It was morning by the time we went through hundreds of escape routes.
I wouldn't have ever dreamt all that.

*****

"For the next lesson, we'll head to Gym."
Charles instructed and both of us nodded.
I was still checking my jaw and wrists for any fracture.

"What's next?"
I asked Neil.

"K. O."
He whispered.

"He teaches boxing too?"
I chuckled and Charles turned back and looked at me angrily.

I lifted my hands up in apology.
He turned forward and walk away.

"Why do you think I whispered? He's pretty serious when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. No joke whatsoever."
Neil said.

"I see. Thanks for the warning. We've attended hundreds of those sessions in last three years. I hope I'm good as per his standards."
I said remembering all my broken bone moments of KMA.

Neil laughed.
"I spent 12 years of my life learning all kinds of combat. Still he treats me like garbage. All the best."

"Twelve years? Didn't you go to school or what?"
What else?

"It was my... passion."
Neil said with pressed lips without looking at me.
He was definitely hiding something.

We entered gym and I found Kelly and Blundell waiting for us.

Without having any break, all four of us were on ground pushing.
At that moment, Charles owned our ass in a private session and I didn't feel that great.

"Faster."
"Faster!"
"Knuckles."
Ah damn.

I controlled my groan as soon as I transferred my weight on my knuckles. Those babies were being stung daily in knuckle jumps.
Neil gave no regards to my pain whatsoever.

While I tried to keep my mouth shut, Kelly hissed loudly.
Now I was scared.

"Stop."
Charles said and we paused.

"Trial officer, up."
When your instructor tells you to get up while rest all are still on all fours, consider it sinister.

I did as told.
"Hands in front, palms down."
He said curtly and looked with slit eyes.
Something made him angry because his eyes were red now.

"Everybody up."
Before I could understand what's going on, Charles shifted and was now standing in front of Neil.

"You said you'll take care of that, sir."
He said pointing at my hands still in front.

"I am. He's been doing more than hundred everyday -"
Neil started speaking but Charles was in no mood to listen.

"Kelly. Hands in front."
He said glaring at Neil.
"Look at him."

He told Neil and then looked at me, expecting me to do the same.

When I turned to where I was supposed to look, I took a deep breath.
Kelly's knuckles were nowhere clean as mine. It had more bleeding points than the number of bones in my body. The angry red skin looked back at me pleading. There's no doubt Kelly had been through great torment for past many days.

I gulped down and looked back at Charles.
"I'll.. I'll do better."
I told him in hopes of calming him down.

"You need to start going hard on him if you don't want me to go hard on both of you. Sir."
Charles told Neil with that last word dipped in poison.

"Yes, Instructor Charles. I'll work better."
Neil said with pressed lips.

He turned around and I exhaled a breath of relief. These men produce such tension in air it becomes impossible to breathe.

Here I thought Neil was going hard ass on me. Now I feel bad to think that way.
If Charles takes that job, I'll lose the right to say 'hardass' because there will be no term for it anyway.

Hopefully we'll learn some fighting now. Enough of mind fucks.

"Knock Out. Five ways to knock your enemy out with just your timing and common sense."
Charles had no chill.

"Alright first. Headbutt."
I looked at Neil trying to keep a straight face. I had hard time controlling my snicker.

Then Charles got into business and we all went serious.

"Grab the attacker and pull him forward."

He made Kelly stand in front of Neil and motioned him to try doing it to Neil.

Kelly got hold of Neil's upper back with his hands. He pulled him hard, but couldn't move him even a bit.
Charles tapped on his hand and Kelly moved back. Then our ass-kicker stood in his place and Neil sobered up. He too knew that this bitch can harm him seriously if he is not careful.

"Avoid grabbing the attacker behind the neck. Natural instinct is to grab the attacker behind the neck and draw the head down for a headbutt, but the problem with this is that the neck and shoulder muscles naturally tense when grabbed behind the neck, making it much more difficult to pull the the person forward."

Then Charles suddenly pushed Neil away from him by hitting on his chest.
Before Neil could balance himself, Charles pulled him back by his collar.

