Page 112 of Ruin

The door opens more, and I can already hear people shouting.

“Are they chanting Cain’s number?” Miles asks.

No one answers, but they’re chanting his number. Walking in I lock eyes with Cain standing in the middle of The Pit. For those two seconds, my stomach drops. Running into the middle, I push people out the way, and I drop to my knees.

“What the fuck did you do, Big Man?” I ask him, looking over his body to see the damage.

“He wanted a fight.” Big Man coughs, and I shake my head at him.

“Why do it?” He coughs again, and I look up at Cain. “Why is the rod still in?”

“If I take it out, he dies,” Cain tells me. Cain kept him alive so I could say my goodbyes to him. He knows what Big Man was to me, he knows I'd fight for him.

“Big Ma-”

“Daniel.” He grips my forearm. “Pretty Boy, I only want one thing.” He coughs and spits out blood. “Bury me with my family.”

“Declan, I’m Declan.” I take a deep breath, holding myself together not just for him, but for me. “Thank you for protecting me, when I didn't have anyone.”

“You protected me, too. I watch your back. You watch mine.” He coughs again, it’s coming to an end for him.

“Yeah, Big Man, but I didn't have your back this time, did I?” I take a deep breath in. “I wasn't here this time-”

“You…Didn’t…Know about…The fight.” Big Man tries to get the words out.

“It was a last-minute decision. I tried to get here when I heard about it.” I hear Cain, but don’t look up at him.

“Then why didn’t you wait until I got here?”

“I'm sorry, Pretty Boy, I'm sorry.”

I’ve never cried in my life, but now I’m trying to hold it together, because I'm about to lose my best friend.

“Remember Pretty Boy, watch your back…” He coughs again.

“Always watch your back.” I finish the sentence for him. “You're my best friend, Big Man. None of the dicks in high school have ever been my friends, but with you, I had someone in my corner, had someone watching my back, had someone to teach me how to fight…how to fucking care about my girl. And you couldn’t wait for me before you got into a fight. You were getting out, Big Man, a few more days, and you were out.”

“Is your girl pretty?” Big Man asks, and I nod. “The ugly ones always get the pretty ones.” I laugh remembering when he was telling me stories about him and his wife. She always joked with him that all pretty girls get ugly guys, and he would agree with her every time, saying she was too pretty for him. He finds my hand and holds it, as he tries to talk again. “I’ll….always have…your back….Pretty…Boy.” The last words escape in a whisper.

I place my hand on his eyes so I can close them. My body trembles, a painful tightness hits my throat. I fucking hate this, losing my best friend, when he was a few days away from getting out.

Getting up quickly, I walk away from everyone, and walk over to Big Man’s cell. I look at the X on the wall, and start punching it over and over again.

“If you can put a dent in this X, I’ll make you a new one. You’ll have an iron fist by the time I finish with you.” I hear Big Man laughing behind me.

Continuing to punch the wall, until I feel the blood escaping my knuckles, and even then I don’t stop. The timing is fucked up, from all the days, he could have a fight he had the fight tonight. Why? Follow your gut, always follow your gut.

“D, come on.” Mason pulls me away from punching the wall. “We’re here, we’ve got you.” I fall to my knees, and take in a few deep breaths.

“Who did he fight?” I ask.

“What?” Cain asks.

“Who. Did. He. Fight?” I ask again, and Cain tells me, and I nod. “I want to talk to him. You can be there, too.” I quickly add knowing I’m in no state to be in a room with anyone alone.

I hear footsteps behind me, two sets and see Hayden sitting on the floor on one side, and Mason on the other side.

“We’re sorry about your friend, D.” Mason is the first to talk.

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