Chapter 6 - Adder

I’d just cleaned up at the fights, but my good mood was being dragged down, feeling that I was being followed. Sore losers, I was sure. But screw them. If they don’t like that they lost to a girl like me, that’s on them, not me. I won my fight fair and square. And just got lucky with bets.

No big deal. Leaving the latest location for the fights, I stuck to the back ways hoping to shake them. "We should find that little snake and turn her into shoe leather for hustling us out of our hundred quid." one murmured to the others. "Yeah. Show her that she can't mess with us. I think she went this way." another said. 

Hustled? Bullshit! They underestimated me, which is on them, not me damn it.

"Then what are you two idiots standing around for? Let's get her!" the third yelled. I quickened my pace as I was looking for a way up to a roof out of the alley before they could catch up. I knew maybe I could take one in a fight, but three on one, I didn't like those odds. 

And I knew I couldn’t go calling out for help. I have no ID, I just left an illegal fighting ring, and not everyone is willing to help a meta-human like me. No, I had to handle this myself, like always.

I found a fire escape and jumped up and grabbed the ladder pulling it down, but it came down with an ear-piercing sound. “Shite." I cursed, knowing they must have heard it. I started to scramble up the ladder, but one of the arsehols caught my left ankle. 

"You aren't going nowhere!" the man yelled, trying to pull me down. I kicked at his face with my right foot. "Get off me! Ya lost fair and square in the center of the ring!" I yelled. "Ain't nothing fair or square about hustling." the man who seemed to be the ringleader shouted. 

"Get her down so we can teach this bird some respect." he ordered the other two. The other reached up and grabbed my right foot. This was not going well. "You're coming down here, and you'll pay for hustling us." the man said, and with a hard tug, the two pulled me down with all their weight.

As I fell, my head banged against a rung of the ladder before I hit the ground. My vision was blurred, and I felt something warm in my hair. Blood? Yeah, it was probably blood. Damn it. These bastards were going to kill me over money they lost fair and square. And sadly, there wasn’t anyone that was going to help me. 

I’m just some street rat—just some meta-human. No one ever gave a damn about me. No one ever treated me as more than dirt. Wait, I take that back. That night a few weeks ago. That man… Mason Templeton. He treated me fairly.

"Hold her boys." the leader ordered. The two men each grabbed my arms, yanking me up from the ground to hold me still. Yeah, because I was in any shape to fight back right now. "You're gonna give us back our money after we beat some sense into you." the leader said, making his pudgy hands into fists and started hitting my face and torso.

What a shitty way to die. But damn it, if I was going down, I wasn’t going to just give in to these bastards. "I won that money, and I’m keeping it." I said, spitting blood mixed with my venom at the man. While the man sputtered and howled in pain, wiping the blood and venom from his face, I was looking for any kind of escape. I could have sworn for a second I saw something on the roof. 

Someone maybe? Great an audience to my demise. I highly doubted it was someone that would try to step in. Probably just heard the scuffle and was going to walk away. I was certain now I hadn’t seen anything. That it was just my imagination.

I tried to prepare myself as the man’s fist raised again to hit me, closing my eyes. But the hit didn’t come. No instead I heard a familiar voice. "Excuse me." the voice was stern and authoritative. As I opened my eyes, I saw him. Where the hell had he come from? It was like he just appeared out of nothing. 

He wasn't dressed down today. No, he was in what I figured he’d probably wear; khaki pants, a crisp oxford blue button-down, complete with dress shoes. His hair was neatly combed and while it was different than what he’d worn the night I met him he looked good.

I wasn’t the only one bewildered by his arrival. The goons had all paused and gaped at him. "Stay out of this boy. It's not your business. This is between us and this little cunt." the leader said, glaring at Mason trying to stand up to be his equal. Mason’s eyes narrowed on the man.

And without a word Mason balled his right hand into a fist and hit the man with a right hook breaking his nose. It seems Mason didn’t care for that word or how they treated me in general. I wasn’t sure. And I wasn’t in the position to ask him.

"Bloody fucking hell mate. What is she to you?" the man asked, holding his nose. "She is my…" Mason started, glancing at me as if trying to find the right words. "pet. I suggest if the three of you want to walk away without further injury, you let her go now." Mason said, rolling up his sleeve ready to fight them. Seriously who was this guy!? He was going to fight them. For me? Why? I was no one to him.

