Sparring

[Mr. Dangerous]

At first, Branden stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Four men were sneaking up on his sparring partner, Lisa, and she didn't notice. How could he help? He didn't want to tip them off that he was on to where they were. Was it possible? He watched Lisa make her way along the path. He watched the men follow.

How could he do this?

He crouched, muscles tight and hard. He tried to think of what he could do. It was cold out, his breath was shallow. He knew there was a cutoff from the rail somewhere ahead of Lisa. He tried to remember exactly where. The main fork to her left continued around the lake and up the hill to his left, to where he stood and watched.If he stayed on the main trail, he could wait for her, then tell her she was being followed. Then what? Besides, that was too long. The men would be on her before then. An idea began to take shape. He sprang up and started running down the trail.

If he could reach her before the men caught her, and before the cutoff, he could take her down the right fork. The trail led up out of the trees and onto open ledges. If they were quick, he could hide their tracks. The men wouldn't know the two of them had taken the side trail. It should be enough to fool them, so they could retaliate.

Branden was running down the trail as fast as he could go. The path had quickly turned into trees, so at least he didn't have to worry about the men being able to see him. Shafts of sunlight flashed as he raced along. Old pine trees lined the path, leaving a soft mat of needles to cushion his footfalls.

After a time, he started looking for a side trail. He didn't remember exactly where the cutoff was. It was small and would be easy to miss. He pushed himself on. He tried to think of a plan of retaliation. His mind raced as fast as his legs. The plan would have to be a good one. They needed to get them while they thought they were still following Lisa.

Coming over a small rise, he looked anew for the fork, but didn't see it and kept running. Now his breath came in ragged gasps. If he didn't reach the split before they did, he'd have to fight them outright. He was too winded for that. He kept running. Sweat ran down his back, making his shirt stick to his skin. He was getting hot, though he knew it was only his exertion. The forest passed in a blur to each side as he ran.

Just before a sharp bend to his right, he came at last to the cutoff, almost missing it. He made a quick seach for tracks to see if Lisa had been there and taken the small path. There were none. He was glad. He dropped to his knees and sat back on his heels in exaustion, trying to catch his breath. The first part had worked. He had beaten her here. Now he had to come up with a plan of retaliation.

His side hurt and he was out of breath. What if his plan didn't work? They would lose. How could he win an Impaler Match if he couldn't beat these four men he had hired?

He looked at the back of his hand. He had cut it in the run. It was red and throbbed painfully. He tried to come up with a battle plan. Lisa was to help him. The four men were good. That's why he had hired them. They were the best in California. They shouldn't have split up. It was a bad idea. It was his idea.

Branden came partway to his feet. Waves of sweat rolled from his body. Bent over at his waist with his hands braced on his knees, he took a few deep breaths before straightening to his full height.

His eyes fell on Lisa as she came around the bend in front of him. His breath caught for an instant. It always did when he saw his wife. She was beautiful. He loved her. He always had. That's why they had gotten married so soon. After nine days of meeting.

Branden approached. She stood straight and still, her arms at her side. She looked at him. She waited. And waited. And waited. She held him with her gaze. I need to say something, he said in his mind. He couldn't find the words to explain.

Her gaze relaxed. Her eyes glowed. They glowed with her intelligence. Her intelligence and her integrity. He needed to say something.

He didn't have a lot of time.

"I was up there" - he pointed towards the hill he had been on - "and I saw you." She looked where he pointed. He looked, too, and realized he was pointing to a tangle of tree limbs. They couldn't see the hill, because the trees blocked the view. He dropped his arm dumbly. She looked at him with a smile on her face.

Branden started over, keeping his voice low. "I was up there on a hill, above the lake. I saw you walking on a path by the shore. Our opponents are following you."

She continued to hold his gaze. "All of them?"

He answered her. "Yes."

She looked at him.

She looked back, before looking at him again.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

He couldn't think of anything. "I don't know."

She started to think. "We need to come up with something."

"There's a small trail that turns off here. If we take it, and they stay on this one, we can sneak up on them."

"And if they don't? If they follow our trail?"

"I'll hide our tracks." He shook his head. "They won't follow. Look, there's no time..."

"If they do?" she asked him. "Then what is our plan?"

He stopped for a moment. "I hadn't thought about that."

She stiffened. "We need to."

She was right. They needed to think of a backup plan.

Branden ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, the small trail is narrow and sheer. They won't be able to surround us."

"So we'd have to fight?"

"Yes."

She nodded. "Let's be quick then."


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They didn't talk once the decision had been made, not wanting to give away their location. Branden hurriedly concealed their tracks. They tried to hurry. She moved quickly at his direction. The evergreens pressed tight on their sides, making the path a narrow, dark, green, walled route cut through the brush and branches. They could see nothing around them. Branden checked behind as they went, though he couldn't see far. At least what he could see was clear. She went swiftly without any encouragment from him.

After a time, the ground started rising and becoming rockier and the trees thinned, offering a more open view. The trail twisted along deeply shaded cuts in the terrain and across leafstrewn ravines. Dry leaves scattered at their passing. Pines and spruce gave way to hardwood trees. It felt like hundreds of eyes were watching the two pass. It was a very quiet, peaceful place.

