Author note: Hope everyone's enjoying the story. Any questions let me know, and I'll answer them as best as I can. Thanks again for reading.
Jack POV
The pain all around him was almost too much, but he found a way to stay on his feet long enough.
Jack stood breathlessly taking lower shots to his abdomen trying to figure out how to put his opponent to the ground.
The warm feeling of the fighter's knuckles digging into his stomach right under his rib cage nearly brought him to one knee, but the sound of the crowd mixed in with the adrenaline kept him vertical.
Stepping back, he felt his back touch the cool steel of the cage that surrounded him from the viewers yelling and cursing for him to do something. His opponent, grinning a bloody smirk, launched a quick right hook, catching him right under his temple, forcing his head to hit back against the cage.
The crowd cheered, loving the velocity of the man's punch, knocking Jack back into the wall where he continued to throw as many punches as he possibly could.
The referee stood nearby, watching the fight hoping the round would end. Last thing he needed was a fighter passing out and being dragged away by an ambulance. The fighters knew the risk; it was just inconvenient to stop the fight because some guy got his ass kicked so badly.
Sensing the ref's close proximity, Jack continued to stand his ground, hoping the time lasted a couple more seconds before the bell rang. He didn't come here to get a draw or decision; he was way to pissed off for that.
No. He thought. I want more then that.
Another barrage of hits came, jabs to the ribs, a failed attempt at an upper cut, and another shot to the face that spilt opened a wounded lip Jack had gotten the previous week.
"Give up?" The fighter mumbled, blood dripping from a cut above his eye.
Another shot to the rib before an opposite hook to the head.
Jack was pushed back against the cage again, feeling dazed. His opponent smirked, trying yet again the same technique he'd been using to push Jack to the brink of defeat.
Seeing his right hand connect with his rib cage, Jack saw his moment. The shot forced his body right, just in time to see the fighter's second move which would be a left to the head.
Before his hand connected, Jack shot up his right hand, connecting with the guys jaw, feeling the bone hit against bone. The loud snap was evident as the man's body shuddered, stopping his move and quickly dropping him to the floor.
Jack stood shakily, listening to the crowd die down and the shallow breaths of the fighter on the floor. Hands on his knees, Jack watched as the guy's chest slowly rose and fell, thankfully still breathing.
"You might want to get this guy an ice pack," Jack mumbled towards the ref, spitting out some blood.
The people cheered as they watched it all unfold. They loved the violence of it all, especially when I fighter knocked out the other. But what they really loved was the controversy, and boy were they about to get it.
Jack waited for the ref to unlock the cage, turning his back on his defeated opponent. He thought it was over, but he didn't know how wrong he was until he heard someone shout 'watch out' then felt the blow to the side of his head that knocked him down and out.
General POV
After a bit of flirting and a fifty-dollar payoff, the group found themselves inside Gino's, the bar the landowner had told them about.
He wasn't wrong about it being a shady place, with the strippers dancing, the openness of drugs being taken, and the amount of dangerous looking people, the place did in fact look shady.
Everyone stayed close, Nathan in the lead with Lucas taking up the rear, as they made their way towards the bar. All they had was a name to go on, they had got lucky with the building owner, they weren't sure if Jackson would be well known here.
Nathan signaled over the bartender, before turning to his wife. He hated being here with her, she didn't need to see the ugliness of the world, but they'd come this far.
"What'd you have?"
Nathan hung over the bar. "I'm looking for a guy actually. Names Jackson Scott. Ring any bells?"
The bartender scrunched his face, not hearing what the guy said over the loud music. "Gonna have to speak up."
"Jackson Scott," Nathan yelled. "Know him?"
The man's face broke into a smile, giving Nathan a thumb's up. "Oh, ya'll looking for Jay. You guys want a piece in on the action?"
"Action?" Lucas asked.
"That's why you're here right?" He looked at them like it was the most obvious thing. "Go through the back door near the bathrooms, can't miss it. Has a red neon side right above it. Take the stairs all the way down. I gotta get back to work. Good luck."
He gave them one more helpful look before turning back towards a group that had been waiting on him. They weren't sure what the guy had been on about, but he knew the name, recognized it, and even pointed them in a direction.
