phoenix had pushed Gonzales, testing him. It appeared that the mocking was now over and done with.
Taking up arms, the pair shuffled towards each other for the third time, Gonzales wiping fresh blood from his nose with the back of his bandaged hand.
Instead of waiting for them to decide who would attack first, Gonzales took to his assault again.
I wondered why he would repeat his movement, knowing that the last time he had done it, he had taken a hard swing to the nose.
Like last time, Phoenix protected his face, and watched, but before he had the chance to find a gap, Gonzales had changed tactics, swinging one arm toward his face, the other down to his ribcage. Unaware, Phoenix blocked his upper but left himself open underneath.
I could hear his ribs crack in my head as the blow collided with his insides. I squeezed my face together, clenching my eyes while Phoenix forced back the pain, slightly hunching. Less than a second later, Gonzales saw a weak spot, and aimed for his face once again. Phoenix wasn't prepared and had been too late to block him.
Blood sprayed from Phoenix's face, an opening taking place on his eyebrow where already scarred tissue had been.
I could almost feel Phoenix's pain, my body reacted with dread and worry. I wanted to wrap myself around him, help him. But I couldn't, all I could do was stand there and watch him be beaten for my own sake. That in itself made me feel aches and pain in a way he did.
I hated what had become of this situation. He had felt guilty for getting me into it, but now I felt guilty for existing in it.
Gonzales' lips spoke words we could not hear, but we could only assume they were derogatory and crude, because Phoenix quickly responded by lunging toward him, only earning another jab to the face.
He was falling for Gonzales traps, and he knew better. Jett was furious, his hands in his hair, ready to yank pieces out.
I shook my head and held my face in my heads, closing my eyes. I didn't want to watch what was happening, it was killing me, along with Phoenix.
"He'll be fine Eden, he'll be fine" Nova called into my ear, rubbing my back
I dared look up, only just in time to see Gonzales thrust his hand into Phoenix again, and again. Phoenix was attempting to block him, but he was struggling to recover from the rib cage blow.
Blood was scattered everywhere, it made my stomach curdle. Mainly because I knew majority of it was now Phoenix's.
Punch after punch, he seemed to sink lower, as though he had already given up. An assortment of bruising and swelling now grew on Phoenix's eye and stomach.
This was it.
Phoenix was hunched over, but Gonzales continued to thrash his head, blood sticking in his hair from unseen wounds beneath.
I didn't know how much more he would take, when would they decide to finally end it. Or would it continue until Phoenix was on the floor, bleeding to death?
Time began to play in slow motion, the hits violent and unforgiving. I was watching someone die in the place of me, and it was so wrong.
I wanted to do something, but I was helpless, useless.
My eyes were wide and dry, stinging as I stared, unblinking and unable to look away, and then slowly, Phoenix's eyes lifted from his bowed position. He knew exactly where I stood, and made contact with my gaze instantly.
For what would have only been a few seconds, we held stare on one another, I watched him, watching me as he fell to his knees.
This was over, he was going to die.
Gonzales knew it just as well as we all did, so his smug expression returned, pausing for a moment as he bent his head down to Phoenix's ear.
I tore my eyes from Phoenix, panicked as to what would happen next, and that's when my eyes made contact with Gonzales.
This was the man who had taken the brothers sister from them, he had destroyed their family and had now destroyed who I now considered to be my family too. I grit my teeth and almost snarled at him in what would have been my angriest state.
Suddenly, I wasn't afraid of him, I did not fear him in any way. I wanted to show him that I was not scared and that I would not fall in the way he had made Phoenix.
While the slow motion continued, I watched as Gonzales spoke something to Phoenix that I couldn't make out, but I was certain it had something to do with me, because like the first time I'd seen Phoenix fight, it pushed him over the edge.
Leg by leg, Phoenix rose, his head swinging around and up, smashing into Gonzales' already broken nose.
Gonzales stumbled backwards, and then time seemed to return to normal again.
Quick movements followed. Phoenix was standing up straight, towering over his prey, he was breathing rigid, and glared down at Gonzales who held onto his nose.
He withdrew his right arm, clenched his fingers and leapt with every ounce of strength he had left.
For a second, I believed that Phoenix was about to end it. Finding his courage and strength to finish what he had started, changing the game in that split second it took.
But I was wrong.
Gonzales had been watching, unbothered and desensitised by his shattered nose bones. As Phoenix had pulled back his arm, Gonzales moved in for the kill, dropping to his knees intentionally to throw his own arm into Phoenix's already damaged chest.
Bones cracked, organs rupturing, and that was it, that was all it took.
22 minutes and 35 seconds and the fight was over. 22 minutes and 35 seconds, and my world had changed forever.
Shouts of both celebration and loss broke out around me. But it faded, blurring together as I ran under the chains separating me from the inside of the ring.
All I could focus on, was Phoenix. All I could think about, was how it had ended.
Nova and Harlan followed closely behind me. Jett and Rocco rushing in from where they stood sidelined on the other side of the ring.
I could hear my heart beating erratically in my ears, my hearing ringing when I reached Phoenix.