I made sure that everyone was asleep before leaving the safety of my house. I had locked the door behind me and started to make my way down the path that I normally took to get to the fighting arena.
My whole body was tense as I made my way to it, my eyes flicking back and forth, trying to see what was in the shadows of the trees that I passed. It was silent; not a sound filled the air as I walked through the woods. No creatures were stirring, and I wonder if it was because of the still falling snow.
The moon peeked through clouds, lighting my path as I made my way through the woods.
Quickly, I wove in and out of the trees, making sure that some paths lead in the wrong direction as I made my way to the place. I wanted to make sure that it would be harder for others to find this old building, even though I knew that some of the officers knew where it was.
Jeb was one of them. He used to make sure that I was away before he and others raided the place, knowing full well that I wouldn't have been able to pay. He was the one that had shown me the gym where I now worked, trying to make sure that I wouldn't end up on the streets. He and Robbie were like the parents that I never had, looking out for me when I needed them the most.
I shook my head and cursed myself about thinking about him. I knew that he wouldn't like it if he found out that I had been, but that was something that I was going to worry about later.
Right now, it was about me and bashing heads in until I felt better.
A whistle sounded through the trees as I appeared on top of the hill and looked down to see an old warehouse standing surrounded by fences and cameras.
Four large guard dogs were set loose on me, barking up a storm. They both bared their teeth at me and growled, trying to scare me away from the place.
I regarded them with disinterest and continued my pace towards the old warehouse. As soon as the dogs were near me, I pointed my finger ahead of me and told them, "prohibere," and they stopped moving and whined an apology.
One of the dogs trotted over to me and sniffed my scent. He wagged his tail in greeting and nudged my hand to be petted.
I bit back a chuckle, knowing this dog, and scratched behind his ear. "Hello, Old Man," I said, still making my way towards the building. "Are they still putting you to work?"
The dog barked and licked my gloved hand. He and the others ran back the way that they had come.
The front gate opened, and two large men came out carrying something to clean up my trail so that I didn't have to go in a different direction. They nodded when they passed me, keeping silent and going to do their jobs.
I walked through the gate and went to the back where the fighting would be held and knocked on the door, using the only code that I knew.
The eye thing opened, and two brown eyes peered down at me. "Wrong code," a gruff voice said, and I rolled my eyes and scowled. "Come back never."
"Come now, Xander," I said, letting my voice become deeper than I would have had it. "Are you really going to send your "favorite" person away, empty-handed?"
"Yes." He shut the eyepiece, and I snorted.
I folded my arms across my chest and tapped my finger on my arm, standing in the same spot. I knew that he was waiting to see if I would go and leave.
The door opened, and a pudgy man stood in the doorway, blocking my way in. A scowl was on his face, and I couldn't help but smirk. "Where have you been, Red?" he asked.
"Around," I replied. "Can I come in?"
"Hmph."
"You know that you aren't getting anything out of me, Xander. You can snoop around all you want, but it will do you no good."
He grunted and moved away for me to pass. "It's good to see that you are still alive and not been shot. Them cops keep showing up and sending people to jail. I'm surprised that there had been nobody shot in here."
I shrugged my shoulder. "Some are good people," I said, defending Jeb. If it weren't for him, I'd probably have no way to gain the kids because it was illegal.
"I know this, Red," Xander said, raising his hands to indicate that he meant no ill will. "But some of them don't care for us. Hell, where I live, there are only two cops that I can say I trust."
"One for me," I grunted. Though he is the only one that I do know, I thought. "Can I go through?"
He nodded his head and gestured towards the door. "Go on through. You know the way?"
I had started to make my way towards the entrance when he got out of my way and paused to look at him. I smirked. "Like home," I replied before going the rest of the way to the area that we fought and drank and had a good night.