Yet all of them found it strange.
"Well there's the door," Peyton gestured towards the back of the small bar. The red neon sign shun brightly in their direction. "Should we go?"
Haley so both Lucas and Nathan take a step back without hesitating. "Wait!"
"What's wrong Haley?" Lucas asked, seeing the distressed look on her face.
Haley sighed, trying to find the right words. "We need to think about this. I mean, we're about to go into some strange place that we have no clue as to where it leads in a city that no one knows we're in. What if something happens?"
"Haley if something we're to happen, it would have happened when we walked in," Brooke said, pushing off another person.
"That's encouraging," Haley mumbled.
Nathan hated seeing her like this. "We can wait outside Hales. Let the others check it out."
"No, splitting up is worse," She answered, not liking that idea one bit. "Just promise me that any sign of danger and we're out."
"I'd never let anything bad happen to you," Nathan said seriously. "I can defiantly promise you that. We'll be fine, all of us."
She smiled gratefully before they took off in the direction of the door. It was a little difficult navigating through the maze of people, especially when some of them would stop and try to dance with one of them.
"I think that girl was good for you Luke," Haley joked as they reached the door.
"Way too many tattoos for me Hales," Lucas smiled sheepishly as he pushed through the door.
They found themselves looking down a steel stairwell with only one way to go.
Down.
"If I remember correctly, a tattoo led to your first kiss," Nathan laughed, gesturing towards Brooke and Lucas.
The two eyed him angrily.
"Smooth Nate," Peyton mumbled. Another bouncer met them at the bottom but all he did was open another door and ushered them into a different room. "Whoa."
Peyton's sentiment summed up what the rest thought.
A massive circular steel case sat smack dab in the middle of the massive room with dozens of people yelling and shouting towards the people inside the cage. The room was dark, except for the bright white lights at each corner of the cage.
Inside, covered in sweat and blood, two guys attacked each other as if their life depended on it.
They expected another floor to the bar, maybe a lounge area. What they didn't expect was an underground fighting ring.
"Ummm," Haley mumbled. "This qualifies as dangerous right?"
Nathan didn't have any words, but was thankful when Brooke answered. "Well it's dangerous for them."
Subconsciously they all found themselves walking closer towards the fight and into the crazy screaming crowd who cheered on the fighters.
The smell of smoke and liquor filled the air as the group tried to figure out what to do next.
"This is crazy," Peyton whispered loudly, hoping no one heard her. "What is this?"
"My best guess," Brooke started, eyeing the money being passed around the crowd. "Illegal fighting gambling ring?"
"Well it's defiantly a fighting ring," Lucas eyes never left the fight as the two traded blows. He'd been in a couple scraps, mostly with Nathan, but this was next level.
One of the fighters had just pushed the other against the cage, unleashing a barrage of shots that left the crowd in a frenzy.
"Excuse me," Nathan shouted to a woman near him. They others tried to signal him to stop but he just wanted to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. "Excuse me!"
"What man, trying to watch a damn fight!" She shouted, giving him a once over. She turned back to the fight right in time to see a knockout. "All right Jay!"
"I'm looking for a Jackson Scott," Nathan continued, the voices of the crowd cheering drowning out his own.
"Only Jack I know just won that fight," She said happily. Turning back towards the fight, she saw the other fighter stumble back up and make his way towards his opponent. "Watch out!"
The sound of the fist connecting with the fighter rang above the shouts and yells as the referee's whistle blew, trying to break up the attack in the ring. Without a second to spare, two hulking men ran into the cage, tackling the other fighter while the ref looked over the fallen guy.
"Fuckin bullshit ref!" The woman shouted. "Kick him out! Kick his ass out!"
The crowd started to get antsy and joined in on the woman's shouts.
Nathan watched the scene unfold wondering what had just happened. The others hadn't said anything, the voices too loud for them to overhear. But he had, and he was pretty sure that the guy who just got knocked out might have been his brother.
Brooke POV
In her past, Brooke had never been one to shy away from a crazy time. I mean over the past two years you could write a damn sitcom on the amount of trouble she hadn't gotten herself into.
