The Devil's Favourite Obsession

A sickening crunch echoed in the air, followed immediately by Silviya’s piercing scream. Her hands flew to her face, releasing Cixi’s hair instantly. Taking immediate advantage, Cixi surged to her feet. She grabbed the heavy plastic chair she had been sitting on and swung it with everything she had, cracking it hard against the side of Ronny’s head.

He stumbled with a shocked curse, breaking his grip on Lily’s wrist as he fought to keep his balance.

”There is no salvation for you three,” Cixi snarled, her voice dropping to a dangerous, icy tone that sounded terrifyingly unlike her. She grabbed Lily’s arm, hauling her dizzy friend up and pulling her safely behind her back as she took a cautious step away. ”You made a fatal mistake touching my friend today. You shouldn’t have done that. You three will die!”

All three bullies froze, completely taken aback by the sudden retaliation from the girl they thought they had broken.

Blood gushed freely down Silviya’s chin, dripping onto her clothes. ”Ahh, you Stinky Cixi!” she shrieked hysterically, keeping both palms cupped over her ruined nose. ”You are gonna pay for this!”

Kevin quickly wrapped his arms around his crying girlfriend, his eyes fixed murderously on Cixi.

”Teach her a lesson, Kevin!” Silviya sobbed into his chest. ”She forgot who we are! And who is she? Just a tiny worm that can be stepped on and crushed whenever we want!”

Cixi turned to her friend, her eyes wide with urgency. ”Lily, I want you to run faster. If I am caught. You must Run and not look back.”

Lily vehemently shook her head. ”I am not leaving you, Cixi. It was my fault for trusting a snake in the first place. After witnessing what just happened, I finally understand what they did to you. And that Arse actually hit me!” Lily gestured wildly to her swelling cheekbone. ”Right in the face! How can I show up in front of Zoyar looking bruised and beaten? What am I going to tell a mafia guy that I got beaten up by some loser and couldn’t give a single punch to that arsehole?! I am not going anywhere. They are going to pay for what they did to both of us! Especailly you!”

In her outrage, Lily hadn’t even realised she had just blatantly confessed her feelings for Zoyar out loud.

Cixi definitely wanted to comment on that, but given the murderous trio currently recovering a few feet away, it really wasn’t the time. So, she kept the thought to herself.

Lily stopped running and raised her fists, fully prepared to throw down. ”I must punch him once atleast.”

”No! Let’s run,” Cixi insisted, grabbing Lily’s arm. She knew one harsh truth — their petite bodies were absolutely no match for two grown men and Silviya in a bare-knuckle brawl.

A sharp pang of regret hit Cixi. She really should have focused more on learning actual combat skills instead of relying on luck.

”Why?” Lily demanded, even as she let Cixi drag her away, their hands clasped tight as they sprinted across the concrete.

”Because we need weapons to beat them up! I am not stupid enough to fight them with nothing.”

”We had chairs back there!” Lily yelled over the sound of their pounding footsteps, remembering how effectively Cixi had just used one.

”Yeah, and they could have picked up chairs, too! Ronny and Kevin are both massive gym freaks, and sporty. They are literally members of a fight club!” Cixi yelled back, making sure her friend understood exactly who they were dealing with.

Sure, Cixi could probably fight wildly until one of them dropped, but she couldn’t forget that she still felt pain like humans. Even if she was technically immortal, a fact she still hadn’t confirmed with the Reaper, she could still get hurt. More importantly, she absolutely could not risk Lily’s life on a gamble.

”Where are we even running to?” Lily panted.

”I don’t know!” Cixi admitted.

They risked a glance over their shoulders. Ronny and Kevin had recovered and were charging after them, closing the distance terrifyingly fast. Cixi and Lily forced their burning legs to move faster, pushing their speed to the absolute limit.

”This really reminds me of that nightclub!” Lily shouted breathlessly. ”And the massacres!”

Cixi stopped dead in her tracks. She whirled around to face Lily, her eyes suddenly shining with a bright, dangerous light. A wide smile spread across Cixi’s face. That smile was so unhinged it actually scared Lily for a split second. Why was her friend smiling like someone who was about to do something completely crazy?

They had reached a flat, open stretch of the stadium grounds. Cixi scanned the area quickly. It was completely deserted, to her surprise. No spectators, no security guards. Just them and the open concrete.

As her eyes darted around, they locked onto a heavy wooden stake lying near a trash can. It looked like a broken leg from a solid wooden bench. Cixi sprinted over, scooped it up, and shoved it into Lily’s hands. ”Take this.”

Lily gripped the makeshift club without a second thought, testing its heavy weight.

Cixi scrambled to find something, anything, for herself that could be used to beat those bastards into a pulp. In the corner of a nearby dugout, a flash of bright colour caught her eye. She rushed over and pulled out a large, heavy-duty golf umbrella, its canopy a garish rainbow of colours. It wasn’t a sword, but it had a solid metal shaft and a hard, pointed tip. She gripped it like a spear.

Lily stepped up beside her, looking at the approaching men, then down at their scavenged arsenal. ”I thought you just said we couldn’t fight these idiots.”

”I changed my mind,” Cixi said, her grip tightening on the umbrella. ”We are absolutely fighting those craps.”

Ronny and Kevin slowed to a halt a few yards away, sneering at the girls’ choice of weaponry. Their faces were harder than before; one could see veins bulging on their temples.

”Why are these two acting like that, as if they are hurt instead of Silviya?”

”They are her muscles.” Cixi replied.

”I am sure she is fucking both of them.” Lily was sure about it.

Cixi didn’t comment on that.

”Do you really think those toys are going to protect you from us?” Kevin roared, cracking his knuckles.

”No, you Dickheads,” Lily sneered right back, levelling the heavy wooden stick at them like a bat. ”They are for breaking your spineless bones.”

Standing shoulder to shoulder, Cixi and Lily both took deep, steadying breaths, preparing themselves to attack and to be attacked.