Demons of Abyss - Retribution

Chapter 3

Elea

My skull hums, and my right leg hurts like hell, as does the rest of my body. The fact that someone is additionally breathing on me with a hellishly bad smell is almost worse than the pain itself. After a lot of effort, I finally manage to open my eyes and look at a white ceiling. My ceiling, I realize with relief. My bed. But who the hell is lying here next to me? I turn my head to the side and hear a soft crackling in my spine. Immediately after, I can make out brown eyes focused on me. It's Lucy and she's panting in my face. I can't help but smile.

"I knew she could wake you up with her bad breath."

I hear Ben's deep voice. He is sitting on the old gray sofa that is next to my bed. He smiles as I lift my hand, which is in a bandage, to touch Lucy's soft white fur. She wags her tail happily as I scratch her neck. Lucy is Ben's dog and I spend so much time with her as I can. She is my running buddy, and because of that, I endure her bad breath.

"How long have I been lying here that you had to use Lucy to wake me up?"

I try a smile, but the pain in my jaw makes me pause.

"Just a few hours."

"f**k, I didn't make ten, Ben."

Disappointed by my failure, I shake my head.

"You've got some serious damage. You lasted eight rounds against Kilian. Even I couldn't do that, and that really scratches my pride. Besides, you gave him quite a fight. He looks just as shitty as you do."

He shakes his head with a grin as he strokes his hand over his shaved skull.

"But eight rounds ain't ten. Bear will never let me go if I can't do ten rounds."

Now his grin disappears. A crease appears between his eyebrows.

"Do you really think any of us want you to go to those Demons? That's suicide. Surely your mom and dad wouldn't have wanted that for your life?"

I snort angrily and straighten up a bit.

"Don't talk about my parents and what they would have wanted. Because, Ben, in case you missed it...they're dead. They don't want anything anymore. They wanted to live, and that was taken away from them by those bastards. Just like they almost got me. I'm only alive because fate wants the Demons to get their punishment. And it's not just about my parents. It's about all the people this club throws away like garbage."

There is heat in me. My breath quickens, but Ben is unimpressed. He moves closer, and his lips press into a thin line.

"I'm sorry, okay, but your revenge fantasies have to stop. No one here is going to let you go. And you know why? Because you're family, and I don't want you in the hands of the Demons. None of us want that."

I want to argue with him, but he anticipates me. He stands up and looks at me again. With concern and pain in his eyes.

"Get some rest, and when you're sane, we'll talk about it again. Come, Lucy."

He whistles, whereupon Lucy jumps off the bed and follows Ben out the door. I, however, am stuck here alone with my thoughts and my pain. I know I'm going to miss them. But I also live for my revenge, and this is a part of me that I can only let go of when I get it done.After a few hours of staring at the ceiling, I get pulled out of my thoughts by a knock on the door. I look up at the soft figure of Maria, Ben's mum. A friendly smile is on her face, and she balances a tray loaded with food, towards my bed.

"Oh, girl, what are you doing?"

She shakes her head and puts the tray on the small table next to my bed. She puts her fingers on my forehead and strokes it lovingly. Maria knows I can hardly stand to be touched, so it's just this small gesture. All my life I have tried to keep my distance from everyone, to make my future easier. But sometimes I know that I have failed. Especially with Maria, who took me in, like a daughter.

"I was just training."

I try to smile, but it causes another sting in my jaw. Maria grabs a pillow from the sofa, comes closer and puts her hand on my shoulder. It hurts at my side, but she helps me and supports me as she slides the pillow behind my back, so I sit up straighter.

"I'm worried about you Elea, I know you don't want to hear it and I also know I have to accept it, but it's really hard for me."

She sighs and a crease forms between her eyebrows. She places the tray on my thighs, causing a brief tug in my right leg. But I don't let it show and after a few seconds the pain is gone. I didn't think I was hungry, but when I see and smell the lovingly arranged tamales, my stomach growls.

