Nightmare

Street fights take place underground—far from the eyes of the police and the law. Down there, they have their own rules: beat or be beaten; win the prize or die. News of the fights never leaves the underground, and anyone who talks to the police doesn't make it out alive. Even though the police knew about these cage matches, they didn't dare enter the fight club.

Everything was going smoothly, but the story really began when you and your friend Ben decided to go to the fight club to watch the matches. That wasn't a place for the weak or fragile; in fact, you were the first girl brave enough to set foot there. Your friend didn't have a problem since he was a guy, but you had to wear a hat to hide your long hair and a hoodie to conceal your face and figure, keeping your identity as a girl hidden.

You went there. All night long, you were careful not to arouse any suspicion. You witnessed one of the best cage fights ever. The fighter was a perennial winner; he had been dubbed the "Nightmare," and no one knew his real name. He would finish his fights with ease. He didn't just win; his blows often killed his opponents outright. He was truly ruthless—ruthless in every sense of the word. After killing or maiming an opponent, he would step out of the cage as if he had merely crushed a worthless insect rather than taken a human life. Once, as he entered the ring and began to fight, his eyes briefly locked with yours in the crowd. That momentary eye contact caused him to take a punch, but he quickly refocused on the match and won—just as always. His opponent was rushed to the hospital.

He had realized you were a girl but hadn't said anything. He was unfastening his gloves in the corner of the cage. You were still staring at him when, suddenly, a nuisance appeared—someone who knew you were a girl. Your friend Ben tried to drive the guy away, but it was no use; the intruder kept closing in and harassing you. Nightmare spotted him and calmly stepped up right behind you. His voice came from over your shoulder as he told the guy

"Stick around as our guest a little longer, and I promise you'll be the next one I bury behind the dumpsters."

That intruder fled! He really took off running and got away. Nightmare turned to you and said coldly when he was looking at your eyes,

"This is no place for little flowers. Take better care of yourself, little one."

**** He turned back, sat down in his original spot, and finished taking off his glove.