“How dare you speak to me like that!”
Her head snapped back as flesh connected with flesh, a yelp escaping her lips before she could silence herself.
“You dog, you stupid, clumsy dog.” His mouth twisted as he spat the words, spittle spraying her hunched figure as she shielded her stinging face with one bony arm.
His whole body leaned over her; a tower of anger that filled her vision. He grabbed her wrist, his nails digging into her flesh as he pulled her up into a standing position. Her eyes darted about the room for a weapon, anything she could use to defend herself, but the sparsely furnished office offered nothing in way of help.
“Look at me.” His voice was lowered to a growl.
Unwilling and yet scared of the consequences were she to choose otherwise her pupils met his. Black, uncaring- his stare showed no hope for her survival.
“I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”
His face drew closer to hers as the deadly words issued from between clenched teeth. There was no escape. His hand was still firmly clamped about her wrist but she took a step backwards all the same, separating as much as herself as possible from him. He noticed and she could see his eyes flash in anger.
“Don’t try to escape what is due to you, you deserve this!” He bellowed.
His hand swiftly drew out a knife from his coat pocket whilst maintaining his hold on her. She suppressed a moan of terror as she glimpsed the steel but he showed no hesitation. The blade flashed in the lamplight from the desk as the sharp point skimmed across her shoulder, blood rising greedily to meet its ridge.
She gasped and tears came unwillingly to her eyes. Her body tried to twist from his grasp, repel herself from him, and she succeeded in taking another step. The back of her foot met contact, with what she could not see. Hope sparked in her mind. He drew back the knife to flash across her cheek, harder than before, the scarlet flow spilling faster to drip off her chin.
As she flinched she heard a low rumbling from his throat, his lips curling at the edges.
If I do nothing he’s going to kill me. I'm going to die here tonight.
He had the knife poised a third time, ready to slash again. With all the force available to her weakened state, she heaved herself over the unknown object behind her ankles, throwing herself tumbling to the ground.
Surprise flittered across his face as he followed her fall, attached to her as he was by firm hand. She angled herself sharply to the right, twisting her torso so as to land on her side. The blade narrowly dodged her collar bone as her attacker landed heavily beside her, his arm crashed against the wooden boards releasing her from his grasp. The other arm he had flung out to break his fall and the knife skittered across the boards to rest a few feet away.
Despite her aching lungs and crushed ribs she yanked her hand close to her chest, free at last.
“You!” He roared.
She had no time to contemplate pain, swiftness was her only ally. Rolling onto her stomach she forced her body forwards to snatch the weapon just in time for her assailant to pounce upon her.
The knife rose to greet him.
He had no hope of stopping as the cold metal sank deep into him, gravity pulled him down to embed the blade further still. His body slumped on top of hers, the knife handle the only object between them.
“Wh- what?” The query was only a whisper, all rage gone.
His face was inches from her own, she could smell his stale, ragged breath, feel his lungs labouring beneath his ribs and see the spidery rivulets of red that sprawled across the whites of his eyes. She was forced through horror and weight to lie pinned beneath him, gazing up transfixed as the colour slowly drained from his face.
“Yo-You..”
Her heartbeat slowed; the adrenaline that had so recently flooded her veins was disappearing. What had happened?
“I’m sorry.” But her words were merely an exhalation, her apology left unformed.
Even if it had been, no-one would have heard.
I didn't fully notice that until the very end, which is a good thing, I assure you. It didn't bother me, but it will bother me if in the next chapters they still don't have names.
