The devil you know...

"He talks too much you say. I guess we both hate the same things. I'm Ruff." Ruff bounced a bit before charging. He was like a raging bull released on a hunt. His weight creating an earthquake. Chips of ancient cement flying up in a starburst as he raced towards Cobly, who couldn't even maintain a stance as the concrete beneath his feet trembled and thrummed.

Cobly swung as Ruff was within close range, Ruff parrying it away like it was a piece of paper and coming like an avalanche, delivered a hit to Cobly's jaw. Spurts of blood flying up. Cobly staggered back. Ruff grabbed Cobly by the arm, bending, he swept both legs from under him and lifted Cobly up in the air. Gravity was inconsequential as Ruff flung him, Cobly smashing into the wall on the roof. Ruff grunted, unsatisified, charging again.

He grabbed Cobly by the throat and smash him against the wall. Cobly gasped, a small gout of blood spilling out from his mouth. The walls pressed into him that Cobly felt like he was becoming part of it. He struggled against the choldhold, clawing restlessly at Ruff arms. Ruff continuously slammed his head against the wall, creating cracks that increased with each weight of Cobly head on it. It was now like a counting game. Feeling Cobly was losing consciousness, he tossed him aside.

Cobly tried to find sense of who he was. The air around, thick and dusty that he wanted to sneezed. He shook his head while trying to crawl to any where safety presented itself. Swallowing, something tasted greasy in his throat.

"Is this what you bring me to fight," Ruff shouted across to his employer. "You could have done better."

He began down to where 4ink was when he felt something running towards him and he turned. Eyesbrows lifted as he saw Cobly limping towards him. In his astonished surprise and peaked interest, he failed to notice the bar of metal Cobly dragged along– hidden by his side–until it was smashing with his face. He roared, but began falling face first as Cobly got both legs with a harder swing fit for a man of that size. His legs gave out from under him. Ruff hit the floor with shocking force. He puffed out dust. Putting his arms under him, hands splayed out on the rough surface, attempting to rise. The bar of metal was lifted again, like an offering, before slanting down, colliding down with his right arm. His roars of anguish that followed creating an unrest.

Breath shuddering in and out of his lungs, Cobly lost no time, racing towards 4ink and the man holding his girl. In his mad rush, 4ink cleared out of the way, Cobly having no qualms in giving the other man an upper right hook. The man let go of Sarah being forced to stagger back. Cobly went after him. Like a man finally seeing a source of relief after a long drought, Cobly delivered blow after blows. Expressing his intent on the unlucky man. The man given a moment, groaned through bloody face, producing a blade. He dangled it infront of Cobly like a life line.

The next instant, he was running towards Cobly. The veins in his neck, green, standing out, the blood flowing down giving it more definition. He swung the knife through the air towards Cobly throat. Cobly gave way and he fell forward too fast. Cobly reached at him from behind, grabbing onto his knife-welding hand and with it, plunged backwards with brute strength. The man's crisp shirt welled with blood. He held onto the knife sticking into his chest as he staggered forward without a sense of purpose or definition. He landed heavily on his knees. Beat up bloody face, strong teary eyes, his mouth hung loosely as he pulled the knife out. With that done, he folded to the ground.

Cobly bent, cradling Sarah. "Sarah, he said gently. He gave her some light slaps. "Please please." He rested his head on her forehead and began sobbing.

"Cobly?" she whispered. "Cobly? Oh...oh God..."

He raised his head in shimmering joy, his eyes magnified by tears. "You're alive." He held her tightly.

"They came," she said against his chest. "I was so wrong. They came back. I thought they would kill me and dump me in some alley but then, they hit me until I collapsed and...and...I'm sorry..."

"Shhh," he said. "Don't worry. You are safe."

"I never thought it will be like this. All these months and they never came. Why would they..."

"Because they are sadists and evil. And, and they don't deserve to see good people like you."

"Oh, Cobly!"

"I know. I know," he paused. A gun corked at his head.

"You are a hard one," 4ink said, laughing bitterly. "I get it. I would've have done the same for San. Again and again. That's why I'm doing this. It's over."

Cobly slowly closed his eyes. This death was not bad, not like the first. He was holding in his arms of a person who meant the whole world; every matter of it to him. So, he achiev—The shooter was delaying.

He tentatively opened an eye and was looking at a stump with blood flowing out like sprinklers.

4ink didn't scream.Too stunned to make a sound. His eyes moving in revolvers, trying to cog the pieces. Dot the 'i's' and cross the 't's.' He glanced back to where Ruff was and his eyes shot up into his eyebrows. Ruff was lying in a pool of his own blood. That couldn't be right. Because mere seconds ago, Ruff was just standing some metres away from him. His face in a grimace as always. The only thing wrong was the bone sticking out from his right arm. So what was happening? Why was he looking, dead? He searched through the rooftop again, trying to catch the precise moment of change.

And suddenly, something came out of darkness in the ghostly apparition of a young girl. Like a gloulish nightmare come to life. Purple eyes. Set lips. The lights giving her face definition– hauntily beautiful. The beautiful face of death. She set her gaze on him, and what he saw, 4ink couldn't grasp the moment a crying girlish scream tore through his throat.

The girl looked at 4ink disinterested. 4ink dropping on his butt, fear scrawled all over his face, his hand clamping into his eyes, as if shutting it from the world, screaming his lungs off. She walked past 4ink. To Cobly. Crouched down, knees bent, and perched her chin in her hands. Gazed at Cobly as he was– cradling Sarah tightly, burying her face with his chest– with budging horror-stricken eyes that defied the laws of blinking.

"What next?" she asked with a smile; her smile cold, so dead, that Cobly also felt, had the indescribable urge to scream.