Edward continues to walk through the busy city of Peach Creek at night , feeling much better after securing Marie safety and now he can fully focus on the fights ahead . With the early workouts at the dojo , he is certainly already in the zone and taking his time walking while warming up a bit along the way . He arrives at the club at 10.30 with Chuck waiting by the entrance with a cigarette in his mouth , just scrolling on his phone . Edward greets him as he approaches and Chuck greets him back .
Chuck passes the cigarette to Edward but since he made that promise, he refuses.
Chuck : Strange , you normally would smoke this shit to the end . Got a girl already are we ?
Edward: You are a married man so it wouldn't take long for you do the math .
The two jokes and have some quick laughs before checking in through the back . The bouncer see Chuck and immediately let them through. The walk down to the basement is long but Edward can heard the loud roaring of a large crowd at the end of the tunnel as they see flashing lights and some other guests walking in front of them . They enter large underground building that used to a sewer system but was abandoned in the 80s after rumors about some bio weapons got leaked in there and nobody want to clean it up so it was left empty . The truth is , the rumors were lies to begin with and ever the water stop running through the place , multiple underground operations have set up shop here and the fight club is the newest one . The place is quite clean for an old sewer and there is at least 200 people in attendance with bet vendor walking up the stand every where . Chuck guide Edward to the back stage to get ready as Chuck finalized the details with the manager . Edward goes to the locker room and gets changed, putting on the sport boxer and basic safety gears such mouth guard and knuckle gloves . He can see some other fighters who are also getting ready, most if not all are older than him but his large frame and tattoos made him look older than he actually is so they don't bother him as much . The clock strike closer and closer to 11 but as Chuck stands by Edward, waiting to enter the cage, Edward receives a text from Marie .
Marie : I hope you have a good night sleep , my parents didn't find out about you so we are fine for the time being. Seeing at school tomorrow, love you .
Edward smiles as he wishes her a good sleep before putting his back into the locker . Making one last look at the mirror, he sees his hair is almost white now . He is a bit frustrated , still hasn't decides on which color to dye his hair but before he can thinks any further , the bell rings and he is up . The two walk out of the locker room , through the stand where roaring spectators make their bet on the fight . Once made it to the outside of the cage , Chuck check in with Edward.
Chuck : You're good ? I don't need the money , just the credit. Don't get yourself a black eyes since that will be too noticeable.
Edward chuckle .
Edward: Wanna make a bet that I end this fight under a minute.
Chuck laughs as he pulls out a rolls of hundreds. The two share one last laugh before Edward enters the ring . Once inside, the ref check in both fighters to make sure no fowl play and when is done , the ref gives the signal and the two fighters greet each other . Edward opponent is at least a few years older than him with how the facial hair and wrinkles on his face . Also judging by the look of it , the guy possibly enjoys hurting other with the way he taunts Edward after the two touches gloves to begin the match .
Edward carefully moves around , not making any moves just yet as his opponent does the same , throwing some insult along the way but it feel on deaf ears as Edward is dead focus . This is where his father side of the family take in. His heart starts to increase in speed as everything begin to slow down, the adrenaline is through the roof as Edward rushes toward his opponent , going for a high kick . The guy dodges to his right and Edward foot landed on the beam but using the momentum, Edward immediately bounces off the beam on his right leg then spin kick into the guy head . The motion was so fast that the guy didn't see it coming as the mouth guard was sent flying out of his mouth as he hits the floor , Edward pounces on him and starts hammering the guy faces with jabs before the ref break him off before Edward could kill him and ends the fight . Edward raises his right hand in victory as Chuck cheers from the sidelines, collecting his winning. The ref guides Edward out of the ring and Chuck escorts him back to the locker room, handing over the bucket full of cash to him .
Chuck : Just made a quick 5 grand , take 2 for the fight . The second one will be in at least 30 minutes so take some time resting before the bell rings .
