Chapter 10: A Bright and Sunny Day

Dawn and Boone walked outside. She saw Leon and Clive talking with two people she had never seen before. He had large spiky hair, and wore a denim vest and blue jeans. He had spikes on his boots and a goatee. The other man he was with was wearing the same clothes, but was bulky and head shaven. Dawn and Boone approached them.

"Who's this?" The man said.

"This is Dawn, she wants to fight," Leon said.

"Is that right?"

"That's right," Dawn said. "I just want the booze, all of it."

"Fine, if, and I do mean, if you win, you get the booze. All of it."

"That's fair enough," Leon said.

"Listen, sweetheart, if you still have the guts to show up, meet us there after lunch and I'll have your opponent ready."

"Fine."

The two men left the area.

"Who was that?" Dawn asked Leon.

"That was Rex. I don't know who the other guy is."

"They may have gotten bigger," Boone said. "Who knows what kind of fighter they have for you."

"Whoever it is or whatever it is, I'm still going to fight."

"That's a bad addiction you have there," Leon said.

"And it needs to be fed," Dawn replied.

It was now mid-afternoon. Dawn along with Leon, Clive, Boone, J.C., and Doreen were outside Rex's settlement. There were six other residents from the hotel that Dawn had met earlier. They were brought along as backup. The gate opened and they walked in. The place looked like an old Italian village. Some of the buildings were neglected while others had been rebuilt. The roads seemed to be in better shape than most places. On some buildings, there was graffiti which read 'CASTE' and 'RESISTANCE.' There was a water canal with a few small boats floating in it below a small bridge. The residents there stared at the group as they made their way through. They saw Rex who was sitting on the steps of a large cage.

"What's that for?" Dawn asked.

"That's where you fight," Leon replied.

"In the cage?"

"Yeah. I mentioned it right? Did I?"

"I don't think you did," J.C. said.

"Oh, sorry about that Dawn," Leon apologetically said. "You fight in a cage. Don't worry, it's only one fight, one opponent."

Rex smiled at them as they approached.

"You showed," Rex said.

"Why would I not?" Dawn told him.

"So the rules are, no weapons except the cage and the ground, you win by knockout or submission only. And if anyone dies, so be it."

Dawn looked at the large cage ahead of her. Some parts looked clean and other parts looked rusty. There was no mat on the ground, just concrete.

"Are you ready?" Rex asked Dawn.

"I'm ready," she replied.

He motioned for her to get inside the cage. Dawn walked in and looked around. There was a lot of space around for dodging attacks. It was the way Dawn liked it. On the concrete, there were bloodstains. A large crowd gathered around outside.

"Good luck Dawn," Leon yelled.

"Yeah, you're gonna kick some ass!" J.C. shouted.

Boone put both hands on Dawn's face.

"Stay safe, all right," he said.

Dawn nodded. Then, a woman about her height and size walked in the cage. She had long curly black hair tied into a ponytail, had a slender frame, and numerous tattoos on her left arm. She was wearing orange pants and a black tank top along with combat boots. Her arms were small but muscular. She stared at Dawn trying to intimidate her. Little did the woman know, she would have to work hard to intimidate Dawn.

"What do you think of her?" Rex said. "You are about to tangle with one mean son of a bitch. She can break your bones like a twig, she'll have you screaming and begging for mercy. She's built like a rock and is addicted to giving out pain. Her name is Sunny. So let's fight!"

Sunny, how ironic Dawn thought to herself. The crowd began to cheer, mostly for Sunny. They began circling each other.

"So, someone else thinks they got what it takes to beat my ass," Sunny said. "No one beats my ass. You see the bloodstains? That's what happens when they step in the cage with me. I'm gonna decorate this place with your blood."

Sunny lunged forward, trying to kick Dawn in the face. She quickly punched Sunny in the face, but Sunny ran forward and used her shoulder to knock Dawn down. She quickly got up and tried to punch her again. Sunny blocked each shot and grabbed her arm and spun her around. Dawn was able to drop down and kick her in the face. Every shot Dawn threw seemingly had no effect on her. Sunny tried to punch and kick Dawn, but she evaded each attack. Sunny was able to back Dawn into the cage wall. She tried to punch her, but Dawn rolled out of the way. Her fist left a dent in the cage and she was unfazed.

Rex smiled as he watched them fight. Dawn knew what was at stake, but began to realize her life was also at stake. Neither Sunny nor Rex cared for Dawn's life. Rex wanted to see someone get hurt and Sunny wanted to maim whoever Rex sent in the cage with her. Here Dawn was, risking her life for something most people would not endanger their own lives for.

