ASCENSION by EJ Wallace Read Free Book Online Page B

The younger man was still kneeling, clutching his ribs, which Sophie realized were black and blue. Panic fluttered in her gut. Then, unprovoked, the young man looked directly at her, his ice blue eyes freezing her solid. There was no mistaking those eyes. It was him, the man from her visions. All that searching had finally led her to him, and now he was going to die, right in front of her eyes. She was too late.
                  The bearded man buried his boot in the boy's ribs. There was a sickening crunch, and Sophie's mystery man collapsed and the crowd roared. “Stop!” Sophie screamed, trying to push past the wall of shirtless men, the mountain of mass. “Stop!” she screamed again when she finally broke free from the crowd into the makeshift arena.
                  “Get out of the way, girl,” the bearded man growled.
                  Sophie felt the warmth of tears streaming down her cheeks. “No, you'll kill him.”
                  “You too!” the man said, shoving Sophie aside with remarkable strength. Sophie crashed into the thrashing crowd, being swallowed up by the angry masses...
     
    ***
     

(Jake)
     
                  Sweet surrender. It was so close now. The savage, cold, and cruel world was fading in front of him. The beast of a man over him was breathing heavily, hammering into the back of his head. Jake could hardly feel the blows anymore, only a narcotic warmth creeping from his stomach to his chest. There was no rage this time, no compulsion for retribution. The beast inside had abandoned him. It was finally over. Finally.
                  Then he heard it, just as he was about to rest. It was crisp, so audible all the other noises were muted by it. It was a cry, a woman's cry. The sound carried a purity to it he had never felt before. It stirred something inside of him. The pinching pain of his cracked ribs ceased, and suddenly, he felt strong again, like hammered steel. Then, the sounds of the world came rushing back. The pain, though, the pain was gone. Jake opened his eyes, and jumped to his feet.
                  “Stay down, boy,” the bearded man grumbled. “No shame in losing. I've given bigger men less of a beating and they didn't get to walk away from it either. Count your blessings.”
                  Jake pointed to the crowd. “I just want the girl. You can keep your winnings.” Jake started to walk out of the ring towards the outcry. A large man stepped in front of him, folding his arms.
                  “Get out of my way,” Jake warned. He felt the fire inside him gurgle. The man did not budge.
                  “The fight's not over!” a skinny man said, waving a wad of money. “I've got two weeks’ wages riding on this, boy! You know the rules, Ben: it ain't over ‘til one of ‘em gives up or can't get up.”
                  Jake heard the girl scream once more. Two liquor-sodden men were pulling at her clothing, cackling all the way.
                  “Give us a little look, just a peek,” one said.
                  “Girls like that don't just give looks. They like for you to take them,” the other man said, his eyes glimmering greedily.
                  Jake could feel the ill intentions of the men around her. It ate at him like an acid. He was running out of time.
                  Jake pushed past the man in front of him, then felt a fist crash into his chin, splitting open his lip. The copper twang of blood rushed into his mouth. Jake tensed up, waiting for the inner animal to come unshackled, but it did not. Instead, Jake struck out with his own fist, not the monster's. Perhaps it had been his imagination, but Jake had sworn the fist he threw was glowing. The strike was solid, landing perfectly centered on the side of the tall man's head. The man collapsed into a heap. The crowd fell into