At the base of the granite wall that the path followed, he motioned to her, putting a finger to his lips, letting her know that they had to step carefully to avoid making sounds that would echo their location. Whenever a raven cawed he could hear it reverberate through the hills. Branden knew this place; the shape of the rock wall could carry a sound for miles. He pointed to the moss covered rocks that littered the forest floor. He showed her that he meant for the two of them to step on the rocks to avoid snapping sticks hidden under the leaf litter. He moved some leaves to show her sticks hidden there and pretended to break one, then cupped his hand to his ear. She nodded her understanding and began to step on the rocks. He touched her arm to make her look back again and mimed slipping and falling, to let her know she had to be careful because the moss was slippery. She smiled and nodded again before hurrying on. He smiled back. Branden allowed himself a small dose of confidence as he stepped from one mossy rock to another.

As the path climbed steadily upward, the trees thinned more. The rock was taking place of the soil. Soon, they simply cam across the occasional gnarled tree.

They slipped quietly onto the ledges. The path wasn't always clearly marked, and there were many false trails. She often had to turn to him, and he directed her by pointing, or with a nod of his head. Branden was tired of keeping silent but knew he had to. Even though the trail was steep and hard, he didn't have to slow on her account. She was a strong climber, and quick. She had good shoes, too.

It had been well over an hour since they had come out of the trees and they were having trouble finding the men again. They were heading east on the ledges before the trail cut back to the west later. The men, if they had followed, would have to look into the sun to see them. Branden kept them crouched as low as possible and checked over his shoulder often as they climbed, scanning for any sign of the men. When he had seen them earlier, they were staying well hidden, but it was too open out here for them to hide. Why couldn't they find them? The men were nowhere to be seen. They needed to sneak up on the men. It was the only way to win.

Seeing no sign of being followed, Branden wished they could stop for a rest, as his hand was throbbing, but Lisa didn't seem to need or want a break. She kept pushing on as if the men were right on their heels. Branden thought of the Impaler Match this Monday and quickly rejected any thought of stopping.

As morning wore on, the day became warm for this late in the year. The sky was bright, clear blue, with only a few white, wispy clouds drifting by. One of the clouds had an odd snake-like shape. It was weird looking. He would have to check it out later. His friend, Thomas, would like to see it. Thomas loved clouds.

The path took them to the south face of the mountain, where it crossed a sheer cliff face. Crossing the cliff near midheight, they would be almost hidden by the cliff wall. Branden saw a few dying trees. The dead trees were thick at the end. Someone needs to take care of these trees, he thought.

The two of them advanced quickly across the cliff trail. They were getting close to town and they haven't found the men yet. Maybe they gave up and left.

As it neared the far side of the cliff face, the path started to broaden from its treachorous, narrow width to a space wide enough for two to walk side by side. Branden couldn't figure out where the men were. He checked behind him again. At least they weren't following.

Suddenly, Lisa froze in midstride.

In the trail ahead, that a moment earlier had been empty, stood two of the men. These men were much bigger than Branden. Branden was 140 pounds and these men were very heavily muscled. That's why he had hired them.

Branden and Lisa spun, prepared to run and lead them into a trap. From the rock above, two ropes dropped down. The other two men plummeted to the path, landing on their feet with a heavy thud, blocking any plan they had had.

Branden wheeled back to the first two. They looked at him calmly. What were they going to do?

"Do you give up? We have you beat." The man's voice was deep, friendly. Nonetheless, the threat was clear. He removed his leather gloves and tucked them into his belt. He obviously didn't consider Branden an obstacle. The other three waited silently while he spoke.

Branden hadn't expected a situation like this. But he couldn't lose. If he lost to these men, how could he expect to beat Teen Throb and Larsen Van Der Kemp. But these men weren't afraid of him. But TT and Van Der Kemp wouldn't be either.

Branden looked at Lisa to see if she was ready.

He looked at the man and responded to his question. "Never give up, never surrender."

Lisa looked at him like he was crazy.

Lisa nodded and settled her hand tightly on his forearm. "You take the two in front, I'll take the two behind," she whispered. "I'm scared." Her hands tightened on his arm. He nodded his agreement. May God be with us, she said. She let her hands drop to her sides and turned to the two behind them.

"You sure you don't want to give up?" His voice was harder. He gritted his teeth. "Last time offered."

Branden swallowed hard.

He tried to sound sure of himself. "We're not beat yet." He wished he was as confident as he sounded.

Have it your way, then," the man said with finality. He started to come at them.

The man to his side started walking towards them. He had a depraved grin on his face. Branden could hear the men behind advancing. He was afraid. They were surrounded. They had no chance. None.

Time seemed to stop. The men kept advancing. And kept advancing. One swung a fist at Branden. Branden ducked, as the men behind grabbed Lisa.

Suddenly, there it was in Branden's mind. The two men in front of him were no longer themselves but Teen Throb and Larsen Van Der Kemp. Anger filled Branden's heart.

