Chapter Sixteen

"Your stitches healed you up well, the scar is barely noticeable." The doctor says as she gives it a quick look. Her voice is somewhat soothing.

"Any other issues?" My doctor inquires. She has been coming to treat me whenever I have needed her for the last few days.

Last few weeks. It's nearing the end of August. The weather is not as hot as it normally is and it is cooling down. Fall is my favorite time of the year, the leaves that crunch when you walk on them and all the pumpkin spice-flavored things.

After two weeks of healing and training with my dad and his friends. Mostly his friends because somehow I am the plague and to be near me is too much for him to handle. My work has allowed me to get some paid leave and vacation off. The last two weeks have been constant training.

Today I am fighting Tyler. Tyler is the martial arts god so to fight him is a lot. His blocks and knowledge of everything make it so challenging to fight him. I always end up on my ass. Thema has signed us up for the Kobato class, which is run by someone who was in the Brazilian armed force. We have learned don't aim for the chest, as that tends to be ineffective. Aiming for the knees requires a specific kick that can be too risky for an average person. So we are learning how to kick better.

I ask Tyler what he wants me to do.

Tyler shouts, "I want you to hit me as hard as you can."

He is a well-built man, with dark hair and dark eyes. He is of Asian descent of some kind. Dad claims he has trained in every martial art field he could. 

I step back, balancing my weight on my right foot, and throw my left fist out in a curved punch at his temple. Turning ninety degrees to the side, he brings his left forearm up to counter the blow, forms a fist with his right, and he throws it at my outstretched jaw. I am in trouble, I think to myself as I crouch down out of the way of his punch. I swipe my leg under his and knock him down on the mat.  He performs a kick-up and I have to come up with a new strategy to take him down. 

Lifting my dominant leg off the ground and then began to drive my knee upward.

I extend my dominant leg, drive my hips forward, slightly lean back, and kick forcefully, making contact between the ball of my foot to the attacker's groin area. He blocks that move and I twist out of his way when he tries to throw a punch.

Honestly, the self-defense classes I have taken along with a few years of childish karate classes. Has not benefited me in a fight with a man. Especially, this one. For a girl who has a small appearance, I have to use my speed against whoever is fighting against me. I attempted to kick him a few times and I only hit him once. He goes after my bad shoulder. I got the stitches out last week. Wincing in anger and the pain boils beneath the surface of my skin. I want to cry out, but I don't. Kicking his hand with my leg and punching him with my uninjured arm, he is taken aback.

"Son of a bitch, that hurt!" He says trying to swing at me, but I block his swings and he kicks my stomach. The kick leaves a stinging sensation, but I ignore it because feeling the need to get him back strikes me.

Catching him midway through the motion of another kick, with my right foot, he brings a heavy foot to meet my face. I block and ball my hand into a fist and bring my fist to meet his face with my left hand. My fist connects to his jaw. I then trip him and he falls on the blue mat.

My hands find purchase on his soft collar flesh where his neck and shoulder meet. Clamping onto it like a vice. Pushing up from him as he struggles to free his tender flesh from my grasp. Forced me into kneeling, and raising him off the sweaty mat. I use all my strength to do this. The fear in his eyes as I let him go and help him up. 

"I think that is enough training today." Claps echo behind us and that is when I notice my father there.

"For a victory like that, a girl deserves a treat. " Tyler bows to him and quickly exits the gym.

"In two weeks you have been able to take down one of my best-trained guys in combat. What kind of super-soldier serum are they giving kids these days?" 

"I call it pent-up anger, with a mix of men pissing me off this week." Wiping myself down and clean up how sweaty I am, then I drink half a bottle of ice-cold water. 

It's the end of summer now and I am going back home tomorrow and also back to work. My mama is planning a party and we know it. I think it is a welcome back home, glad you are feeling much better party. 

"I'll be back in an hour and a half, then we can go get your present." He says this while making his way through the gym and out the door the further he gets the quieter he is.

I wipe myself down and head to the shower.  After a quick shower and using a massage tool to rub out my body I put on my change of clothes. It's a pretty hot day in New Mexico, that is where my dad has been all these years. A state away, rolling my eyes I call my grandmother on my new phone. I walk out of the house and am immediately hit with a blanket of heat. Grandma picks up on the third ring.

