Lily felt a prickle of unease. Something about the silent masked figure was deeply unsettling.
He was too calm too still. But before anyone could act on that feeling Adam moved.
He brought the iron rod from behind his back. He revealed it in a smooth deliberate motion.
The beams from their phone flashlights glinted off the dark heavy metal. A ripple of alarm went through the group. This wasn't some random kid. This was a confrontation.
Before they could process the threat or even think about reacting Adam vanished from where he was standing.
He moved with a speed that defied belief a blur of dark clothing against the night.
He appeared directly in front of the tall boy who had stepped forward.
The boy's sneer was still on his face. He had no time to change his expression.
Adam didn't waste a single motion. He swung the iron rod in a tight vicious arc. It struck the boy squarely in the stomach.
WHUMP!
The sound was a dull sickening thud like a bat hitting a side of beef.
The tall boy doubled over. The air rushed from his lungs in a choked gasp.
He stumbled backward clutching his midsection. His tough-guy act dissolved into a silent struggle for breath.
But Adam didn't stop there. He wasn't focused on a single target.
His movements were a blur of calculated efficiency. His new stats his combat skill and his cold methodical plan all worked in perfect harmony. He ignored the stunned boys.
He instantly closed the distance to Lily and the other two girls.
They were standing slightly off to the side watching with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.
Before they could even scream before their minds could even register the attack Adam was upon them.
He delivered a series of precise lightning-fast karate chops to the sides of their necks.
The edge of his hand was a hardened weapon. The strikes landed exactly where he intended on the nerve cluster that would induce unconsciousness.
One by one they went limp. Their eyes rolled back as they collapsed to the ground.
They fell like dolls their limbs folding beneath them.
Andrew and the remaining two boys watched in horror. Their flashlights instinctively swung towards the fallen girls. Their friends lay unmoving on the dark path.
"Lily!" Andrew screamed. His voice was filled with panic. His girlfriend was down. The situation was spiraling out of his control.
His shout echoed through the quiet woods. It was a sound of distress that carried down the hill.
A short distance away a police car on a routine patrol heard the cry. The officers inside exchanged a look.
One of them picked up the radio. The car's headlights swung around. It began to drive up the narrow road that led towards the hill. They were coming to investigate.
Up on the path Adam continued his assault. He was a machine of violence.
He spun around targeting the two boys still standing next to Andrew.
They were frozen in shock looking at the unconscious girls.
He delivered a brutal spinning kick to one boy's face.
The impact sent the boy crashing to the ground. He landed hard his head bouncing off a rock.
He didn't move. Simultaneously Adam swung the iron rod low. It shattered the kneecap of the second boy.
That boy went down screaming clutching his leg in agony. The sound was wet and sharp.
In the span of a few seconds the entire group had been neutralized except for one.
Andrew stared at his fallen friends. His bravado was completely gone.
It was replaced by pure undiluted terror. His mind went blank.
The only thought that remained was to run.
He was the leader but now he was just a scared boy. He turned to flee to escape the masked monster that had appeared out of nowhere. He took one step then another.
Just as he was about to break into a sprint the iron rod slammed into the back of his knee.
The force was crippling. The sharp crack of bone echoed in the night.
Andrew screamed a high-pitched sound of pain and terror.
He collapsed to the ground his leg twisted at an unnatural angle.
He tried to crawl away. He dragged his broken leg behind him leaving a trail in the dirt. It was useless.
Adam's plan was simple. He wasn't going to kill them. That was his previous mistake. Killing them just triggered the police response faster and ultimately led to his own death.
This time he would inflict a different kind of pain.
A pain that would leave a lasting impression a message that would spread without a single word from him. He would break them not kill them. He would leave them alive to remember this night.
He walked over and stood above Andrew.
The boy was now writhing on the ground whimpering in agony.
Adam crouched down. He brought his masked face close to Andrew's.
He altered his voice making it a low raspy whisper that was completely unrecognizable. It was the sound of gravel and broken glass.
"Your father is in the police isn't he?"
Andrew's eyes went wide. Even through the searing pain the question struck him with a profound sense of shock and confusion.
How could this stranger know that? It was not common knowledge.
The fear in his gut intensified.
This wasn't random. This was personal. But he couldn't form a reply.
He could only stare in terror at the dark eyes behind the mask. The eyes that held no pity no remorse only a cold empty void.