Ty staggered to a stop, staring at Elliot. A wave of Tigers passed by him, joining Elliot in celebration. The roars of triumph didn't register in Ty's ears. How had he lost? Why did he lose? His hands curled into fists as his search for the answer kept running into dead ends.
Through the pack of Tigers, Elliot stood above them all. He was the only Tiger not celebrating, instead, he glared down at Ty. His faith was justified, and Ty, heretic that he was, was aflame. Elliot thought it a righteous fire of judgement. But Ty was under no penance, even if he was burning; Fury burnt through him.
The penalty, of course, was declined so the touchdown stood. Both offence and defence left the field, being replaced by both sides' special teams unit. The Tigers left, their celebrations and showboating carrying them towards the sideline, whilst the Dons dragged themselves off, drowning under their own disappointment, and no consolation from their teammates or coaches could pull them from the muck.
The extra point was good, pushing the score out to 10–20. Another two-possession lead for the Tigers as the final quarter loomed. Could the Dons still comeback?
The offence's answer was of course they could! Ten points was nothing, even in a low scoring game such as it had been to that point. The first step was the kickoff. Chris attacked it as aggressively as he had been since the disaster of his first return, but he stumbled after the catch. Even though he recovered, he could only bring the ball to the 20-yard line before he was tackled.
'Don't forget the game plan,' Coach Long shouted as the offence marched onto the field, backs against the wall. They were determined to prove the Tigers weren't the only ones who were dangerous in such a position.
Looking back to the bench, they had extra motivation as well. They couldn't stand the downtrodden stares and slumped shoulders of their teammates on the defensive side. One score. If they could score, whether a field goal or touchdown, and bring the game back to one-possession, they'd show the defence it was okay, and they just needed one more stop to win the game. Just one score.
Those words echoed in Jay's head as he prepared for the snap, watching the Tigers' formation. He didn't notice major shifts pre-snap, but he still had to be wary of what they did afterwards; the Tigers liked to pounce just when you thought you were safe. It didn't help the crowd was rejuvenated after the Tigers' touchdown, too.
'SET … HIKE!'
Dropping back, Jay's eyes darted. Cole was covered. The zone had shifted back to give Wallace more support. Benny and the O-Line were holding up well. On the other side of the field Amon drew attention underneath; Cole's added pressure had freed Stephen on a Cross.
Jay flicked the ball over the middle … a hand jutted up from the D-Line, deflecting the pass. Thankfully it rebounded towards Jay instead of popping up into the air, or taking a wild turn towards somebody else. Jay stepped aside, watching the ball drop to the ground for an incompletion. Better that than trying to run it himself.
A tingle settled at the base of every Dons' spine, just on the edge of their awareness, like an itch. Unsettling, but nothing to worry about as they huddled together. Deflections happened. It was the only thing that saved the Tigers from giving up a reception to Stephen. The Dons could still move the ball, could still score and save the game.
With minimal time left in the quarter, Coach Long called for a run. Chris was sent to the outside with an Off-Tackle sprint, but the Tigers were all over him, dropping him for a gain of only a yard. The failed run brought the Dons to third down, and the game to its last break.
The coaches gathered the boys on the sideline, pulling them into a tight huddle. 'Bring it in,' Coach Long said, making sure to pat each boy on the head or back. He could see the atmosphere had already turned, as sudden as if a switch was flicked, and he didn't like it one bit.
But they were still redeemable. They were frazzled, still reeling from the Tigers' counter-counter blow, but holding on. He knew they were tough, and they'd give it their all to the last play. He just had to keep their hope alive.
Coach Hoang watched Ty closely, lurking on the edges of the huddle. He was easy to make out, just follow the steam running off him. The boy was FUMING.
Bella flinched when her hand touched Ty's back, almost pulling away. He was hot even though his pads and uniform, but it was the tension she felt underneath it all that caused her reaction. Like a bomb about to go off. She didn't know if he felt her rubbing, he said and did nothing to acknowledge it; she hoped it was as soothing for him as it was her.
'Keep your heads on straight,' Coach Long said after the silence had drawn on long enough. 'We're still in this. A quarter is more than enough time for a game to change completely, and we only need two good drives. Remember all the struggles you've been through to get here. This is just another hurdle on your journey, it's not going to trip you up. You're going all the way to the tip of the mountaintop.'
