Submission

Incognito..

Maddie arrived back home just before dinner time.

She had not had much luck shaking the eery feeling that was brewing in her stomach while shopping since she had gotten two more texts from two new numbers, and both had been immediately blocked.

One had said

{I like you in those heels}

While she had been at the shoe store, and the other one, which she had received while trying on a dress had said:

{I don’t like you in turquoise}

She was getting real tired at this point,

And although she had initially put a pin in her plans to investigate him further, his many attempts at reaching out was making it hard for her to believe, that he would go away on his own any time soon, so she had decided to do something about it!

Maddie picked up the phone and called Erica.

She knew her older brother sometimes helped arrange the fights at The Wire, and Maddie needed to know when the next one was gonna happen.

Erica picked up the phone immediately, and Maddie tried to sound as casual as possible “Hey girl how is it hanging?”

There was a lot of background noise so all she got back in respond was a “WHAT?”

Second attempt Maddie thought “ HOW ARE YOU DOING!” Maddie yelled.

And Erica responded by screaming at the top of her lounges “OH! I’M AT THE WIRE I’M HELPING MY BROTHER SET UP, HE SAYS I CAN’T STAY FOR THE FiGHT, BUT I CAN DROOL OVER THE FIGHTERS WHILE HE CHECKS THE SOUND SYSTEM”

“Where are you???” Maddie was almost in shock at how easy this was going.

“WHO?” Erica responded.

god dang it! Maddie rolled her eyes and yelled “WHERE ARE YOU” then waiting impatiently for Erica to respond.

“PEER 87, BUT I’M GETTING KICKED OUT OF HERE SOON, DO YOU WANNA HANG OUT ONCE I LEAVE HERE ?”

Maddie faked a cough and responded “ NO I’M SICK, CAN’T REALLY TALK”

“THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU CALlING ME FOR b***h?” Erica yelled while laughing, And then the line went dead.

——

After dinner Maddie went rummaging through her closet for some inconspicuous clothes.

She found a black hoodie and some loose jeans.

If she kept the hood on, and her hair up she might just pass as a scrawny guy.

Taking her Lexus was not an option, it would draw too much attention, and people would start asking questions, so she ordered a taxi to drop her off a block from the harbor.

She didn’t have to walk far before cars started to line the road, walking into a packed harbor parking lot.

Damn it! The fights must have already started, she thought to her self as the entrance came to view.

she cursed herself for not asking Erica when it would be starting because there was no line, but it sounded like a lot of people were yelling inside.

She had hoped she could file in with the masses and stay undetected, but that plan had just gone out the window.

As she came up the the bouncer, she lowered her voice trying to sound more manly and said: “one ticket please”

The bouncer who had been looking at his phone looked up at her questioning “ a ticket for what?” He responded.

“Uh.. The fight thing” Maddie answered, trying not to look the guy in the eyes while lowering her voice another octave.

“You mean a stamp?” The man asked questioningly, and Maddie causally nodded her head.

“I haven’t seen you here before, how do you know about this place?” He said it while texting on his phone.

“Oh here and there” Maddie responded, she was starting to freak out but prayed the man couldn’t hear the anxiety in her voice.

All of a sudden the doors open up and a massive guy exited.

He nodded his head at the bouncer who got up and walked inside without saying another word.

Now it was just Maddie and the new big guy out there, and he didn’t seem happy.

“What’s your name kid, and how do you know about this place” the massive wall of bricks finally asked after what seemed like an eternity.

Maddie mustered all her courage and responded “oh, I’m a nobody, I just got to town and heard about your fine establishment from some locals”

Maddie cursed herself, her voice was definitely trembling when she spoke the last part. And before she has time to react her hood was tugged off her head.

She accidentally panicked and looked up at the guy, and for the first time noticing his face.

It was one of the two men who had accompanied the big bad Hulk last time they were at her house!

He started to chuckle then pulled her hoodie back on to her head.

“Come on!” was all he said before pulling her inside by the arm.

“She’s with my cousin, go back outside “ was all the brick wall said as he passed the bouncer in the hallway leaning against a door trying to light a cigarette.

“she?” The bouncer asked questioningly, but didn’t get an answer before Maddie was pulled into the giant warehouse area and the door was closed behind them.

The giant room was stuffed to the brim with yelling men, and the smoke of cigarettes made her eyes water.

