"Stay away! Don't you dare touch me!" Maddison was scared. After all, she had killed Alex's girlfriend. But she had a reputation to protect. If she ran away in front of so many witnesses, she wouldn't be able to show her face around here again.
Alex walked up to her and slapped her hard.
"You stinking loser," she said. "You're asking for it now." Blood dripped from her split lip. She wanted to hit him back, but he had already grabbed her by the hair, not caring if he hurt her. Keeping his grip, he started to move toward the lake.
"Let go, you bastard!" Maddison kept cursing. Alex yanked hard, and she stumbled, falling to the ground. He didn't wait for her to get back up but simply dragged her along the grass, making her scream with pain.
Alex tossed her into the lake, grabbed her hair again, and shoved her head under the water, just as she'd had her friends do to Debbie. He wanted her to feel what Debbie had felt.
"Ah, let go of me, you loser!" Maddison screamed in panic when he pulled her up. He pushed her head back under the water once again.
"Help! Help me!" she screamed the next time she came up. "This lunatic wants to kill me! Help!" She choked and coughed up a few mouthfuls of water. Maybe some of the bystanders would save her.
But if any of them had that kind of courage, then Debbie wouldn't have died. They were too afraid to get involved, so they just watched quietly from the sidelines.
Alex pushed Maddison deeper into the water and held her there for longer and longer. Every time she came out of the water, she felt more and more desperate as she tried to drag precious air into her lungs.
"Alex, I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I shouldn't have killed Debbie. Please let me go." She couldn't take any more of Alex's punishment. If he kept this up much longer, she might die.
"What's the point of apologizing now?" he demanded his heart heavy with grief. "Will it bring Debbie back? She's the one you should be apologizing to."
"I'm sorry, Alex," she begged. "I'll pay you compensation. How much do you want? Five hundred thousand dollars? A million dollars? Just think about it. If anything happens to me, you'll be in trouble. It'll ruin your life."
"Too late," he said.
Maddison felt a chill running down her spine. He was actually about to kill her.
Alex pushed her head under the water again. He had already made up his mind. With Debbie dead, then his life was no longer worth living. After he killed Maddison, he would bury Debbie and then follow her into the next life.
Debbie, he thought. I didn't take good care of you in this life, but I'll make it up to you in the next. Wait for me, I'll be there soon.
By this point, Maddison had already been under the water for a minute.
Air bubbles appeared on the surface, and her hand struck the water hard as she struggled. She fought much harder than Debbie's previous attempt.
Suddenly, a roar sounded. The iron gates of the school were thrown open, and several cars drove in. They were being driven recklessly, and some of the students had to jump quickly out of the way to avoid being run over.
The expensive-looking cars drove straight toward Ramsey Lake, attracting the students' attention.
"That's a Mercedes," someone muttered. "And a Jaguar, a BMW, and a Rolls-Royce…"
The students had never seen so many luxury cars in one place. Many of them exclaimed in admiration before taking out their cell phones to take photos.
The doors of all the cars, except the Rolls-Royce, opened almost at the same time.
Between three and five people got out of each car. Although they were all individuals and wore different clothes, they all had one thing in common. The right hand of each person displayed a dragon tattoo.
Some of them rushed at the students and grabbed their phones. A few fierce men muscled their way through the crowd. They said, "We are the Azure Dragon Society. If you don't want any trouble, then keep your mouths shut. If anyone is tired of living, then continue to take photos."
The onlookers were terrified. Not wanting to get into trouble, they didn't resist at all.
"The Azure Dragon Society," one of the students whispered. "They own the city, right?"
"I heard that there was a bloody battle between the gangsters in New York last month," another student answered. "And the Azure Dragon Society won. Now, they control the New York underworld."
"These people are savage, and no one can touch them," someone said. "I'm finished. I'm out of here. That guy is in a lot of trouble now."
While some of the men stopped the students from taking photos, another group rushed toward Alex carrying iron rods.
When they began to attack, Alex had to let go of Maddison to save himself.
Maddison's face broke the surface of the water, and she gulped down deep breaths of fresh air. Ten seconds later, she would have met the same fate as Debbie.