The huddle broke apart. Some boys wore strained smiles. He knew they were putting on brave faces more for his sake than anything else. He hoped his words had got through to them, reminded them how resilient they were. It felt like they were staring up at a mountain peak lost in the clouds. But those clouds were making the mountain appear much bigger than it truly was. He knew they could climb it.
Heading into the final quarter, the crowd still had plenty of energy. They made the Dons feel perfectly unwelcome in the stadium like they had every time the boys took the field. Jay blocked them out, staring ahead at his competition. His mission statement hadn't changed.
Staring down third-and-long, Jay knew the Tigers would be all over him. That was fine. He could take the heat. It just meant he had to find somebody quickly, and somebody would be open with all that pressure. If he could put the ball in his teammates' hands, they'd make magic happen.
The chants for the Tigers were as loud as ever as Jay called for the snap. Taking the ball, surprise jolted him. There wasn't any pressure at all, no-one even tried to force through. The Tigers had backed off—even Drake wasn't blitzing—and looking out at the field, all Jay saw was Tigers waiting in the grass, ready to pounce on any pass.
He shifted his focus, dumping the ball off to Chris in the flat—the only opening he saw. The Tigers still pounced the moment Chris had the ball in his hands. They had him surrounded in a second, tearing at him as they dragged him down well short of the first-down marker. The offence had failed. The Tigers' lead was safe, and now the clock was against them as well.
Heads were hung as the Dons returned to the sideline. They weren't yet defeated, but they looked on the verge. Coach Hoang glanced back to Ty, a frown creasing his face. 'Hey, all we need is one stop,' Coach Hoang said. 'Take it one drive at a time. It's not over until that clock says zero.'
There were nods and murmurs of affirmation and understanding, but those heads didn't raise, even as the specials teams went back onto the field.
For once, the punt wasn't shanked, pushing Wallace back to the Tigers' own 20, where he fielded it with a fair catch. The Tigers would have their own chance from the same starting position as the Dons' recent catastrophe. Of course, they hoped to fare much better, and stick the final nail in the Dons' coffin.
Ty stepped onto the field. Goosebumps prickled along Bella's skin, and a shudder passed through the Dons like a wave. Ty's flame had burnt out, leaving coldness in its wake. Bella smiled as she watched the defence follow him onto the field. It was alright. The game was still theirs; they had Ty.
Elliot stepped up to Ty. The chill took a second to settle in, but as it touched his skin, the excited sounds of his audience—the fans who had paid to see the power of Their guidance—faded from his ears. He looked around, confused. Everything seemed … distant. As if it were all zoomed out. His teammates looked far enough away that his voice wouldn't even reach them.
He tried to shake the feeling off, but when his eyes opened again, everyone was still too far away. The chill was still there, even under what should've been warm stadium lights. Something was wrong, that was clear … but it didn't matter. He could still see Their light just beyond Ty.
The ball was snapped and Elliot surged forward, racing towards that light. It flared dark and red towards the left side; raising his arm, he parried aside Ty's spear. A bright flash inside guided him that way. He shifted in against Ty, running alongside him. It was like swimming in the arctic, but he pushed through towards Their warmth, teeth clamped around his mouthpiece to keep from chattering. Elliot twisted towards another flash outside. The flash remained until the ice at his side followed and surged towards it as well. It darkened, leaving only the sun towards the middle of the field. Elliot spun, leaving the coldness behind. All that was ahead of him was Their warmth and light.
The ball flew their way, glowing with Their light. Ty sprung back, keeping his stride despite his shift to the opposite direction. He ran backwards to keep his momentum for a few steps before he could turn around. Warning lights flashed behind Elliot, threatening Their glow. Darkness encroached, sapping Their warmth again. He shifted to block off Ty, to protect Their radiance.
Ty flowed around Elliot. It didn't matter if he was a step behind. He was too fast. Besides, the game bent to HIS will, not some outer force like luck. He planted, then leapt—his cleats stuck in the ground, digging an inch too deep in a patch of soft, worn down turf. There wasn't enough power in Ty's jump. Elliot's feet found solid purchase; his leap was greater.
