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After having a heated argument with Brett, he was left with a decision to make. Brett let him on some interesting information. Now he was struggling to focus on his work. He cursed, as he shoved his stool back in frustration. Finally making his mind he began closing up the shop. He couldn't even believe what he was about to do. What he was about put on the line, for some extra cash. Maybe not 'just' extra cash. A whole lot of money that pay off months of rent. Getting in his car, he was off. His jaw set tightly. Eyes forward on the road. It was late out, so other drivers weren't really out and about. His knuckles turned white as his grip on the steering was tight. He knew he shouldn't do this. He had the chance to walk out years ago. He did walk out, not completely problem free though. He just hoped this would be worth it. In fact he would make it worth it. He flew past on the highway, his loud exhaust echoing behind. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a huge gathering on the side of the highway. It looked to be something for street racers, as there were lots of cars. He didn't focus too much on it, more focused on getting to his own destination. Reaching the area in no time, he parked his car a few blocks away from where he needed to go. Locking it up, he pulled his hood up. The streets and sidewalks were like a ghost town. He cut through a few back alleys, in the case he was followed. You never knew around here. Reaching the dark ominous building, he headed down the dark stairs. Checking over his shoulder. Tonight would probably not go to well. Seeing as he was still getting over a hang over. His head didn't hurt as bad as it did earlier, but it could end up getting in the way of the activities he was about to do. The area was silent, only his own steps could be heard. |
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Hannah and the other competitors gathered around a small table, a map of the nearby area laid out. A track that fed through the majority of the highway, around a few blocks at the end and through the streets and back again. The track was risky, they all knew that. There were 2 high activity roads they would be passing through, which would be patrolled by the police. They’d have to be careful with how they went through this track. The rest of it seemed pretty good though, the highway provided a good comeback for anyone who got pushed back in the streets. The race was set to start in 30 minutes, so in the meantime the crowd had spilt into their little groups, the racers and their closer groups checking everything was in place and their cars were prepared. Hannah ran a hand over the smooth exterior of the car, she knew she’d have to play this one smart. Just because there was no money at stake with this individual race, the stakes were high. Get caught and you’re going away, lose and you forfeit your place at the championships, do badly and your reputation and influence were going downhill. Hannah saw a few of the newer competitors she hadn’t met before drinking. She almost laughed, the dumbest thing to do before a race was drink. Sure, it’d take the nerves down, but once it really hits you, there’s no way you’ll be getting a placing in the race. She was standing with a few friends, chatting about the race. None of them had been invited to compete except for Bailey, which didn’t surprise her. They didn’t compete in the big leagues, the smaller less-risky races were more their style. Hannah and Bailey ended up walking off to talk about the race in private. Soon enough, the first shot went off, signalling the competitors to prepare. Nodding to her friends, Bailey and Hannah made their way over to their cars. Bailey gave her a final smile before getting into his. She chuckled but did the same, sliding into the seat. Tucking her phone into the glove compartment once again, Hannah turned on the engine. With everything sounding right, she pulled into the complex and took her designated position. Looking in her mirrors, Bailey was on the other side of her, third in line-up. There was no way he’d be happy about that. Hearing the engines begin to rev, Hannah breathed deeply, calming her nerves and focussing her gaze. Checking the road in front of her had no visible disadvantages that she could see from her car, she nodded to the host. He nodded back and turned to the group of cars. The second shot rang out and they all took off, flying down the beginning of the track. Hannah and Bailey took their usual places in the front, as well as a guy she hadn’t seen before right behind them. He was getting too close to Bailey for Hannah’s comfort. Looking over, she saw Bailey nod at her. Smirking, she turned back to the road. Almost at once, the two of them sped up, watching the other guy struggle to keep up. Soon enough, he was far enough behind for them to relax a