Release

Nikki had asked him the question he had heard thousands of times.

Why?

Why stand in the cage and fight? Punch, kick and grapple with a complete stranger. Why put yourself through the pain and humiliation of losing, grasping at a slim chance of achieving a pyric victory.

It was the release. The built up tension in his veins was released by the tidal wave of adrenaline that swept through his veins when he fought. Every blow he landed was release.

Release from the frustrations of work. The DNA database that wouldn't come up with results. The incompetent police force that tampered with his evidence. The justice system that let criminals off every day.

Release from the frustrations of his personal life. The banter from his friends about his sex life. The headaches he got from his neighbour blasting music all the time. The endless, relentless bills that piled up.

Release from his past. He told Nikki it was a long story about an old job. Painful memories stirred up inside of him. Whirling and swirling up inside of him trying his organs in knots.

The internal pressure that built up inside of him was overwhelming and he only knew one way of getting release.

The fight. He had to fight. Every punch and kick was release. It was the only way to achieve some balance.

He sat in the changing rooms as he pulled his gloves on. He could hear the crowd roaring. Getting ready, excited to watch the fight. He walked into the ring, feeling the adrenaline start to pump through his veins. He entered the ring, pushing his mouth guard in. He flexed his muscles, as he weighed up his opponent.

The referee shouted the rules over the roar of the crowd and the bell rang. Jack danced lightly in his feet, striking out and pulling back as the fight continued. He grappled and struck out as his opponent.

Punch. Strike. Kick.

The key triad that would untie the knot inside of him.

His opponent kicked out at him. Square in the stomach and Jack fell backwards. He banged his head against the side of the cage. Dots flashed before his eyes and the roar of the crowd got quieter, more distant.

The darkness threatened to overwhelm him and he drifted of into it. Back into the darkness, into the peaceful darkness. He had achieved it tonight, a single moment of peace.

It was short lasting. He was soon jolted back into the real world as he was loaded into the back of an ambulance that headed towards the hospital. The pain in his body muted by the painkillers, but it was artificial peace only. He knew his body would make it very clear to him later quite what had happened in the fight.

He had lost the fight against his opponent but had won the fight against himself. He had achieved release and a moment of peace.

For tonight at least.