The crazy parties, the underage drinking, the fake id's, the lying your way into places, she'd pretty much seen it all and done it all in Tree Hill.
But being in the middle of this vicious scenario had proved one thing. Clearly she hadn't done it all. In fact she was glad she hadn't cause if she never stepped foot in another place like this all her life, she'd be so damn happy.
Thank god she had her closest friends with her, because if she'd been alone, she probably wouldn't have made it out of here in one piece.
The way the guys attacked each other, trading punch for punch, the blood all over them, the way the crowd cheered for more, it honestly scared her.
Yet the worst was seeing that guy blinded sided and then beat on from the other one. She was pretty sure he passed out the second his head slammed onto the floor, but that didn't stop the other guy from attacking.
No it fueled him.
She didn't see the rest unfold because Nathan had dragged them off to some corner where no one was. The crowd had simmered down, and slowly began to wander off, leaving them alone in peace.
"This it nuts, we need to leave right now," Peyton started. She turned to Lucas and Nathan. "I'm sorry guys but there has to be another way."
"We can't." Was all Nathan said.
"And why the hell not!" Brooke yelled, the fear starting to show. "Those two guys just tried to kill each other and the crowd was hoping for it.
"She's right Nathan," Haley grabbed her husband's hand gently. "We gotta go."
"We can't," He repeated, his eyes never leaving the cage. "I think I found him."
"What? Where?" Lucas looked around, trying to figure out where his brother was looking at.
"The woman said the only Jack she knew was the guy who got hit," Nathan explained, finally looking at them. "So…"
It took a second but they got what he was implying.
"It's a common name," Peyton offered.
"Only one way to find out."
It was a stupid plan, everyone had agreed it was, but one they all found themselves doing. Brooke had protested the most, with Haley backing her up at every chance, but still the five of them found themselves outside of the entrance of the club waiting for the guy Nathan presumably thought was Jackson Scott.
They could have found him working in a Starbucks or going to class at NYU, but no, they had to find him in a dangerous beaten down shit hole of a place.
Right before school, Brooke had hoped this would be a relaxing trip. Shop at a few places, enjoy her last weekend, and maybe see Lucas and Nathan hug it out with their brother. Yet here she was, in the rain, outside a dump in the middle of the night, waiting.
"This sucks," She mumbled, her arms shivering from the wind.
"I know," Lucas agreed, standing next to her. He had been contemplating the whole situation and the fact that Brooke kept shivering next to him. "Here."
Brooke watched as he peeled off his jacket and swung it around her shoulders. She was about to protest but felt relief when the jacket kept the wind at bay. "Thank you."
The two shared a smile, then turned away just as quick, as they heard the door open again.
"Hell of a fight kid," A mans voice croaked. Brooke recognized it as the bartender that had helped them. She watched as he walked out the bar with another guy. "You alright?"
"I'm fine Jerry," The unknown guy said. None of them could make out the guy, he had his back towards him and a hood over his head blocking out the rain.
"If you say so," The bartender smiled. He looked past his friend seeing the group of kids who he recognized. "Friends of yours?"
"Who," The guy said, turning around.
Brooke had to hold back a gasp.
They'd waited an hour outside for him, most of that time wondering if it was the right person, the rest of the time wondering if he was okay, but here they were standing in front of the guy presumably known as Jack.
His face was covered in gashes and bandages. One eye had a nasty looking bruise starting to take shape. And his upper lip had been split. It was the face of a broken person, a beaten down one.
In most cases, had Brooke seen someone like that passing on the street, she would have questioned it for a second and then forgot about it and never thought of again. Yet seeing how the damage was caused, it was different.
She felt like she was a part of it. Like somehow she was responsible. She hadn't cheered, hadn't smiled, and hadn't enjoyed herself at all, yet standing there, seeing the damage being done, it felt guilty.
She knew it was stupid. She hadn't forced them to fight, that was on them. Yet they must have had an obligation, someone, anyone, to speak up before someone seriously got hurt.
Brooke tried to find words, but couldn't. None of them could. Even Nathan and Lucas who probably had so much to ask stood dumbfounded.
"Yeah these guys came in asking for you," The bartender said, confirming their suspicion. "You know em?"