9 The Heiress
1753 Words
Max and Jules totally lost track of time, as they hurried through the now completely dark school. The paths were barely lit by the faint light of the lamp posts, which flicker every so often. The two walked along the same path that they took the last time, still enjoying their conversation with each other. The two youths almost took solace in the darkness as they became ever more comfortable with one another.
“Alright Max, so what is the plan?” asked Jules, her arms crossed.
“I’m going to find Trae and apologize.”
“And?”
She stopped with her arms crossed and tapped her feet.
“... and I’ll tell him that I really do want him around moving forward. Even if he says no, he has to know.”
She smiled and continued walking with him.
“Good! It’s better you guys fix things if you both are best friends right?”
Max smiled back at her genuinely.
“Yeah.”
“Can I meet him? He seems like a nice guy,” she said, bumping her shoulder into him.
He staggered a little at the surprise.
“Yeah sure. I’m sure you guys would hit it off!”
She smiled wider, exposing her teeth.
The two walked for a little longer through the darkness. As they did, the air around them seemed to get colder and the vibe was starting to feel a little off. There was a threatening aura that Max seemed to pick up on, so he slowed his pace and listened carefully.
“Max? What’s the matter?”
He held up his finger to his lips and closed his eyes. He focused on the sounds that surrounded them. The sounds of the crickets chirping surrounded them. The occasional leaf crack or the scuttling animals in the brush would catch his attention every so often. But no, this was not what he was looking for. He was looking for the source of the intimidating aura that he felt around them. A slight clicking noise on the pavement caught his attention. It was then that he realized what those sounds were. Footsteps. Just behind them.
Instantly, he turned around and saw a tall figure, who looked strong and burly. Behind this figure were two other figures who carried a baseball bat and a crowbar. Suddenly, Jules froze and took a step behind Max. He looked on at the figures without flinching. They were too big to be common thugs. Judging by the sizes of their bodies, they looked more like club bouncers rather than bandits. He stuck out his arm and shielded Jules, who trembled just behind him. Gathering his courage, he spoke to these people.
“What do you want?” Max shouted as they continued walking closer.
This did not phase them in the slightest. They continued until they were within striking distance. It was then that they stopped. The closer the two looked at the hulking men, they realized that they were much taller than they had thought. They stood over a foot taller than Max himself did. And all of them sported black ski masks. With a nervous gulp, he asked them again.
“I said, what do you guys want?”
The one standing just in front of him pointed right at Jules and finally spoke.
“Do you not know who this one is?”
He looked back at Jules, who was still paralyzed with fear.
“She’s my classmate! If you want money, I got some on me, just take it and leave us alone!”
The man shook his head.
“Listen, boy. That girl is arguably the richest teenager along the east coast. You really don’t know who she is? Julia Thompson? The heiress to one of the richest motorsports companies in the US?”
Max’s eyes widened in shock.
“Jules? What’s he talkin’ about?”
She shook her head, as she started to cry.
“What I’m talkin about is she is going to fetch a hefty ransom. So let’s make this nice and easy for you, boy. Hand her over.”
Max widened his stance and readied for a fight. His right arm stuck out shielding Jules even further.
The man looked over at his associates, and they all let out a loud roaring laugh. One would have thought they were about to keel over with how hard they were laughing. After wiping a tear from his eyes, the masked man directed his attention back at Max, who was already in full fight mode.
“Alright boys, the ‘big man’ wants to defend his lady!”
The two in the back readied their weapons. The man in the front clasped his right fist in his left hand, readying for a fight as well.
With that, the two behind him started to spread out. Max put up his guard with his two fists clasped. The man who had been speaking thus far did the same. Without waiting, the man threw out a wicked fast left straight, which Max was just barely able to dodge. The way the man’s fist flew through the air made it feel more like a cannonball rather than a punch. That, and it was also unexpectedly fast. Max cursed as he realized that probably all of these people were expertly trained in some sort of martial art. Keeping his eyes on the other two as well as the one in front of him was a gargantuan task. On top of that, it was completely dark. Max had his back against the wall here. Without any more time to think, the man rushed him with a combination of punches, all barely grazing him. The man did not ease the pressure, as he continually cut off Max’s retreat backward, with impressive footwork. Max threw in a couple of punches to the midsection, but they seemed to do absolutely nothing to the massive man that stood before him.