Ty stretched towards the ball, Elliot reached forward, desperate to grab it first. It was his, Ty was too far … yet the ball drooped further, like it'd lost its wings in the final few yards of flight. The deviation brought it into Ty's reach. Long fingers flicked across the ball, deflecting it over the top of Elliot's hands, sending it over their and everyone's heads.
Ty snarled around his mouthpiece, a short, sharp sound. The next pass would be his. There was nothing to worry about. Elliot could keep his luck, it was only delaying the inevitable. A slight crack in Ty's facade iced over and hardened before anyone could even notice the minuscule moment of doubt.
Elliot stumbled, almost falling. He'd never been colder. He could feel it in his bones, sinking claws and fangs in as if it intended to never let him go. Where was Their warmth? How had Ty taken it away? He was trembling as he returned to the Tigers' huddle, and still was after he lined up opposite Ty once more.
Elliot breathed deeply. He needed to calm down. A cluttered mind wasn't open to Their guidance. Nobody could block it out, nobody could change it. Their warmth was always present, you just had to be open to it.
The ball was snapped, and Travis turned to hand the ball over. Elliot burst forward, hands raised to push Ty back, but when Ty braced himself for the block, he lowered his hands and put his head down, surging past.
Ty and Elliot slammed together, Ty bumping him to the inside. It was Play-Action, but he hadn't thought it was a run for a second. Elliot stumbled, eyes darting around. But he was alone. The coldness was his only company. His stumble turned to a crash.
Travis looked around. Nobody was open … Elliot's crash caused a commotion in the middle of the field, an obstacle Logan danced around. The Tigers were a flexible team that knew how to deal with adversities and wild changes to the plan. Travis whipped the ball over.
As JJ raced towards him, Ty's blinders vanished. He snapped around and swiped as Logan burst past. The clip of Ty's arm didn't bring the big TE down, but it slowed him for a moment. JJ caught him, slamming him down face first into the turf after a gain of 6.
The Tigers moved towards Logan, helping him up, keeping the Dons away from him, retreating with him to their huddle. Away from the pack, a shaken Elliot shuffled after them, fighting against the bone-rattling cold, and losing.
Amid the Dons' huddle, Coach Hoang's orders were loud enough to echo from their helmets. 'Watch the run! They go for the real thing after Play-Action. Watch it and commit! Shut them down right here and give your offence the ball right back! Even if it looks like a pass it'll be a Draw, trust me!'
The instructions slid off Ty. If it was a run, so be it, but on third down he knew a pass was much more likely. He wouldn't think of leaving Elliot for a moment, not when he had the Tiger right where he wanted. It was only a matter of time before he snatched EVERYTHING away from Elliot.
The teams set up for the next play. A key moment in the dwindling game. It felt like a turning point, and even the crowd felt it. The cheers for the Tigers were immense, but fighting through them was a growing force of Dons supporters.
Travis's hands shook as he took the snap. He would've never recovered if he fumbled the ball, but he kept that much control at least as he dropped back, looking ahead. Thankfully, it wasn't his problem after that, because he let the RB take the ball on the Draw play.
Elliot had lunged into Ty, slamming against him, grabbing onto him right in the pits of his arms. Ty was content to stay right on top of him, not fighting through the block. Its not like they were in the play as the run went up the middle. The Line had parted like the RB was Moses, but JJ was waiting for him in the absence of the Red Sea.
As soon as the ball had been snapped, JJ left his assignment, darting away from Logan. If it had been a pass, the Tigers would've had an easy first down, but Coach Hoang's call had paid off.
The RB tensed, a deer in headlights, and JJ was the semi-truck about to splatter him. JJ lunged, fist cocked. His heavy hook smashed the ball out of the RB's grasp as his shoulder flattened the Tiger.
The ball spilled onto the ground, bouncing back. Travis jumped into action, running after it. If only one of those bounces went his way instead of shooting off to the side, but he was still close enough. He crouched down to scoop it up, maybe he could run it over the first-down marker if things fell his way. Donte dove in, hands finding the ball, taking it out right from under Travis's nose.
As Donte curled up, he became a bowling ball, and Travis's legs were the pins. The Tiger went lax at the last moment, saving him from a horrid injury as the collision sent him flipping over the top of Donte. Whistles shrieked, and there was no flag. It was the Dons' ball, and their offence would take over already knocking on the door of the red-zone.
