(A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my friends Sadie and Madz that I unfortunately lost contact with recently. I really hope y'all are safe. I love you both.)
Other than them, the house was empty. Bo had gotten back late and missed dinner, not that he minded much. There were always leftovers. If General or Clayton didn't get to them first, that is. He left his crutches by the door, stepping carefully through the house, as if his footsteps would wake its absent inhabitants. He kept a hand on General as they moved, just in case he lost his balance.
Luke remained stoic, walking into the hallway. Bo shifted to the wall and General paused in the living room.
"Is this gonna be a private discussion or am I good to stay?" the Defect asked.
"You mind?" Luke asked.
There wasn't a bite to his voice, more sincerity. As if he was worried.
General nodded and stepped away. "I-I'll be outside."
He disappeared back out into the kitchen, Bo turning and walking into his and Luke's shared bedroom. He turned around and Luke shut the door behind them.
"Before you say anythin', I got somethin' to tell you first," Bo said.
He observed the uneasiness in his cousin's mannerisms. It was an odd thing. In fact, he couldn't remember him ever acting this way. He was moving his hands, one over the other, perpetually. He'd watched his cousin tense up under pressure before but never this erratic. It wasn't until he noticed the red flood of bloodshot in Luke's right eye that he realized that those may not have been his mannerisms.
"It'd be better if I went first, this's important," he said quickly. "I've been thinkin'."
"Are… you okay? Is this somethin' we need to talk to Clayton about?" Bo asked. Luke was starting to scare him.
Luke stammered for a second, seemingly confused, then quickly covered his right eye with a hand. "Ignore that, look, how'd today go?"
Bo sighed. "Today sucked and I totally blew it and I'm startin' to think we ain't got much of a chance. You want me to say it? I will. You were right. There, I said it."
"I figured as much. Alright, that's alright, I have a plan."
Bo gave him a skeptical look. "Luke, can you just… calm down for a second?"
"I am calm."
"You clearly ain't. Remember what Clayton said the other day? You shouldn't get too worked up."
Luke stopped wringing his hands and pinned them at his side, taking a few breaths.
"There ya go, breathe."
After a brief moment of silence, their eyes met again, and the bloodshot was gone.
"Now, what was that thing you were all fired about?"
Luke, who had been running a hand through his hair, looked at him confusedly. "What thing?"
"You said you wanted to talk to me about somethin'. D'you really not remember? That wasn't you at all?"
"I remember we were talkin' but I don't know what about. How'd the testimony go?"
Bo groaned. "Luke, you already asked me that! Where's Uncle Jesse and Daisy?"
"Marie's, they went to give her a house warmin' gift and stayed for supper now that she's all settled in. Look, I'm fine, I don't know what you're so upset about."
"You scared me; I didn't know what to expect when you said you wanted to talk to me then started actin' all crazy."
"I didn't mean to-"
Bo held up his hands. "Just… forget it, alright? Today sucked, I just… wanna go to bed."
He pushed past Luke to sit on his bed, working his boots off. Luke looked at him worriedly but stepped away anyway.
"Right, I'll… I'll leave ya alone," the older Duke said.
With his back turned, Bo listened to his cousin's footsteps slowly fade away. He sighed and shed the stiff clothes he'd worn to court, squirming underneath the warm covers of his bed and lying on his side, staring at the wall. After what felt like five minutes but very well could have been thirty seconds, he pushed himself up on his elbows and turned toward the room.
"LUKE!" he yelled.
His cousin was at the door in less than a second. Bo sighed and sat up, hugging a blanket to his chest. He didn't look at him.
"If I talk to you about somethin', d'you promise to not judge me or try to fix things or nothin'. Will ya just listen?" Bo asked.
"Yeah, promise," Luke said. There was a moment of silence between them; Luke didn't move from the door. "You want a beer?"
Bo nodded. "Yeah, thanks."
Luke disappeared and returned a moment later, handing Bo a brown bottle. Bo scooted up against the headboard of his bed, working the cap off of his bottle. Luke sat down across from him, twisting off the top of his own bottle. Both boys each took a drink simultaneously, and the room remained silent until Bo finally broke it.