Neil brought his hands up just in time before Charles could hit his chin with his head. It looked more like Charles held himself back just to give the demo.

Everyone stood with wide eyes as to what the fuck happened.

"Push the attacker away, first. Use your full body weight to push forward into the attacker until their upper body leans back.

This movement causes the attacker to lose balance and causing their shoulders to disengage.

Since this movement is also likely to be unexpected, you will also have the element of surprise on your side. As soon as the attacker's shoulders disengage, use your arms to pull the attacker back toward your head.

With the shoulders disengaged in this manner, the attacker's arms will naturally swing open, preventing them from using the arms to block the headbutt.

Swiftly strike with right or left of the crown of your head. If you use the middle, chances are you might crack your own head. As you draw the attacker toward you, bring your head down so that the top of your head meets with the attacker's nose as their nose drops down.
Strike with the top of your head. Do not use your forehead.

The nose is a sensitive pressure point, and striking it with enough force will allow you to knock the other person out or atleast shake him off his senses."

Charles spoke swiftly leaving all of us impressed.
Kelly and I were listening more carefully since both of us were the beginners.

"Second method - Upper-Cut."
He started explaining and came and stood in front of me.
I nearly pissed in my pants. My face has already been beaten enough for a week's dose. I don't want a KO trial now.

"Position yourself along the center line of your attacker. Stand directly in front of the attacker so that the vertical center of your body lines up with the vertical center of your attacker's body.

When performing an upper-cut, you will need to bring your arm up along this center line until you reach the attacker's chin. As such, you will need to be in a position where you have access to the center line of your attacker's body.

Draw his eye with your non-dominant hand. Use your non-dominant hand to block and swipe at your attacker's block. Keep the hand near eye level so that it draws attention.

Keeping your dominant hand free allows you to defend yourself against your attacker's strikes and also causes your attacker to shift their attention to your non dominant hand.

Swiftly bring an open hand up to the attacker's chin. Swing your dominant arm up along your attacker's center line with your fingers slightly bent, exposing the heel of your palm. The palm should face your attacker's face.

Do not make a fist.

The heel of your hand is located just above the wrist and should be aimed at your attacker's chin.

Strike with the palm heel of your hand. Strike just below the chin of your attacker, snapping their head back hard.

Striking the attacker here throws the head back and pinches the nerves at the top of the spinal column, causing the attacker to black out."

He said lifting my hands to demonstrate the attacker's moves and his own to demonstrate the fighter's.
His palm was on my chin and I stopped breathing.

"Why do you think we use the palm and not the fist, Kelly?"
Charles asked his favourite student.

Thinking for a few seconds, K-Boy replied.

"It protects our fingers, thereby saving our hand and preventing damage to the one "weapon" we have in the fight."
He said.

"Good. Also, using the palm of your hand gives you a greater surface area to work with in bare-handed fighting."
Charles moved away from me and we nodded our heads.

"Third - Strike to the Nose."
Charles went and stood in front of Kelly.
He kept his expression stoic.

"Assess the best way to strike depending on your position. You can strike the nose of your attacker if they are in front of you or behind you, but the movement you use will vary depending on your starting position.

If your attacker is in front of you, you will need to move in a forward direction.

If your attacker is behind you, you will need to attack as you turn to face them.

Strike with the heel of your palm from the front. When standing face-to-face with your attacker, open your hand and strike straight forward, hitting the base of the nose and shoving it back. Just like we did before.

Throw your weight into the attack in order to apply the most force.

This move causes your attacker's head to snap back, pinching the nerves of the upper spinal column and, if done with enough force, causing the opponent to black out.

Strike with your elbow if the attacker in the second scenario. If the attacker is behind you, bend and lift your arm so that your elbow points toward the attacker's face. Rotate your upper body enough to throw your elbow into the side of the attacker's nose.

The center of the nose, on either side, is another pressure point of the body. If you strike hard enough, you can cause the nose to break and the attacker to likely fall unconscious."

Charles nodded at Kelly who tried to place a jab back.
Defending the jab, Charles brought his palm and barely touched his nose just like he explained a few moments ago.

