Chapter 15

        “Got a light?” I asked Johnny nonchalantly as I pulled out a cigarette.  Around us a fire roared.  Johnny had been very busy in such a short amount of time.  I was scared shitless, but I had to play it cool.  Johnny had clearly gone over the edge because of something and was definitely not in control the way he liked.  That meant I had to be in control.

        Johnny was laughing madly at my request, just more proof that the kid had completely lost it.  I pulled out my revolver and pointed it at him.  I was more serious than ever before.

        “What are you going to do Fox, shoot me like a f*****g coward?”

        “You have a better suggestion of how I should end your reign of terror?”

        “Fight me like a f*****g man, like the warrior I know you truly are.  I want you to fight me and kill me like a beast,” he said and tossed a hand axe to my feet.

        As I looked down at the axe and him looking on in anticipation I knew what had to be done.  I took the axe and threw my gun away.  I had to fight this sadistic little b*****d on his terms.  He probably would have killed me quicker if I had the gun.  This way I knew he would waste time to toy with me.  Somehow I would find a weakness and kill Johnny Sikow.

        Johnny smiled seeing me with the axe in my hand and pulled out his dagger.

        “What better way to have our final battle than like the savages we truly are.  We’re both alpha males Fox, and one of us must die so the other can live.”

        “That’s where you’re wrong Johnny.  We can both die for all I care.  And as far as us both being alpha males, while that may be true, we’re alpha males without a pack.  Neither of us should exist.”

        He smiled, “I know I shouldn’t.”

        “And you brought out the beast in me, the one I never thought I’d need to unleash.  But here I am.”

        Johnny started moving to my left and I moved to his and we began circling each other, staring each other down.  Neither of us would back down, there was death in both our eyes.  He was right when he said this would be our final battle.  We’d had our battle of minds and emotions, he’d clearly won.  Now we would test each other strength and endurance.  Johnny was going to find out that I was tougher than I seemed and I would kill him.

        “Is this how you thought it would happen, Fox?”

        “In some ways yes, I knew that we would kill each other somehow.  I knew we were doomed along the same path.  But I intend to kill you today Johnny.”

        “From the moment I found out about you Fox, I knew you were the only person who could possibly stop me, but I didn’t want to kill you.  You were a challenge for me Fox, I knew I would have to become truly unstoppable because of you.  There’s something about you that frightened me and I knew you’d be the end of me in some way.  But now I fully intend on killing you.”

        Johnny lunged at me and I swatted his dagger away and came at him with an overhead chop.  He spun out and away and ended up in a crouched position a couple of feet away from me.  I charged forward and tried plant my knee into his face, but he rolled away and swiped at my shins with his dagger.  He almost caught me but I hopped out of the way at the last moment.

        When I regained my balance I saw him throw small knives at me that I had to dodge.  Johnny thought he’d caught me off balance again but when he came forward, too confident in his own abilities, I swung my right leg into his side knocking him to the ground.  As he tried to get back up I picked up a switchblade he’d hurled at me and tried slashing down at him with it.  However once again he was able to avoid my attack.

        “Getting tired old man?” he taunted me as he sprung up to his feet.

        “Not quite you little f**k,” I said coming at him once again.

        I feinted an overhead chop with my axe but while he was attempting to block it I brought the switchblade around and was able to draw first blood by slashing his arm.  He jumped back quickly, examined himself and then smiled.  Johnny came at me with more intensity.  I started moving back more trying to avoid his blades.  Then he tried feinting himself.

        As I backed away from him, Johnny stabbed at me with his dagger and when I moved to not get hit he brought his other knife under to try and stick my arm, but I saw it coming at the last minute and able to hit his attacking arm and back away safely.  Then I decided to try and attack him before he could attempt another strike.  I made aimed a backhand strike at him with my axe that he was able to just barely move out of the way of.

        Johnny attempted to stab at me again, but instead of trying to avoid the attack I stepped into it and trapped his arm with mine.  He then proceeded to get his first hit by throwing his knife down and into my foot.  I yelled in pain and then grabbed his other arm and head butted him causing us to both back away reeling.  I tried to put some ground between us so that I could attempt to remove the knife before he made his next move, but he was younger and quicker to recover than me.

        I had just pulled out the knife and barely had time to move out of the way when he tried an overhead stab with his dagger.  I was able to move to his side and punch him in the face.  Johnny staggered back and then crouched down and kicked at my knees.  I felt immense pain shoot through my legs and tried staggering back and away from him but he kept coming.

        Johnny ran up and sent a knee crashing into my gut, taking the wind out of me.  I thought for sure that I was dead, but Johnny was Johnny and once again caught me off guard.

        “S**t, Fox, you’re really giving me a run for my money,” he said breathing hard.

        I coughed and couldn’t answer back, that last knee felt like it had taken the remaining air out of my body.

        “I guess you’re getting tired now,” he laughed.  “I’m a sporting killer Fox.  I want to kill you in the heat of battle, but you’re making a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be.  Just tell me when you’re ready to go again and finally get your throat cut.”

        He kept smiling and acting like it was a joke.  I couldn’t understand him.  I doubt I ever could have.

        “What happened Johnny?” I gasped.

        “What are you talking about?”

        “You never were this reckless before, you always seemed like you were gonna keep killing until you died of old age or some fool got lucky.  What made you snap?  What made you decide I should be the one who gets the chance to kill you?”

        His smile disappeared, “I met someone who changed me, at least I thought.  I would have walked away from all the killing forever if I could have been with her.  All she did was love me.  She took bullets for me and was killed because she loved me too much to let me get hurt, get caught or have anything horrible happen to me.  She was the reason I lived, but I never knew it.  Now she’s gone, so why should I still be alive?”

        “This is all because a girl died?  All this mayhem because some girl you say you loved got killed?”

        “I DID LOVE HER!  She died so that I could live.  And all this,” he gestured around him, “this is not just because of her.  This all because I am tired of the entire f*****g human race.  You think I’m a bad person?  I’m no different than anyone else on this vile planet.  The only difference between me and the rest of humanity is I allow my basic instincts to take over and I kill to protect myself and those that I care about.  But it seems every time I care about someone, they are taken away from me.  So I will fight for myself and since I no longer want to fight for myself, I will kill as many people as I can until I can be stopped.

        “I didn’t plan on you killing me Fox, you’re just the only real obstacle standing in my way from doing what I hope to accomplish.  I want this world to suffer.  I want all of humanity to die.  I want everything to end.  You see Fox, we are the disease.  I’m just helping start the end.”

        While Johnny had been talking I had scooped up another switchblade and as he ended his rant, I jammed the blade into his stomach and twisted it.  Johnny gasped and looked down at the blood flowing from his stomach and onto my hand.

        “Holy s**t,” he laughed, “you caught me in a f*****g monologue.”

        Johnny fell down and his dagger slipped from his hand.  I slowly got up and stood over him, his body twitching.

        “Sometimes you have to fight dirty Johnny.  I hope before you die that you understand I don’t agree with you entirely.  I see some of the most horrible s**t imaginable, hell you’ve caused half of it, but at the same time I’ve seen the goodness in people, I’ve seen people who want to change their lives and no longer live in hatred and fear.  I’m sorry you could never understand that Johnny.  While everyone has a dark side, there is still good in the world, and as long as there is good in the world there will be people willing to fight the darkness.”

        “Fox, I think I finally get the joke,” Johnny started laughing hysterically and before I could say anything else, the bullets stormed into my back and finally my head.