And he talked. He talked good, bad, and ugly. And all the while Luke was silent, nodding every so often to indicate he was still listening. He talked until every ugly thing was out of his mind. Until Jesse and Daisy arrived and bid them goodnight. Until it was late into the night, into the early morning.
The beer bottles multiplied. Each time Bo would pause, it got more quiet. Until, finally, the two of them were silent again. They sipped beer and dwelled on the things said in that room. Things that, Bo was convinced, wouldn't leave that room. And he was satisfied with that.
"It alright for me to ask a question now?" Luke asked.
Bo smiled and scoffed, emptying his bottle. "Yeah, go ahead and ask."
"Did you really think I saw you differently?"
Bo shrugged. "You've been pretty upset for, like, the past week, and I didn't know what to think of it. If today was any indication, I mean. I thought it was somethin' I did or that you just couldn't stand to look at me anymore."
"I… I've been upset, I'll admit, but not at you! It's Allen I'm mad about. To be honest, it feels like I'm losin' it a little."
"You probably are," Bo replied jokingly. "You want revenge. Don't you?"
Luke was quiet and took a drink from his beer. "Yeah, but it ain't my place to act on it. You're the one who… well, y'know."
Bo nodded. "He'll get prison though, right? I mean, we can just forget about this, can't we?"
Luke shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know, I just… I think it might be a good idea to start thinkin' that he's gonna walk, y'know? What then?"
Bo shook his head. "He won't walk. He can't."
Just then, there was a sudden echo of a finger snap and the devilish Clayton Jennings appeared.
"Evenin', boys! Or should I say mornin'? Either way, I have terrible news!" the man announced with a smile.
Luke took another drink. "Continue."
"The jury's reachin' a verdict today." Clayton checked his pocket watch. "If their minds can't be changed within the next fourteen hours, I'm afraid I will have failed you boys."
The Duke boys shared a glance. Luke looked back at Clayton. "From the sounds of it, the odds ain't in our favor."
Clayton nodded. "In all fairness, you did say I was unqualified but then again, my services were free so I ain't sure what you'd all expect."
"Whatever happens, we'll deal with it."
Clayton chuckled. "Oh, you'll deal with it, will you? Even if he's acquitted?" He caught a stoic glance from Bo. "Oh. Oh. I like where this's goin'." The little man sneered.
A bit of relief seemed to wash over the room.
"Although," Clayton continued, "if I may, it seems as though ya might need more than that to pull this off. In all fairness, one of you can't risk high blood pressure and the other can barely walk."
"We'd ask the Defects but they've all been kinda squeamish since Dallas," Bo explained.
"But we need someone who ain't got any connection to Allen, someone who's got the guts," Luke added.
"Autumn?"
Luke shook his head. "Not after what happened to John."
"Cooter?"
"Can't be. He's too close to us."
Just then, Clayton cleared his throat. "I believe there's one person y'all are forgettin', and I don't think she should be taken too lightly, either."
Crickets chirruped in the surrounding brush, echoing around the yard. A few lightning bugs floated across their path. The beam of the yard light shined down on them like a sun, lighting their way to the door. Luke went first, climbing the stairs to rap on the door. The two boys waited in silence for a moment, Luke looking back at Bo who shrugged. The blonde was about to say that she was most likely asleep and probably wasn't coming to the door when the door opened, catching Luke off guard.
Standing in the doorway was Marie in a white t-shirt and a pair of purple boxer briefs. It didn't seem as though she'd been roused from sleep. She didn't even seem tired. Folding her arms across her chest with a sigh, she leaned against the doorframe.
"Your cousin forget somethin'?" she asked.
"No," Luke replied, "we came here 'cause we got a favor to ask ya."
"At three o'clock in the mornin'?"
"It's… about the murders."
Marie looked from Luke to Bo and finally stepped away from the door, ushering them inside. "Come in. No funny business though, ya hear?"
Luke nodded and the two Dukes followed her inside the narrow house, Bo closing the door behind them. The inside was dark, and the boys watched as Marie walked to the kitchen sink, curvy legs moving in the moonlight. As she filled a glass with water, the light in the living room flicked on, revealing Thunder sitting in an armchair, long legs stretched out in front of him. The Duke boys spooked.