Maria, meanwhile, sits down on the sofa and looks at me closely. I know she wants to talk about it. I know she doesn't want me to leave either.

"I have to do this, Maria. To me, this normal life isn't worth anything until I get closure on this."

She nods sadly. I almost think I see tears.

"It's always been clear to me that you wouldn't change your mind. And if I made you, you'd be disappointed in me for the rest of your life. But it hurts to know that I could lose you. I love you like a daughter, Elea. And a mother doesn't just let her children go off to war. It drives me insane."

Her words trigger something in me. Sadness. Anger, at what has happened. Anger that I couldn't grow up with my parents. And here I am again, my life already destroyed. I realize that I am causing pain to Maria, but I can't help it. Maybe it's not just revenge. Maybe it's also pure selfishness that drives me.

I close my eyelids to avoid Maria's sad gaze, then open them again. I try to suppress the coldness I usually display. Just this once. Just this last time, because I feel that soon I will be ready. I'll be leaving soon.

"I know you're the only one who doesn't want to stop me in an obsessive way, and I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me. What you all have done for me. You have taken me in as if I have always been a part of you. But I also lost a part of me that day, Maria. I lost my childhood, the chance to ever have a normal life. I don't know if it's right or wrong, but I'll never find out if I don't go."

Now a tear does break free from her eyes and I have to close mine again to suppress the emotion. It hurts to see her like this. For a few seconds we look at each other until she nods and stands up. She walks up to me, strokes my hair once more, and presses a kiss to my forehead.

"I know, Elea. I know."

Then she turns and disappears from my room. Again, a person I'm causing pain to, with what I'm doing.

***

Several days pass and my strength slowly returns. The dark blue spots turn to a pale green and I try my hand at some exercise in the training room for the first time since the fight. My ribs still hurt, but I can't give up. If I stop exercising for too long, my body will break down, and I can't afford that. Not so close to my goal.

I'm just trying a few light kicks against the punching bag when the door opens and a likewise battered Kilian appears. His light blue eyes light up in amusement when he sees me at the punching bag.

I greet him with a nod and he actually approaches me. I've never exchanged more than a few words with him before, so I get nervous, not knowing what he's up to.

When he stops in front of me, I stop my kicks and can't suppress a soft gasp as the pain in my ribs flares up again for a second. I then recognize a smirk on Kilian's face.

"I thought I put you out of commission for a while."

His deep voice and bright blue eyes throw me off a tiny bit. But I quickly regain my composure and, after clearing my throat, finally get something past my lips.

"Well, and I thought you were in better shape than me."

I try a grin as well, trying not to make my words sound so insulted, though the defeat has cracked my pride massive.

"You have a good technique, but you need to refine it a tiny bit. You're using too much power for your movements and so you're weakening faster."

I nod in surprise. I didn't think Kilian would want to talk to me about my fighting technique.

"How did you manage to free yourself from that grip?"

He smirks and indicates with a wave of his hand that I should follow him. He stops on the mat where I lost to him a few days ago.

"Try that stranglehold again and I'll show you. Give me some room to breath this time.

So that I have a little air, to explain something to you."

I nod and lower myself to the mat behind him. I put my arms around his strong neck and try to apply only light pressure and assume the same posture as when we fought. Then Kilian puts his hands on my forearms. This time it's more intimate, because we're not really fighting. So his warm hands make me a tiny bit nervous.

"You have to act a tiny bit first and pretend that you are trying to get free. Then, when your opponent is once again using the last of his strength, you take your hands away, turn your hips to the side, take the swing and push yourself off the ground with your hands and feet once again, and then push your back against your opponent. If it all works out, you'll throw his balance off for a second, and you can use the chance to turn and break free."

Now he shows me how he turns his hips and pushes himself off the ground with all his strength. With ease, I am thrown backwards. Even though I was prepared this time, he still manages to release my grip and turn around in a flash to put his hands around my neck and press me into the mat with his weight. He lets go after a few seconds and reaches out his hand to help me up.

"Now, it's your turn."