The two goes back to the locker room and immediately splitting the cash . Everyone has their cut and hide it for safe keeping . Chuck goes back to the phone while Edward calm himself down a bit to rest after the adrenaline starts to disappear from his system. The effects are quite noticeable on Edward as he starts to resembles his sister. The dark smile , the disregard for other people, pure enjoyment of carnage and bloodlust, everything that he has tried so much to hide can easily surface if he gets into some intense situations or his emotions are unchecked. Edward looks at the mirror, seeing himself in a way that finally made him snap back for a moment as he can hears how fast his heart is beating . A normal person can produce adrenaline in their body during life threatening situations that can give them inhuman strength for a split moment , temporary heighten pain tolerance and super human reaction that seems like time slow down for them . Too much adrenaline would kill them via heart attack as the body is not meant to push to that limit for so much and so long . Edward's father and his children are different as in they can almost control how much adrenaline they want in their body in any give time , accessing to all the perks along with it while their body has developed since birth to withstand the side effects. Edward figures this out after years of testing on himself to see what made him so different, he gets a good idea on how it works but the only one who truly knows are his father and half sister .
With 30 minutes to relax , his body has finally recovered to its pre heightened phase as Edward perceived everything in its normal pace rather than the slowed down. Chuck comes back in the room to inform Edward that he is up for the next fight . Putting his game face on , he walks out of the locker room and into the area once more as the crowd cheers on him , making bets as he walks out of the tunnel . Getting into the cage , he puts his protective gears on except for the groin protection as it hinders his movements. As he warms up a bit , a loud roar by the crowd after hearing the sudden booking heavy metal music . His next opponent is here. The dude is huge , at least 30 pounds larger than Edward but since this is an illegal tournament, weight class are a bit broader than normal. The announcer introduced the fighter as Big Hand Brand .The dude walks into the cage , looking stone cold through out the way as he sits down in his corner to hears his trainer advise while Edward is doing the same to a much lesser degree.
Chuck : Need I to say , he is the favorite to win the whole thing tonight. So better win big , buddy .
Edward: What are my odds ?
Chuck : 10 to 1 .
Edward: All in , I want that last fight look childish compare to this one .
Chuck : You got it , good luck .
With one last pad on the shoulder, Chuck leaves the cage as the fight is about to begin. Edward and his opponent steps into the middle to touch gloves and hears the rules . Edward pad his gloves with just enough strength to feel while the guy literally punch his gloves down . Edward react just in time and lower his hands down a bit to dodge his hands as they step back and the match begin .
Edward starts up early , getting to gear as Brand make the first few swing . Avoiding them with no problem, Edward returns a few light jab to test his opponent to his surprise, Brand just tanks the hit on his arm and counter once . Both fighters make several attempts but no hit so far but Edward would get the chance as Brand makes a quick high kick ,taking advantage of his large size to go for an unexpected hit . Edward ducks down and sweep kick him into the ground as Edward pounces on Brand , drilling into Brand face as he puts up his arms to guard . Edward tries but the guy superior strength make his defense too tough to pierce through so early on but while Edward too busy charging in , he didn't what Brand was cooking up as Brand timed Edward next strike perfectly as he blocks then wrapped Edward in a tight bear hug by the rips . Edward sees this and manage to duck his right arm down to loosen the hold but he can't maintain for long as Brand role over , getting on top Edward before picking him up . Being hold up into the air in disbelief, Brand slam Edward down into the hard floor . With his left hand still free , he braces for impact as when he hit the ground, Edward can hear some cracking as intense pain sends Shockwave across his body . The damage Edward did on Brand was substantial as Brand also fall back a bit to recover .