"Thunder? What're you doin'?" Luke asked the Defect.
Thunder made a low rumble noise in his throat as he stood, seeming to forget that he didn't have an engine at the moment yet still mimicking the noise made. "I watch this place. Day in. Day out. I knew y'all were here the moment General pulled in the driveway."
"You're… weirdly intense but alright."
Just then, Marie returned from the kitchen with her glass of water and stretched out on the couch, pulling a blanket over top of her.
"So what is it you boys want, anyway?" she asked, taking a sip of water.
The Dukes shifted a bit awkwardly but quickly sat down as Thunder cleared the room and stood by the door. Luke started by explaining what Clayton had done in trying to convict Allen and that things weren't going as planned.
"The jury's supposed to reach a verdict tomorrow and… well, the odds ain't in our favor," Bo explained.
"There's a good chance Allen's gonna be acquitted," Luke added.
"And he'll be free to do whatever he wants… to us."
"And you came to me because…" Marie trailed off, searching for an answer.
"Because you're the only person we know that'll be able to help us. You got the brawn, the brains, and you ain't been here long," Luke explained.
Marie scoffed and took another drink of water. "Well, I'm flattered, but I don't really know what I can do to help you… legally."
"That's just the thing," Luke exchanged a glance with Bo, "it won't be."
Marie raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of them. "I don't know, boys…"
Luke grabbed her shoulder before she could even think about getting up, however, found that her shoulder was surprisingly warm. "Look, we wouldn't ask ya if it wasn't important."
Marie shrugged, Luke feeling her muscle and bone shift under his hand. She set her glass down on the table that stood between the couch and the chair Luke sat in, atop which sat a typewriter and a stack of papers. "It ain't that I don't want to, but that Allen's a mean feller. Don't think Clayton ain't told me what he done to him. If y'all was anybody else, I'd tell ya to fight your own battles."
Luke lifted his hand from her shoulder. "But?"
"But, y'all left your door open to me. It's about time I returned the favor. What d'you want me to do?"
Luke smiled and Bo whooped. "Marie, I could kiss ya!"
"Don't."
"We're gonna need a plan. And one that can't, under any condition, go wrong. Everythin' we do has gotta be perfect," Luke explained.
"Or it could go very bad for us," Bo added.
Just then, there was a noise behind them and all three quickly turned around to find Clayton standing ominously between the kitchen and living room.
"Mais, if I may provide, I got an idea for a foolproof plan that'll take care of all our problems," the little man announced.
Luke raised an eyebrow. "Ain't you caused enough problem- lemme rephrase that. Look, you tried to do things your way, and they didn't work, and we appreciate you doin' this and tryna help us with no strings attached. But, maybe it'd be a good idea if you sat this one out."
"Luke, c'mon, at least give him a chance… also d'you just follow us around or what's your issue here?" Bo asked Clayton.
Clayton grinned. "That I'll never tell, dear boy. But I do have an idea that I think y'all will like."
The boys each shared a glance. "We're listenin'," Luke said.
"That defense attorney, Richard Danielson, in case y'all ain't noticed, ain't a real lawyer."
"Yeah, I figured," Bo said.
"He's got a record. I've been followin' him for some thirty-odd years now, and to say he's a criminal would be an understatement. I'd call him the Devil but that title's already spoken for. Either way, I got a plan that'll take care of both Ridgefield and Danielson. It's rather simple, really, you boys get to have your fun with Ridgefield, but Danielson's mine."
"That's great and all," Luke said, "but we need somethin' more practical. We need the heat off us, alibis, a cover up. This mighta been somethin' we'd run away from last year, but we're doin' this now and we're gonna do it right."
"Mais, you didn't let me finish." Clayton grinned. "I can make Danielson confess to everythin'. All of the murders… includin' the murder of Allen Ridgefield."
Luke stood abruptly, jabbing a finger at Clayton. "Hey, we never said we were gonna kill anybody!"
"Ah, ah," Clayton said, shaking a finger at him in return, "watch your blood pressure, cher. So, what exactly are you plannin' to do with him, hm?"
"I ain't got a plan for that yet, but we ain't killers!"
