The silence in the alley was deafening.
Jason stood there, fists still clenched, his body covered in blood — most of it not his own. Around him, twelve broken, battered men lay sprawled across the concrete, groaning in agony or completely unconscious. The woman he saved was still standing off to the side, clutching her purse and trembling, but safe.
But Jason's attention wasn't on her. It was on Claire Dunphy and Gloria Delgado-Pritchett standing just a few feet away, their eyes locked onto him with utter shock. Claire's mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide as they darted between Jason and the wreckage of bodies around him.
"Jason…?" Claire's voice cracked. "What the hell happened here?"
Jason's mind raced. Think. Play it cool. But how do you explain this?
Before he could answer, the woman suddenly found her voice. "He saved me!" she cried, stepping forward. "T-they were attacking me, all of them, and he—he stopped them!"
Claire blinked. "All of them?" She gestured to the pile of bodies.
The woman nodded furiously, tears still streaming. "They were gonna—" Her voice broke, and she couldn't finish the sentence. "He saved my life."
Jason clenched his jaw, exhaling slowly. "I just… stepped in."
Gloria took a step closer, her wide eyes scanning Jason's blood-soaked form. "Dios mío, are you hurt?"
Jason glanced down at himself. His knuckles were raw and bloody, his shirt torn and stained, but otherwise, he felt fine. "Not really."
But before anyone could say anything else—
Police sirens.
Jason's stomach dropped. Crap.
---
A Few Minutes Later
Two squad cars screeched to a halt at the mouth of the alley. Four officers piled out, hands hovering near their weapons as they took in the carnage. The woman immediately ran toward them.
"Officers! Please — arrest them!" she cried, pointing toward the unconscious men. "They tried to assault me, and that boy saved me!"
Jason tensed as the officers approached, their eyes bouncing between him and the pile of battered men. One officer, a tall, bald man with a stern face, gestured to Jason. "You did this?"
Jason swallowed hard. "…Yeah."
Another officer, a shorter woman, raised a brow. "By yourself?"
Jason nodded. "Yeah."
The bald officer whistled, stepping over one of the unconscious men. "Jesus. Looks like a war zone."
Claire, still in shock, suddenly found her voice. "Is he— is he in trouble?"
The bald officer turned to her. "We'll need a statement from everyone, ma'am. But from what it looks like… no. He may have just saved a woman from a horrific crime."
Jason exhaled slowly, relief flooding him.
The woman immediately started giving her statement, her voice still shaky as she recounted how the men had cornered her and how Jason had stepped in. The officers took notes, but every now and then, their eyes would flick to Jason, still trying to process how a seventeen-year-old kid had just annihilated twelve grown men.
One officer finally approached Jason. "Kid, I'm gonna need you to come down to the station to give an official statement."
Jason froze. "Am I under arrest?"
The officer quickly shook his head. "No. Just standard procedure after something like this. We'll also need paramedics here to collect these… uh…" he gestured to the unconscious men. "Victims of yours."
Jason exhaled slowly. "…Alright."
---
An Hour Later – Police Station
Jason sat in a small interrogation room, his hands wrapped in gauze from his busted knuckles. Across from him sat the bald officer, Detective Nolan, who was finishing up his notes.
"So," Nolan finally said, setting his pen down. "Twelve guys, huh?"
Jason exhaled. "Yeah."
"And you've got no formal police record. No assault charges. Nothing on file that suggests you're a trained killer. Want to explain how you just dismantled a small army?"
Jason hesitated. He couldn't exactly say I was reincarnated and wished for god-tier boxing skills. So he kept it simple. "I box. A lot."
Nolan stared at him, unconvinced. "Kid, I've seen professional fighters, and I've never seen anyone do what you just did. You dropped twelve guys in under three minutes. Without a weapon. Without taking a hit."
Jason didn't flinch. "I train hard."
Nolan let out a humorless chuckle. "Right." He leaned forward. "Look, kid. I don't know what you are. But you saved that woman's life, and that's what matters today. For now, you're clear."
Jason blinked. "…Really?"
Nolan nodded. "Self-defense in protection of another. Those guys will be lucky if they walk right again after what you did to them, but they're the criminals — not you."
Jason exhaled, tension draining from his body. "Thanks, Detective."
Nolan studied him a moment longer. "One piece of advice, kid. If you ever get that angry again, channel it somewhere legal. Because one day… someone's gonna come after you."
Jason simply nodded.
---
Outside the Station
Claire and Gloria were waiting for him the moment he stepped out. Claire rushed forward. "Oh my god — are you okay?"
Jason smiled faintly. "I'm fine. Just… bruised knuckles."
Claire stared at him like she was seeing him for the first time. "Jason… you destroyed twelve men. By yourself."
Jason shrugged, trying to play it off. "They were untrained. Just thugs. It wasn't that hard."
Claire's eyes widened. "Not hard?! You folded them like lawn chairs!"
Gloria, however, was watching him carefully. Her tone was softer. "You protected that woman. You did a very brave thing."
Jason met her gaze, surprised by the warmth in it. "…Thanks."
But Claire wasn't done. "But Jason — how did you do that? I mean, I know you box, but…" she trailed off, clearly still processing what she'd seen.
Jason forced a laugh. "I guess I'm just built different."
Claire narrowed her eyes. "I'm gonna keep an eye on you, Jason."
Jason grinned. "Fair enough."
---
Later That Evening – Home
Jason finally returned home, his family already having heard the news from Gloria. His mom nearly had a heart attack when she saw his bandaged knuckles, and his dad… well, his dad looked proud.
"Son," David said, arms crossed, "you took on twelve men and walked away?"
Jason smiled. "Yeah."
David let out a low whistle. "Damn. You might be better than I was in my prime."
Jason chuckled. Better is an understatement.
His mom, however, wasn't amused. "You could've been killed, Jason!"
Jason smiled gently. "I wasn't, Mom. And I'd do it again if it meant protecting someone."
Sophia's anger melted into pride. "…I know. That's what scares me."
---
Meanwhile – Dunphy House
Claire paced the living room, still replaying the scene over in her head. "Phil, I'm telling you — it was insane. He didn't just fight them. He destroyed them."
Phil, intrigued, raised a brow. "Like, action-movie level?"
Claire nodded furiously. "Yes! And he was… calm. Like it was nothing."
Haley, overhearing, scoffed. "Sounds hot."
Alex, however, was uncharacteristically silent, her mind replaying Jason's calm, deadly gaze during the fight. Who are you, Jason Carter?
And she suddenly really wanted to find out.