Both fighters appear to be injured as the ref start counting for both to get back up or the match end in a tie . Edward, with its seems to have his left arms fractured few places after the slam along with a few injuries to his upper body is slowly getting back up as the adrenaline starts to pump in more and more , not before long , the pain is barely noticeable as he stands back up . His left arm is only half the way up as it's too weak to do anything as this point . Brand picks himself up as well , a bit wobbly due to the many hit on the head but still has enough for the fight . With both fighters back on their feet , the match resumes as both approach each other . Brand swings but with his stunned state of mind, can't put together a good strike . Slower and weaker with each miss hit while Edward dodges in pain from his left arm . Brand misses again and Edward takes advantage, gets a good hit right on the face as Brand stumble back a few steps but still remain on his feet, holding onto the cage walls . Brand strikes again as Edward but he misses, falling toward the ground where he misses his mark . Again , Edward takes advantage , taking a quick deep breath as he lunges forward with his right knee up , aiming at Brand face . The moment of collision seems to slow down as everyone watches blood spatter across the metal fences as Brand face flick to the side before falling hard into the ground out cold . Edward lands on his feet but it has taken him so much to win that he falls on his knees as the ref goes to check on Brand . With the fighter out cold , the ref gives the signals and the judges ring the bell , ending the match as the crowd roar in cheers as the ref assist Edward to his feet . Chuck comes into the cage to help as the announcer declared Edward won by knock out . Brand team also comes into to pick him up but to avoid any further problems, Edward is escorted with Chuck out of the cage and into the locker room. While they were walking , Chuck slips out of the group and into the crowd , letting Edward walks back alone . In the locker room , Edward receives a note from the organizers that he had advanced to the next stage and he should get ready for it in one week time . With no further instructions, Edward takes a quick shower to remove all the blood spattered around his body , all of it are from Brand . Coming out of the shower , he can see a clearer picture of the damage as the bruises becomes more visible to the eyes . Some large bruises on his rip and shoulder , his left arm doesn't show much but the sharp pain in every of its movements confirms what he already knows . Edward slowly puts his clothes back on , with everything taken care off , Chuck returns to the locker room to take Edward home . They are escorted by a few guards and go through a different route from which they entered, after a few minutes of walking in tunnel, they exited into a open field with the main road just 100 feet away . Chuck car is already there , he turns to the guards and they hand over a briefcase to Chuck before walking back into the tunnel. Edward goes to the car and tries to open the trunk to put his bag in but the injuries are taking it toll on him so Chuck lends a hand , opening the trunk and putting all their stuff inside . The two get inside and start driving back to junkyard to split the cash and tend to Edward's injuries .
Chuck : How bad is it ?
Hands still steady on the wheel , not looking away from the road .
Edward: Hurt but I'll live .
Edward moves to adjust his seat belt to avoid pressing on the injured areas.
Chuck: We will patch you up a bit at the junkyard or we could make a quick visit to the doctor if you want .
Edward: Do that and we will end up at child protection services.
Chuck laughs , Edward chuckle along as the two drives through the empty street.
Edward: How much did we make ?
Chuck : 40 grand . We split 25 - 15 , the extra 5 is for the medical fees.
Edward: Thanks , I needed this .
Chuck : Thinking about building life with your girl , haven't you ?
Edward: It will be the only that worth living .
Chuck : From someone who just pop out another kid , hope you pick the correct one .
Edward: I know I made the right decision and now , I need to rest .
Half an hour later , the two arrive at the junkyard and waste no time sorting out their business. Chuck handles the money while Edward goes to the storage room to fetch some medical supplies. Applying ointment to ease the pain as he wraps himself up , covering all the injured areas . He can't afford to wear braces as it would be too revealing and he doesn't want anyone to know about this so he just wrapped it tight and hope he doesn't have to use it for a few days . When he leaves the room , his share of the money is next to his bag with freshly microwave burrito. Edward figures Chuck must have leave after he is done sorting the money, probably his wife asking him to come home . Carefully putting everything in , he carries backpack on his right shoulder and leaves with the burrito in hand . After leaving the junkyard and enter the main road , he picks up a cab and ride the rest of the way home .
Parking just outside the woods where the trailer house is , he pays for the fees and tips for the inconvenience . The cab drive away into the night as Edward walks his way home . It's close 2 in the morning so he doesn't expect his brothers to be awake nor his mother . Quietly opening the door , he finds the place is filled with snores as expected , everyone is asleep. Closing the door , he puts his bag in his cabinet as he just wants to catch some sleep to rest his injuries. Just as he is about make himself comfortable at the couch , his mother comes up to him , a bit hazy from her sleep but still has a bit of seriousness in her eyes .
Lisa : Where have you been , you know what time it is ?
Almost like whispering but the tone indicates anger to Edward.