Clayton chuckled. "Oh, is that so? I know what you are, Duke boy. You've killed before, and I can see it in your eyes there's at least some part of you that's itchin' to do it again."
"This ain't about me."
"Of course not. And what does Bo think?"
Both gazes turned to the blonde Duke boy and Bo shifted uncomfortably. "He wants to kill both of us, don't he, Luke? I mean, why shouldn't we get him first? If you really think about it, it's the nicest thing we could do for him, really. Beats bein' locked in a box the rest of his life or losin' more of his mind until there ain't nothin' left. We can do it like the ol' Of Mice and Men scene, he won't feel a thing… as much as I want him to."
Luke shook his head. "Bo, you don't know what you're sayin'. This's serious."
"You think I don't know it's serious? Luke, you were right, last year we woulda just run the other way, hell, we did. We hid away and tried to ignore our problems thinkin' it'd get better but it only got worse. But I ain't just some scared kid no more."
"You're actually thinkin' about… killin' Ridgefield?"
Bo nodded. "Like I said, it's probably about the nicest thing we can do for him."
There was a moment of silence in the trailer.
"Luke, you and I both know he's crazy. It ain't no way for him to live. Even if they don't lock him up again, what's he gonna do, huh? He'll spend the rest of his life wantin' nothin' but for us to be dead."
"Bo, c'mon, you don't want this. This shit weighs on you. On your conscience. Every minute of every day."
"It don't weigh on him. I know it don't."
"He likes it weighin' on him. But Bo, believe me, you can't handle it."
"I can't handle it?" Bo stood up so that he and Luke were level. "Both of us were tortured by Russell Williams, I was shot twice in the back, my face was burned, I almost drowned, then I actually died at the hands of Bradley Reid, then we almost died in a fire, were about drugged to death, and then had yet another hit out on us. And we never touched anybody who tried to kill us. Not Russell, not Hughie, not Reid, not Cindy, not the Prescotts, not Dewey, not nobody. But don't you think that Allen's gone too far?"
"Course he has, but if we kill him we ain't no better than him."
"Were you not listenin' to what I said?"
"You're tryna justify this when you know it's wrong. I dunno why you even bother."
"Didn't you suggest this in the first place?"
"I didn't mean we should actually kill him. You know we don't kill, Bo."
"But you did."
"That was a long time ago for different reasons."
"Does that make it right?"
"No, it don't, but-"
"You ain't any better than me. Or him. You wanna get on my case for tryna justify what I'm tryna do? Where was your justification? You just did it because they told you to, or at least that's what you told me."
There was yet another bout of silence in the trailer and everyone seemed to shift uncomfortably. Finally, Luke sighed.
"Self defense," was all he said.
The house was quiet with its mahogany paneling and yellow, halogen lights. The clink! of ice cubes in the glasses caught his attention. He watched as Danielson poured amber whiskey into each of the glasses, handing one to him which he accepted with a grin. Danielson held his own glass up, returning the grin.
"A toast to victory, and keepin' our heads above water," Danielson said proudly.
They each took a drink.
Allen sighed and set his glass down, leaning against the man's kitchen counter. He scoffed. "Barely." He touched a hand to his bandage-covered ear. "Give or take a piece or two. You make one hell of a lawyer."
Danielson laughed. "Mais, once I saw the prosecutor, I knew it'd be an easy job."
"Yeah, you said you knew him. What's with that?"
Danielson shrugged. "We got a history. But I gotta say, strange feller that one."
"What d'you mean by that?"
"Oh, I did him decades ago. Not long after, everyone was runnin' around sayin' he's killed himself. Then about ten years later, I meet him on a river boat in New Orleans. Mais, he look different but it was still him." Danielson laughed and took another drink of his whiskey. "Killed some broad right in front of him. Made him mad."
Allen was silent, face conflicted with thought. He had a slight feeling that Danielson was holding something back. "I met him too, little over a month ago. Dare I say he gave me a run for my money."
"What'd you do?"
Allen shrugged. "I tried to corner him in an alley, get him to take a message to good ol' Luke, but there was a fight. Did quite the number on him. I broke his arm clean in half. He, uh… he can do some weird things."
