Please, Enzo back out. Don’t accept his challenge. Shoot him dead before the challenge even starts. Do something, just don’t die.
“You’re a fool, Phin,” Enzo sighs.
Yes, he’s not going to accept. The crew will understand. They won’t vote him out and me in. It would take a lot for them to vote me, a girl, as their leader. Enzo would have to fuck up, lose hundreds of men to an enemy kind of fuck up. Not accepting a stupid challenge won’t make them vote me in.
Enzo holds out his hand again. “I accept.”
Phin smirks, shaking his hands.
I gasp.
Liesel shouts, “No, this is stupid! Don’t fight!”
But her cries go unnoticed. The men are already locked in a battle where only one will survive. Enzo’s father hired a crew member to fight Enzo to the death. How fucked up is that?
Draw your gun, Enzo! What are you waiting for?
Apparently, weapons are reserved for later in the fight. Testosterone has taken over, and both men drive hard at full force toward the other with nothing but their bodies to attack their opponent with.
“I can’t watch,” I whisper, my hands flying up to my face.
I hear the impact like a crack of thunder in the distance.
I spread my fingers, allowing my eyes to see through the slits.
Blood spurts everywhere from the two men. I’m shocked to see them both still upright after the collision. I expected Enzo to be knocked on his ass. His frame is too small to win a hand to hand combat fight against this giant.
Enzo spits blood—probably from a loose tooth.
Slowly, I lower my hands. I can’t watch. But I have to watch.
Phin slowly pulls back his fist and tries to throw everything he has into punching Enzo in the jaw.
Enzo ducks easily, the punch moving far too slow to make contact.
My shoulders relax just a little. Phin may be stronger, but Enzo is faster, and hopefully smarter. To win, Enzo just has to tire the giant out. Enzo has had a lot of practice against Zeke, who was a giant in his own right. He can do this. He has to.
More swings, more ducks.
“Are you just going to dance around or are you going to fight me?” Phin says.
“It’s not my fault you can’t land a punch,” Enzo says cockily back, not even bothering to try to get his own punches in.
Phin gets annoyed with Enzo’s antics. I don’t know what he’s going to do, but I can tell things are about to escalate.
As quick as I’ve seen the giant move, he pulls something from his pocket and slings it at Enzo.
“No!” I shout.
Enzo tries to move out of the way of the blade, but it still hits his arm.
I can’t breathe.
There is a knife in Enzo’s arm. It doesn’t look too deep. But I can’t stand this fight.
Enzo grins as he pulls the knife out. “Thanks for the weapon.” He grips the knife, and this time, he goes on the offensive. He hits Phin in the hands several times as the man tries to block Enzo’s cuts.
I wince at all the blood oozing off of Phin’s hands.