'Can we take a break?' I ask Griffin, 'my wrist feels funny'
'We've only been practising for 10 minutes Jamie' Griffin stated.
'I punched this awkwardly, it's probably just a sprain' I said examining and twisting my wrist.
'Well I suppose we could… but not for long, okay?' Griffin rolled his eyes.
'Okay, where's Alice?' I asked.
'Down the hall… it's a nice school you've got here' Griffin said whilst holding a bright red punch bag.
'We had good equipment but only one good PE teacher who taught boxing, hence the good boxing equipment but we have about 5 tennis rackets and our tennis teacher is a maths teacher' I laughed.
'Mr Jones' Alice laughed, 'I remember him, the multi- talented teacher'
'Tie this around your wrist, it'll help if it is sprained' Griffin handed me a bandage.
'Where did you get this from?' I asked surprised.
'You have a first-aid kit… right here' Griffin gestured drawer that we were standing next to.
'Oh I see' I replied, 'so what were you doing just now?'
'I called Millie but it rang until it went to voicemail' Alice sighed.
'Try again' I insisted, 'we can't just give up'
'Okay' Alice agreed.
Alice dialled Millie's number and presses the call button after a moment of hesitation. The phone rings once before it's answered but strangely the person on the other end of the call is silent but breathing.
'Hello?' Alice asked awkwardly.
'Alice?' Millie whispered in between panting.
'Have you been running or something?' Griffin questioned impatiently.
'Alice, we're in trouble' Millie took another breath, 'they've taken David and their after to me'
'Where are you?' Alice asked while looking at me worriedly with panic in her voice.
'I'm in-' was all Millie could say before she screamed and the phone went dead.
Griffin, Alice and I looked at each other in shock at what we just heard. Alice was the first to talk; 'we need to help them'
'Well we were already going to the paladin's lair' I state thinking of how shortened our odds are now that we have lost our David advantage.
'Let's just add them to the list, shall we?' Griffin said sarcastically, 'I want to help them but we're not ready… we go there, we're all dead'
Griffin's words were hard to swallow because of how likely it is that we won't make it out of there alive. I look to Alice and I feel nothing but guilt for bringing her into this mess.
'That's a risk we have to take for friends' Alice argued.
'Not a risk I'll let you take, your definitely not going now' I order.
Alice was silent a short moment before speaking with a soothing voice, 'I know you don't want me to get hurt but I don't want you to get hurt! I'm in this now Jamie and there's nothing you can do… even if they kill you I bet they'll find me and kill me too or my dad'
'Then Griffin and I have to train for the rest of the day and get a good night sleep because tomorrow early morning we'll attack' I said with a stern voice nodding my head.
'I'm with Jamie on this one, sorry Alice' Griffin agreed. 'If it gets too much we'll jump out of there'
'Oh that's comforting… how come you didn't just jump out of there when you were being beaten up and Jamie was being electrocuted' Alice with a harsh tone, I could tell she was angry.
'This time we will make it out' I promised her.
'Jamie will fight better knowing he needs to come back for you' Griffin said calmly but I could see the pain of his loneliness in his eyes.
'What about you Griffin? I don't want you to die either' Alice wiped a tear falling from her eye, 'you're like my brother and I can't lose you or Jamie'
I stepped forward and warmed Alice in a hug, 'you won't lose any of us!'
'Common, we've got to train' Griffin pulled my shoulder so I was facing the punching bags.
'This won't help train us, we need something closer to real life fighting' I suggested.
'Tell me you're not going to fight each other?' Alice asked already guessing my plan.
A dark smile formed on Griffin's lips and in an instant he was gone leaving only his jump scar behind.
'Jamie… don't do it…' Alice pleaded.
'I have to, love you' I whispered into her ear and walked into Griffin's jump scar before she could say anything else.
On the other end of the jump scar to my surprise was a desert, my landing was like a splash into water sand sprayed in the air leaving a mark where I landed. I turn round to see Griffin with his fists firmly in front of him and the hen smiles darkly, 'welcome to the Empty Quarter… you know me and my father trained here and I thought seeing as you took me to your training grounds I'd show you mine'
'Fair enough' I smiled and raised my fists in front of my face. Griffin went into full run at me with his fists still protecting his face and instinctively I jumped a couple of metres away from him. Griffin continued to run straight into my jump scar and his knuckles hit my left cheek forcing me to take a step back. I quickly closed the gap on us and swung a punch at him. He automatically blocked my attack but I used the opportunity to blow my left fist into his stomach.
