Chapter 45: Rise of the Unbroken
For the first time since the gym opened, it wasn't filled with laughter or the clang of weights.
Only purpose.
Only silence.
Only the pounding rhythm of hearts refusing to lose someone they cared about.
Alex stood before everyone. "This isn't just about Alya. It's about standing up to those who think they can take what they want."
Jake looked at the gym members—people who once struggled with fear, anxiety, and weakness. People who had changed.
"If you're scared, you don't have to come. But if you stand with us—we train now."
No one stepped back.
Even the shyest members—like quiet Lila and anxious Ben—nodded.
They would fight for Alya.
---
Training Day Zero.
Jacob brought out gear—boxing pads, ropes, makeshift wooden staffs.
Alex demonstrated basic self-defense, while Jake ran drills. Lisa, for the first time, trained beside them, her kicks sharp with rage.
"She's my friend too," she muttered, eyes fierce.
The gym became a war camp. Bodies moved with desperation and focus.
They knew they couldn't outnumber the gang.
But they could outfight them.
Outlast them.
Outsmart them.
---
Later that night.
Jake sat alone in the darkened gym, fists resting on his knees.
The weight of everything pressed on him—what if they were too late? What if they lost?
Alex entered quietly, tossing him a bottle of water.
"You good?"
Jake looked up. "No."
He paused.
"But I will be."
Alex sat next to him. "You're thinking about what Kram said, aren't you?"
Jake clenched the bottle. "He called her a 'little baker girl' like she was just… property. Like she didn't matter."
"She matters," Alex said softly. "To all of us. Especially to you."
Jake nodded. "If anything happens to her…"
Alex interrupted, his tone solid. "We'll get her back."
---
Meanwhile…
Alya sat alone in a locked storage room, her wrists tied but her spirit unbroken.
One eye was bruised, her clothes dusty, but her voice? Calm. Strong.
She looked up at Kram and sneered. "You picked the wrong girl to mess with."
Kram leaned in. "You're just bait. Jake and Alex are the ones we want."
Alya didn't blink. "Then you're dumber than I thought. Because they don't lose."
Kram grinned. "We'll see."
Outside, his gang gathered—thirty, maybe forty strong. Steel pipes. Chains. Knives. One of them lit a torch and laughed.
This wasn't a schoolyard brawl anymore.
It was war.
---
Back at the gym…
Lisa approached Jake, handing him a folded bandana.
"It was Alya's. She left it on the bench before she disappeared."
Jake took it and tied it around his wrist.
A promise.
"I'll bring her back," he whispered.
And everyone—Alex, Lisa, Jacob, Lila, Ben, and even the newer members—stood behind him.
Tomorrow, they'd march.
Not as gym members.
But as a family.
As the unbroken.
---