An arena was placed in the middle of the room on a square platform, and two men were beating each other..it looked painful.

Maddie looked away, blood was not her thing in movies, and obviously not in real life either.

Before she knew it she was pushed into a booth, where some benches were placed.

It was almost empty if not for 5 girls sitting scattered around the area.

Maddie looked at them, why did they all look like they shopped at HookersRus.

She swore one of them looked like she was fixing her 3’d layer of makeup.

That one, plus two other girls in miniskirts were all looking extremely disinterested in what was going on around them, but the other two girls, were actually paying attention to the fight.

“Sit” the brick Wall commanded and Maddie complied instantly.

She would wait until he left and then sneak out.

But Maddie had no such luck, the brick Wall didn’t leave.

He did leave the booth, but then positioned himself right outside it, like he was guarding the fricking Queen of England

All tall and broad chested, facing the fight but leaving no possibility of Maddie sneaking away undetected.

Maddie tried not to look at the bloodbath in front of her, she instead tried to collect her thoughts, and come up with an escape plan.

After arround 5 minutes, her thoughts were interrupted by an inquisitive voice asking “which one is yours”

The girl closest to her, one of the girls who had actually been paying attention to the game, was now looking straight at her.

“Mine is Derek, he is the one getting his brow patched up before the next round” the girl said, pointed to one of the fighters who looked like his eye socket had been broken.

“Jesus friking hell, will he be okay??” Maddie spat out, horrified at how beaten his face was, was he missing a tooth too??

“Oh he’ll be fine after some TLC” the girl chuckled, shrugging and looking back at the fighter, blowing him a kiss.

“I’m guessing this is your first time supporting your man, is he a new fighter?” she asked, turning her head back to Maddie who was still sitting with a horrified look on her face.

“I don’t, I’m not..” was all Maddie got to stammer before they heard a loud

*DING DING DING*

Maddie was thankful she didn’t have to explain further as the fight started and the girls full attention was back on the arena.

Once the fight ended, the girl who had been talking to Maddie, and the other girl who had been engaged in the fight got out of their seats and ran out the booth.

Maddie deducted that they were most likely running to their men, or well..what was left of them Maddie thought to herself.

The Great Wall of muscles was still standing outside the booth, and Maddie was no closer to figuring out an escape plan than she was when she arrived.

The next fight started, the two girls who had been fiddling with their phones looked up and started to pay attention.

It was brutal! One punch after the other.

The fighters had no head protection, no gloves, and from the look of it.. there were no rules either.

It looked more like a dog fight then a boxing match.

Once it ended those two girls scurried off too.

Maddie was left with the last girl, who was now applying her forth coat of makeup.

Did she scrape all that off with a spatula every night, Maddie thought to herself, accidentally snorting out loud and catching the woman’s attention.

“Is your man a newbie or has he girls on rotation” the woman scoffed, while applying her lipstick..again

Maddie looked at her confused, so the woman elaborated in a mocking tone “My man and your man are obviously gonna fight since we are the last ones here, right?

Well Mine has been doing this for years and isn’t easily messed with, so they wouldn’t pair him up with a newbie, and since I haven’t seen you before, I’m guessing your man is plowing through girls on the regular? don’t be embarrassed Sweetie, just because a women is willing to spread her legs for a fighter it doesn’t make them a skank... I mean we can’t all be married to one” the woman preceded to flash her wedding ring as she said the last part.

Did that makeup caking, skunk smelling, hooker looking woman just assume that Maddie was some dimwit’s flavor of the month??

Ohhh hell naw! Maddie was pissed, she got up from her seat and turned back to stare the woman down, and with gritted teeth she said “who would even want a fighter? they’ve been knocked around so many times their screws aren’t loose, they lost them, along with half their teeth! So don’t think you are better than me because you snatched somebody who is willing to repeatedly loose IQ points for a few Pennie because, I’ll wipe that smirk off your face along with your 5 layers of foundation..Hell them your husband might actually see what he married!!”

Maddie crossed her arms and with a smug look on her face flipped the woman off.

In the distance she heard the wall of muscle chuckle which only made Maddie’s smile even wider.

“Why you..” but then the woman got cut off as the announcer started presenting the last game of the night.

“This isn’t over” the woman hissed.

“Not by a long shot” Maddie retorted.