Unc was on the edge today, more than normal. He was pushing us harder than normal. He was fiercer than normal, strict. We were training down at the Universal Center. My partner Tyler and I were sparring. Unc kept making us do the same sequence. I blocked Tyler's strikes with my forearms. Then I threw my body at him, scissoring his waist with my legs to take him down to the ground. While Tyler was getting up, I nailed him with a perfectly placed roundhouse kick. I stopped to catch my breath, then helped Tyler up to his feet.

"You ok?" I asked him, helping him up.

"Yeah I'm good." He replied, rubbing the side of his neck.

I looked at Unc to see if we did it right. I was sure we had done it right this time. This was the sixth time he made us do it, Tyler and I were a bit irritated. He was standing a few inches from us with his hands behind his back. He was wearing his black karate gi.

"Again." Unc said, sternly. I huffed in irritation. I didn't know what his problem was, he wasn't normally like this.

"Come on man, let's just do it." I told Tyler. We back into our positions. We bowed at each other and took our fighting stances.

"Stop!" Unc yelled. We immediately stopped.
Unc stepped onto the mat. He walked over to Tyler, put his hand on his shoulder and nodded to him. Tyler walked off the mat. Unc took his fighting stance. I was stunned a bit, but afterwards I took my stance. It didn't bother me, I had sparred against him plenty of times before. I even won a few.

"Let's go." Unc said. I took my stance. Patiently, I waited for him to make the first move. He didn't, so I did.

I threw a punch, Unc threw away. I threw another one that he blocked with his elbow. He then struck me in the center of my chest with the palm of his hand. BOOM! It felt like I was being hit with the force of a rhino stampede. I flew off my feet, crashing down on the mat. The pain was running up my body to my head. Next thing I know, a big foot is hanging over me about to come crashing down on my face. My eyes widened, and I quickly slipped past Unc's axe kick.

"What are you doing?!" I asked him. Unc was wild, like an untamed beast being unleashed.

"Fight Jake!" He yelled at me. Instinctively, I ducked and dodged his ferocious strikes. Unc wasn't sparring with me, he was fighting with intent to hurt, maybe even kill.

"Fight! Fight Jake!" He kept yelling at me. I kept ducking, and dodging, and moving, and every time Unc was getting closer and closer.

"Fight! Fight like your life depends on it." I brought my knee up, hitting him in the chest. I went for a kick, but he caught my leg. He brought me in close and lifted me up high in the air. BAM! Slammed me down on the mat. He went for the final blow, I instinctively put my guard up, in fear. My heart was racing, and I was scared for my life.

I waited for the punch to come.....but it didn't. I peeked through my arms, slowly putting my guard down. There Unc was, standing over me, with his fist hovering over my face. He turned his fist into a finger, pointing at me. "Because one day, it will." He finally said. He walked off the mat. Tyler stood on the side, stunned from what he just witnessed.

"Again!" Unc yelled.

   "Ok class, you may begin." Mr.Smith said. Everyone grabbed their pencils, and begin taking the practice exam.

Mr.Smith was my math teacher, he taught Algebra II. He was extremely tall, bald, and very funny at times. He would always joke around in class, always picking on his students, sometimes me. He was still a great teacher all-in-all. He was making us take a practice exam so that we would be ready for our final test. Finals were coming up very soon, my final in Mrs.Hargrove's class was tomorrow. I knew I needed to pass that test, if I was going to move on to my final year. Twelfth grade. So much has happened this year, especially over the last few months.

At first I was just any other teenager in high school, debating what I wanted to do with my life. Then I was just thrown off track. My uncle died, and it still haunts me to this day. He left me something though. He left me his legacy. His legacy of secretly being "The Black Crusader of Liberty City", The Nightwatcher, a hero. He would fight every night, taking down every street thug he could, just so that people would be safe. My uncle loved this city, he saw how poisoned it was and he sought to heal it. The funny thing is, now that I look back, my uncle was preparing me for this. My entire life, he trained me, guided me, molded me, into the person I am today, the person I would become. He wanted me to become "The Vigilante", he trusted me to carry on his mantle. He believed I could be the hero this city needed. When I was a child, I always dreamed of being the superhero. I never thought in my wildest imagination that my greatest dream would become my realest reality.

This double life it-it isn't easy. It's hard, it's painful, it's grueling, and worst of all, mind boggling. To have to everyday, juggle between your responsibilities, challenge your priorities, lie to the ones you love and care for constantly. It makes your soul ache, and fills your heart with grief. But isn't all that bad.

When I put that paint over my eyes, when I pull that hood over my head, I become someone else. I am someone else, I am something else. I'm not Jake Grant anymore, I am "The Vigilante". I'm a guardian angel, a protector, a hero. Though it is very scary, it's also thrilling. So exhilarating. The blood pulsing through my veins, my heart racing at the sight of fear, adrenaline reaching all new heights. This life, this other life, it-it's addicting. This life, this double life, it doesn't get better than this.

   The test took an hour or two to finish. It was filled with dumb problems, stupid equations, and confusing graphs, and everything I had learned during the year. I felt like I knew everything on the test, but I was still hesitant whether my answers were correct. Mr.Smith called for everyone to put their pencils down. Majority of the people in my class were finished when he called for everyone to stop. The bell rang shortly after.

I went to Mrs.Hargrove class next, Alex and Don were with me. Mrs.Hargrove was telling to prepare for our final tomorrow, but all I could think about was finding him. After taking down the truck, then breaking into the precinct, I had nothing. Alex wanted to have a study session at her house, but I told them I had other plans. I needed to find "The Kingpin".

Later on that day...

