But there was one group of friends that were not having fun. They were busy preparing to go head on with their 'enemies'. To them the holidays meant a time for death and destruction.

"Yo, Dave? Where ya going?" Johnny called out.

"I'm goin' to find Mike. We have to attack tonight," Dave replied. He walked over to his black convertible and got in. He started up the engine. " You commin' or what?" he asked Johnny.

"Yeah, sure. But don't expect me to get involved." Johnny got in the car and sat in the passenger seat. Dave revved up the car and they drove off. A few minutes later, they came to a run down house on the outskirts of town. It looked like a bomb had hit it. The garden was overgrown, there were holes in the roof, windowsills were falling off, there were dirt marks all over the wood of the house and the front door hung on one hinge.

"You wait here, I'll go and get Mike." Dave said as he shut the door of the convertible. "As soon as we get back, we'll go." At the house, Dave called out to Mike. "Yo Mike. What's takin' ya so long?" Dave stood there for three minutes and Mike was still inside getting ready. "If you don't hurry up I'm goin' to leave ya here. Get a move on. Luke's gang aren't goin' to hang around all night for us."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming. Keep your shirt on. Not that it's much of a shirt." Mike commented. Dave's shirt was mostly holes and cuts. That was his 'fighting shirt' as he liked to call it.

"Hey shut up man. I don't understand why you wear a good shirt out when we go fightin'" Mike was wearing black jeans and a black silk shirt. For the amount of money he earns as a mechanic, he has a pretty good wardrobe. He is a well dressed person for his neighbourhood.

"If I'm going to die, I'd like to die dressed like a gentleman." They walked up to the car. Mike got in the back and Dave started up the car again.

"A gentleman? You hardly look like a gentleman. And we're not gentlemen. We're fighters. We fight for what we believe in."

"You fight for the sake of fighting," Johnny commented. Johnny disliked violence. He tried to avoid it as much as possible. Dave was his best friend. He would usually only fight if Dave or anyone else in his 'gang' were in trouble. "If it were up to you, you'd run a business called 'The Fighters Academy of Fighting'"

"That's not true mate. If it were up to me I'd rid the world of fights but that's not goin' to happen is it?" Dave said sarcastically. "What else do I live for but a fight man."

"Chicks?" Mike commented. "I'd trade all of Luke's gang for a life time with one hot chick." They all laughed. They had been driving for half an hour when they pulled up beside a night club. It was seven o'clock when they arrived. Just another five minutes until Luke's gang arrived.

A black car pulled up behind them. Dave and Mike both pulled out knives and were ready to attack when three of their friends got out of the car. Their names were Alex, Josh and Mark.

"Alex mate, 'bout time you got here. Hey Josh, Mark," Mike called out.

"How's it goin' dudes?" Alex asked. Alex was known for being the roughest, meanest guy in all of town. There were all different stories of how he killed different people. People said that the police were too scared to arrest him, in case he killed them.

Just then Luke showed up with his 'gang'. Luke had blond hair and was very tall. He was only known as Alex's match because of his strength. Even Luke was scared of Alex.

"I never agreed on letting him here," Luke said referring to Alex.

"You said my gang. And he is a part of it, is he not?" Luke nodded his head and took out his blade from under his jacket. Nothing seemed to happen for a few minutes and then all hell broke loose. The fighting went on and on. Johnny just leaned against Dave's car and drunk himself silly. Until, Luke and Dave were going at it. They were on the ground wrestling. They had both lost their knives and were punching each other with all their strength. One guy from Luke's gang saw them. He grabbed Luke's knife and slid it across the ground to him. Johnny ran over to Dave and Luke but it was too late. All the fighting going on around them had stopped. Luke had stabbed Dave in the stomach. Johnny rested Dave's head on his lap.

"Please Johnny. Finish this for me. Don't let him live." Dave asked. Blood stained Johnny's ripped blue jeans and on the ground.

"You�re not goin' to die. Dave! Don't you dare die on me." Dave took one last look at Johnny, took his last breath and slowly died. Johnny lifted Dave's head off his lap and gently placed it on the ground. He picked up Dave's knife and stood up. Luke's eyes filled with fear.

"I didn't mean to kill him. All I wanted to do was cut him. I never wanted to kill him. Johnny? You've got to believe me."

"I don't believe you. You�re goin' to die now Luke. Dave will be up in heaven lookin' down on you. While you burn in hell."

© Kristel. S 2003