Fight

Excerpt from Super Powers and Secrets, book one of Where Dawson Lives by H. Kaeppel ©2020

“What the –” His language turned as colorful as anything Piper had ever heard from her angriest students.

Dawson dropped the bottle. It noisily rolled across bumpy barn boards. He marched over to Hez and Jeff, moved Hez to the side and threw a powerful punch down on Jeff who still knelt on the floor.

Jeff’s head must not have been in the pain Piper thought and his adrenaline surge still in full force. He caught Dawson’s fist before it connected in what no doubt would have been jaw shattering force. Using the motion as leverage, Jeff had himself on his feet pummeling Dawson in the gut before Dawson regrouped. Quickly enough Dawson began dodging Jeff’s jabs and landing a few of his own. Jeff turned sideways narrowing the size of Dawson’s target and grabbed Dawson’s forearm with both hands. Jeff pulled down with such force that Piper feared Dawson’s shoulder would dislocate. She screamed. So did Hez. “STOOOPPPP!”

At the last second, Piper saw Dawson’s eyes narrow and fluid instinct kick in. Dawson ducked and rolled, taking Jeff with him. In no time at all Dawson had Jeff pinned to the floor. Dawson wound up to deliver a punch to the head. Jeff rolled to the side just as Dawson was about to land it. Jeff maneuvered a reversal that Dawson deftly struggled free of. They circled. They taunted.

“Keep your hands off her,” Dawson snarled.

Jeff merely cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow as if to say, not your property.

Dawson cocked his head in kind, stood statue still, and whispered. “Farmer Boy.”

The girls hollered. “Jeff!” “Dawson!”

Jeff lunged. He pummeled and pummeled. Dawson backed slowly as punch after punch hit its mark. His side. His chest. His gut. Jeff grunted with every lurch. Dawson grunted with every strike. The girls continued to scream. “Stop!” “Stop!” “Please STOP!!”

When finally Jeff had backed Dawson into a wall Dawson let his head sink. Jeff panted. Dawson raised his head slowly. Fire blazed from his eyes. With strength and fury and a guttural scream Dawson threw Jeff to the floor, then body slammed him to make him stay. “You think you got me beat?” he screamed. He landed a right hook to Jeff’s left cheek. “You got another think coming.” He shot his left fist to Jeff’s other cheek. Jeff caught his fist and maneuvered his feet to the top of Dawson’s thighs and pushed the man down off his chest. Jeff scooted on his back away from Dawson. Dawson wound up to take more swings. Jeff groped the floor, presumably for something to serve as a weapon. There was nothing. Piper was relieved.

“Please stop,” she gasped.

Dawson sprayed Jeff with a round of punches to his torso. After scooting back as far as he could, Jeff deflected a few punches and met others punch for punch. He overtook Dawson and maneuvered him to the ground, Jeff on top.

“You think I can’t fight?” Jeff screamed at Dawson. “It was you who taught me.” He spat blood into Dawson’s face. Dawson responded with renewed rage. His fists came at Jeff faster and stronger. His words ugly. Blood began to splatter.

“Stop!” “Stop!” “Stop!”

And then the sirens came. Piper looked out of the barn entrance but couldn’t quite see to the end of the lane. The boys froze at the sound. “Let’s hope they came without the cops,” Hez spat in an angry low voice. “Get him out of here,” she said to Piper and indicated Dawson. “Get in your office,” she said to Jeff, “and don’t come out.”

Piper did as told. She stuffed Dawson into her Jeep that was parked near the barn and waited for the fire truck and water truck to pass. No, there was no cop car behind them. She hoped the firefighters wouldn’t look her way. She hoped they wouldn’t step foot in the barn and see the blood on the floor. The bottle! Oh no, the bottle. She looked back relieved to see Hez in action. She’d already grabbed up the bottle. She put it into an old feed box and closed the lid. She walked briskly, but didn’t run, to meet the youth pastor before he got near the barn. He was heading up from the dining tents. They spoke. Hez pointed to the smoke coming from the meadow. They shared more information. They reached for their phones. The pastor headed back to the group. Hez met the lead truck as it pulled into the parking area and pointed it in the right direction.

After watching the trucks make their way across the edge of the meadow to what remained of the burn pile, Hez came to Piper’s side of the Jeep. “I texted Dawson’s address to you. Get him home.” She then gave Dawson a good look. “Or take him to the hospital.” She raised her hands like she didn’t care. “You guys decide.” Piper watched Hez for a moment. Hez’s eyes narrowed at Dawson. She swallowed, opened her mouth to speak, closed it, swallowed again. “You …” She trailed off. She looked down at her feet, kicked some gravel. “I hope I never, ever,” she took a deep breath, looked Dawson strait in the eye, “see you again for as long as I live.”