Pent up anger

[Deborah Morgan]

Sweat dripped down her skin, soaking her tank top. There was too much not going right, too much she didn't know about. But that was her own fault, wasn't it?

The room was enclosed, mirrors on the walls except by the door, various punching bags and dummies hung and stood. Her hands were wrapped with a white gauze which had bled through.

Punch. Punch. Kick. Punch. Kick. Duck. Kick.

The endless repition of force broke her skin and would eventually break her frustration. She hoped. It was wound up tightly inside, felt like a wild beast trapped in a cage. Ready to lash out against whomever came near, whether or not they meant harm or not. She was so.fucking.bored.
Something needed to happen.

Punch. Kick. Punch.

The bag swung wildly with each hit and she had to move to avoid having it retaliate against her. She was grinding her teeth so hard her jaw hurt. Her watch beeped twice. Two in the morning. She was glad South Beach had so many 24 hour gyms, especially when she'd been there as long as she had. She'd gone in at 11 and been here since, machines and swimming for a while. But for the past hour, this had been her release.

Muscles ached and the long scar on her arm seemed to pulse with life with every flexing muscle. Brown hair tumbling down her back, clinging to her damp skin.
Deb was thirsty, but she was still too wound up. Her focus was so hard upon the bag and the pattern, she didn't even hear the door open and close again.

Kick. Kick. Punch. Kick. Punch. Jab. Hook. Round house. Punch.

[Maricruz Montoya]

For Maricruz getting to the gym by two in the morning was early. It was a slow night at work, pretty dead out, so she had managed to get here earlier than most other days. She found she liked coming after her shift better than before. There were less people at night. Less people who would be likely to bother her. Less creepy guys trying to hit on her as well. She wasn’t here to find a date, she was here to work out.

Her workout routine used to consist more of the treadmill, elliptical, or light free weights. But lately she had found herself coming to a different area of the gym. Fighting an imaginary opponent in the shape of a bag. A lot had changed, she now needed this release. It was her only chance to fight back.

Maricruz was surprised to see anyone else in the area, and a woman so focused and intense on beating the hell out of the bag in front of her. “I thought I was the only one who came to the gym this late” She said with a small smile as she passed by the woman and put her towel down on the floor by a bag a few down from where Deb was working out. Maricruz took out a roll of tape and started taping up her hands.