Danielson raised an eyebrow. "Mais, so you seen it too? Throw things without even touchin' 'em?"
Allen nodded. "Like I said, weird."
Danielson shook his head. "Not weird. He's still alive, ain't he? After he killed himself and then what you did to him. Mais, somethin' ain't right here."
"So?"
"So, ya better watch your back. Rumor has it those Duke deviants got him on a leash. If they want you gone, it's as good as done."
Allen laughed. "What? Oh, come on, after what happened last time? I fucked that stupid whore up, he wouldn't try me again, he couldn't be that stupid."
Danielson shook his head again. "He ain't that stupid, but I know he'll do just about whatever those boys tell him to. Why d'you think Detective Tollefson suddenly got pushed off your case after he'd come so close, hm? It's 'cause they wanted him to."
"You scared of him or something? What's your deal? We won fair, they can't touch us."
Danielson folded his arms in front of him. "I ain't scared of him." He chuckled. "He's scared of me. You're the one I'm worried about."
Allen scoffed again. "Well, I'm flattered but nothing's going to happen to me. It'd look too suspicious if it did. You can relax, we're in the clear."
He went to take another drink of his whiskey when the glass suddenly shattered, spilling whiskey onto him and the floor. Behind him, there was a solid thwack! And he quickly turned to find an arrow protruding from Danielson's kitchen counter.
"What the hell?" the man exclaimed.
There was a noise from the front of the house and both men whirled around. Danielson growled and stepped forward, grabbing a kitchen knife, protective of his home.
"Who's there? Say your peace or I'mma start cuttin'!" he yelled.
The two of them watched as a figure emerged from the entryway. "Awful unsound home security practice leavin' your front door unlocked."
Luke set his bow on the floor, leaning it against the wall. He folded his arms as he stepped into the light of the kitchen.
Allen growled. "What do you want?"
"I came here to warn you," the dark-haired Duke explained.
"You mean warn or threaten?"
"I mean you'd be wise to get far away from here as soon as possible. There's gonna be a lynch-mob after you real soon, Allen."
"And what if I just killed you right now?" He moved a hand to the inside of his coat.
"You could, but that'd look a might suspicious, don't you think?"
Allen grew quiet and raised an eyebrow, lowering his offending hand. "Why are you doing this? Why do you care?"
"I don't, I'm just tryin' to stop Bo from doin' somethin' he's gonna regret."
Allen laughed and about doubled over. "Oh, Bo wants to kill me? Now that's a sight! Tell the little prick if he even comes close to me, I'll finish what I started with him."
Luke scowled. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
He turned to leave, grabbing his bow.
"Don't worry, I will."
Luke stopped, not looking at him, though. "I hope to God this's my last time seein' you."
"The feeling's mutual."
Nothing more to be said, Luke left, and the house fell silent. Danielson and Allen shared a glance.
"What now?" Danielson asked.
"Let 'em come. They won't do anything."
"Mais, you sure about that?"
Allen nodded. "Double damn."
"As much as it baffles me that y'all are doin' this, I'm glad ya are. I'd have half a mind to do it myself if I still had the nerve, but after that whole fiasco with the HRO, I don't think I could stomach it," General rumbled.
Luke nodded and patted his dashboard. "Yeah, I know it. But this's for Bo to do. We just gotta make sure nothin' goes sideways. Easier said than done."
"I still think Clayton came up with a sound plan though, even if you don't think so."
Luke scoffed and folded his arms. "Well, well, look who's warmin' up to the Devil himself."
General gave a distasteful rumble. "I ain't warmin', I'm just mildly cool. He… just… he ain't so bad once you get to know him, okay?"
"Mhm, sure."
Just then, Marie pointed. "There's the son of a bitch now."
They all looked to the street ahead to see a tall and vibrantly dressed figure walking into view. General's engine rumbled again, more like the growl of a caged panther. Luke and Marie quietly climbed out onto the sidewalk. A white cloud of exhaust rose from General and in a moment he was standing behind them.
"Alright, here's the plan. Marie's gonna lead Ridgefield to a discreet spot so we can grab him. Should be quick and simple but with our luck, somethin's gonna go wrong," Luke explained.
