The fight was over.
Mark didn't waste a second.
He tried to stand.
Pain shot up his ribs, down his legs, and settled in his shoulders like hot wires.
He hissed through his teeth.
_It hurts like hell. But it can be endured._
He forced himself up anyway. No wobbling. No complaining. Just stood.
First thing he did was turn to Ethan. The kid was still sitting on the concrete, clutching his ribs, breathing shallow.
"Hey," Mark said, crouching in front of him. "Can you walk?"
Ethan tried to laugh. It came out as a cough. "Nah, man. I think Stitch cracked something."
Mark didn't answer. He just turned around, lowered himself, and got an arm under Ethan's knees.
"On three. One... two..."
He lifted.
Pain screamed through his back. His vision went white for half a second.
He winced. Hard. Then straightened his face immediately. Jaw locked.
Piggyback. Like it was nothing.
"Got you," he said.
Across the alley, Bianca was already pushing herself up from where she'd been sitting, hands on her knees, catching her breath. A bruise was blooming on her thigh and her glasses were crooked.
Mark nodded at her. "Hey Bianca. Can you help Caesar up? We need to get them to the infirmary back at school."
Bianca nodded once. No words. She walked over to Caesar, who was leaning against the wall, pale but conscious.
Before she reached him — _ping._
All four of them froze.
A phone notification. From the ground.
It came from Stitch.
Mark's head snapped toward the sound. His whole body went tense. "Bianca, be careful. He can wake up any moment."
His eyes didn't leave Stitch's body. Watching his chest. Watching his fingers. Ready to move the second he twitched.
Bianca kept her breathing steady. She stepped over carefully, crouched beside Stitch, and slid her hand into his jacket pocket. Slow. No sudden moves.
Stitch didn't stir. Just blood on his lip and slow, angry breathing.
She pulled the phone out. Black screen. She tapped it.
*LOCK SCREEN*
1 New Message: *Aaron*
_Preview blocked. Enter passcode._
Bianca's eyes narrowed.
Aaron.
Sato mentioned him a week ago in the library. Ranked #3 in Blue High 1A.
"The brain," Sato had called him. "As smart as Austin. Maybe smarter."
Her fingers hovered. Fingerprint lock.
Mark was watching her now, still holding Ethan on his back, every muscle coiled. "What is it?"
Bianca didn't answer. She just reached down, careful, and took Stitch's hand.
Mark tensed visibly. "Bianca—"
She pressed Stitch's thumb to the scanner before he could finish.
_Click._
Unlocked.
She exhaled. Scrolled straight to Messages.
And her eyes went wide.
Then she smiled.
Not her usual warm smile. This was sharp. The kind of smile she got right before she slammed two heads together.
She snapped a photo with her own phone. Fast. Then set Stitch's phone back on the ground exactly where it was.
She stood up, walked past Mark, and hoisted Caesar onto her back too. She was smiling the whole time.
Mark shifted Ethan's weight. His arms were burning. "What was the message about?"
Bianca glanced at him over her shoulder. That smile was still there.
"Something," she said, "that will tip the scales of war in our favor."
Mark blinked. He opened his mouth to ask more, then closed it.
He knew that look. If Bianca was smiling like that, it was big. And Austin would want to see it first.
"Right," he said. "Infirmary first. Questions later."
They started moving.
It wasn't a cakewalk. Every step sent pain through Mark's back and legs. Bianca was limping slightly under Caesar's weight. Ethan and Caesar were both trying not to be dead weight.
But they moved. Together. Out of the alley. Past the tied-up Stitch. Toward the direction of Silver High.
Behind them, Stitch groaned once in his sleep. Didn't wake up.
In front of them, Brookhaven was still burning.
But for the first time today, Silver High had the advantage.
And it was all because of a locked phone.
---
Meanwhile, three blocks over.
A Blue Academy street kid stood frozen in an alley.
In front of him was a scene that didn't look human.
A body flew past his head and _CRACKED_ straight into the brick wall of a laundromat. Drywall dust and blood sprayed down.
The person who sent him flying was still in the air.
Adrian.
