Beast Mode Warrior Page 3

  “Hell, I'll let you go down to the ring and we will introduce you to the crowd.” Howard's eyes gleamed.

  “No, that won't be necessary. I would like to speak to him in a private room if you don't mind. Just the two of us.”

  “You're pretty certain your boy is going to win this fight?”

  I nodded my head. But inside I was feeling some doubt. I wasn't going to show any fear in front of Howard. That was what he wanted. He wanted me to squirm watching my son fight. I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. I said a silent prayer for Joshua and for his opponent. No one needed to die. Not for something as foolish as entertaining people.

  The announcer announced Joshua first. That made my stomach churn. That meant these people thought of Joshua as the challenger. I began sweating as I watched.

  The announcer was a small, Hispanic man who was obviously human. He took the microphone and began to speak. “In the blue corner, we have coming out of the Island of Helena. The once leader of the small sect Sons of Josiah. He is all ours now. With a record of 4-0 with 4 kills. We don't call them knockout here! The true son of Josiah himself, Savage Reign.”

  The crowd went ape shit. They were yelling, whistling and jumping up and down. I guess, they liked my boy. I had no idea how he had won this crowd over so fast, but he seemed to be the Rocky in this scenario.

  The announcer took a deep breath and looked over at Mongoose in his corner. “In the red corner, we have the legend himself. He fights just once a year. And we have him with us tonight. He has a lifetime death match record of 12-0. He has come out of retirement to face the kid. The one and only, Mongoose.”

  “Are there any rules?” I leaned over and asked Howard.

  “Yes, we pride ourselves in what we call controlled chaos. Our rules are binding and the fighters are well aware of them ahead of time. First off, when two vampires fight, they can only transition one time to their raven form. In your son's case, his white eagle form. During that one time they transition they must perform a kill shot. If they do not kill their opponent, they must finish the match in their vampire form.”

  “Sounds like you thought of everything.”

  “We need some rules or it is just... well... murder.”

  All of this is murder, I thought at Tommy and he nodded.

  Before I knew it, the fight had started. I had to admit, I was terrified. I almost couldn't watch. If I wasn't the experienced fighter that I was I probably couldn't stomach it. Lena would not have been able to watch this. I quickly put Lena out of my mind. I needed to concentrate on Joshua's match.

  Suddenly, a horrendous metallic sound came from the ceiling and I watched on as a cage was being lowered to the ring. It was a large cage at least fifty feet in height and it covered the whole ring.

  “Is the cage necessary?” I asked Howard.

  “Fans dig it,” he said with a shrug. “It makes it more barbaric. Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome. We just use it for the main event. So, Joshua is very used to it by now. This is his fifth time in the cage.” Howard smiled at me and I wanted to hit him in his smug face.

  I turned around and looked at Tommy. Tommy looked as nervous as I felt. He knew how high the stakes in these things were. He knew once you signed on the dotted line to fight that your life was meaningless until you defeated your opponent. Tommy had been in the worst place in his life when he had signed up for this shit. Why the fuck was Joshua here? He doesn't need the money. Or maybe he does. I don't know. All I knew was if my son could get through this match he was going to get an earful from his father.

  It was time for the fight to begin and the Arena was quiet. Then in the middle of this nicely furnished arena, the bell rang and it was kill or be killed time.

  Joshua came flying out of his side about two feet off the ground and delivering an uppercut to Mongoose perfectly and he flew backwards and crashed into the cage above the rope belts. Mongoose was dazed and my son went to work. Sometimes in a fight like this, a punch was the best weapon you had when you knew your opponent wanted to suck you into their arms and choke you out.

  Joshua hit him in the face, neck, shoulder, and chest in a barrage of punches. A couple of times Mongoose looked like he might have fallen over but Joshua was holding him back up so he could punch him some more. If Mongoose was as good as his record indicated, all Joshua was doing was giving him time to recuperate by holding him back up. He needed to knock him out and end this thing.