"This better not be one of those damn collect callers. I am as old as Jesus's fart please leave me the hell alone." I want to laugh as she says this but I don't.

"Hey, grandma it's me," I say, and she perks up.

"Oh my gosh, it's Alicia. I have been so worried about you. You need to come and visit me." I can hear the phone fall out of her hand as she says this. There is a little bit of commotion that I hear before she gets the phone back into her hand.

"Damn it, I can't hold on to things like I used to. Arthritis in my hands is bad." She says this as soon as she gets the phone back in her hands. 

"It's okay as long as you make your move free, that should help." 

"They only give me what the doctors prescribe, none of my vitamins or supplements." This fumes me when she says this. I swear that place is a prison for old people. My mama can't wait to get her out of there but the doctors say she isn't ready. But she is eager to get home as soon as possible.

"I hate that place." Saying this now I wish I could break her out of the joint and get her a personal caretaker but I am not a millionaire.

"Me too, I have got to go to dialysis love you. I wish we could talk forever but can't be on the phone doing that. They make me drink an awful drink and most of the time they bring me a strawberry and I end up hiding it away." She admits and I smile. 

"Okay, grandma I will call you back later." As I say this we both know we are going to have to decide who is going to hang up the debate.

"Please don't forget about me," she begs and I can hear the loneliness in her tone. 

"I could never," I tell her this hoping it will bring her a little comfort. Never would anyone ever forget her.

"Good, now you hang up this time because I did it the last time." She lies, and she is very good at doing that. My brother's dad inherited it from her. Their marriage is a bit rocky right now because my mom knows about his cheating and he keeps repeating it. Claims he isn't going to do it again and I think they only stay married because of the boys.

"Nope, it's your turn." 

"Fine, but you get the next two times. Love you baby." She says about to end the call but before she does I tell her "I love you too." The phone call ends and I am sweating real bad. Going inside is the only option. A maid hands me a towel and I pat myself dry wishing there was time for another shower. But there isn't and that kind of makes me mad. I go to the kitchen and make a lettuce wrap, eating it slowly I scroll through Tiktok. Watching a few funny videos here and there but the other ones are just weird. Liking one remix of a song gets me fifty more remixes. I don't know how many more "slurp that dick till they cums," I can take the audio to make me laugh. Dad walks into the kitchen as I grab a glass of orange juice.

"Let's go get you a gun." My dad says grabbing my sweaty towel and throwing it over his shoulder. I follow him out the door and down the hall. We go through his living room and then to the hallway that leads to where multiple bodyguards stand. They move and we are off to get me a new gun. My only experience with guns is hunting rifles because my family likes to go camping and hunting. I have been to a few shooting ranges over the years as well. I know how to shoot pretty well, but not so well with a handgun for some reason.

I can shoot with good aim but have never learned how all the parts exactly work and how people can put them together so fast. When being a computer nerd I guess the walls of the internet are supposed to cover me. I should be able to code myself a robot that fights for me.

We drove to a garage to an abandoned foreclosed house. It has completely fallen apart and I am surprised the garage is still up.

He clicked a few buttons and it opened exposing a whole bunch of guns and ammo.

He walks over to a wall of pistols, "Here, this is my automatic colt pistol. Its home will now be in your hands. These bullets can't be traced back to you. They were made to specifically be unknown. We have a guy who makes them, all we have to do is smuggle it in." I take the gun and I hold it the way that I have been taught. It's the perfect weight for a steady aim for me.

"Thank you," wrapping him in a thank-you hug, that he doesn't push me out of. I almost want to cry.

"We better get you to your place. D is going to be so mad if I make you late for your welcome home party." He holds the back door of the car open and I get in. We take an hour-long car ride enjoying the silence that lies between us. We pull into the driveway and he locks the door before he lets me out.

"Hey kid, I don't want to impose or be at this party. I try to keep a low profile so showing up to this might get me noticed since another gang and the feds are on your tail." I nod in understanding.

"It's perfectly okay, see you at the shooting range on Sunday." He unlocks the car door and I get out. I wave his car goodbye and then turn to my house. I walk up the steps and open the door...