Page 29 of Encounter

Glancing at me like he approved, he huffed to himself in his strange,I can’t tell what you’re thinkingway and started driving.

“Where are we going again?”

“There’s this private gym close to where I work. I go there pretty often—only people like me around there, so no normies.” He chuckled. “It’s under construction right now, but we can still get in. Got a key from a friend. Won’t be others around to see you fail, which I reckon there’ll be plenty of.” The playful smirk he gave me made the pressure in my chest even worse, even if he tried to make light of the situation.

It seemed like he became used to my lack of communication—or saw how damn nervous I was—so he kept quiet after that.

When I glanced at him, still making sure he was real, endless questions filled my mind once again—distracting me from how dangerous and ridiculous what I was doing was. I started wondering about Chast. How does one start doing this kind of a job? Who was he before? What happened—what sort of things had he had to go through or see to make him walk this path?

God, I shouldn’t even be here!

As I let out a sigh, Chast turned his attention toward me. “What’s up? Changin’ your mind? Youcan, you know.”

I shook my head. “N-No. No...” I tried to sound confident, but my voice wasn’t in the slightest.

“Lookin’ like you are,” he noted.

“I want… I want to be stronger,” I said, eyes fixated on my hands as I closed them tightly over my thighs. Determined to try and explain myself—if not to him, then to at least understand myself—I sucked in my stomach and took a deep breath. “I know you must think I’m stupid and weird. It’s just— I get really awkward around new people, and after you being around when the most unimaginable things were happening, it kind of… rendered the initial strangeness completely incomparable.”

To my surprise, his answer was light and swift.“Yeah, I think I get that.”

Glancing at him briefly, I flashed a hesitant smile.Maybe this all does make sense, in a very bizarre, unique way.

“It’s gonna take a whole lotta work, ya know? You seem like the type to give up easily,” he said, a little too bluntly, watching the road as he drove. “I ain’t the endlessly forgivin’ kind, either. You better work hard if you want me to whip you in shape.”

Gulping, I mouthed a quiet okay, and couldn’t help but notice the devilish smirk barely hiding under his beard.

Just what have I gotten myself into...?

?

The shady alleyway we parked in was barely wide enough for me to open the car door. Tall, shabby brick buildings around us barely let any light in, and when I stepped out, I heard broken glass crackling under my feet. Oh, and the smell...

“Don’t even say it,” Chast warned me jokingly when he noticed my distraught reaction toward our surroundings.

Great job for looking like a spoiled brat.

Maybe it wasn’t exactly the five star, organic-vegan-juice-bar type of gym like the one I tried to sign up for once, but at least Chast was with me. Without him, I would have been afraid to even step in a place like this for a bathroom break. With a face unable to hide my fears, I was a prime target for all kinds of crimes.

While Chast attempted to unlock the old, squeaky back door, I glanced at the mountain of trash bags lying next to one of the walls, looking like no one came to pick them up for years. Some of the windows on the buildings around us had broken glass, and most had bars or wooden planks over them. Though the classist, economic issues and inadequate division of wealth weren’t exactly the issues I wanted to burden my mind with right at that moment, ignoring the stark contrast to the environment I grew up in was impossible.

Accompanied by squeaking and the uncomfortable sound of the bottom of the door grinding against the floor, Chast finally managed to get in. I followed hesitantly after he turned on the lights inside, holding onto the bag that hung over my shoulder like some trash goblin was about to run out of nowhere and snatch it from me any second.

Chast looked at me over his shoulder, spreading his arms as he led me through the large, open room. “Not as bad as it looks on the outside, ey?”

It wasn’tthatbad, I had to admit. Though definitely having a pretty old-school feel, the gym looked okay—besides the water stain on the ceiling and a few tools laying around, which were probably part of the work being done on it. It was more spacious and well-lit than expected. The walls might have been a little dirty, and some of the leather on the few pieces of equipment cracked, but it had every possible machine to work with imaginable.

In the middle were three boxing rings, reminding me of something I would see in an old movie. A curious smile found its way on my lips as I walked past it, wondering how many scary, macho men like Chast had fought in there. The smell was somewhatrustic, mixing the years of use, sweat, and tears with the scent of worn leather, steel, and dust.

At least there wasn’t any obnoxiously loud, energetic music playing.What a relief.

Allowing me to observe, Chast stood in front of me with his hands resting on his hips, waiting for me to finally look at him again. Pussyfooting, I rolled my shoulders. “Should I... Should I change?”

“Unless you wanna smell like sweat when you get home,” he replied promptly and pointed toward the entrance to the changing room behind him. “There should be a box with some random clothes people left behind you can use. Sometimes, they’re even washed,” he added with a playful click of his tongue. “I won’t go easy on you today. Hope you know that. You’ve got one last chance to change your mind.”

His warning only added to my regrets, but it was too late to back out now. Somehow, it felt as if I was failing him if I had said no now, even though you can’t really fail someone you have no relationship with.

“Okay...” I gave a hesitant nod and aimed toward the changing room. Chast looked like he didn’t need to change—he wore a gray t-shirt on and cargo pants—not to mention he wasn’t the one who was going to get down and dirty. This was probably nothing but entertainment for him.

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