  It looked like Mongoose was gaining his strength back. Joshua continued to punch him, but Mongoose was waiting for Joshua to hold him up one more time. I could feel in my veins what was about to happen. Mongoose was luring him in.

  At just the right moment, Mongoose grabbed Joshua's body as Joshua was holding him up and Mongoose threw Joshua over his shoulder onto the mat in a perfect wrestling toss.

  Crap. Mongoose had Joshua on his back. Joshua's mixed martial arts ground work wasn't the best. He had been trained by two of the very best, me and Tommy. I just hoped he could figure out a way out of Mongoose's holds.

  Mongoose rode high on Joshua's hips so it was impossible for Joshua to knock him off of his body. My son tried doing a couple somersaults but Mongoose just rode him like he was some mechanical bull.

  It was just a matter of time for him to get Joshua in a hold that I am not sure Joshua could survive from. I wanted to jump through the window. I started breathing heavily and I looked over at Maxwell, he grinned and said, “Joshua has him right where he wants him.”

  I wasn't sure if he was trying to make a dad feel better or if this was something Joshua had done in previous matches.

  I looked at the clock and there were ninety seconds left in the round. It was the longest ninety seconds of my life. Helplessly watching my son do everything he could to not get caught in one of Mongoose's death holds.

  The time finally ran out and the bell rang. The referee jumped into the cage and separated Mongoose and Joshua.

  Joshua went back to his corner and looked up toward the suite where I was sitting. I think he was letting Howard know something was up. Not sure what the glance meant, but the second period started and Joshua wasted no time in charging Mongoose the same way he had in the first round. This time he cracked Mongoose's body so loudly you could hear it up in the suite through the glass windows. Mongoose flew up against the cage and just collapsed forward onto the matt as if he was completely knocked out.

  Mongoose wasn't moving. Joshua dragged his body to the middle of the ring with his arm raised in victory.

  “The fight is over. Mongoose is knocked out.” he cried out.

  “There is only one way to leave the cage Josiah.” said into a microphone.

  I looked at Howard and understood what the true meaning of a death match was. They fought until one of them died.

  I looked down and Mongoose's body wasn't moving. Joshua began patting his face as if to wake the man up. After about thirty seconds of this, Mongoose began showing signs of consciousness again. What appeared to be a good gesture was only a play so Joshua wouldn't have to kill Mongoose while he was knocked out.

  Joshua allowed Mongoose to get to his feet. Joshua stood on the other side of the ring. Suddenly the entire Arena began chanting, “Eagle! Eagle! Eagle! Eagle!”

  Joshua then transitioned to his eagle form, swept across the ring and sliced Mongooses neck. He flew in tight circles inside the cage. The crowd went nuts chanting, “Savage! Savage! Savage!”

  My heart sank through the floor. I hated myself. I was happy my son was still alive. I knew it would have to be at the cost of Mongoose's life. That was what he had signed up for. What they both signed up for. Now, my only chance was to get through to my son logically and get him the hell out of here.

  Chapter Five

  When the match was over I immediately looked at Howard and said, “Where can I speak to him?”

  “I'll have my guys escort you down to the locker rooms. There is a side room that we can keep discrete for the two of you.”
>
  I was escorted down by myself. I considered bringing Jason with me to influence him but the kind of talk I was planning to have with Joshua was probably too intense for the kid.

  The led me into a room off to the right as I entered the locker rooms. The room was vacant, with just two chairs and a table. It looked a little like an interrogation room and that made me feel uneasy. But I waited for my son. I waited thirty minutes for Joshua to peek his head through the door.

  “Come in, son. We need to talk.”

  Joshua stepped inside slowly and made his way to the chair that was on the other side of the table and he slowly sat down staring at me the entire time.

  “Did you see the fight?” Joshua asked.

  “I sure did. We all did.”

  “We? So, everyone came?”

  “Yep, and a new guy who seems to be fitting in nicely.”

