Despite being paired up, the tension between Allie and Lauren was still palpable so they didn't say much to each other. Lauren was still salty about their confrontation from earlier that morning. Even still, she was the first to break the silence.
"So what did you do before... this?" she asked.
"I used to be a ballet dancer," Allie said.
"Really, that's cool. I was a former model."
"Good for you," Allie said unimpressed and disinterested.
"I suppose it's just a job like any other, you know? You don't even have to be good looking, which is a common misconception. It has a lot to do with having the right makeup artist, lighting, finding the right angles, and of course post production touch-ups. You'd be surprised at some of the before and after photos. Some models are unrecognizable. Also, some photoshoots take all day and then the photographer takes a million photos. Then they spend hours selecting the best one, and even more time touching it up. So a lot goes into one shot."
"Imagine what it's like being my age and a model. Agencies want that youthful look so the models keep getting younger and younger. It actually causes a lot of girls to develop really low self-esteem."
Allie couldn't have looked more disinterested. She was used to being around violence and toughness where beauty held very little value. She kept focused on the task and didn't engage with Lauren at all. Eventually, they drifted further apart.
Neither of them had spent much time in the wilderness before so they needed to look out for each other. After several minutes, Allie felt that something was off. Perhaps being a professional MMA fighter, she had a heightened awareness for danger. She felt this weird sensation as if someone was watching her. She looked around, but couldn't see anyone. That's when she noticed Lauren was no longer in sight.
"Lauren," she called out, but there was no answer. "Lauren!" she said again, this time a little louder. Again, the sound was absorbed by the forest and her calls were left unanswered.
Allie dropped everything and went running in the last direction she had seen Lauren wander off. Picking up her pace, Allie was careful not to lose her footing. She eventually arrived at a steep embankment and figured Lauren must have ventured to the other side.
Allie used her hands and feet to ascend the mound quickly. Once at the top, she looked down the other side and saw Lauren lying unconscious on the ground with a strange man on top of her.
"Hey!" Allie yelled out, sliding down the embankment without hesitation. Her fighter instinct took over and she charged ahead to rescue Lauren.
The man turned around and glared at Allie with a menacing look — the kind of look a predator makes when narrowing in on its prey. The man rose up and stood with a confident posture, Allie was now only a few paces away approaching with a matching bravado.
As someone who was no stranger to combat, Allie marched forward. Having been bullied herself and losing all her family in the war, she was battle hardened and fueled with hatred and rage, especially toward some pathetic lowlife scumbag trying to take advantage of an innocent girl.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked, reaching for the gun that was tucked in the back of her jeans.
She aimed the gun at the man, but before she could utter another word, she was blindsided with a head-rattling blow. The impact sent her crashing to the ground, knocking the wind out of her and sending the gun flying out of her hand in some unseen direction. She quickly looked for the gun, but it was nowhere in sight.
'There's two of them,' Allie said to herself, feeling stupid for being too hasty and walking into a trap.
Allie had been here before. Relying on her experience in training in the cage, she gathered her wits. In the haze of confusion, she was trying to piece together what had hit her. It felt as if she had been sideswiped by an eighteen wheeler. Her instinct kicked in and she knew she had to get back to her feet and fight.
Standing over her was a nasty and dirty man, early thirties, medium build. His lip curled up with a creepy smile encompassed by a greasy and disheveled beard. His sinister eyes looking at her with malicious intent.
"What are you two ladies doing out in the woods all by yourselves? Did you get lost?" he asked.
"I'd tell you two meatheads to walk away, but what would be the fun in that?" Allie said, returning to her feet with a sinister look of her own.
Both men started laughing at the tiny girl making such big threats.
"What are you going to do?" one of the men asked.
"Yeah, please don't hurt us," the other said sarcastically. They both started laughing hysterically, mocking Allie as if she were too small and outmatched to pose any serious threat to them.
The first mistake the men made was picking a fight with a former world champion cage fighter. The second mistake was letting her get back to her feet. The third mistake was giving her a chance to catch her breath. Every second that passed gave Allie more time to recover. She cracked her neck and stretched out her shoulders.
"This isn't yoga, honey."
"Yeah, careful, don't hurt yourself!"
This time Allie didn't respond. She walked straight toward the nearest man and kicked him swiftly in the groin. The pain buckled him and brought him to his knees. With his head in perfect position, she clenched the back of his neck in a Muay Thai clench and drove her knee into his face several times in rapid succession. The man's nose broke instantly, his lip split open, and blood oozed out of several cuts she had opened up on his face. After being knocked unconscious, his dead weight collapsed as she released her grip and tossed him aside.
She had now set her sights on the other man, who stood dumbfounded. His demeanour had changed and was now backing up defensively.
Lauren began to move, regaining consciousness. She had an abrasion on her forehead and appeared to be dazed and confused. Staring at the man in front of her, she began to get an understanding of the danger she was in. She looked down at her ripped clothing and was thankful Allie had come to rescue her when she did.
Like a fan with front row seats to a prize fight, Lauren scooted back and watched the action unfold. Allie had the fierce look of a champion as she marched forward. The last man standing didn't want to underestimate his pint-sized opponent, so he raised his hands to engage.
Stepping into punching range, the man threw first, but Allie's speed and agility were on another level. He was muscular, but didn't appear to have any martial arts training. Using evasive head movement, Allie easily slipped out of the way and landed a four-punch combo with blinding speed. She was just too fast and skilled to be any sort of match for the man who had unknowingly walked into a lion's den.
With mounting frustration and anger, the man threw a looping punch that was far too laboured and telegraphed to have any chance of landing. Allie quickly countered with an uppercut and then delivered a crushing leg kick, digging her shin into the meaty part of the man's thigh. The slick combo caused the man to limp in pain. She delivered another kick to the same spot. This time, the man dropped to one knee. This gave Allie open pasture to perform one final finishing move.
With the grace and elegance of a ballerina, Allie spun around with dizzying speed, landing a devastating roundhouse kick to his temple. It was the kind of highlight-reel manoeuver that one would replay in slow motion and share on social media. Lauren had no idea who Allie was, but was beginning to think she was not a former ballet dancer.
Allie hadn't even broken a sweat. She walked over to Lauren confidently and asked her if she was okay. Lauren had a look of awe on her face.
"That was... incredible," she said. "Who are you?"
"I'll explain later. I need you to go back to camp. Do you remember how to get there?"
"I... I don't...?"
"Just head in that direction," Allie pointed. "Camp is about twenty minutes away. If you get lost, stay there and I will find you. Okay?"
"Uh... okay," Lauren said, clearly still out of it.
"Lauren, listen to me. You're concussed so your brain is still a little scrambled. Just start walking in that direction and you will eventually reach camp, okay? With time, you will start to think more clearly. Now go."
"What about you?" Lauren asked, showing concern.
"I'll catch up with you, but first, I have some unfinished business to take care of."