Within a second our environment changed, we were somewhere icy and it was very cold. Almost oblivious to the change Griffin proceeded to attack punching and kicking my body several times, I dodged a misguided kick but the others met their target. Loosing hope I just hugged his body and tackled him into the cold water. Griffin and I kept sinking into the deep dark water until I jumped us to France on looking the Eiffel Tower.
'You're gonna pay for that one, Jamie' Griffin said coughing in between words.
'Come on then, Griffin' I shouted shaking the water out of my hair with my hand.
I grabbed Griffin's shoulders and kneed him in the chin which sent both of us off our feet. I regained my balance with struggle for a second before Griffin used his feet to force my face to meet the rocky ground. Griffin crawled up in obvious pain and ran into the road, winked at me then disappeared before a car hit him. I stood up and waddled into the road with cars honking their horns and screeching their tires on the road. I walked into his jump scar and appeared on a bridge; it didn't take me long to realise we were on the Golden Gate bridge. Cars kept whizzing by me but I couldn't see Griffin until he landed on my back pushing me to the floor again. Before I could react we were off the ground looking down on the cars, we were roughly halfway across the bridge on the metal frame about 65 metres high. I slowly stood up and turned to Griffin who was obviously not afraid of heights as he looked ready to fight.
'Seriously… on top of the Golden gate bridge?' I ask trying to not be phased by the height.
'Might as well do it in style' Griffin laughed waiting for me to make the first move.
'Suit yourself' I scoffed and charged at him.
Maybe it was the height but I seem to have gained a new level of confidence, I was throwing punches and blocking Griffin's attacks. It was fine until Griffin dodged a swing at his face making him loose his balance and fall off. His reflexes were good as his hand saved him from falling.
'Griffin!' I called. I treaded carefully on my way to him and gripped his steady hand. Avoiding danger I jumped us back to Alice in my school's gym.
The school gym felt strange, it was as if ever fibre of my body was warning me to get out and then I really looked around. There was blood on the wall and floor, the air smelt of blood and it was making me sick. My heart quickened when I realised whose blood it belonged to.
'ALICE!' I screamed frantically running around the gym, 'Alice, are you here?'
'Quiet for a second Jamie or do you want them to hear you?' Griffin warned me looking around quickly but quietly.
'I don't care!' I snapped, 'ALLLICEEE'
'Jamie, you're back' a faint voice croaked from the corridor outside the gym.
I ran outside the gym to find Alice lying on the floor with the school payphone in her limp hand; her head was bleeding and her eye was swollen shut. I fell to the ground next to her almost silence quiet by shock.
'Alice, I'm so sorry' I whimpered through the tears falling from my eyes.
'No Jamie, I'm okay' Alice smiled but there was blood from her nose around her lip, 'I tried to call you but you left your phone here but I called the hospital they're on their way. I don't know how I am going to explain that I am inside the school; I was going to break a window but moving isn't an option right now'
I breathed through my nose because I didn't have the energy to laugh but replied, 'I will move you outside and I- I swear to you… I'll make them pay'
Alice raised her limp hand to caress my face and I leant in and gently kissed her jaw and then her lip. This reminded me of when I was hurt and Alice had to be careful with me.
'Jamie, have you found her? I have something to show you' Griffin called.
'Yeah, I'll bring her to you' I shouted in response. I gradually and carefully propped Alice against my chest and lifted her up; she felt like porcelain in my arms. I jumped us to Griffin who was standing next to a body at the other side of the gym with a closer look I recognised the uniform. It was a paladin. A dead paladin…
'Serves them right for messing with me' Alice delicately said.
'Jesus…' Griffin said looking at Alice's lifeless body, 'well it's safe to say the other guy looks worse'
In that moment I felt proud; Alice had defended herself against a paladin and survived. Alice is my hero and I will end this so that innocent people don't get hurt. I just don't understand why our enemies feel the need to attack those we love? Those that aren't in the battle in the first place…
'Do you hear an ambulance?' Griffin asked.
'Yeah, Alice called them' I stated, 'I need to get her outside'
I jumped outside to find as suspected the ambulance was coming around the corner; I raised my hand to get the attention of the ambulance. I felt a cold hand on my shoulder, I turned around slowly preparing for the worse but luckily it was only Griffin. The paramedics took Alice off my hands and laid her inside the ambulance. Griffin joined us in the ambulance and we headed to the hospital; Alice was now in worse state as she wasn't speaking but I knew she was alive because every minute or so she would squeeze my hand.