Chapter 12

They say that from the moment you think you've hit rock bottom, the only way is up. But for Blaze, she continued to sink through the ground, harder and faster than ever before. As the days passed by once she regained full consciousness, the flashbacks of the night she was beaten became more and more vivid every time. The pain in Blaze's body was still physically unbearable, where she needed assistance and would require the aid of a wheelchair and crutches for at least the next two months in order to walk. Blaze knew that she was physically strong, so as long as she stuck to the exercises her physio demonstrated, her body would repair itself and she would be out of hospital in no time.

But that wasn't the worst part. No matter how bad the challenge was to move forward and heal her wounds, she would never recover from the fact that her baby was now dead. Ever since the doctors broke the news to her, Blaze hadn't said a single word. She had completely withdrawn and stopped talking altogether. She couldn't see her life ever being the same way again. A small part of her died the day Axel left, but she dealt with it knowing that there was still some hope for her future. However, this brutal act and incident completely killed her inside, where Blaze just couldn't even see the point in carrying on with her life. She understood that she was in an even darker place than she was on that night when she almost died.

Blaze sheepishly stared into space as the door to her hospital room knocked. It was already 5pm and like everyday, Adam would stop by after his shift to check up on her. It had been almost a month of sleeping in the same room day in, day out. Blaze couldn't yet bring herself to speak about anything, let alone about what happened to her. The doctors had tried everything from therapy for post traumatic stress, to taking her outside for fresh air half an hour daily. But it didn't work and her voice and expression remained mute and numb. Even the music she once loved or the things that Blaze enjoyed talking about no longer helped or existed. The last thing the doctors resorted to was medication in the form of antidepressants, however still, none of it was making any difference whatsoever. The bottom line was that Blaze had already given up and she was trapped inside her own thoughts. Only she could get herself out of the deep water she was drowning in.

"Hey, I brought you this." Adam cautiously opened the door. "I know the food here tastes like shit, but you gotta eat something…" he suggested, placing a sandwich and a cup of tea on the tray in front of her. Without saying a word, Blaze pushed the tray on its levers away then she used any strength left in her arms to shift herself downwards on the bed in order to lie down with as minimal pain as possible. Her ribs were still broken so any movement from her arms had resulted in a lot of pain. She slowly turned to one side of her body, facing her back towards Adam and barely acknowledging him.

Adam couldn't help but sigh with frustration. Blaze didn't want to talk or do anything, but he wasn't ready yet to give up on her.

Suddenly, there was a second knock at the door. To his surprise a member of staff called Doctor Mills was standing outside. Adam had recently grown familiar with the medic during the past couple of weeks as she monitored Blaze's progress.

"Mr Hunter, would you mind if I spoke with you in private outside for a moment?" The blond consultant in her 40s with specs requested.

"Sure!" He glanced back down at Blaze with little optimism left on his face as Adam rose up to standing. She didn't move an inch from where she was laying down and it was as if he didn't exist in that room. By now, Blaze was probably sleeping again anyway for the 12th hour today.

"Is something wrong?" Adam nervously frowned as he stepped outside.

"No. Miss Fielding is doing ok, physically at least. There's still a long way to go with her recovery, but she is starting to heal and hopefully by tomorrow we can begin reducing the painkillers."

"That's good news," Adam half heartedly smiled.

"As you are aware, we performed surgery on Blaze just over a week ago. Usually a miscarriage can affect every patient differently. Under more common circumstances, this situation is bad enough. But as you and your officers are aware in the investigation process, this particular incident was completely different. I think, given that you're the closest individual to Blaze who is left, that it's best if you give this to her. When the time is right of course…"

"Oh….!" Adam gulped hard, feeling lost for words as the doctor pushed forward a small wooden urn across the table towards him.

"I'm so sorry Mr Hunter, but it's hospital policy to ask the parents if they would like a burial or cremation. We tried with Blaze, but she just wouldn't say anything or respond to us and we were running out of time…"

"I understand", Adam nodded, cutting her sentence short. "Can I ask?... Was it er….?" He hesitated.

"It was a girl," the lady regretfully answered, having read what he was thinking.

"I see." Adam took a deep, sad, exasperated breath. At that point, his voice croaked. "I don't know if I should give this to Blaze though, at least any time soon. What if it tips her over the edge?"

"Sometimes when people suffer loss, the best thing you can do is give them closure. Take your time, you'll know when" the consultant answered, placing one hand on his shoulder as she stood up to leave.


Spring was now starting to settle in Wood Oak City and the days were becoming brighter. Although there remained a February chill, the sky this afternoon was a clear blue haze above the orange sunset. Adam had taken Blaze outside to a park next to the hospital. He figured that being stuck in the same four walls back at the room wasn't doing her any favours.

"Hey, do you remember that place by the ocean where we all used to train? Well, it's really beautiful there and peaceful. Whenever you're ready, maybe that's some place you'd wanna scatter these ashes…. Just a suggestion…" Although it was uncomfortable, Adam still made conversation with Blaze as he pushed the wheelchair along the concrete path underneath them. He had gotten used to the fact that Blaze wasn't going to answer him, but she was still listening. Adam had only given her the urn yesterday, but she remained there tightly wrapping her arms around it, holding it close. Blaze was nowhere near ready to let go of anything yet at this point.