He popped open the pouch on his belt and handed his knife to Marie, but the woman refused.
"That's cute, but I don't need your butter knife," she said.
From her pocket, she produced a closed hunting knife, flicking it open to reveal a long, black blade.
"You just— carry that around with you?" Luke asked.
Marie closed the knife and shoved it back in her pocket. "Jay insists, it's one of his codes he makes everyone follow. ABC—always be carryin'."
"That gonna do much against Ridgefield? Don't he have a gun?" General asked.
"It's better than nothin'," Luke replied.
"Even if he does start shootin', I'll be close enough to give him the ol' stab 'n twist before I die, at least," Marie said with a grin. General's face took on a bewildered expression whether he meant it to or not. Marie laughed and turned away toward where Ridgefield had been. "Looks like it's showtime, y'all."
"Remember," General said, "he don't know you, so just play it cool."
Marie turned back to look at him and tucked in the back of her shirt. "Y'all act like I don't know what I'm doin'. Piece of cake, you'll see."
The two of them watched her as she walked away. Once she was far enough away, General nodded to Luke and the two of them slipped away, into the opposite direction.
Marie approached quickly and quietly, hooking a thumb in her pocket, listening to the third beat of the man's cane on the pavement.
"'Scuse me, sir."
The man's head snapped backward and he drew in a sharp breath. Slowly, he turned and flashed possibly the whitest smile Marie had ever seen.
"Can I help you?" Allen asked.
Marie scratched her head, behind her ear, trying to keep her eyes off of Allen's absence of one. "This's kinda embarrassin', but my car broke down and unfortunately I ain't the brightest in that department."
Allen laughed, shifting his weight to his cane. "Oh, I'm afraid I'm not either."
Marie gave him a desperate look.
"Tell you what, I'll take a look at it and see if there's anything I can do to help you. Sound good?"
Marie grinned and nodded. "It's parked just over here. Follow me."
She glanced both ways before crossing the street, listening to the man's uneven footsteps following her. On the other side of the street, under the light of a streetlamp, she moved toward a white coupe parked next to the curb. She reached into her pocket, as if looking for keys, feeling the cool metal of the knife handle. She closed her fist around it, listening intently for sound behind her.
It seemed as though the man was about to say something when there was a scuffle and a muffled outcry. Spinning quickly, knife in hand, she watched as Allen was pulled backward into the shadow of an alleyway. However, found that the cry hadn't in fact come from Ridgefield but from General as the large man had stepped on his foot. The smaller Defect had one hand covering his mouth as he hopped on one foot, holding the other. Marie walked past him and into the darkened alley.
"Walk it off, General, you're fine," she said in a hushed voice.
As she entered and her eyes adjusted, she watched as Luke was slammed against a brick wall behind Allen, arms that had been wrapped around the man's neck now loosened. Allen stepped away, breathing hard and spinning to study the face of his attacker as Luke staggered to his feet. Seemingly disgusted, the man growled. "What a joke. You're really doing this? This isn't going to look good for you, Lucas K. Duke."
The other three said nothing and only moved closer.
"Three against one, huh?" The man smiled with his wolfish grin. "I like those odds."
Luke moved first, wiping blood from his mouth and lunging at Allen. He reached for his throat, only to have Allen driving his cane into his stomach. As the large man swung, Luke ducked out of the way, catching a glance of the gun under his arm. Again, he reached up, Allen grabbing his arm and jabbing his elbow into him.
Within a second, he felt his arm suddenly trapped, pinched in Allen's in a vice-like grip. The man punched him twice in the stomach before he finally wrenched himself free.
"Where's your friend Clayton?" Allen growled. "He was more fun to dance with."
This time, there was an answer. "Your guess is as good as mine."
Allen smiled. "Well, that's unfortunate for you, isn't it?"
Luke swung at him again, this time catching his cheek. The repercussion for that, however, was a swift punch to the ribs. Luke's guarding arms dropped, clutching his middle. He quickly dodged another swing.
Meanwhile, Marie leaned over to General to whisper. "Man, he's really gettin' his ass handed to him, ain't he?"
General nodded. "Yeah, and it ain't too often I see Luke lose a fight like this. You're gonna have to get in there sooner or later."
