Eco Freak

POW

A fist of stone clobbered against the side of her face. Brightly colored stars erupted in her eyes.

The next thing she knew she was lying on her back, blinking. Everything was out of focus. She was vaguely aware of a dim light dangling from the ceiling swaying back and forth. Back and forth.

The face of a man appeared before her. He seemed to be saying something, but she didn’t know what; all she could hear was the awful ringing in her ears. She focused slowly on his mouth.

Four… Five… Six…

Oh shit, she thought. I’m down for the count. Somehow she climbed to her feet. A round of cheers arose. The world spun and she grabbed onto the suspended rope that outlined the fighting pit.

“Drink up, girlie.”

A dingy cup of clear liquid was pressed to her lips. She drank. Her throat, eyes and stomach all seemed to burn at once. The burning, however, eased the pain and cleared her head – at least for the time being. She was ready for round two.

She looked up at her opponent. He was a large man with more fat than muscle and at he was at least an arm’s length taller than she was. He had an advantage over her in this fight; the odds were stacked against her. But there was something the gambling low-lives in this joint were counting on, and that was her determination.

She wasn’t the kind of girl who gave up easily. A couple hits weren’t going to keep her down, but the guy she was fighting didn’t know that. She could tell by the smile on his face he thought he had already won this fight.

Big mistake.

Without warning, she struck. She kept a low stance with her knees bent. Keeping low and balanced was the best chance she had at working leverage against him. She wrapped her arms around his rotund waist but couldn’t reach all the way.

The man laughed; his belly jiggled against her cheek. “Wouldja look a’ this lit’le bitch, thinkin’ she still got a chance.” He, along with his supporters, laughed. It only worked to fuel her anger.

She let go and stepped back. The large man looked down at her, and her silver eyes bore holes into his glassy black ones. She smiled. “You made a mistake in underestimating me.”

A look of confusion crossed the man’s face, but it didn’t last long. She dove for his legs with all her might. She felt his knees buckle and he fell forward. With a grin, she rolled out of the way and let the tub of lard knock himself unconscious as he hit his head against the mat.

The entire tavern fell silent and the referee counted the knockout. After ten counts the tavern erupted in cheers.

“Girlie gone and did it!”

“I don’t believe it!”

She smiled. “You better believe it, boys. Now pay up.” She walked around the tavern with a coin purse. One after one its weight grew and by the end of her rounds she had a heavy amount of credits in her possession.

She held the purse in the air triumphantly. “Drinks on me!”

And just like that, little Lia made thirty new friends. At least until her money pouch ran dry.