Peter spat on the ground as he watched Ace approaching. Mustering all his confidence he began to walk towards his adversary. All around him his friends had begun the rumble, all thoughts for fair fighting not even entering the minds of the participants as their adrenaline fuelled bodies reacted on pure animalistic instinct. Kill or be killed.
Peter swung his bat behind his head before swinging it forward powerfully ready to beat down Ace but he nimbly averted it, instead lunging toward Peter with his prized switchblade, missing by mere centimetres. Peter tried again, this time connecting with Ace's torso. He heard a satisfying crack. Ace staggered in a slight shock before connecting his fist with Peter's face.
Ace slashed violently at Peter's hand causing him to drop his weapon as a sharp pain shot up his whole arm. He then fell to the ground as Ace aimed another blow at his head and another and another. Peter was feeling sick. Something warm trickled down his face.
It was then he heard the sirens.
The same officer who had pulled Ace over for speeding, Officer Fowley, pulled him off a barely concious kid below him. The boy had been knocked about repeatedly in the head and appeared to have heavy bleeding coming from his right hand and cheek.
"We're going to need an ambulance over here," he told one of his colleagues, Officer Brown as he pulled the kids attacker away who was still writhing with rage.
Another young man came running toward the scene pulling a distraught girl behind him.
"What's going on?" the young man asked breathlessly as the girl collapsed on the ground sobbing.
"What's your name son," Fowley asked.
"Vince Desjardins."
"Well Vince I suggest you get this young lady home to her parents where she belongs."
"Of course," Vince replied respectfully.
Fowley then turned his attentions back to the attacker who was now sitting sullenly in the back seat of a police car ready to be driven down to the police station.
"Any idea what's been going on here?" he asked Brown.
"That's just John Merrill, local hoodlum," he replied, hatred evident in his tone.
"And the other kid?"
"Peter Mongoose, one of the kids on the high school baseball team."
"Any idea what went on here tonight?"
"It appears there was an organised fight here tonight, we found weapons and a few more kids have been taken to the hospital with injuries. Nothing too serious just a few broken bones. No doubt these kids managed to get on the wrong side of Merrill and his kind." Brown finished bitterly, "It makes me sick the things the law abiding citizens of Castle Rock have to go through from these pieces of scum, I'd arrest every single one of them if given the chance."
Fowley wisely changed topics.
Laura sobbed quietly as Vince drove her to her house. She was terrified. She didn't know what had happened to Ace, all she had seen was an ambulance driving away and somebody being dragged into a police car. She didn't want to think about which one her boyfriend was in, she couldn't figure out which one was worse. Her only consolation was that at least her mother would be home tonight. She hoped the morning would come quickly.