The two of them stopped by a water fountain where Adam sat down on a bench next to the wheelchair. All of a sudden, felt guilty for bringing up the conversation, but as her friend, he had to be honest with Blaze.

"Do you remember that night when Cherry was six months old? She had that allergic reaction to her food. At one point that night I thought, this is it, I've failed as a father and she ain't gonna make it through to the morning. Everybody was panicking around me including her mom, but I kept silent the whole time because I didn't want them to know how scared I really was. And then I remember you. You were like the voice of reasoning that night." He smiled to himself. "Blaze Fielding told me everything was gonna be ok and not to give up. See, I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but know that when you're ready to talk, I'm here for you and I don't want you giving up…" Adam took a deep exhale as he stared down at the ground.

Blaze hesitated in her breath whilst she glanced forward at the gentle pouring water in the distance. Then she quietly began to speak for the first time in weeks.

"I can't change what happened to me that night and I hate it," she gulped. "But I can promise you this…" she spoke softly and calmly. Adam instantly raised his eyebrows and sat up straight. He was in shock at finally hearing the sound of Blaze's voice after weeks of silence. He stared at her in awe as she continued to talk to him.

"Those men who did this to me, who caused this to happen…." she hesitated slightly whilst she turned her gaze to meet his. "I won't ever give up or stop….. Not until they're dead…!" Blaze promised. She then took a deep nervous breath, almost to the point where her lips were shaking. Adam couldn't tell if Blaze wanted to burst out in anger or cry. She then fixed her eyes back towards the calm crystal fountain opposite them.

Blaze still kept both her hands tightly wrapped around the urn. She gently rubbed one of her palms over one side of it. Right there was the pattern of a butterfly that had been carved out. "Before I let go of these ashes, I'll kill every one of them for what they've done!" Her tone was intensely severe, to the point where Adam had never seen Blaze speak with so much hate and hurt in her eyes. He remained silent for a few moments, surprised and uncomfortable with what he had just heard.

The two of them sat there quietly together for a few more moments, watching the world go by whilst the sun set, embedded in the sky. From then onwards, Adam realized that Blaze had changed for good and there was no going back.


During the months that passed, the only thing that kept Blaze alive was her hunger for vengeance. Every day when she woke up, the first thing that caught her eye was the butterfly on the side of the urn. It was a stark reminder of the ordeal she had gone through and the fact that her unborn child never had the chance to live. The same, very thought kept her determined to bring those who carried out this terrible crime to justice. Each day Blaze became stronger as her broken bones and wounds patiently healed one by one. After a further two weeks, she was able to move out of hospital and back into her old apartment. Adam and Max had offered her a place to stay, but Blaze wanted nothing more than to remain in solitude, just like Axel. Her sole purpose however wasn't to find true strength. From here on, her goal was to seek and kill the individuals who did this to her.

But it wasn't going to be an easy journey. First and foremost, Blaze would have to spend months retraining her body and fighting skills after what she had endured. It was much like learning to fight from scratch. Her first struggle was simply to be able to walk again. Every day Blaze persevered and most of the time after one step, she would fall. But one step quickly became two which then became ten, until she was able to walk around with the aid of crutches.

Physically, then intense agony still existed in her body everytime Blaze trained, but she tried her best to block it out. Pain and fear was only going to hold her back from what she had set out to do. In the months that followed, Blaze dedicated vast amounts of the day rehabilitating her body until her bones and muscles finally repaired. For almost a whole year, she committed herself to this process. It was tough because Blaze had never been the most patient of individuals. The barriers that she had to break often took longer than normal, but she pushed through and never gave up. Until finally one day, Blaze felt physically strong enough and able to fight once again.


10 months later.

This Christmas at the Hunter's residence felt very different compared to the previous year when Axel had first been absent from the group. He had now been gone for over 15 months and it was clear that the others had moved on. By now, they had stopped wondering if he would ever return again and life just went on.

"Hey, could you pass me a leg?" Sammy pitched forward his fork towards the golden roasted turkey.

"Why do you get first choice every year huh kid?" Max huffed.

"Because I'm the youngest…" Sammy cheekily grinned.

"Kid, you're almost 18 now! When are you gonna get your grown ass a job?" He argued.

"But I'm attending college, I can't work" Sammy innocently shrugged.

Estel immediately chuckled at his attitude, "yeah right! Half the time you're still hanging around that skateboard park. Don't think my officers don't have eyes!"

"Don't end up becoming a bum kid!" Max's eyes widened with caution at Sammy.

"I won't. I just err… I dunno…." Sammy sighed as he started to tuck into his food.

"What, don't you like your course anymore? You whined for months about going to that college! Don't make me regret paying for it bro!" Adam shook his head with disappointment as he stood up to carve the rest of the turkey.

"It's not that. I really like what I'm studying, don't get me wrong. I just need a vacation to think about what I'm gonna do after, that's all" Sammy casually replied.

