The evening air was cool against his skin as Ash made his way to the old sports faculty ground. It wasn’t far, just a fifteen-minute walk if he cut through the alleyways.

He opted to go on foot, hoping the walk would calm his nerves. But as he walked, the anxiety only grew.

‘What am I even doing?’ he wondered, kicking at a stray pebble on the pavement. ‘Why am I always getting myself into this mess?’

But deep down, he knew why.

It wasn’t just about Blake or the Boss.

It was about standing up, even if his legs were shaking, even if he didn’t have a solid reason why.

He had always been like this- always pushing back, even against things that seemed bigger than him. Maybe it was because he hated bullies, hated seeing people get crushed under someone else’s heel.

Maybe it was because, in some cruel way, it made him feel alive.

‘Yeah, right,’ he scoffed at himself, ‘playing the hero when no one asked you to. Real smart, Ash.’

But he couldn’t shake the unease.

There was something about tonight that felt... different.

Dangerous.

And yet, electrifying.

It was like…every nerve in his body on high alert. His instincts screamed at him to turn back, to just go home and pretend he knew nothing. But something else urged him forward.

‘God, you’re insane,’ he muttered to himself, shoving his hands deep into his pockets to stop them from trembling. ‘Who in their right mind goes looking for trouble?’

But maybe that was just it.

Maybe he wasn’t in his right mind.

Maybe he was done waiting for things to happen to him.

Maybe he was stubborn.

‘Whatever it is,’ he thought, ‘I’ll face it.’

Because that’s what he did. He might not always know what he was getting himself into, but he never backed down. And tonight would be no different.

Ash pressed on, the sports faculty ground getting closer with each step, the sun setting, and daylight fading.

He could feel that nothing would be the same after this.

But then again, wasn’t that what he wanted?

A chance to break free from the shackles of his past, to prove to himself that he was more than just another kid lost in the shuffle. That he was better than the majority of his school who just let it happen.

Tonight, he would find out what he was made of, whether he was ready or not.

‘Finally.’

He sighed deeply as he approached the warehouse near the sports grounds.

The place was old, with broken windows and graffiti-stained walls.

The kind of place that no one would go to unless they had something to hide.

‘Alright,’ he told himself, ‘Stay hidden. Stay quiet. Just watch. Don’t get involved unless you have to.’

But his heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. As he slipped inside, his eyes scanned for any sign of movement.

‘I can do this,’ he thought. ‘Just... stay calm.’

But even as he told himself that, he knew there was no going back now. Whatever happened tonight, he was in it for the long haul.

‘Here goes nothing,’ he thought, taking a step further into the warehouse, and pulling out a small flashlight from his pocket.

The beam of light cut through the darkness, illuminating old crates and cobwebs, but nothing that screamed of danger, or of the Boss.

‘See? Nothing to worry about,’ he tried convincing himself, ‘You were just being paranoid. There’s nothing here.’

Ash heaved a long sigh of relief.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

‘Maybe I should just go back,’ he reasoned, the rational part of his mind screaming at him to turn around, to leave this place and forget all about it. ‘There’s nothing here but dust and spiders. I was scared for nothing.’

He took a step back, ready to leave, to put this whole thing behind him.

But then-

Thump.

A muffled noise, like a struggle.

A sound that didn’t belong in an empty warehouse.

A sound that shouldn’t belong in an empty warehouse.

Ash froze, his heart leaping into his throat.

The flashlight trembled in his hand, the beam flickering as he turned toward the source of the sound.

It was faint, like someone was fighting to breathe.

‘What the hell...?’ he thought, every muscle in his body tensing up.

There it was again. A soft, desperate noise coming from deeper inside, from a room on the left-side of the warehouse.

Someone was definitely there.

‘Okay, okay, think, Ash,’ he urged himself. ‘You can’t just barge in. What if it’s a trap?’

But then, the noise came again, this time more urgent, more pained.

‘Dammit,’ Ash grit his teeth, knowing he couldn’t just walk away now. ‘I came here for answers. I can’t back out now.’

Taking a deep breath, he tightened his grip on the flashlight.

‘Please don’t be something I can’t handle,’ he prayed silently, every step bringing him closer to that room.

