Hakim stood ready.
Not stiff. Not tense. Just _ready_.
Because he knew this wasn't going to be one of those 10-second knockouts. To win this, he'd have to work.
The twins started circling.
One in front. One behind.
Dominic's eyes were cold, calculating. Duke's were wild, hungry.
They looked at him the way lions look at big game. Like they'd already decided how the kill would go.
Hakim didn't flinch. He just shifted his weight, turning slightly on the balls of his feet. Small adjustment. Big difference. Now neither of them had his back fully exposed.
As he moved, the wind cut through the alley.
Somewhere three blocks over, glass shattered. Someone screamed. The sound of chaos was still rolling through Brookhaven like a tide.
And right on cue—
_WEE-OO-WEE-OO_
A distant siren wailed.
That was all Duke needed.
"Got you!"
He shot in first. Fists blazing, no setup, just pure aggression trying to crack Hakim's guard open.
Hakim caught the punch mid-air. Wrist locked. Elbow braced. He was already winding up for the counter—
But Dominic was already there.
The kick came low and fast, straight into Hakim's stomach.
_THUD._
Air left his lungs in a rush. Pain bloomed across his ribs.
A kick like that would've dropped Mark instantly. Would've folded Ethan.
For Hakim? It was light work. He gritted his teeth and took it.
He twisted immediately, swinging a backhand at Dominic's head.
Dominic ducked under it like he expected it.
And that's when Duke crashed into him from behind.
Hakim lost his balance. He hit the ground hard—but before his back touched concrete, he planted both palms and _pushed_.
Launched himself forward, back onto his feet in one motion.
They didn't let up.
Jab. Cross. Low kick. Elbow.
They came in waves, not stopping to breathe. It wasn't that their individual moves were special.
It was the synergy.
It was like fighting two people with one mind.
Dominic would feint high, Duke would hit low.
Duke would overextend, Dominic would cover the angle.
Even for twins, it shouldn't have been possible. But it was.
Hakim ate more hits than he wanted to admit. A hook to the jaw. A shin to the thigh. A palm to the chest that knocked him back a step.
But he shrugged most of it off. Rolled with it. Eyes scanning, searching for a pattern. A gap. Anything to counter.
The moment he thought he had it—they switched.
New rhythm. New timing.
And he was pushed back again.
"You're getting sloppy," Dominic said, voice calm. Too calm. Like a teacher disappointed in a student. He took half a step forward like he was going to attack—then faked. Ducked lightly.
Duke came in from the side and _CRACK_—caught Hakim right across the face.
It didn't move him. But it left a bruise.
"Yeah," Duke grinned, blood on his teeth. "You were talking all that good shit a few minutes ago. At this rate you're gonna eat pavement while your pretty blonde friend there watches."
Hakim's eyes narrowed. Opening.
He shifted his weight, ready to punch Duke straight down—
A leg swept out from below.
Hakim's feet left the ground. He fell sideways.
Before he could recover, Duke's fist came down from above.
Dominic's boot came up from below.
_BOOM._
The simultaneous kick to his stomach sent Hakim skidding back across the concrete, shoes dragging, until he hit the wall and slid down.
Silence. For half a second.
The twins rolled their shoulders. Their breathing slowed. Controlled.
They turned, in sync, toward Adrian.
Adrian hadn't moved. Still leaning against the wall. Still eating his lollipop. Still smiling like he was watching a movie.
"Oh no," Dominic said, grinning like a hyena. "Looks like your wall has fallen. I guess it's your turn now, pretty boy."
Duke matched the grin. Wilder. Sharper. "Can't wait to see what you're made of."
Adrian popped the lollipop out. Chewed it once.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that."
He nodded behind them.
The twins turned.
Hakim was standing.
Blood on his lip. A cut above his eyebrow. His Silver High blazer was torn at the shoulder.
But he was standing. Spitting blood onto the concrete. Cracking his neck. Rolling his shoulders.
His stance changed.
Feet lighter. Guard tighter. Eyes sharper.
Boxing skips. Small bounces. Like he was warming up.
"You two are strong," Hakim said. Voice low. Calm. "I guess it's okay to fight like I mean it."
Adrian shook his head, sighing dramatically.
"Ah damn. You guys are screwed."