Blaze gave the teenager a warm smile from across the table. "You could always come to London with me for a couple of weeks? I think you'd like it over there…"

Adam instantly glanced back at her, surprised. "So you're really going back home for a vacation then?" He raised one eyebrow.

Blaze's eyes darted to one side as she ran her fingers through her long brown hair. "Yeah! Well, I'll probably be gone for a couple of months. I mean, I still haven't met my nephew yet and he's almost one now!" She smiled.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Amira still doesn't know about…"

"Don't!" Blaze quietly snapped, cutting his sentence short in front of the others. "I can handle it ok? Besides, the break will do me some good now that things are getting back to normal," she insisted.

"How's your training going by the way?" Estel optimistically changed the subject as she reached for the potatoes.

"It's great," Blaze smiled. "I must admit, it's been a tough road so far, but the physio said that I've almost got all of my old strength back. I should be ready to fight again soon…"

"Fight!?" Adam let out a sarcastic laugh. "Girl, it was only 6 months ago you got out of that wheelchair! You ain't fighting again after what happened!" He raised his voice.

His concerned words unexpectedly infuriated Blaze. Adam of all people should have known how important this was to her to get back out there and seek revenge for what had happened. For months now, Adam made every effort to put Blaze off of returning to the streets. He assured her that the police were doing everything in their power to catch this gang of thugs, but almost a year had passed with not one single arrest. This was mainly due to the fact that these people may have had the police in their pockets, or worse. Blaze just spent months overcoming an uphill struggle of gaining back her physical strength and retraining her Judo technique. She was forced to start from the basics and had dedicated all of her time and energy into getting stronger. She did whatever it took. But hearing Adam's comment felt like a kick in the teeth for her. From his point of view, Adam felt that he was only looking out for Blaze. Deep down he was afraid that if she pursued this path of revenge, she would only get hurt again or worse.

Adam had also declined in joining Blaze as a vigilante to go after the gang. During the weeks that followed, his decision took a hard toll on their friendship. From her point of view, Adam had chosen his career over his morals and helping her. He had also changed and had now wanted to do things differently. Being a vigilante just wasn't viable for Adam anymore and the SIF had shown him that there were better ways (according to him), and more law-abiding methods for catching the bad guys.

"I think I'll make that decision…" Blaze snarled as she abruptly stood up from her chair. Her anger quickly changed to an amused grin as she gazed at the others. "Who wants to spar with me after dinner?" Blaze optimistically asked.

The response from the rest of the room wasn't what she had expected. Their eyes rolled and they avoided her gaze, feeling awkward and worried about getting back into the ring with her.

"What?! Come on, the gym is empty right now! Don't tell me you guys won't wanna burn off this turkey?" Blaze laughed.

"It ain't that, it's just…" Sammy shook his head.

"What?!" Blaze snapped. "You think I can't take you?... All of you!" She raised her voice. "You all think I'm still weak don't you? Well I ain't!... Max, meet me in the gym in one hour."

Blaze ordered as she aggressively threw down her napkin on the table.

"I don't think…" Max sighed, taking the decision to speak out on behalf of the others. "Look this whole gang you're after, I get it, I really do! And you know I'm with you all the way on this…" the wrestler bit his tongue as he sat back in his chair folding his arms.

"What then? Don't tell me you've suddenly turned legit like Saint Hunter over there…" Blaze sarcastically remarked, pissed off as she pointed one finger at Adam with her other hand on her hip.

"No, it's not that", Max shook his head. "I ain't gettin' any younger darl, and there's less of us now who can fight, especially since…."

"Since what?!" She interrupted. "We once owned this city even without Dr Zan on board! Trust me on this, I'll take the lead and I know what I'm doing!" Blaze's blue eyes fixated on his.

"It's not that. I just gotta be honest with you darl. I ain't willing to risk my life out there on these streets anymore. We're a lot weaker as a team without Axel. Maybe it's best for us to wait until he returrr…nnnsss…." Max hesitated his sentence, stumbling over his words at the end.

Blaze shut her eyes then tightly clenched her fists with annoyance. The room instantly fell silent and the tension in the air may as well have been cut with daggers. Max had accidentally and regretfully overstepped the mark and he knew it.

She took a deep breath then opened her eyes, scanning each member of the group one by one. "Let's get one thing straight from now on. Axel made his choice a long time ago between staying here with me and living out in the woods. I was an idiot ever thinking that he would come back, but he ain't. He made his choice. And if any of you ever… EVER mention that lying bastard's name around me again, you'll regret the day you ever met me!" Blaze's tone was stern and her cheeks were reddened. She let out a deep exhale whilst the rest of the group remained silent whilst she walked away, until she slammed the front door shut.

Once she was gone Adam shook his head, exasperated. "Blaze is finally right about Axel. But she's gonna get herself killed doing this…" he sighed.

"Let it go and give her some time to cool down" Estel placed one hand on his arm.

"Oh, she can have all the time in the world! Blaze won't listen to anybody! I'm done tryna convince her. From now on she has to learn the hard way if she wants to become a vigilante again…" Adam shook his head then he pushed forward his plate of food after losing his appetite.