No, not again! One moment Johnny was leaning over his unconscious son and the next he found himself on the mat having been attacked from behind by Kreese. He tried to stand after managing to kick away the sai, but his movements were sluggish from pain and shortness of breath. Suddenly, he felt Kreese putting a knee in his back and wrapping his hand and arm around his throat. Sudden panic and instinct took over as his already reduced oxygen from the hit just moments before, was cut off entirely and he managed to get his hands around the one crushing his windpipe. He realized that it was too little, too late. Pressure built up in Johnny's face, behind his eyes, a roaring began in his ears, and horrible pain in his neck and chest were overwhelming.
He could feel himself weakening. It didn't matter that Kreese was an old man; he'd used Johnny's distraction to his advantage and disabled his opponent. Unlike the last time, there were no witnesses, no friends begging for Kreese to stop, no wise old man to stand up for his student's rival. He was going to die alone, and his students and son would be at the mercy of the one who'd killed him. As consciousness slipped away he heard Kreese saying, "This isn't how I wanted this to end."
tbc