little. The track veered to the right, as the pair turned in perfect sync. This was where it was about to get rough. Hannah turned onto the road, the streets around her growing in number of buildings and cars. In the distance, she could hear sirens. Clenching her jaw, Hannah sped up again, just enough to get through the streets before the police caught up to her. Bailey had fallen behind her, but that was the least of her concerns right now. Finally, she could see the beginning of the freeway in front of her. Hannah made it out of the blocks within 5 minutes of entering them, the sirens fading into the distance. Within seconds of her switching onto the freeway, Bailey’s car appeared behind her. A sigh of relief escaping from her, for a minute she was worried he had been overtaken or caught. Smiling, she watched him catch up to her a little, staying far enough back to not threaten her placing. |
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Sergio glanced back again before entering the building, as he could hear sirens in the distance. Shrugging it off, he pounded his fist against the door. Almost immediately the door swung open, a beefy guy stood there. His eyes showed recognition for Sergio, he nodded to him, moving back to let him through. Sergio simply nodded back to him, keeping his head low. Being back here flooded him with memories. Good and bad. He was beginning to feel excited. He'd missed this. It was a huge part of his life a few years back. It was what brought him ease, but also fueled the anger. While he was coming here, he was probably more aggressive before. He'd manage to control it now, but only time would tell if it came bubbling back to the surface. As he walked down the long hall, he could hear muffled cheers and booing. Pulling the door open he was met with a large dimly lit room and crowds of people. Blood, sweat, smoke, and alcohol attacked his nostrils. He began pushing through the people, making his way towards the bar. He had a few people he wanted to greet before he jumped into this mess once again. This was where people who didn't fit into society came to express their pent up anger. The majority having some kind of record with the law. As well as being around the age of late 30's to early 20's. Young kids like him weren't around here. Not just anybody was allowed in here. It was like a 'members only' kinda thing. It was even somewhat strict to get in too. Members couldn't bring non-members. A snitch could be found out in minutes. Although the same people came here every night, there was always tension between the fighters. Thats what made the fights better. Everyone knew who the cocky fighters were, the best ones, and the worst. Finally reaching the counter he leaned over. His hood still up, motioning towards the female bartender. "Aye Zoe, can I get a beer?" He questioned with a smile on his lips, as he recognized the cute brunette. She was about to yell at him to wait, until she saw his face. Zoey moved so fast, in seconds she hopped the counter and was on him. He laughed, his dimples coming out, as he squeezed her. After they pulled away, she slapped his chest. He frowned, rubbing his chest. "You asshole! You never called, or anything!" He scratched the back of his neck, "I know, I know. I got busy." He made a lame excuse, as to why he had disappear for 2 years. Zoey narrowed her eyes at him, just as she was about to say something she was interrupted. "Zoe! What the hell! I'm drowning in orders back here!" A man from behind the counter called, looking frantic. Sergio looked at the man and smiled as he recognized him too. He pulled his hood down, as he watched the man, a smirk playing on his lips. Waiting for him to see him. The man did a double take as he looked at Sergio. His face brightened. "Holy shit! Serg?!" The man, Tony, hollered. After they all greeted each other, Tony and Zoey went back behind the counter. After a quick chat, Tony's eyes brightened at what Sergio said. Tony threw his arms up in the air and hollered loudly, "The Reapers back!" Sergio shook his head, a small smile pulling at his lips. He missed those two. They were close before the incident and Sergio stepped down. Sergio quickly explained to them he was back for good. Soon enough he was signed up to enter the Ring. After Tony made it obvious of Sergio's appearance, people began coming up to him. Greeting him, showing their excitement for his arrival. Sergio was ready to fully immerse himself into this world for a second time. |
