RUMBLE IN THE ALLEY

 9:00pm

        His long workday never seemed to faze him, not in the slightest. He was used to the many hours and normal everyday grind, and yet on late nights such as this, it was always something as simple as walking out into darkness that made him think twice. Usually off much earlier, he had stayed late to finish up some projects, opting to sacrifice a gym night for his piles of paperwork. It was almost a ritual for him to spend every other night training in the gym's boxing ring with the legend that ran it, he himself being a student of that very legend, hoping to one day be as great as the man himself.
        For now, it was time to go home and get some sleep. Making his way down the steps from his office building, he decided to take a shortcut through some of the back alleys tonight, hoping to save a few minutes on the way to the transit station. He made an abrupt right at the sidewalk, and darted into an alleyway, disappearing into the night's shadows in all their darkness. He wasn't afraid of what may or may not be in the passageway, having taken them before with no problem. It was less of arrogance, and more of being comfortable with the city he had called home for so long.
        Passing behind another large office tower, the alleyway became a little darker, with only sporatic lighting here and there along the concrete walls of the structure. Suddenly, there was something directly in front of him, blocking his way. He came to a stop and pondered the form, a man wearing a dark jacket of some sort, with a mean look on his face, and holding some kind of blunt weapon in one hand. 
        "I guess you haven't heard," started the man. "This is my alley. Give me your wallet, and I might let you pass. Got that?" he queried, not looking like he'd take no for an answer. The student just stared, and readied himself. 
        "This is going to be a long night....." he mumbled to himself.

9:30pm
 
        The stand off had lasted a good ten minutes or so before he decided to take his chances and charge the punk that stood before him and the other side of the alley. Both men were trading blows, blocking and ducking as well. The student already getting tired of toying with the punk, and started to throw his main arsenal at him. A furious left followed a fast right, connecting with the man and sending him staggering back. He returned the favour with a flurry of punches, some getting blocked, while some connecting with the student, also giving him pause, and making him regroup while rethinking his plan.
        "I'm getting though this alley....now!" yelled the student, before advancing on the other man convincingly. 
       "Come get some!" yelled the punk back, before deciding to charge his prey, swinging the metal rod as he did. The student ducked the first couple of swipes, before spinning and knocking it out of the punk's hand, evening the fight up a little bit. The punk sneered at him, coming back with a heavy right. Using a quick block, he stepped up into his jab and fired back with a right cross, catching the punk off guard, and sending him down to the ground, the pain from the hit evident on his face.
       Undeterred, he got to his feet and had another go at his prey. He let loose a right and a left, also trying to pull off a high kick of some sort. The student sidestepped the punches, then ducked to avoid the kick, while simoultaneously dropping down for a leg sweep. With all his momentum going forward, the punk didn't expect the leg sweep, and tripped, falling into the concrete wall nearest him and smacking his head on it, rendering him unconcious and unable to continue. The student stopped for a moment, making sure his quarry wouldn't get back up, and walked over to his fallen form. 
       "Your alley, huh?" he asked aloud as he looked down on the punk, dirty and bloody in the same right. A few seconds later, he turned and resumed his walk down the alley towards the transit station.

10:30pm

        Tired from all the day's events, the student had somehow managed to end up at the gym anyways, and was happy to see his mentor, the legend himself working late to train a student even younger than he was, hoping to get his foot in the door of the boxing world. Approaching the boxing ring in the corner of the gym, the boxer saw him and stopped the training session.
       "Good work kid, hit the showers then go home." he said to his trainee, who nodded and touched gloves with him before stepping out of the ring and leaving to clean himself up. The student grinned as he pondered the legend before him.
        "Glad to see you." said the student, offering a fist bump to his mentor, who returned it in kind as he stepped out of the ring. 
       "Kind of late for you to be here." replied the boxer. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked with a chuckle. 
        The student laughed. "Was working late." he replied, before telling the boxer what had transpired an hour earlier in the alleyway. 
       "Wow." said the boxer. 
       "Glad you made it out of there." he said, looking over his younger protege. 
        "Ah." started the student. "All because of what you taught me." he said. "Comes in handy sometimes." he finished.
        The boxer smiled. "Yeah. That it does." he said. "Look," he started again. "I know it's not your day, but come by here tomorrow. We can step into the ring and spar like old times." he said, before running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. 
        The student nodded. "I would like that. I'll be here." he said, before nodding as he started to leave. "See you tomorrow." he finished, before heading to the exit and leaving for home. 
       "Good kid." said the boxer with a grin. "Really good kid." he said.
       The boxer stopped at the light switches for the gym and glanced to the ring one more time, smiling before shutting them off for the night.
       "Too bad he didn't finish off that punk with an uppercut....." he said with a smile, before turning off the lights and bathing the gym in darkness for another night, the day's action finally over once again.

                                                           THE END