When she had recovered a little, some of the men from the Azure Dragon Society helped her to the shore.
The door of the Rolls-Royce opened, and a man in his fifties stepped out. His hair was white and long enough to reach the base of his neck. He was dressed in a smart suit and had a cigar in his mouth.
Even though none of the students had ever seen him before, they could tell that he held power within the Azure Dragon Society. He was their leader: Quentin Robbins.
"Uncle Quentin!" Maddison called, rushing toward him.
Everyone was shocked yet again. No wonder Maddison was so out of control; she was the niece of the head of the Azure Dragon Society. No one would dare to come after her.
Maddison hugged Quentin as she cried, "Uncle Quentin, if you had come a little later, it would have been too late! That loser just tried to drown me. I need you to help me kill him!"
"Don't cry, Maddison." He lightly patted his niece's back. "If he dares to bully you in my city, then he must be tired of living. I'll deal with this for you."
His eyes flashed with fury as he looked at Alex, who was still fighting with three men in the water. Alex wasn't weak, and his determination to get revenge for Debbie made him even stronger.
One of the men fell into the water, and Alex didn't hesitate to attack. Even though they hit him, he didn't back down, managing to hold his own. He punched each man several times, leaving them lying on the ground, bleeding from cuts on their heads.
Alex also suffered a few injuries, but he didn't care. He only had one thought: Kill Maddison.
He made his way toward her. She was standing beside Quentin, but Alex ignored him.
"Uncle Quentin, he's coming over. See that look in his eyes? He wants to kill me. Help me kill him first," Maddison said fearfully.
"Don't worry," Quentin reassured her. He tilted his head slightly to the side, and one of his men pulled out a black pistol, loaded it, and aimed right at Alex.
When they saw the gun, some of the students stared in fear, while others took a step back.
They had only seen guns in movies, never in real life. Guns were dangerous, and they could kill someone, so who wouldn't be afraid?
But Alex acted as if he hadn't even seen it. He was focused on Maddison as he continued to stalk her.
Quentin was surprised. He raised his hand and pointed at the man with the gun. "You. Shoot him."
Bam!
A gunshot rang out.
"Ah!" Alex screamed and fell to the ground. He covered his right arm with his hand. Bright red blood-soaked his grey sleeves. The stain grew bigger and darker, and blood dripped onto the green lawn.
Seeing Alex fall to the ground made Maddison extremely happy, and her anger began to drain away.
When they heard the gunshot, everyone was scared, and people began to scream.
Alex lay on the ground for only a few seconds before he got up. He held his bleeding arm as he continued to walk toward Maddison.
Quentin grew even more surprised. He scowled. This kid was challenging his authority.
"Hey, idiot. Stay where you are, or I'll put a shot in your head and another in your heart," he yelled.
"If someone killed the love of your life, would you let them go?" Alex asked coldly. He hoped that Quentin would let him deal with Maddison.
But it wasn't going to be that easy.
Quentin looked at Maddison in confusion. She told him the truth of what happened, and he glanced at Debbie lying motionless on the grass. He sneered. "She's no one. Who cares that she's dead? And you want my niece to pay for the death of a nobody?"
"You don't understand." Alex was still moving closer.
Quentin was becoming annoyed. He raised his hand again and shouted angrily, "Shoot him in the leg!"
Bam!
The gunshot rang out again.
"Ah!" Alex lurched to the right. He held his bleeding leg tightly and closed his eyes against the pain.
Quentin nodded with satisfaction. That's what happens when you don't listen to me, he thought. Who do you think you are? You're a stupid kid who dares to challenge me. Well, this is where it gets you.
Quentin's smile faded when he saw Alex starting to crawl toward him again, leaving a red trail of blood behind him.
The surrounding people were also moved by Alex's bravery. For a moment, they forgot their fear and hoped that Alex would succeed in avenging his girlfriend. Their hearts filled with both pity and hope.
"Stinking loser, do you really think you can kill me?" Maddison said, coldly looking at Alex on the ground. She took the gun from one of the men, pointed it at Alex's head, and said, "Since you love Debbie so much, why don't you join her!"
She stepped back, and her finger began to squeeze the trigger.