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Hannah watched her mirrors carefully, a few more people had rounded the bend and had started on the long fly down the highway. Bailey had reached a respectable distance behind her, giving her enough room to do as she pleased, but close enough to maintain his position in second. Watching as a few racers tried coming up behind her, she smirked, shaking her head softly. The audacity of them was getting crazy. There weren’t any others cars or police in sight, the perfect opportunity to show them what they had been missing while she was gone from the scene. Hannah her mirrors once more before speeding up a great deal. She didn’t want to go any faster than this, it’d be too easy to lose control of the car. It hadn’t happened in the past, but it was always a risk on this type of track. Hannah was confident in her capabilities, no doubt about it, but she didn’t want to push it too far so quickly. Hannah debated for a moment, there was still a good ten minutes before she’d make it back to the end. Plenty of time to really see if she still had her skills. With the people behind her falling behind, except one of them. She frowned, she didn’t recognize the car. Eyes flicking between the road in front of her and the mirror steadily keeping up with her in her mirrors, she scoffed. Turning her music up, the speakers blasting, she leaned back in her seat. Feeling the comfortable nostalgia of it all, Hannah made her decision. Pushing down on the acceleration, easing off the brakes completely. She knew the risks of it, but she needed to know if she was still just as good as she had been before she left it. Watching the road disappear just as it quickly as it came, she grinned, seeing the car that had been close behind her ease off. Behind them, there was nobody else in sight. Hannah watched her surroundings more carefully than ever, pushing 300 km/h. The customisations she’d had done on the car had enhanced the car’s capabilities a serve amount, but there was no way she was going to go that far so early on in her comeback. Hannah remained like this for the next 5 minutes, after that, the end was just ahead. The highway had been an easy drive. Hannah approached the end, refusing to slow. Only once she made it through first, she turned the wheel, drifting off the side, a smooth turn, facing the way she had just came. Turning the car off, Hannah grabbed her phone quickly and got out. She leant against her car, the metal had remained cool luckily. Hannah was curious to see whoever was behind the wheel that had overtaken Bailey. It hadn’t happened before, and the fact they kept up easily until the last 5-10 minutes was only a slight concern to her. Soon enough, the car came into her view. The car had eased off a lot since she pushed it, smirking, she watched the car approach, pulling over to the side next to her. The car was nice, no doubt, but it was clearly no match to her. Raising an eyebrow, she watched warily as the door opened. Hannah’s eyebrow raised as a tall guy got out, he had clear confidence. He walked over to her slowly, checking out the car and then her. Realization flashed in his eyes and he noticed who she was. “My queen, I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced” he murmured to her teasingly. |
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Sergio sat down on the stool, receiving many greetings from the people around. Him being there took the attention off the fighters in the Ring. The fighters even stopped, clearly confusion. Probably thinking they were getting raided by the cops. People stopped everything they were doing to go to Sergio. Zoey and Tony stood behind the counter looking smug. They're faces reading 'thats my best friends.' The crowd of people parted like the red sea at some point. Sergio looked over, he knew who was approaching. Axel. His old trainer and leader to this whole operation. He was an older man, early 40's. His hair was already greying. A stern look always on his face. Sergio gave him a simple nod. The man shooed the crowd away. Axel stood next to Sergio, he patted his back. "I knew you'd come, kid." His voice was gruff. Sergio glanced at him. "You had to send Brett?" He questioned, clearly annoyed. Axel chuckled. "If he gives you a hard time, just put him in the Ring. Speaking of which, your next. Reaper." Axel nodded to him. Sergio could never understand the name he'd received here. Reaper. It was strange and didn't make sense to him. But apparently to everyone else that watched him fight, Sergio looked like he would take their 'soul' after a good knockout. It didn't matter the reason behind it thought, he quickly got used to it. Damn. He missed this. He couldn't wait until he stepped into the Ring. He could just imagine the feeling. Every time it was exhilarating. He felt so alive. Now in the back room he was getting ready. Zoey insisted on wrapping his hands for him, even though he knew how to do it himself. "Can't believe you left me alone with Tony's annoying ass." She muttered. He chuckled as he gazed down at her. "I'm sorry. Won't happen again." He said, honestly. He felt like he could be his true self around the two. Of course, he liked teasing and joking, but he felt like he limited himself. With these two he found it so easy to apologize. Seeing as normally he never apologized for his actions or words. Tony and Zoey were his ride or die kind of friends. He regretted having to leave them. Now that he was here, he didn't want to ever leave again. Tony peaked his head in, "Yo, you're on. Can't believe it's the comeback of the Reaper." He laughed. Sergio smiled. He stood up, while Zoey finished wrapping his hands. His fighting attire consisted of only black basketball shorts. His old ones in fact. His chest on full display. |
