Chapter 1:

Mortal Combat

Me and Sheila sat and talked at her desk for a half hour about everything and nothing until what she wanted to hear came out of me spontaneously to feel a hole of companionable silence.

“Sheila be straight with me. Am I that scary? Am I going to have to live with looks and sneers for the rest of my senior year? Cause if so I would have been better off staying in Juvie and finishing school there, atleast there most of them could hold a conversation or look me in the eye.”

There goes that indignation in my voice again. I see Sheila’s eyebrow raise as she takes note of that as well.

“To be honest with you William? I have no idea. I would have hoped that most of the student body would have gotten over it by now but it seemed like these kids are afraid twofold, one  at the amount of violence you can put out and the other at the thought of what Kiesha and Aaron’s father might do to them if associate themselves with you.”

There she goes again, her eyes meet might for a few moments before she shift uncomfortably in her seat and looks at maybe my mouth or my chest. I guess I am really that scary now.

“So you do realize you didn’t answer my first question Sheila? Don’t think I haven’t noticed you subtly look away from me as you talk. I’ve gotten real good at watching people and noticing tells since Juvie.”

Sheila flusters a bit after that trying to make excuses that only make a small sad smile creep on my face.

I think that may have shaken her from her flustered replies and she composes herself with a bit of deep breathing.

“No William you aren’t scary.”

She pauses then,her face furrowing and gathering he thoughts before continuing

“You are like a predator lying around the river watching prey walk by without moving, just watching us go by. We-” She gestures to mean the rest of the school or maybe every person I’ve met since getting out,”- feel a bit like prey under your eyes. And when you move it raises our collective alarm. I don’t know what that fight awakened in you William but being around you feels like there is a Tiger sitting in the room, outwardly lazy but just looking for an opening to take my life.”

It was the first time someone was ever that straightforward with me about my problem, as hard to swallow as it was being referred to as a predator.

Why did I change?

Confusion clouded my head as I try to recall the fight but to me it was all a blur after I overheard them talk about waiting in Sheila’s car for her and doing unspeakable things to her. I can remember seeing red for a time and then just black.

They showed the security tape at my trial. I looked like a madman, laughing as I broke legs and arms, chasing down stragglers who tried to get away and then Aaron…. I might have killed him had it not been for a cop who had been with his family tasing me and knocking me out. I had him by his throat against a wall, silently watching as he gasped for air.

It was like watching someone else, something else.

I don’t know when but Sheila had made her way around her desk and hugged my head to her chest and suddenly I feel something hot begin pour from my eyes and it feels like all the tension in my body melted away before my body shudders.

I wrap my hands around her waist and just pull her tightly against myself and sob into her chest.

.

..

…

….

It was the first time someone had hugged me since the fight and until this moment I don’t think I realized how much I missed this much contact with someone else.

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Maybe I took it for granted before…….

My body shudders and shakes as it tries to purge me of the loneliness that had been gnawing at my soul.

I have not friends. I cry harder.

I barely have family. I cry harder, grip tightens on Sheila’s waist as I hold her tighter. She was like my only shelter in the storm of emotions that were washing over me. Somewhere in the back of my head there was a voice telling me that I shouldn’t be this close to her because she is a teacher and she isn’t family but right now she is the only person I have to hold onto and I don’t think she will understand how much I appreciate her for it.

And I sit there holding her, crying into her black blouse as she stands next to my chair for as long as the bell for last period to begin sounds and I finally begin to calm down.

Something somewhere on me felt lighter, as If maybe things would be better after today.

Sheila ran her fingers roughly through my hair as she laughed melodically,”You big baby. You got all these muscles on you now but you're still our Little Willie.”

I begin to laugh at my old nickname when I feel my whole body go cold and the hair on my back and neck stands up.

Danger!

Instinct takes over and I grip Sheila up into my arms before rushing from my chair and to the far side of the room. The sprint was short, Maybe 20 feet to make it to the corner from her desk but Something heavy fell behind me, as if appearing a few feet above the floor before dropping.

I slowly turn around to see something I never thought was real. The Thing stood around my height, 6 foot 6 inches, with a slimmer build than my own but it was decked out what looked like old school leather armor with wooden club.

Hobgoblin(???)

It was like seeing a dream. One moment nothing but me and Sheila and the next a monster from Neverwinter Knights shows up in full armor in the middle of Teacher's lounge looking as confused as I felt.

“Hobgoblin?”

Its ears perk up at the sound of my voice and it quick whirls around to face me and subsequently Sheila.

And then the fucking thing smirks at me while raising club in my direction and then does something that sends shudders down my spine.

It spoke in english.

“Food. Breader. Riches as soon as I enter this world,”

It chuckles again as it can see how uncomfortable its english is making me, I hear a thump behind me and I can only assume Sheila past out at this point because I can’t take my eyes off the hobgoblin.

I swallow nervously and resolve myself to do something stupid.

“I challenge you to a duel!” My voice cracks as I issue out the challenge and I immediately feel less confident than I thought I would as I quickly begin to unbutton my tight school uniform shirt. It was restrictive and I have a feeling that This polyester button up wont help much when it comes to a fucking club.

Between my utterance of a duel that I guess the thing understood and my fumbled unbuttoning of my shirt, the hobgoblin begins to chuckle derisively toward me.”Good human, Maybe not food. Maybe slave.” It chuckles harder before making steps towards me with a bemused toothy grin on its face.

Step by step the Hobgoblin advanced on me, unrestrained and with little guard . It was overconfident and undisciplined.  It swing the club down wildly, no real for behind it, just alot force.

But it found nothing but tiled flooring tile to impact as I had side stepped to the right into its guard and kicked  my right foot down with all my weight into its knee.

Critical hit!

-20

Crippled right leg!

A dull crack echoes in the teacher's lounge right before inhuman wails of erupts from the hobgoblin as it crumples to the ground, its knee obviously dislocated from the blow.

There was no way I was going to allow this opportunity to pass me by so I scrambled over its fallen form and stomp my heel down on its stomach. Its screams pause for a moment as my heel slams into its solar plexus and the air was forced out.

-13

But before I could think of my next move the hobgoblin tosses its club up at me unexpectedly and nails me right in the face, sending me reeling back into some teachers desk disorientated.

-8

I can feel a bit wobbly from the impact and taste blood in my mouth but I can still see that the hobgoblin is still unable to get up, must have broken a few ribs from the way its clutching its chest.

I bend down quickly and grab the thrown club and grip it tightly and walk back over to the hobgoblin. The fear in its eyes is palpable as I raise the club above my head.

“Wai-!”

I don’t listen and I bring the club down on its shoulder first, causing a cracking sound to echo through the room along side its cries of pain and then before it could recover I slam the club down unto its skull.

I don’t stop until i hear the club hit ceramic tile and a blue box appears before my eyes.

Special Kill confirmed!

:First to kill evolved creature!

:First to kill another race

Calculating rewards…….