Chapter 10: Weak

Damon wondered when he had completed the 10-minute jog.

But he remembered running back to the alley, trying to avoid being late.

He had probably ran more than 10 minutes, but he wasn't sure.

He was glad he didn't have to run this late at night in Stockton.

The city wasn't known for its kindness, especially after dark.

Damon had four hours to complete his tasks. He stood up, walking to the open space in the alley. He decided to start with the next exercise: push-ups.

He had never done them before, but he knew what they looked like. Damon dropped down, placing his hands on the ground.

His arms were very skinny, and he wasn't sure if he could even do five push-ups.

As he began, Damon felt the rough pavement beneath his hands.

His shoulders felt weak, but he kept going. Damon did one push-up, then another. He was getting tired, but he didn't stop.

Damon's arms started to shake, his muscles burning with fatigue. He did five push-ups, then paused to catch his breath. He was sweating, his heart racing with exertion.

But he didn't give up. Damon did five more push-ups, his body screaming in protest. He was getting tired, but he refused to stop.

As he finished the last push-up, Damon collapsed onto the ground. He was exhausted, his arms trembling with fatigue. But he felt a sense of pride, knowing he had completed the exercise.

Damon lay there, catching his breath, his body slowly recovering from the exertion.

He knew he had to keep going, to complete the rest of the tasks. But for now, he just lay there, feeling the rough pavement beneath him.

He began doing the sit-ups, his body slowly lifting off the ground as he curled up towards his knees.

The first one wasn't hard, but he felt a gentle tension in his abdominal muscles as he lifted up.

He did the second one, and his core began to warm up, the muscles starting to engage as he sat up again.

He felt like he could continue, so he did.

As he did the third, fourth, and fifth sit-ups, the tension in his stomach grew, but he pushed on.

His muscles were starting to burn, but he kept going, determined to finish.

He did six sit-ups, and then paused, his abdominal muscles burning with fatigue.

Damon took a deep breath, his chest heaving with exertion, and continued.

His face turned red as he strained to lift himself up again and again.

Sweat dripped from his brow, falling onto the pavement below him.

He reached nine sit-ups, and as he started to lift himself up for the tenth and final one, his body protested.

The sounds he had been holding back - the grunts and groans of effort - finally escaped his lips as he groaned in exertion.

"Just one more. One last," he muttered to himself, his stomach burning with fatigue.

He felt like he couldn't do it, but he pushed on, his body screaming in protest.

Finally, he lifted himself up for the tenth time, his muscles screaming in agony.

He was able to finish it, but he was left breathing very deeply, his chest heaving with exertion.

Damon lay back on the ground, his body trembling with fatigue.

He felt like he had given it his all, and he had.

He lay there, catching his breath, his muscles slowly recovering from the exertion.

He stayed laying down, not moving an inch, his body exhausted from the previous exercises.

He knew he was not done, he had to complete the rest of the workout, he couldn't give up now.

Breathing was beginning to hurt, his lungs burning from the exhaustion.

As his stomach moved, he slowly stood up, his upper body aching, his core and arms.

It was time for squats, and he knew his physique was a liability. If he ever wanted to make money off fighting, he had to improve it.

Damon stretched his shirt, wiping the sweat from his face.

He felt like he had done 100 push-ups instead of 10, 100 sit-ups instead of 10. His muscles ached.

But he wouldn't let pain bring him down. After all, pain wasn't anything new to him. It was his friend, his constant companion. He had grown accustomed to it, learned to live with it.

Damon took a deep breath, preparing himself for the next exercise. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to push through. He would complete the squats, no matter how much it hurt.

The cool night air hit him, refreshing him slightly. But he knew it was only temporary, that the pain would soon return.

He took another deep breath, preparing himself for the agony to come.

He spread his legs apart, his feet shoulder-width apart, and stretched his arms forward, his hands extended in front of him.

He began to lower himself down, his knees slowly bending as he descended into the squat.

As he went down, he felt the strain in his legs, his quadriceps and hamstrings stretching and contracting.

His muscles trembled with effort, his knees creaking softly as he lowered himself further.

Damon's arms remained straight, his hands still extended in front of him, as he continued to lower himself down.

His back straightened, his core muscles engaging to support his body.

He felt the burn in his legs intensify, the pain growing as he reached the bottom of the squat.

His lungs burning, his breath coming in short gasps as he struggled to maintain control.

The world around him narrowed to a single point, his focus solely on the exercise.

He was aware of nothing else, only the sensation of his body moving, the strain in his muscles, and that was it.

As he paused for a moment at the bottom of the squat,

Damon felt the sweat dripping down his face, the salty liquid stinging his eyes. He blinked slowly.

Then, with slow movements, he began to rise, his legs straightening as he stood up, his arms still extended in front of him.