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Hannah rolled her eyes at the use of the dumb nickname, most people knew she wasn’t a fan of it, but it wasn’t much use getting them to stop, somebody always came around saying it and it flared up again. She looked over at his car, eyeing it up once more before turning her attention to the man in front of her. It seemed it was only the two of them had made it back yet. The crowd had started to approach her but a few whispers about the interaction going on had seemingly made anyone stop from saying anything. Her eyes flicked over him, before standing up, stepping away from her car. He was hot, no sugar coating it, and he was clearly confident enough to even approach her. A lot of people she raced with never had the guts to attempt to keep up with her, let alone approach her afterwards. Hannah smiled softly, stepping closer to him. Raising her head to look up at him, her eyes twinkled with clear curiosity. “And you are?” she asked him, raising an eyebrow. Hannah had her arms crossed over her ribs, her expression calm but a small smirk showing. He smiled at her, watching her carefully. Hannah could tell he knew all about her, it was rather obvious. The way he had looked at her car and then her and still had the courage to talk to her, it was something new. “Ryan. I noticed your little stunt at the end there, threatened?” Hannah watched him as he stepped towards her, as she had done to him. She could see him up close now, dark hair, brown eyes, way too cocky for her own good. Hannah laughed quietly, looking down before stepping closely to him, her eyes flicking back up. “Threatened, by you? And here I was thinking you knew about me, if you did, you’d know you’re no match for me. My little stunt as you call it, was barely a taste of what I can do. Watch yourself, you might find yourself in a rather- compromising position too quickly” Hannah told him, pushing him back with a hand on his chest. She smirked at him, before turning away from him and disappearing into the cheering crowd. By now, majority of the other competitors had arrived and were standing around watching the interaction between Hannah and Ryan, including Bailey. She saw him move past Ryan after she left, coming after her. Soon enough, he had caught up to her and walked with her up to the front of the crowd. Shaking her head at him, he nodded. He knew Hannah would tell him later, she had made it clear that now wasn’t the time. Hannah and Bailey joined the other competitors at the front, in line of their final placing. She cockily brushed past Ryan, standing in front of him. Hannah heard his quiet laugh, but chose to ignore it. She’d find him later to continue their earlier conversation. |
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Sergio walked out, Tony and Zoey in tow. Barely a step out his nickname was already being chanted. A good feeling settled in his chest. He missed this feeling. He missed everything about the Ring. It was his whole life, for a few good years. He couldn't imagine ever leaving again. This was his peace, even though what he was about to do to his competitor was anything, but peaceful. The Ring was intimidating, first glance. To newcomers, not to Sergio. It brought an excited sparkle in his eyes. His grey eyes not so dull looking anymore. The flooring of the Ring was cement. Meaning one would not want to get body slammed, or else you risk broken bones. Surrounding the perimeter of the circled Ring, was a 9 foot tall heavy duty black steel. Another thing, you didn't want to get slammed into. There was two doors on opposite sides. Steps leading up to them. Once one entered, the doors were locked behind you. At the sound of the blank gun, the fight would commence. The winner being decided on if you surrender, or one of the two fighters were knocked unconscious. No one surrendered though, if you did you never fought again. It was seen as a cowardly move. People wanted to see the violent stuff. The blood, the bone cracking, the knockout that left someone out cold. This wasn't a game. In very rare cases, it was life or death. There was no set type of fighting style. It was all allowed. You could box, wrestle, martial arts. Anything went. Except you didn't rise through the ranks if you didn't give a good show. Here, the audience had a bit of control over the fights. If one did anything that wasn't up to par with