Then he turned around with Kelly behind his back and moved his elbow slowly to slow what he just explained.

"Fourth - Strike to the Neck."
Charles was in front of Blundell now.

"Align your side with your attacker's center line. This technique works especially well when your attacker comes from the side, but if your attacker is coming from a different angle, you will need to rotate your stance until your shoulder roughly lines up with the vertical center of your attacker's body.

Note that you can use either side of your body for this attack, but you may be able to apply more force if you turn your body so that your dominant side faces your attacker.

Step forward and shift your weight as your attacker approaches. Once your attacker comes toward you, take a step forward with the foot nearest them, causing your full body weight to shift forward onto that foot.

You need to step into your assailant's attack, not draw back from it.

This move only works if your attacker is on the offensive and actively coming toward you. It uses the force of the attacker's forward motion to inflict damage.

Aim your elbow toward his neck. Lift your elbow up as you step into your opponent's attack, causing the elbow to meet the inside of the Adam's apple on either side.

If you strike the inside of the Adam's apple from a 45 degree angle, you should be able to cause your attacker to collapse.

Even if you do not successfully strike the pressure point, the force from the impact of your elbow should be enough to throw your attacker off.

He'll be struggling to breathe and you'll get access to his vulnerable state. That's enough for you to finish him, KO or no KO.
But if you're even half successful in this fourth method, then you as well go for the fifth method.

"Last and final - Knee to Head."

Begin in a protective stance. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Your non-dominant foot should be slightly in front of your dominant foot, and your hands should be up and ready to move.
Standing in this manner keeps your center of gravity at the center of your stance, thereby allowing you to maintain perfect balance.
Note that this move can still be performed even if you are not in a protective, balanced stance, but you will have greater odds of succeeding in a knockout if you start from this stance.

Analyze your position in relation to the attacker. The attacker should be crouched down and no greater than half a leg's length away.
You can bring your attacker down by delivering a knee to the groin or a sharp kick to the shin.
This move generally works best if your attacker is already doubled-over and off-guard. It works less well if they are already facing you and attempting to rise.

Force your attacker's shoulders down. Press down on both of your attacker's shoulders with the heel of your palms.
Throw your entire upper body weight into the gesture so that you can apply maximum force.
Keep your legs in the same stance to maintain your balance as you prepare to deliver the knockout blow.

Swiftly bring your knee up as you draw your attacker down. While holding your attacker's shoulders down, bring your dominant knee forward so that it strikes your attacker in the nose or chin.
Work quickly. The force of being pushed down will automatically cause the attacker to tighten his or her shoulder muscles, making it harder to keep the attacker down.
Aim for either the nose or the chin to inflict the most damage and cause a heavy hit.

Our purpose in all five scenarios is to deliver a power pack that causes enough damage to either push him off the edge or take him to the edge. One more proper hit, and he'll be done. "

Charles had no mercy in his voice and I wonder how many people have blacked out courtesy him.

"You'll practice amongst each other in pairs of two. Then switch positions and try again. Captain Neil, I'll take off."
"Yes instructor, thank you."

"Thank me when you knock out someone someday. And Kelly -"
He turned to K-boy "on the ground in twenty." and he left.
There was a warning tone in his words.

"All fine?"
I asked him as his face went dull.

"I... I reported two minutes late yesterday. My make up is still incomplete."
He said looking down.

"Ah man. He'll chew you."
Blundell spoke annoyed.

"True. Late reports inflames him. Let's wrap up quickly so you can have some breakfast."
Neil said and we stood in pairs.

Before we could begin, the door opened again and a huge figure stood in front of us.
We all went into attention and Neil stopped breathing.

I didn't know what went wrong, but I was sure I'm not going to like it.

************************************

Merry Christmas everyone!
Here are five gifts for all of you (that you should NOT practice on your younger brother/sister!) 😂

************************************

Who do you think appeared in the end?

Whoever he is, good news is - the answer to your most mind-boggling question is coming soon. 😉

Vote and COMMENT your views.
Also, head towards my insta page for little 🎅🎅 fun.