JJ led the Dons as they charged Donte, hoisting him up, rallying around him. Deshaun's voice cut through a deflated silence. 'WOOO!' He slapped JJ and Donte's helmets wildly.
The boys were all laughs and smiles as they returned to the sideline. Their joy was infectious, quickly spreading through the team. Coach Long was glad. If despair could spread just like the flick of a switch, then unburdened happiness could do the same. But the team still had a job to finish.
'Don't let them get back up! Put them down and finish them off right now.'
The offence scrambled out onto the field, the Tigers' defence rushing to meet them. The crowd was still reeling, but the Dons couldn't treat the Tigers as if they were still on the ropes.
Coach Long wanted to test them with a run, and while Chris only gained 4 yards, it was enough to bring the Dons fully into the red-zone.
Any score would drop the lead to one-possession, but the Dons had eyes only for the end-zone, and Bella thought she had the key to it. She stood between her father and Coach Norman, struggling to, but keeping her voice steady.
'Benny needs to be running routes again,' she implored. 'If the Tigers back off again, we don't have enough options to get through their defence.'
'And if they blitz?' Coach Norman asked.
'Chris can hold it off and give Jay just enough time. Beating the Eagles prepared us for exactly this. We need to change SOMETHING, and this'll help in two ways, giving more targets for Jay, and giving more room to the other Receivers, too. If the defenders have to worry about Benny, there'll be less focus on Cole and Stephen. We just need to have faith in Chris as the last line of defence.'
Coach Long rubbed her shoulder. 'She's right. We should have faith. I know they can protect him, and even then, I know Jay can handle a little pressure. Let's give him more outlets to relieve some of that pressure before it gets to be too much.'
When the call came in during the huddle, Benny and Jay shared a look. It made sense to the boys, but it was always a tough situation to be told to stop protecting one of your brothers. It was made easier when you remember he still had plenty of other brothers protecting him.
'Look after yourself,' Benny said.
Jay chuckled. He could handle himself. But Benny's ribs were still a concern. 'Ditto.'
Benny's stance hadn't changed as the Dons formed ranks. It wasn't until after the snap that the Tigers got their surprise. Drake's eyes widened as he watched Benny streak out to the flat. It caused a moment of hesitation in him, which allowed the Tackle to easily handle his rush. Jay was well protected, not even rushed as he waited for Benny's Wheel route to break upward, then fired the ball over.
Benny caught it in stride. A DB lunged towards him, but he broke through the arm-tackle, hardly losing momentum as he powered onward. The defence collapsed, but Cole held off Wallace, giving Benny a free lane, allowing him to burst forward for the first down, and bring the Dons to the 5-yard line.
The boys could smell the end-zone, and they were salivating at the thought of another touchdown, like finding a second oasis in the desert. Coach Long was a calming, steadying presence, giving the boys some time to breathe in the huddle, making sure they were ready for what they had to do.
They lined up again, and the change in the Tigers' attitude was obvious. Each one of them shifted with nervous energy. Benny's inclusion in the attack had thrown a wrench into their plans. How would they adjust? Would they drop back again and be conservative? Or attack wildly?
The ball was snapped, and the Dons got their answer as the Tigers pounced at Jay. He dropped back, calm and collected, with perfect faith in his teammates to save his hide. He glanced across the field. Benny darted forward, then out, whilst Cole crossed over in front of him. The defence had a choice.
Wallace watched the two routes cross by each other. Which would the Dons target. A fifty-fifty could hardly be called a gamble. Like a coin flipping, or dice rolling. Would it be heads or tails? Odds or even? Wallace rolled his dice, made his choice, and jumped away from Cole to cover Benny's Out. The Dons would use their new weapon, he knew it.
Jay flipped the ball over … Cole caught it on his chest; Wallace had rolled snake eyes again. Cole fell to his knee, then rolled down on his hip, landing in the end-zone, as a Tiger flew over him, claws outstretched, but missing the mark.
Touchdown Dons. The lead was cut back down to one score. Momentum was back on their side after the forced fumble had been vindicated … but the Tigers still held the lead—and the game with it—in their claws.