the audience, you never entered the Ring again. Axel took the audiences reaction serious. There was close to nothing when it came to rules for the Ring. Very few weapons were even allowed. Like knives. However, that was seen as another coward move. You were probably booed at for the rest of the fight. Except on occasions, people who were known to bring a knife into the Ring were placed against a valid match. Just for entertainment at times. That was of course Axel's doing, if he felt the show needed a bit of a challenge. Sergio walked up the steps. The ground felt cold on his bare feet. The 'referee' opened the door for him to step in. It was slammed shut behind him, the lock clicking into place. Finally laying his gaze on his opponent, he wasn't surprised in the slightest. The announcers voice rang through the loud speakers. They called their nicknames out. Sergio gazed up into the overhanging balcony. That was where Axel and his men watched the fight. Axel gave him a nod, he looked away and at his opponent. "In the left we have Beast! And in the right we have our long lost champion the Reaper!" The crowd roared at the sound of his name being called. He felt his heart rate pick up. The adrenaline quickly making an appearance. Taking his go to stance, he raised his wrapped hands up. Sergio's opponent was a tall man. He actually passed Sergio in height. Getting a good 4 inches from him. The man known, as Beast, was bulky, yet had muscle mass. Clearly they weren't in the same weight class, but that didn't matter in the Ring. (Lol I didn't mean for that first part to rhyme so well. XD) |
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Hannah stood quietly as the places were announced in ascending order, with her being announced last. The top 5 were sent their prize money before the announcement, Hannah was happy with the number she had pulled. But she knew the amount was only so high because of her little confrontation with Ryan. Oh well, it wasn’t like she was complaining, and neither was he. The names of each placing were read off, along with the sum of their prize money. Hannah made sure to snicker quietly at Ryan’s calling, earning a glare from him in return, despite it’s clear fakeness. Once the announcements had been finished, they all went their separate ways, enjoying the party. Hannah found herself back with her group, having a debate with Bailey about the newer drivers. Neither of them had seen them before so it was weird for them to have been invited into the race to compete. Eventually, they figured the drivers were likely from another region who had come for the Championship in the next few months. It made a lot of sense that way, if that was the case. But it was still weird how none of them had seen them online. It was getting into the late hours of the night, nearing midnight and the party looked like it had just started. More people were showing up as the night went on. It seemed everybody who raced or watched had shown up to show their support and join in on the fun. Soon enough, Hannah and her friends gave up on figuring it out, and resigned to actually having fun, that’s what they had come for, right? They were sitting near their cars, Ryan’s still parked nearby. Hannah didn’t know where he had gone to but he wouldn’t have left yet. As the went on, she wasn’t really paying attention to what was going on. But eventually, she had somehow ended up back at her car, Ryan’s body pushing her against it. Hannah didn’t really know how or when things escalated to this, but it was the current situation so she’d have to deal with it. She felt his arms leaning on the car beside her as she pulled him closer, a smirk finding its way onto her face. “well well, looks like I’ll be the King tonight” Ryan teased, his voice fill with the obvious restraint he managed to have. Hannah rolled her eyes, before slipping out of his grasp. She made her way over to her friends who had been pretending they weren’t watching. Leaving that conversation for a later date, she said her goodbyes, a clearly impatient Ryan left leaning against her car. Hannah took her time, letting him wait. But quickly, she was back at her car. She got in, watching Ryan hop into his car. Pulling out of the complex, majority of the crowd had left, a few larger groups who were still here beginning to leave. Hannah made her way back towards her neighbourhood. The drive seemed painfully slow, the traffic was clear, Ryan and herself really stepping on it back through the freeway. Luckily, her street came into view and she turned into it, pulling into her driveway. Ryan had stopped to grab something from a nearby corner store but she had just closed the front door behind her when she heard his car pull into the driveway. Moments after she heard the engine cut, Hannah heard the door opening and closing shortly after. Quite soon, she felt her body being pushed against the wall. Hannah looked up, as his mouth crashed onto hers. |