And with one final step, he was outside the room.

‘Man, I hope it isn’t something that I can’t handle. I’ve like…..half an hour before dad arrives. Better if I reach before he does, or I’m dead meat.’

Ash took a glance at his watch.

5:00 PM.

‘Nothing good will happen if I stand here, just see what's ...no…who’s inside.’

Ash heard the sound again.

Someone was struggling, that was for sure.

So, he decided to push past the door, just a bit, so he could peek inside.

But little did he know, he was setting foot in a giant trap, made especially for him.

‘That’s right, just a little peek….’

Ash pushed the door just enough to peer inside, and the door creaked open.

Liam and Carter were locked in a fierce brawl, their breaths labored, each one trying to overpower the other.

Liam had the upper hand, pinning Carter to the ground.

‘What the…?’ Ash furrowed his brows. ‘Why are they fighting? Was Carter the one struggling before…?’

But something didn’t add up.

It felt... staged. Like he had just walked into the middle of a play.

And then it clicked in his mind. ‘This is wrong. I should go. I should-’

He stepped back, intending to slip away before he got tangled up in whatever mess this was. But as he turned on his heel, he froze.

A low, mocking chuckle came from behind him.

“Well, well, well... Look who was playing the hero all along.”

Ash’s heart pounded in his ears as he recognized that voice.

He spun around to see Blake standing there, arms crossed, a smirk positioned on his face.

But what caught Ash’s attention was his eyes- The look in his eyes was something between amusement and…thrill.

The way his gaze locked onto Ash made it clear: this wasn’t just about intimidation or power.

It was personal.

Ash’s heart pounded, way faster than usual.

‘Damn it,’ he thought. ‘This guy isn’t just looking for revenge… He wants to…He wants to rattle me from the inside.’

And the worst part? It was working.

‘Well, now that he knows, no point in hiding it anymore.’

Ash swallowed hard, trying to keep his expression neutral. “Blake...Didn’t know you would be so scared.”

Blake’s grin widened. “I could ask you the same, junior. Didn’t think you’d actually show up. I was starting to think those little notes of yours were all talk.”

The color drained from Ash’s face.

Blake took a step closer, his presence overwhelming, his aura intimidating like always. “Yeah, that’s right. You thought you were keeping me in line by sending me those cute notes? Guess what...Ash…I wasn’t a tad bit scared.”

Ash’s mind raced, trying to think of a way for Blake to know his name, his nickname, Ash.

‘No, this can’t be happening. He’s lying, ‘cause he stopped bullying.’

Ash forced himself to stand his ground, his eyes narrowing as he met Blake’s gaze. “You’re bluffing,” he shot back. “If you weren’t scared, why’d you stop? Why’d you back off?”

Blake chuckled, “You really think you were keeping me in check?” He took another step forward, closing the distance between them, his eyes gleaming, “You think your pathetic little notes scared me off?”

Ash swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing. “Then why...why did you stop?” he demanded.

Blake paused, tilting his head. “Because,” he finally said, “I got bored. You think you’re the first one to try and play hero? I’ve dealt with worse than you, Ash.”

Hearing his name again sent another jolt of fear through Ash. ‘How does he know my name? My nickname, even?’

Blake’s grin widened, clearly enjoying it. “Yeah, that’s right. You were brave when we met, I’ll give you that, but not clever.”

Ash clenched his fists, trying to mask the panic rising in his chest. ‘Stay calm. Don’t let him see you’re scared.’

“Fine, you know it was me,” Ash said, forcing his voice to steady. “But if you think I’m afraid of you, you’re wrong. I came here to see the ‘Boss,’ not to play games with you.”

Blake’s eyes flashed.

“Oh, you’ll get to see the Boss soon enough,” Blake said.

“But the Boss won’t be happy with ya.”

Ash’s grip tightened on his flashlight, every nerve in his body screaming at him to run, to get out while he still could.

But he couldn’t.

The footsteps grew louder, and Ash squinted into the darkness, trying to make out the figure coming.

And then, just for a split second, he caught a glimpse of red.

A faint, almost glowing at the edges of the figure’s eyes.