Chapter 9 - The Final Lesson
Todd’s partner laughed—a low, raspy sound that echoed through the dark gym.
"That's the kid?" the heavy man scoffed, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a heavy hunting knife. "You got beaten by a middle-school girl, Todd? Step aside. I'll take care of this in five seconds."
The man lunged forward, thrusting the knife toward Abby’s chest in a wicked, upward angle.
Abby didn't retreat.
With lightning speed, she swept the wooden staff upward, catching the assailant's wrist with a sharp CRACK that fractured his forearm instantly. The knife clattered onto the floor.
Before the man could scream, Abby rotated the staff behind her back, striking the back of his knee with the weighted butt of the wood. His leg buckled, dropping him to his knees. She followed through with a precise lateral strike to his temple, knocking him unconscious onto the vinyl floor.
The entire exchange took less than three seconds.
Todd stood frozen, staring at his collapsed enforcer, his hands shaking around the steel crowbar.
"You... you monster!" Todd screamed, swinging the heavy crowbar toward Abby’s head in a desperate, blind rage.
Abby stepped directly inside his line of force, avoiding the heavy metal bar by a fraction of an inch. She didn't even use the staff.
She dropped the wood, grabbed Todd’s coat collar with both hands, and delivered a devastating knee strike to his midsection, knocking the wind completely out of his lungs.
As Todd doubled over, gasping for air, Abby executed a clean, textbook sweep of his lead ankle.
Todd hit the mat with a violent impact that shook the glass windows of the lobby.
Abby knelt over him, locking his left arm behind his shoulder in a submission hold that pinned him completely to the floor.
"Move," Abby whispered close to his ear, "and I break your shoulder. Permanently."
Todd gasped, tears of pain and terror streaming down his face as he pressed his cheek against the cold mat. "Stop! Please! I give up! Don't break it! Please!"
I rushed out from behind the desk, picking up the fallen knife and kicking it into the corner, then grabbing the landline phone mounted near the rear exit.
I dialed 911, my hands steady, my heart beating with profound, overwhelming pride.
"Emergency services," I said into the receiver. "We have two intruders detained at the Miller Tactical Academy. Send the police immediately."
Abby looked up at me from the floor, holding the former black-belt master pinned helpless beneath her knee.
"Are you okay, Mom?" she asked softly.
May you like
I looked at my daughter, the moonlight shining around her like a shield.
"I'm perfect, Abby," I said softly. "I'm completely safe."