Suddenly, a powerful punch to the stomach got him right in the gut. Max heaved out bile and saliva as he nearly collapsed to his knees.
“Now!” the man shouted.
His associates sprinted over at Jules and instantly subdued her. Her hands were violently tied behind her back as she shrieked in terror.
“Max! Help me!”
“Jules!”
As he got up to rush to her, he was cut off by a swift and forceful kick to the stomach.
“Don’t forget about me now boy,” said the masked man as he let Max fall face-first into the pavement.
Max tried to get up again but was stopped by a heavy amount of pressure being released onto his back. The man was driving his foot right into Max’s spine with a steady amount of strength. Max was utterly immobilized.
“Alright boys, take her to the van, and be quiet about it.”
Max watched as Jules struggled at the hands of the two bandits. Everything seemed as if it were going in slow motion, as Max yelled out to her and her assailants.
“Let her go!”
They didn’t listen and they continued to wrestle her backward, almost nearing the pathway leading to the van in the parking lot. The masked man continued to step on Max’s back and gloated even more.
“Don’t you worry boy, you never stood a chance! Best you forget about her now, seein’ as you might not see her in a while,” he said as he let out a sadistic laugh.
Max gritted his teeth and looked over helplessly towards her. He did not know what to do. All he could think of was how he just wanted to get closer to her, and how he wanted to make up with Trae. Now everything seemed to be slipping through his fingertips. It was at this moment that he started to battle his despair, and the urge to give in to his utter hopelessness. With a defiant cry, he shouted towards them again.
“Let her go!”
Suddenly, he heard a loud clank happen just above him, towards the direction of the man who was pinning him down. The man fell forward and collapsed just next to him. Instantly, without even looking he knew who it was. When he turned, he saw Trae’s outstretched hand. Trae looked frantic and confused, but Max was still happy that he was here. He took Trae’s hand as the latter helped him onto his feet.
“It looks like I barely made it!” Trae said, panting for air.
“You did, man,” Max replied, almost chuckling.
“We got s**t to talk ‘bout when we get back. But first, let’s save your friend!”
“It’s good to have you on our side Trae,” Max said, as he gently punched his best friend in the shoulder.
Max didn’t see it, but he was sure that his friend laughed at the exchange as well. The two looked on at the other assailants who had already put down Jules, knowing that their associate was knocked out cold. The two youths driven by adrenaline, rushed towards their opponents, readying themselves for a fight for their lives.
Max and Trae ran towards their opponent in a sprint. Max took the one on the left, while Trae took the one on the right. The two expertly dodged the heavily telegraphed first attacks of their opponents. Due to the heft of their weapons, the movements were easy to predict. With a boost in morale, Max became even more aggressive towards his opponent, knowing Trae was here to watch his back. The youth unleashed a combination of moves. He landed a hard right jab and followed it with a powerful left straight punch. Now staggered, the opponent lost his balance. This was the opportunity that he had been waiting for. He stepped in further and landed a piercing left hook into the opponent’s ribs. The masked man gasped for breath but was not allowed any reprieve. With a jolting right uppercut, the masked man fell to the floor. Max looked over to Trae, who was holding his own. At this point, Trae was unloading a barrage of haymakers, all backed with powerful force. Although sloppy and untrained, this was still a match for Trae’s opponent. Trae tackled the masked man to the floor, and mounted him, planting his knees just under the armpits of the stunning assassin. With repeated punches to the face, this man was knocked unconscious as well. With heavy breath subsiding and heart rates starting to go down, Max went to check on Jules, who was still shaking in fear. Trae proceeded to use the rope that the men brought to tie them up to a tree. They noticed that the lights were starting to flicker on in nearby buildings, probably due to the noise. Needless to say, tomorrow would be a busy day at school.
- Writer