Suddenly, the men looked scared. As one of the men ran forward, Branden felt his back against the rock wall and hit both feet square in the man's chest. It knocked him clear of the path, into midair. The man's eyes went wide with surprise as he slammed into the rock wall on the other side and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

He turned to one of the men behind him and dropped him with a DDT onto the rock, busting him open and knocking him out. Before Branden could give it a thought, the leader ran past Branden and grabbed Lisa, holding her hostage. He hammered the heel of his hand into Branden's chest on his way past. The jolt knocked the wind out of him and flung him hard against the wall, smacking his head against the rock. As he fought to stay consious, all he saw was Teen Throb holding his wife hostage.

Summoning strength he didn't know he had, Branden snatched the leader by his husky wrist and spun him around. The man's fist suddenly headed towards him. It missed. There was a savage hunger in Branden's eyes. The man was afraid.

Suddenly, the other man came out of nowhere and tackled Branden.

Once again, Branden had the wind knocked out of him. The collision had been fierce. The two charged at Branden and he dropped them with a double X-Factor onto the rocks, knocking them both unconscious.

Branden stood stunned. He had won. They had won. Lisa's face had a faraway look. At least she was okay. He vowed to never let her train with him again.

He slumped down beside her. He had a powerful headache from having his head whacked on the wall. Branden could see she was all right, so he didn't ask. He was too ashamed that he let her participate to say anything. She noticed blood on the back of her hand and wiped it off on the wall. Branden was exausted from this training session.

He couldn't believe they had won. It didn't seem possible. He had never been that angry before. He had forgotten who the men really were and, in the heat of battle, actually believed that they were Teen Throb and Larsen Van Der Kemp. He had never done anything like that before. He shuddered recalling it. Was he losing his mind?

She leaned her head back against the rock, rolling it to the side, towards him. "That was scary. I never want to train with you again." She sighed. "Never again."

He felt about to cry. She looked like she did as well. He nodded his understanding.

"I'll never invite you to train with me again."

She looked at him. The light breeze carried wisps of hair across her face.

She smiled. "You handled those men like a pro." She looked at the men. She didn't seem to know what to say. Finally, she spoke. "You shouldn't have any problem with the Impaler Match on Monday, Branden."

Branden laughed at that. She looked at him, upset that he was laughing at her.

"I mean..." She looked like she was going to say something, but thought better of it. She looked back at him. "There were four of them. There will only be two on Monday."

She smiled again. Her smile was closed mouth, not showing any teeth. It was also an unhappy smile.

Branden reached behind, felt the painful lump on the back of his head, and checked his fingers for blood. There was none. He started to think ahead to the match at Sadistic Rage. Could he beat Teen Throb and Larsen Van Der Kemp?

Branden looked out over the forest. He had grown up here. That had given him the advantage. He didn't have that advantage in the ring. He was a rookie. His opponents had the advantage in the ring. They had been wrestling longer than him. Especially Teen Throb. He was the Extreme Combat Champion, after all.

He gave Lisa a sideways glance. "Do you think I missed my calling? Should I have become a wrestler? Or should I have set my sights on something else?"

Lisa didn't meet his gaze. "Wrestling's what you've always wanted to do."

Branden knew that. He had wanted to be a wrestler since the age of four. His father hated the idea. But Branden had never faltered.

His father had tried to get him to become a carpenter. Or go to college.

"Lisa," he said, "I think you're right."

She didn't look at him, but nodded her agreement.

Branden got to his feet. His head hurt, his hand hurt, and now he realized his chest hurt where the man had hit him. To top it off he remembered he was hungry. Michael! He had forgotten about his cousin's party. The party was going on in Seattle, Washington. He was in Happy Valley, California. He was going to miss it.

He held his hand out to help Lisa up. She looked at him. He continued to hold his hand out. She took it and got up.

Branden smiled. "I have to call Michael and apologize for forgetting about his birthday party."

She looked down. "I don't like Michael anyway."

Branden started to feel angry, so he changed the subject.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes," she said.

He looked at her. "Me too. Let's go to my dad's house." The men started to wake up. "I told you guys we hadn't lost yet. Better luck next time." He turned to Lisa again. "Lisa, do you really think I'm prepared for Sadistic Rage?"

Her face turned hard. "You're facing two of the best. You're new. You're...." She stopped herself again. "You're as prepared as you can be."

Branden was startled. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to think. Dark, evil thoughts about Teen Throb and Larsen Van Der Kemp started to swirl. He had to ask Lisa one more question before they started back to his father's house.

He looked hard into her eyes, expecting the truth this time. "Lisa, do you think I can win?"

She studied his face for a moment. "I'm not sure wrestling's for you."

Branden's skin went cold, and prickles bumped up along his arms in a wave that rolled up to the back of his neck, making the fine hairs there stand stiffly out. He felt angrier at her than he had ever been.

His own wife thought he should be doing something else. What could've made her believe that?

All the losing.

It was because of all the losing he's done. Branden would have to redeem himself at Sadistic Rage.

But first, he had to go get some food.