"Me? What about you?"
General patted her shoulder. "Oh, I can't fight."
Marie rolled her eyes. "Course you can't."
Luke kicked one of Allen's legs and Allen headbutted him, sending a spray of blood from his nose as his head snapped back. A low sound came from the two onlookers as they both cringed. Allen grabbed Luke's arm, pulling him towards him and throwing him on the ground. Luke coughed to the side, trying to clear his nose and mouth of blood. Within a moment, Allen was on top of him, pinning him down and taking his throat in his hands.
Luke clawed at the man's hands and face, struggling under the weight of him and the crushing of his windpipe. "Shit," he choked out, trying to grab at Allen's face who pulled away.
"Man, you really fucked this up, didn't you? I think I'm going to enjoy choking the life out of you while these yokels watch," Allen growled, wolfish grin creeping up his lips.
Again, Marie and General conversed, the woman pulling out her blade. "Welp, looks like it's time to intervene."
From the ground, Luke was still struggling, trying to get loose from the man's constrictive grasp. He could feel his head starting to grow fuzzy. The world started to fade away. And he was sad to say that there wasn't much going through his mind right then.
However, in the span of a second he found himself quickly being released and heard an ear-shattering scream being ripped from Allen. He caught a glimpse of Marie behind him, driving her knife into his back. General ran over, helping Luke to his feet as Allen and Marie struggled.
Ultimately, Allen ended up grabbing Marie's arm and slamming her against the wall much like he'd done to Luke at the start of the fight. The two of them watched her fall and clutch her arm, wincing in pain. The man quickly turned, eyeing Luke and General, who were now coming toward him.
Luke reached him first, the both of them going down, however, found himself being kicked over Allen's head. Still trying to shake off the move that he often pulled on others, he looked up in time to see General flying in his direction. The two of them collided, tumbling into a heap.
Luke groaned as he sat up, pushing General off of him. "General, what in the hell are you doin'?"
"Well, I was tryin' to help but it looks like I mighta bit off more than I can chew," the Defect answered before scrambling to his feet.
He ran back to the safety of where he and Marie had been standing before, out of Allen's reach, leaving Luke to take on the behemoth himself. Which he did, or didn't. The man grabbed him before he could get another swing in and threw him against a dumpster on the opposite side of the alley. Luke buckled to the ground, lying still for what seemed to be an eternity.
Allen walked toward him, smiling again. "You shouldn't have tried me, sergeant. I'll admit, the broad with the knife was smart but at least now I've got enough adrenaline to make it through the fight. Can't say the same for you, though. You're looking a little worse for wear there, buddy." He kicked him, turning him over and lifting a foot to rest it on his chest. He leaned down, resting his elbow on his knee and looking Luke in the eyes. "Looks like I nicked your eye there. You got any last words, Luke? Or do you just want to end it here?"
"Yeah, I got a few," the dark-haired Duke replied, pushing himself up on his elbows despite the weight pressing down on him, which seemed to set Allen back. "You talk too much."
There was a swift kick to Allen's leg and the man was down, Luke on top of him in less than a second. Fingers and nails digging into skin as if ready to tear the muscles out from underneath. But even Allen knew it wasn't him anymore. There was a look of panic in the man's eyes as he looked up at him, into that glare. He didn't even have an adjective for it. Perhaps murderous would suffice. But something told him that the things that glare entailed may be worse than death.
Maybe he was looking into a dark pit of Hell.
Maybe he was staring at Death himself.
Maybe if he could dislodge his breath from his throat he could fight back.
Finally, he was able to bring his arm up, swinging at Luke, or rather, whatever or whomever this was now, however, his hand was caught in a grip that about crushed the bones in his fingers. Letting out a choked cry, he struggled to free himself. He could've breathed a sigh of relief when his hand was released, however, wasn't able to as he was struck in the face. His head bounced off the concrete, leaving his brain rattling.
And this, he supposed, was how he was going to die. Having his head beaten into the ground by someone he'd once called friend. And maybe he did deserve it but that surely didn't stop him from feeling sorry for himself. And even as the world faded to black, for some reason, he thought of his sister and mother.