  “So, you have your seven.” Joshua seemed pleased.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “You have been obsessed with this immortal seven crew you're building. I knew you needed a seventh.”

  “You were never planning on coming back?” I asked.

  Joshua was quiet and his silence spoke volumes.

  I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to say exactly what I was feeling. “What's the payoff here son? How much money can you possibly be making to risk your life in each fight?”

  “I make 50 grand.”

  “You make it only if you kill your opponent,” I said, not even trying to hide my disgust.

  “Those are the rules,” Joshua answered with a shrug. A tad too smugly for my taste.

  “If you lose you don't collect.”

  “You saw how the audience hates it when the fight goes the distance. You anger the masses they won't want to come back, so we don't get paid. But we still get the chance to fight the next week for some handsome money. It's a win-win.

  “The only one winning here is Howard,” I said.

  “I heard he loses money on this place,” Joshua quipped.

  “He might be losing money,” I said. “But this arena and these rules you all fight under are his doing. He controls everything. Believe me, son, when I tell you that. Someone like Howard is gaining something and if it isn't money it is something else by running a death match league. Who the hell would want to watch men kill men every Saturday night. It's clearly a fetish of his. And you all are just characters in his sick wet dream.”

  Joshua laughed, and that surprised the hell out of me.

  “Did you know Mongoose?” I asked, changing focus.

  “I talked to him one time and he seemed more impressed that I was your son than I was the man that I am without you. So tonight, I made sure he knew I was clearly my own man.”

  “Killing him showed him that?”

  “It showed him, but more importantly, it shows all these other guys the type of fighter I am.”

  “That's important to you.” I was confused. Joshua was a timid fighter in war and almost downright cowardly. But here, he's the champion. He was feared. He was his own man. But this was not the type of man I wanted him to be. Five fights, five murders. My son may be too far gone for me to reach him.

  “Look, son. We all grieve for your mom in our own way, but this is extreme.”

  “I have already grieved for mom. I did it while you were playing monk. I learned about this place where they protect people with bounties on their heads. I also knew the only way you have their protection was that you had to be willing to fight. To me. It is a win-win situation. I never knew how much I would love the taste of victory. It is intoxicating.”

  “What about the men you're killing?” I couldn't believe that my son was clearly delusional.

  “What about the thousands of men you killed?”

  “I killed in war. That is very different.”

  “Is it? Think about in war both sides want to kill each other. Correct? Well, in a death match both sides want to kill each other. It's our own private war we're having. Man versus man. No need to bring in others.”

  “I know all about man versus man fighting shit. I was the best at it in my day. But we didn't kill each other.”

  “I know all about Tommy, Dad. I know he killed many for sport in the ring.”

  “He was forced into it because he owed a lot of money from a gambling debt. Do you owe Howard money, son?”

  “I don't owe him a dime. I'm doing this for me. I'm not doing this for you or mom or my twin brother. This is something that I plan on doing until it takes me out.”

  “So, you're on a suicide mission.”

  “I plan on never being taken out.”

  I shook my head and tears filled my eyes. My son was becoming someone I couldn't even recognize. I decided to switch gears. “Where do you stay? How do they keep you safe?”

  “I have an apartment on the property as do all the fighters who have serious bounties like me. We protect each other. It's the perfect set up.”

  Perfect? This whole thing was as imperfect a deal as I had ever witnessed.

  “Let me ask you something, Joshua.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Have you given up on the family?”

  “You mean you and Jason. Dad, you can take care of Jason. And Jason can give you wisdom when you need it. The two of you don't need me.”

  “That is where you are wrong. We aren't a family out of survival. We're a family because we choose to be together. Because we love each other.”

  That visibly irritated Joshua and he stood up. “Don't you dare talk about love when you left me to the hounds after mom died. I'm lucky to be alive. As a matter of fact, anyone you love is lucky to be alive.”

  “I know what I did. I can't change that. I'm here now, son. You don't need to do this. Take your winnings and come back with us.”

