Page 77 of Firefly
I’m angry because none of this pain is actually her fault. It’s her father’s, but hurting her is easier than facing the fact I’d burn Brimstone to the ground just to keep her.
The roar of my bike fills the parking lot as I tear out of Brimstone High harder than necessary. The city blurs around me for hours afterward.
I ride aimlessly through Brimstone letting the anger poison me slowly. Past the rich side of town where money hides monsters behind gated estates. Past Daggerspoint where violence breathes openly in alleyways and broken neon lights.
Everywhere I go… I still see her.
By the time night finally swallows the city whole, I pull into the Dungeon. Engines and music already shake the pavement beneath my boots.
Tonight’s the big fight event.
Packed house.
Big money.
Blood in the air.
Exactly what I need.
This place is already overflowing when I walk inside. Bodies shove shoulder to shoulder around the cage while smoke curls through the air. Music pounds so loud it rattles my ribs.
Caspian whistles from the bar when he spots me. “There’s our favorite emotionally unstable employee.”
“Fuck you, Demon.”
“Maybe later.” He winks, and I flip him off. He’s in a good mood tonight. That’s a change.
I grab the fight sheets from the counter excited for tonight’s match. Braxton versus Atlas Bendetti.
And holy shit… people are losing their minds over it.
Atlas hasn’t fought underground in a while. The last time he was here was over six years ago, right before his little sister vanished.
Liliana Bendetti. Snatched right off the street one night and never found again.
The city still whispers about it. A founding family who just so happened to be a diamond dealer and connected underground in ways people don’t speak about.
I walk over to the cage and step inside. The lights dim slightly as I grab the mic.
“WELCOME TO THE FUCKING DUNGEON!” I scream, and the crowd erupts instantly.
Braxton enters first, shirtless and already grinning like a psychopath while girls scream his name. Then Atlas steps through the opposite gate dressed entirely in black with California swagger and enough tattoos to terrify suburban mothers everywhere.
I step out of the cage, and the second they face off… you can feel it.
Violence.Pure violence waiting to happen.
“PLACE YOUR BETS NOW!” I yell into the mic then ring the bell.
Atlas swings first. Fast as all hell. His fist cracks across Braxton’s jaw hard enough to spray sweat into the air while the crowd loses their collective minds.
Brax stumbles backward, laughing like a lunatic before launching himself right back into the fight.
Then it gets brutal. No technique. No pretty footwork.
Just two monsters trying to cave each other’s faces in.
Atlas knees Braxton in the ribs and I hear the crack.