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The blank gun was fired off. Beast was nicknamed after his go-to strategy to take out opponents. He was known for charging after the gun went off. To Sergio's surprise, Beast made slower steps towards him, fists raised. They circled each other, testing swings towards one another. Sergio hadn't had a fight as bloody as the ones in the Ring, for two years. He was bound to be rusty. He would soon find out if he still had it. The teens he went to school with weren't trained to his skill level. They would pick fights, yet barely know how to fight back. That's why he found it so easy to knock them out. The fights in the Ring were vastly different. A single competition could last up to an hour, but the best ones were only 10 to 15 minutes. Most of the competing people had endurance built up, among many other skills. Sergio was quick to spring into his fighting mind set. Eyes watching warily, waiting for the opening to take the first strike. He was quickly finding the mans weakness points, watching his fighting quirks. He noticed the man didn't have a strong rear leg stance when he threw a punch. That simple action also made his left arm lower out of the defense stage. He could use that to his advantage. Getting sick of this circling game, he waited one last time for Beast to throw a punch. Sergio bounced slightly back, before making his move. As Beast right hook was going into motion, Sergio caught it. Seeing as Beast lower his defense hand, he went in for the hit. Getting Beast right in the jaw. A chilling crack could be heard. The crowd rumbled at that. However, Beast seemed unfazed. Only shaking his head, as if shaking the pain away. Just like Sergio saw coming, Beast began charging. The man couldn't go a single fight without his 'infamous' move. Sergio could have easily avoided it, but let Beast ram him up against the steel fence. Beast landed a good punch into his abdomen. Sergio hooked one arm under Beast's arm, restraining him. Beast struggled for a moment, shifting ever so slightly. Taking that opening, Sergio shifted. Using the range of motion he lifted the Beast of a man up and slammed him into the ground. Beast apparently learned a few new tricks, as he hooked a leg around Sergio's leg. Making him land on his knee, full force. The crowd once again expression their reactions. Ignoring the searing pain that shot up his leg he stood up. Beast quickly collected himself. Here Sergio was thinking that one couldn't teach an old dog new tricks. He'd have to be more careful of the tricks Beast had learned since the last time they fought. Trying to avoid a combo hit, his knee gave out. Beast landed two hits, one to Sergio's mouth and the other under his right eye. Sergio recovered in matter of seconds. Giving the man a taste of his own medicine, he sent back the same combo. Adding a powerful turning kick to it. Landing all four moves, Beast doubled over. With a swift movement he grabbed a hold of Beast head and sent his knee into his face. Another crunch followed by a groan came from Beast. The man stumbled back into the the fencing. Sergio turned his head spitting the blood out, that was seeping into his mouth. |
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Hannah stood under the shower, the hot water soothing her aching body. She had checked the time beforehand, it was nearing the early hours of the morning. Hannah couldn’t miss another day of school, especially after the unexplained absence today. By the time she had gotten out and dressed, she found Ryan downstairs on his phone. Getting a glass of water, she looked over at him “You’re welcome to stay the night” she told him. After hearing his murmured reply, she retreated back upstairs to her room. Hannah sat on her bed, checking her phone for the time in hours. One of her friends had texted her something about a previous champion returning to the fighting scene, but she left it for the morning. Hannah had a few friends who were really into that stuff but she had never gotten into it, Hannah could handle herself in a fight better than anyone she had met, but doing that sort of thing hadn’t really interested her much. Racing was more her style so it was what she went with. Besides, after she lost a friend in one of those fights, Hannah tried to stay away from it as much as possible. Hannah soon turned the lights off, a few minutes later hearing Ryan join her. Adjusting her body, she felt his arms around her. Quickly after that, she felt herself fall asleep. Hannah wasn’t planning on being close with Ryan, maybe except physically, she wasn’t close with anyone besides Bailey. Hannah didn’t like the risk being close with people posed, it wasn’t worth the pain when she eventually lost them. |
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Fall 
Night Weather: 
Hurricane Moon: 
