I hit the ground hard, and I roll to one side to try to get my feet under me. Before I can use the momentum to stand, another blow to my chest sends me reeling, and I hit the ground hard on my shoulder.
Whoever it is kicks me hard in the ribs, and I wrap my arm around his foot. He stumbles for a second, and I try to roll with his leg, taking him down. Instead, he drops his weight on the back of my neck, and I go limp. My fingers tingle as I groggily try to get to my knees. I hear a sound of effort, and another hard kick connects, heel first, in my temple.
Gravel and dirt fill my senses when I come to again. It could have only been seconds because he’s not on top of me, but I realize I was out. I scramble onto my back, rolling backward to create space and reach for my hip. The gun is still there, and I yank it out of the holster. Blood flows from a cut on the side of my cheek, and a rivulet streams into my mouth. I taste iron and dead leaves. I spit as I get to one knee and look back at my attacker, who has ceased pummeling me for now.
Whoever it is wants me to get up. Which must mean he isn’t afraid that I have a weapon. I put one hand up to block the light that is blinding me still. I can just make out a shadow against it.
“Don’t move,” I yell, aiming at the blurry black shadow. I sidestep to move out of the direct glare. As I do, color filters into focus, and the face of the person in front of me becomes clearer.
It’s him.
“Isn’t this familiar?” the Dragon sneers.
“How?” I stammer. Before he can answer, I pull the trigger. I don’t care how. I want him dead.
But the gun doesn’t fire. I click it a few more times, my stomach dropping. I can feel the air as my eyes open wide as I pull the trigger over and over again.
“Missing these?” Dragon grins, kicking at the ground. Bullets roll in all directions. I stare at them, uncomprehending.
“You were out for a minute there,” he says in mocking concern. “I thought our reunion was already over, but then you moved. I couldn’t have you shoot me, but,” he says, taking a step closer, his breath creating a halo of steam above his head, “I did want you to pull the gun out. For old time’s sake.”
He smiles at me, and I feel my stomach flip. It’s the same wide but thin smile he had when he committed murder in front of me. The smile of a man who doesn’t just think, but knows everything is under his control. He has ultimate power.
Even though the gun has no bullets, I stand there, training it on him still. My mind is racing, trying to think of what to do next. No one knows where I am, and even if they did, they wouldn’t have time to get to me. I have to do this on my own. I have no clue if anyone else is here or what he has planned. The best thing I can do is go on offense.
So I do.
I toss the gun at him, not necessarily trying to hit him, but to distract him. He takes the bait and ducks as one arm reaches out to try and bat it away. I pounce, diving at his knee, smashing my own into it from the side.
He cries out and crumples to the ground, and I wrap my arm around his throat, staying on his back. I try to maneuver for a chokehold, but he spins, making me lose my grip. I roll away, but he is faster and not suffering from a likely second concussion in a short span of time. I try to wrap around him by the torso as he reaches me, but he rains down a fist that connects with my jaw, and I feel myself lose strength as if it’s flooding out of my fingers.
I fight to shove him off, but he is already mounting me, throwing haymakers at the sides of my head. I reach up to triangle him, trying to trap one arm and his head and choke him out, but he connects with his elbow on my jaw, and my vision fades. I don’t feel the pain of the next hit, but I can feel my head react to the momentum, snapping it to the side. My eyes flutter closed, and the back of my skull cracks against the pavement.
Chapter Forty-One
The ground moves beneath me, but I know I’m not walking. I can feel the dirt and wet grass brush against the skin of my lower stomach as my shirt stretches. My other arm is tingling and is raised above me. It dawns on me that I am being dragged. I try to open my mouth, but the effort is too much. I fade again.
Again, my eyes open. The world is blurry around me, but I am no longer moving. I am face down on concrete. Blood pools under my nose, and as I exhale, a bubble forms in it. I watch it as it moves across the puddle and then pops. The throbbing in my skull is intense. I close my eyes for just a second to block out the light.
I open them again, and I am sitting. The grogginess is fading fast, and I feel the world rapidly coming back into focus. There are what looks like hundreds of chains in front of me, coming down from above. I turn my head to the side and see that one is beside me