Sunny turned around with Dawn still crouching down. She lunged at Dawn and she jumped over her. Dawn delivered a few punches to her sides and rib area but Sunny struck Dawn with an elbow that sent her back. Sunny grimaced in pain. Dawn quickly came forward and threw kicks at her legs trying to slow her down. Instead, Sunny grabbed Dawn's throat and lifted her up with one hand. She squeezed her throat, but Dawn was able to knee her right under the chin. She then wrapped her legs around her neck and Sunny loosened the grip. Dawn flipped backward, throwing Sunny into the cage. She did not take the time to catch her breath as she ran over to her and began kicking her in the face and ribs. Then, Sunny grabbed her leg and swung her into the cage. She held her by the hair and punched Dawn in the face and then in the stomach. Sunny held Dawn in a front headlock and tried to lift her up to break her neck. Dawn held on to her and then lifted Sunny in the air. She slammed her down on the concrete, causing Sunny to finally feel something painful. Dawn got on top of her and began punching her in the face. Sunny started to bleed on the cheek and on the nose. Then, Sunny got her in a bear hug and they reverse positions. Sunny landed a hard punch to Dawn's face, causing Dawn to nearly fall unconscious.

"Time to end this!" Sunny said.

Boone was concerned as he saw Sunny drag Dawn to the center of the cage. The bloodthirsty crowd cheered loudly as they were about to witness a slaughter.

"Dawn wake up!" he shouted.

"Somethin' ain't right," J.C. said.

Rex smiled as he felt the fight coming to an end. Sunny stood over her and raised her arm in the air. Dawn was barely moving. Sunny placed her boot over Dawn's face and jumped in the air. As she came down, Dawn moved. Sunny stomped on the ground and injured her leg. Dawn hit her with a spin kick to the face, which sent Sunny to one knee. Dawn grabbed her by the hair and kneed her in the face and then kneed her right under the chin. Sunny was now on both knees. Dawn hit her with another knee under the chin. She let go of her and Sunny fell face first on the concrete. Dawn sat on top of her and was about to break her neck.

"Stop! Just Stop!" Rex shouted, "This fight is over okay. Dawn, you win. You're the winner."

The only ones cheering was Dawn's entourage. She walked out of the cage.

"Way to go Dawn!" Doreen said.

"Yeah that was a hell of a fight!" J.C. said.

"I got a little worried about you, but I knew you could do it," Leon said.

"Yeah, it looks like you can fight as good as you talk," Clive said.

Boone hugged Dawn.

"Damn, you sure know how to kick some ass!" He said.

Dawn turned to Rex.

"Where is it?" She asked him.

Rex opened a metal cooler. Inside were three twenty-four packs of beer.

"It's all yours," Rex said.

Dawn took a bottle and began to drink.

"I think we had enough fun here," Leon said.

During the evening, Dawn was sitting on her bed in her room drinking. Many beer bottle were on the desk and on the floor. She did not mind sharing her winnings with everyone else. Despite all the commotion that took place, Maddie was still on her mind. At some point, she would have to venture out into Ashgate and search for her. Boone knocked on the door, which was already open.

"I think you've had enough," he said.

Dawn finished the bottle.

"I'm serious," he continued.

He walked in and sat in a chair across from her.

"I love this stuff, you have no idea," she said. "After what I've been through, this helps a lot."

She got another bottle and offered it to him.

"What the hell," he said.

He opened the bottle and took a sip.

"So, where'd you learn to fight like that?" He asked. "That was some serious shit."

"After an incident from my teen years, I started to learn combat fighting. Then the war came and well, you have to know how to fight."

"I've been fighting my whole life, been fighting everyone, it never ends."

"I know what you mean."

Boone set his beer down on the desk.

"It's hell out here right? Not that City 17 is that much better," he said. "Look, Dawn, I have something I want to tell you okay. I really think you have the right to know."

Dawn was not paying attention to his words. The alcohol started to flow through her system and intoxicate her. All she saw was a blur of him and his words echoed in her brain.

"Boone, it's okay," Dawn muttered.

She grabbed his hand and ran her hand along Boone's arm. She giggled and Boone smiled.

"Nice," Dawn said.

Boone realized she was intoxicated.

"Dawn, listen to me," Boone said.

She ignored his words and stood up. She sat down on Boone and felt his face. Dawn moved her head around and giggled. She felt his chest and stomach.

"Real, real, nice," Dawn mumbled.

Boone stared at her and held her head. Dawn kissed him on the shoulder and then on the neck. Boone closed his eyes as he enjoyed the moment. Dawn closed her eyes and when she opened them, she saw Maddie smiling at her. She wrapped her arms around her and went in to kiss her but Boone reappeared. She kissed him on the lips and the two embraced the moment. Boone stood up, lifting Dawn up as well. He placed her on the bed as they continued to kiss. Boone got on top of her and kissed her neck. He took his shirt off and they continued to kiss. Dawn took her shirt off and wrapped her legs around him. Boone then unhooked her bra as they continued their blissful encounter.