"Stop bluffing," Duke snapped, irritation bleeding into his voice. "We were kicking his ass ten seconds ago."
"Yeah," Adrian said, tossing the lollipop stick over his shoulder. "There's a reason for that."
He looked at the twins. Then at Hakim.
"Let me explain it for you, since you clearly don't know who you're fighting."
Dominic didn't move. But his eyes narrowed.
"Hakim has two fighting personas," Adrian continued, hands in his pockets. "One is The Wall. That's the guy you've been fighting. Defense first. Minimal damage. Protects his friends. Ends fights fast so nobody gets hurt."
He paused. Let it sink in.
"The other one is The Technician."
The air in the alley got heavier.
"When he's like that, he's a whole different beast," Adrian said, voice dropping. "Last time he was like this was in middle school. He fought five high schoolers who jumped his little cousin. Three walked out with broken ribs. One got CTE. And one didn't wake up from his coma for two weeks."
Adrian smiled. Not friendly.
"So yeah. I hope you're ready. Because even if I helped you, you still wouldn't walk out of this unscathed."
Hakim rolled his shoulders one last time. The bruises didn't matter anymore.
The Wall was down.
The Technician was up.
---
After he was done with the warm-up, Hakim didn't waste a second.
He charged.
His fist crashed into Duke's guard and sent him flying back. Duke's shoes screeched across the concrete before he slammed down, arms buzzing from the impact.
Dominic was left wide-eyed with no time to react.
A knee drove into his stomach.
He doubled over instantly, air ripped from his lungs, and he hit the ground gagging.
Duke came in with a jump kick.
Hakim evaded with a peekaboo roll. Shoulder dipped, head off the centerline. The kick whistled past his ear.
After that it was a masterclass in boxing.
Duke was hit with five consecutive jabs to his guard.
_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._
Each one snapped his arms back. Numbing them.
Duke saw the next shot coming — a hook to his lower body — and dropped his elbow to block.
But it was a feint.
Hakim's hip turned.
A left hook cracked across Duke's face.
His head snapped sideways. The world tilted. He staggered, dizzy, struggling to stay on his feet.
As Hakim stepped in to finish him, Dominic recovered and yanked him back by the shoulder.
The twins looked at Hakim.
They didn't see a high schooler anymore.
They felt it — the overwhelming aura of a pro-boxing level opponent. Someone they couldn't beat half-heartedly.
So they went all out.
They charged. Combinations flew. They stayed in constant motion, circling, feinting, trying not to get tagged.
But none of their moves landed decisively. Every punch cut air or hit guard. Every kick got parried.
As they pressed, Hakim created an opening.
A backhand caught Dominic across the face and sent him stumbling back a step.
Hakim turned to Duke.
Duke threw both arms up to block.
Hakim didn't hit the guard.
He drove a straight right into Duke's elbow.
_SNAPP._
"ARGHHHH!!!"
Duke screamed, clutching his arm, pain and fear flashing across his face.
Dominic wore a weary expression mixed with concern and fear.
The twins had faced this before.
At the same time, a flashback hit them — them beaten on the ground, looking up at a brown dreaded guy. The very same one who had pointed a gun at Mark, Mary and Alicia in the alley. Looking down at them with a bored expression.
They snapped back to reality.
Hakim was closing in to finish the job.
They scrambled back in fear.
"P-please… have mercy on us," Dominic pleaded.
But it was as if Hakim couldn't hear him.
Duke stood his ground, breathing hard, refusing to back down even if the odds were unavoidable.
As Hakim was about to land the blows, his attack was stopped midway by Adrian's leg. Hands in his pockets.
"Yo bro," Adrian said, a grin on his face but his eyes serious. "The fight's over. Any more and you'd be turning into a bully. You wouldn't want that, yeah?"
Hearing those words, Hakim snapped back to his senses.
He looked down, a fearful look crossing his face at what he was about to do. Then he took a breath and calmed down.
"Yeah… you're right. My bad," he said, voice laid-back again.
"Good," Adrian said with a grin. "Now we've gotta get back to school. Austin wants to show us something."
Hakim followed without question.
The twins were left there, feeling lucky to have survived and ashamed that they'd been so weak they had to be saved by the enemy.
---