One leg extended. The other foot planted. A lollipop stuck between his teeth. He didn't even look winded.
"Huh," Adrian said around the candy. "Felt that one in my calf. Nice."
Before the Blue kid could process that, two more of his classmates rushed Adrian from behind.
They never made it.
A blur.
_THUD. THUD._
Hakim was already there.
He caught both their heads in his hands. Didn't punch. Didn't shout. Just brought them down and slammed their faces into the concrete in one motion.
The alley shook.
They went limp instantly.
Hakim stood up straight. 5'10. Shoulders like a door. Blood on his knuckles. No expression.
The ground around them was a graveyard. 20+ bodies. Some Blue High. Some street kids Silver hired. All down.
"Oh," Adrian said, turning and popping the lollipop. "I don't think you're gonna walk right after that one, bud."
Two more charged him. Young. Desperate.
Before they took two steps, Hakim moved again. Caught one by the collar, one by the throat, and dropped them both with elbows to the spine.
"I told you I was gonna handle this, didn't I?" Hakim said. Voice lazy. Almost bored.
"Sorry," Adrian grinned, hands in his pockets. "One was gunning for me. Had to put him to sleep real quick."
Hakim nodded slowly, like he was filing that away. "Don't worry. That ain't gonna happen again."
He stepped forward. Five more tried to swarm him.
Jab. Hook. Knee. Elbow. Throw.
All of them hit the ground in 4 seconds.
Just like that, only one was left standing.
The kid was shaking. Staring at the carnage. 25 guys. Down.
And Hakim hadn't even been touched. Not a bruise. Not a scratch.
_Not just that,_ the kid thought. _He did all this while keeping anyone out of Adrian's range. Like he was bodyguarding him mid-fight._
_This is the Golden Boy of Silver High… and his unstoppable wall._
Hakim walked up to him. The kid closed his eyes. Braced for it.
Instead, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Heavy. Warm.
"Run, bruh," Hakim said. Voice low. Laid back. Dead serious. "Before I change my mind."
The kid's eyes snapped open. He didn't think twice. He bolted.
Adrian watched him go and smirked. "You're a big softy, ain't ya."
Hakim just wiped blood off his fists with a torn Blue High jacket. "Fighting someone who doesn't want to fight is bullying. And I don't do that."
He turned back to Adrian. "Let's move. Austin's gonna—"
Footsteps.
Heavy. In sync.
Two guys stepped into the alley mouth. Blocking the exit.
They looked identical. Same sharp jaw. Same Blue Academy jacket. Only difference was hair.
One had short hair. The other's went to his shoulders.
The short-haired one was dragging the runner by his ankle.
The long-haired one had a hand clamped over the runner's mouth.
They dropped him. _SLAM._
"Running away like a pussy," Short Hair said. Spat on the ground. "You make us look bad."
"Yeah," Long Hair said. Voice cold. "We ain't gonna tolerate bitch behavior from someone wearing Blue colors."
The alley went quiet.
Hakim tilted his head. Studied them. "Who are y'all supposed to be? Jack and Jill?"
Short Hair's eye twitched. "You son of a bitch. I'm gonna rip your throat out."
Long Hair put a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Duke. Don't let him rage bait you."
"But Dominic—"
"But nothing." Dominic cut him off. Eyes never leaving Hakim. "This ain't some street thug we brawl on weekends. This is Hakim St. Paul. The Golden Boy's Wall."
Hakim cracked his neck. Still smiling that calm, lazy smile. "So y'all know me… and you still chose to scrap. You're either skilled, brave, or just stupid."
The twins looked at each other. Then back at him. In perfect sync.
"We think you'll find out it's the first two," they said together.
The air changed.
It wasn't street fighter energy anymore. This was different. Trained. Controlled. Ranked-level.
Hakim's smile dropped for half a second. Then came back wider.
Adrian popped his lollipop again and stepped to the side. "Ooooh. Twins. Ranked. This gonna be fun."
Hakim rolled his shoulders. Blood dripped off his fingers.
"Alright then," he said. "Let's see if you can touch the Wall."
---