Edward: I have work , I already told Eddy that i will be late .
Responding in a similar volumes but in a lighter tone .
Lisa : I am your mother , don't you know how worry i am when you didn't wait for me like always?
Edward: Since when did you care , you always try to make me leaves , you almost had your wish and since did you care .
Edward stands up , holding in the grunt all the way up .
Edward: All my life you told me you didn't love me and yet here you are, finally being a loving and caring mother . What is this about? Did CPS finally knock on the door , did you get fires at work ? What is it ?
Lisa : Cause I am your mother , simple as that and I would not let you go out like this , coming home late ?
Edward: I don't get it , you always wanted me out . What happened? Why are you worry now ?
Lisa stutters a bit which tells everything there is to know about what could be at play .
Edward: You know what , you can keep your answers. This will be the last time I'm here , don't worry about Eddy and Ed . I will still help them at school.
Edward turns and about to head to the door when suddenly Lisa grabs his left arm . The sudden amount of pressure make Edward want to scream in pain but he bites it in , not letting it out .
Lisa : Your father , he was here .
Edward yanks his arm away to avoid further discomfort on his already beat up arm .
Edward: Kinda guess why you acting so strange , what's the matter ? He finally caught up to you .
Still turning his back on her .
Lisa : He came to tell me what a good job I did of raising you .
Edward: Really? Cause from what you have told me , what kind of son did he want , heh ? A monster .
Lisa : No , he told me he wanted a good son , someone who is kind yet willing to do everything to protect those he loves.
Edward : And why did he say that ?
Edward turns around confronting his mother , standing tall over her , ordering answers from her .
Lisa : Cause he want to test you , breaking you down into piece before building you back up into the monster he desire .
Edward stare at his mother for moment to see is she bluffing or nor but his mother kept that horrified expression throughout those few seconds, meaning she is telling the truth .
Edward: You always have a bad poker face mom . I will deal with him , just take care of Ed and Eddy , I will live somewhere else for the time being .
Lisa : What ? please , Edward, I need you more than ever right now .
Edward: and I'm needed elsewhere. If dad is after me then those who I care about are also in danger .
Lisa : but your family is here , what could ...
Lisa stops and looks at Edward . The calm in his eyes rather than the rage that was burning long ago .
Lisa : You found a girl . You love her .
Edward: I intent to keep her safe from both you and dad and the only to do that is not staying here .
Edward turns around again and head outside to leave .
Lisa : Please, wait Edward.
Edward stops just before getting his bags .
Lisa : You have to understand, I was struggling , alright? I didn't know what to do or how to raise you after what happened between me and your father . I was just hoping that may be ...
Edward: If you drive me away , I will disappear from both you and dad . It's solve the problem but you didn't expect me to stick around, to become a better son , a son that loves his mother despite the abuse .
Edward grabs his bags and leave into the night as Lisa watches ,in tears and silent . The entire commotion woke the two brothers up but by the time they can even comprehend what happened, Edward is already out of sight . Edward goes through the woods on a secret route to get to the cul-de-sac as he doesn't want to get rob of his hard earned , body breaking money from him . Trekking the dark woods , he rely on his memories and the constellation to navigate and make it to Marie house but the walk was exhausting as by the time he arrived, it's almost 6 in the morning and when he just about rings the doorbell , exhaustion finally gets the best of him as he slump onto the door and lean on it for support. Marie , being the early bird that she is , was already down stairs cooking up some food to start her day .
Feeling better than usual, she whips up some pancake and French toast for the breakfast with a cup of orange juice to wash it all . Flipping the second pancake into the air before putting it on the plate , she hears the doorbell .
Marie: Strange , the mailman usually delivers at 7 but it's just barely 6 , I wonder who could it be .
Marie turns of the stove and leaves the kitchen , washing her hands on the apron as she goes to the front door .
For safety, she looks through the peephole first and surprisingly finds Edward is slouching to the door with his face up close . She can see he is quite tire from how his long breath to his eyes , how desperate he needs to rest . She doesn't hesitate to open as she quickly remove the pin and open the door . Edward.