   "Why am I here again?" I asked Mike, speaking into my earpiece.

"To stake out the club. The Russians hang out here a lot." Mike said. I was on the roof of The Russians main hangout, a club on the east side of Liberty City. "The three in jail may not know anything, but maybe someone here does."
"You do know I can't get inside right? I'm not 21." I said, sarcastically. Mike chuckled.

"Just hang in there. I'm batching into their security cameras. If I see anything, I'll let you know." I patiently waited on top of the club.
"Ok I'm in." He told me. I was walked around the roof, bored. "Everything seems normal, nothing suspicious."

"It's a nightclub. I'm sure everybody is having more fun than I am." I said, sitting down.

"It's not all about the thrills Jake." Mike said. I could hear him typing.

"Hey Mike, can I get a motorcycle?" I asked him.

"What?" He replied.

"I mean I can't travel around the city by rooftop all the time. I want a black Ducati, with machine guns, and nitrous, and some rockets." I said, rampling. He chuckled.

"Do you even have your license?"

"My provisional." He was silent for a second then replied, "....No."

"Oh come on. How about this, a rocket scooter?"

"No."

"A skateboard!? Something!"

"Hold on Jake!" He sounded worried. "There's a guy being mugged in the alley! Right side of the building, right below you!" He said, urgently.

I quickly ran to the right side of the building. I looked down and I could see this guy with tattoos all over his arms, kicking this guy on the floor. I used my grapnel gun to safely get down.
"Hey! Enough!" He kept kicking him, completely ignoring me.

I threw a "Nightblade" at the alley wall, right above his head. The guy stopped and turned around. He looked at me menacingly. I stood my ground, preparing for a fight.
"So you're 'The Vigilante'." He said, laughing. "Dazhe mysh' vyglyadit strashneye vas.(Even a mouse looks scarier than you.)"

"I'm taking you down." I said, bluntly.

"You? Take me down?" He started laughing again, even harder this time. He slowly pulled out a knife and asked me, "Do you know who I am?"

"Another thug terrorizing my city." I cleverly replied.

"Wrong answer." He quickly turned around, and stabbed the guy on the ground. I wanted to stop him, but I was stunned. He turned back to me. "I'm the guy that's gonna kill you."

"We'll see about that." I put my fists up, ready to fight. He quickly turned around and pulled the knife out of the guy's body. He looked at the bloody knife and licked the blade sinisterly. He stared at me menacingly, then charged at me.

I quickly threw a "Nightblade" at him. He precisely blocked it with his knife, still charging at me. I threw another one and he blocked that one too. He swung at me. I quickly moved, avoiding the knife. Swing after swing after swing he threw at me, trying to cut me with his knife. Ducking and dodging, doing everything I could to not get stabbed. He went for a straight stab. I grabbed his arm, holding with his wrist while he held the knife in his hand. I was gripping it tightly. Cunningly, he left go of the knife and caught it with his other hand. He quickly swiped me, cutting the side of my bicep. I stumbled back to check my wound. He darted at me again with the knife. Again, I grabbed his wrist. He did the move again, this time cutting my wrist. Then he swung wildly, and swiped the side of my face. I cried out. I stumbled back into the alley wall. I put my hand on the cut on my face and saw the blood on my hand. I looked at him and he stood there menacingly with the knife in his hand. I could see the fire in his eyes. Then and there, I looked in the eyes of a man unhinged, deranged, unpredictable, unstoppable. For the first time ever, I was seriously scared for my life. He darted at me, and I threw into the alley wall. He threw his knife at me. Instinctively I dropped to the ground, dodging the knife. He jumped right on top of me, and punched me in the face. He punched like a wild man, frenzied strikes with nothing held back. He grabbed the knife, and raised it with both hands. He went for the kill. I stopped midway, holding him back. The knife was inches from my face. He spoke to me, as if this were my final moments.

"You know why they call me 'The Berzerker'? Because I'm wild, unhinged, crazy like an animal."

He was so strong, more than he appeared. I held him back with all my might. The knife slowly moved closer and closer, inches from my eye. I was scared, horrified, I feared this might be my final moments. Then it hit me.

"Fight Jake."

"Fight!"

"Fight like your life depends on it."

My uncle's words echoed through my head. It gave me strength.

Using that, I found a new strength. With fury in my eyes, I slowly pulled him off of me. With the knife still in his hand, our arms intertwined, we slowly rose from the ground, rising to our feet. I was not going to die tonight. My strength, my will, my fight overpowered him. Back on our feet, I kneed him in the gut. He dropped the knife. I caught it and drove it straight through the side of his chest. He cried out in pain, dropping down to both knees. I stumbled back and dropped to one knee. I was tired, drained, but I had found the strength to survive. I got back up to both feet, standing over him. He started giggling, like a psycho. He gripped the handle, and pulled the knife out of his shoulder.

"What are you waiting for? Do it." The Berzerker said. He held his arms out, like an execution. Like he was accepting his death. I didn't know what to do. Shortly after, two police cars pulled up, blocking the alley entrance way. The red and blue police lights lit up the alley.

"Show us what kind of hero you are." The Berzerker said, waiting for me to kill him. I was confused. I kept going back-and-forth between him and the police.

A cop spoke over the microphone. "Both of you, don't move! Put your hands above your head."

"They won't take me alive." The Berzerker whispered. He grabbed the knife.

"No!" I yelled, reaching out. He drove the knife through his chin, the blade sticking out the top of his head. I was traumatized.

"You! Don't move." A cop said over the microphone. I saw two cops come into the alley.

I quickly turned and zipped up to the roof, to my escape.

To Be Continued...