  Joshua paused and whispered the words, “No more.”

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “No more, father. I'm done living the life you want me to live. I was never meant to lead a vampire sect.”

  “None of us are. We are just together. No sect. Just people who love and want to protect one another.”

  “You don't need me, dad. Whatever you are planning on doing. You don't need me.”

  “I have no plans.”

  “I know. Just survival,” Joshua finished my sentence. “Well, I'm surviving just fine on my own. For the first time in my life. I don't need you or mom. I don't need Tommy or Jason. I'm just me and I like it. If it means taking out some of the scum that is fighting out here. I'm all for it.”

  “Do you enjoy the kill?”

  “Did you?”

  “No, I never did. Killing has been the only way I have kept this family together through all of our trials. So, no, son. I hated the kill. But it was necessary. In this ring you're in. No matter how you reshape it and make it work for you. It is two men stepping into the ring knowing that one man will kill the other and be declared the victor.”

  “I see it differently. Every day we are surviving. We just choose to do it in two different ways.”

  I knew there was no getting through to him tonight. I stepped around the table and my son stood up.

  “I love you, Joshua. I'm sorry you feel you need to do this. I'm always here for you. My door is always open. I won't be coming back to any more of your fights.” Tears dripped from my eyes. I stepped forward and leaned in and hugged my son. At first he almost resisted the hug, but soon, he settled into it and hugged me back harder.

  I left the room and headed to the front where my crew was waiting.

  Chapter Six

  I pulled up my hood up so I wouldn't be recognized by everyone on my way back to my friends and family. When I reached my friends and family, I was happy to see all of them wearing their hoods. Whatever surveillance that caught me coming in wasn't going to follow us off the premises if we could help it.

  “I take it the talk didn't go well,” Tommy said, being that I walked up alone without Josh
ua.

  “Unfortunately, yeah. It didn't go too well. If anything, I left the conversation feeling he should do what his heart wants him to do.”

  “And killing men night after night is where his heart is?” Yari asked, disgusted.

  “Being independent. Being his own man. That is where his heart is. I completely disagree with him fighting out here, but there is little I can do when he is being as stubborn as I can be.”

  I looked at Jason and I could see tears building in his eyes. “I'm sorry, son. Your brother is as lost as I have ever seen a man.”

  “I think I could have persuaded him,” Jason balked.

  “I don't think you could have, son. This isn't the last time I am going to come here. He thinks it is. But I need to wrap my brain around this a bit more. We need to get out of here before we're recognized. Our bounties are just too tempting.”

  One by one we transitioned and flew into the night sky. Once I was the great white eagle, I grabbed Tommy with my talons and the seven of us were heading north.

  We flew over New Mexico and into Arizona. Right as we hit the tip of Nevada, we were ambushed. There were at least fifty ravens. They flew over us, and they were about to pass three of them attacked Sion in his raven form, forcing him down to the dark desert below. They caused all of us to follow them down and I flew into the birds and knocked them silly like bowling balls. We all landed on the desert ground.

  Everyone transitioned into their vampire forms as they landed on the ground. That included my crew.

  Suddenly chaos ensued, the seven of us were attacked in groups of seven. The first guy came at me with a silver dagger, and I kicked the dagger to the ground. I grabbed it and began using it the only way I knew how to kill vampires.

  The seven opponents coming for me were dust in no time. I knew I needed to get to Jason. Hopefully, I wasn't too late.

  I looked ahead and saw Jason being held in a full Nelson while another was attempting to slice his head off. I bolted in my vampire form and instantly turned into my werewolf form. I swiped the two to the ground.

  Todd flew in his vampire form and dismantled the guy holding the dagger. Todd grabbed the dagger sliced the vampires head straight off eliminating him. I yelled for everyone to retreat. All my men and Yari transitioned into their raven forms, and I grabbed Tommy. Then we flew away so we could transition back to our human forms and have a large space between us and the bounty hunters attacking us.