The man laughed and motioned the other two forward. "Apparently our little friend here wants to take his pet's beating. Let him have it, boys." the man ordered. The two men let me go. My body collapsed to the ground with a thud. Everything ached. I was already sore from the fights and now everything hurt more from the beating they'd already started giving me.

"Mas... Mason?" I stuttered in utter awe and bewilderment at him helping me. Mason smiled as the three advanced on him. The bloody fool. He's enjoying this. "Alright have it your way." Mason said, keeping his fighting stance.

This alley was narrow. Maybe he can use that to his advantage. I know he’s a smart fighter. I’ve seen him in the ring. I tried to get to my feet, holding the wall for support. Unable to do more than watch as they attacked him. The idiots, however, weren’t keeping the space issue in mind and when they swung at him. 

Mason easily maneuvered to avoid their punches and helping his cause by letting them hit the brick walls of the buildings that surrounded them. The first to hit the wall yelled in pain breaking his hand. Mason took a more offensive stance and began landing strategic jabs to his attackers.

"Let's say we end this. My pet looks to need some medical attention, and soon so shall you." Mason said, his gray eyes glancing at me. I don’t get it. Why was he helping me? But I vowed to myself if we got through this, I would pay him back, somehow. "Adder, I'll clear a path then I want you to get behind me and around the corner of the alley don't want you seeing this or getting in trouble." Mason ordered.

What? He wants me to run. Without him? I looked at him confused, then at the men as they tried to get themselves back in order. "Get her!" the leader demanded. With a movement of his hand, the dumpster shifted and slammed into the men. 

He hadn’t touched it though. I didn’t see him touch the dumpster. Was… was he like me? A meta-human? Was that why he was nice to me? "Hands off." Mason declared as the men pushed back at the dumpster. I stumbled around and past Mason to get around the corner as he'd told me.

Though I didn’t go far. I couldn’t. I wanted to be sure he was okay. And a part of me was wondering what Mason, the man I had been told was the polite and gentle one would do to these men that he didn’t want me to see. “Now I believe I told you, gentlemen, that you had a choice to walk away. You have forfeited that by fighting me. Allow me to follow through on that. After all, my word is my bond." Mason’s tone had changed. He wasn’t the polite gentleman he’d been when he’s first intervened.

I watched him raise and hand and felt a breeze. The dumpster pulled from them but they weren’t free. No, they were being lifted off the ground. “How dare you! How dare you touch that girl!" Mason yelled, in anger at them. Anger for me? 

“She’s a nobody! Nobody would miss her! And you’ll pay for getting in our way." one yelled, trying to break free of the invisible force holding them off the ground. “You are dead wrong." Mason declared, raising all three up to float above the rooftops. “She is Adder and she’s someone to me. I would know she was gone." Mason spoke with such intensity.

He'd know if I was gone? I was someone to him?

Mason raised his left hand and with a gust of wind moved a dumpster to just under them. “Now I shall as the saying goes ‘take out the trash’." Mason explained, letting his right hand come down sharply to his side. In turn, the wind that he was controlling slammed the three men with enough force down to where they landed into the dumpster their legs smashing against the lip of the dumpster breaking and twisting in a way that a leg should not go as bone could easily be seen poking out from their pants.

I covered my mouth to not let the gasp escape. I blinked away the blood in my eyes uncertain if I’d really just seen Mason do something so violent. Of the two I’d not had pegged Mason as the type to really harm someone outside of the ring. He’d shown that he was a kind man as even after his fights he would shake hands with his opponent. Hell after that first fight he even set the man’s shoulder he’d dislocated back. 

But such courtesy was not being given to my assailants. The three men were screaming in pain reaching for their legs. Mason looked over his shoulder and saw me. Shit, I was caught. But I couldn’t just take off, or act like I hadn’t been there this whole time. 

“Pet, you should go. I will ensure these men are found by authorities so they may be given medical attention. Meet me four blocks west of here near the university." Mason instructed.  “But...if ya get the authorities...they are gonna take ya, mate." I tried to argue. I didn’t want him in trouble. Certainly not because of me. No one has ever stood up for me. I won't let the first one get tossed in jail for it.

Mason smiled. “That’s very sweet of you to worry, but I’ll be fine. What are they going to say that I dropped them off the building with enough force and precision to ensure they landed in that dumpster like that? They will be written off as insane now go on." Mason said, shooing me away. I still wasn’t sure but started to walk away.