Half Blood: Chapter Six
May 19, 2015
Six
“What do you want?” Indi
demanded, still keeping a safe distance away. When the guy didn’t answer, she
tried again. “How did you know this was where I lived?”
“Oh, Kitten,
you didn’t think I’d give up so easily, did you?” Mr. Wright, the prick from
the cafe, was sporting two partial black eyes and a swollen, misshapen nose.
Indi couldn’t take credit for how he’d brained himself on the table, but she
had helped him on his way and that made her smile.
“What. Do.
You. Want?” she repeated in a hiss.
Running a
finger across his chin in thought, his top lip curled up into a sneer and he
said, “I want to teach you a lesson.”
She laughed derisively.
“If it’s about how I shouldn’t beat the shit out of people when they touch me, you’re
wasting your time. That ship hasn’t just sailed. It’s sunk.”
He pushed
himself off the wall. There was a snick
and when he uncrossed his arms there was a small switchblade in his left hand. “Now,
you’re going to play nice, Kitten, or I’ll be sure to cut you up a little to
remind you what happens when you don’t do as you’re told.” The blade flashed in
the little streetlight available as he twisted it menacingly from side to side.
“And if I don’t?”
she asked boldly, raising her chin a fraction. She’d been threatened with
knives before so she was strolling through achingly familiar territory.
“And if you don’t,”
he replied teasingly, “it’s nothing a bullet can’t help.” He opened up his
jacket and revealed a holstered gun on his right hip. Oh. That’s why he was so
damn confident. He tapped it with the tip of the knife––a metallic sound
pealing around them.
Indi swallowed
thickly. As if the sight of the weapon was a signal to her body, her pulse
began racing again––pumping around the much-needed adrenalin. It cleared her
head, allowing her to think through her options properly.
Indi wasn’t in
the habit of running from a fight, but she knew when she was beaten. If it was
between a gun and a knife, then the loud, bullet-operated thing would win every
time.
One point for
run.
She knew from
the cafe that he was a south paw. If he wanted to draw the gun, he’d have to
drop the knife first, unless he just also happened to be ambidextrous…which she
was suddenly praying he was not. She was sure she could get her blade out of
the holster before he could reach for the gun though. Her reflexes had always
been good.
One point for
fight.
Factor number
three: he had at least fifty pounds on her. If he pinned her, she’d be dead––plain
and simple.
Two points for
run.
Indi glanced
around at the buildings. They were all very well sound-proofed thanks to the
flight path they were living under. Nobody would hear the fight between them,
which meant that if she had to resort to screaming for help nobody would hear
her.
Three points
for run.
Madness
bubbled in his dark gaze as she met his eyes again. Rage, greed, lust and
revenge were the fuel to the fire that lit him up from the inside. And that was
the deciding factor.
Four points to
one. She ran.
Taking off in
the opposite direction to that she’d come from, her lighter frame and longer
legs carried her a lot faster than his could. She rounded the corner, noting
that the alleyway to her left was the one that ran behind her building. She
knew it was a dead-end, but maybe she would be able to find a fire escape left
down at random. If she couldn’t find a way out, she’d have to hide and launch a
surprise attack. She’d done it before, and there was a lot to be said about the
element of surprise.
Her footsteps
echoed all around her, amplified by the brick walls soaring up on either side
of her like the walls of a prison. Her breath caught in her throat when she
heard his footsteps stop. After some frantic searching and no fire escape
later, Indi dove behind one of the dumpsters and waited for her opportunity. If
this guy had half a brain, he would know that was where she was hiding,
especially since she was panting so hard. Forcing her breathing to slow, she
held her breath and waited.
A few seconds
later, his footsteps sounded like gun shots booming through the alleyway. “Kitten,
I know you’re hiding back here,” he called. The sound of his steps competed
with his words, making it difficult for her to pinpoint exactly where he was. “Where
are you?” he called in a sing-song voice.
Indi shifted
her right leg forward, being careful not to make a sound, and pulled her knife
from its sheath. She took comfort in the feeling of the blade in her hand.
Taking a deep breath in, Indi retreated in on herself to find that place that
was quiet and cold. This was her angry place––her safe place. She removed her
fear completely, replacing it with her perpetually-raging anger.
Grit crunched
under Mr. Wright’s shoes, edging him closer to her and farther into the alleyway.
With the blade out and ready, Indi let go of her held breath and felt complete
calm sluice over her head, across her shoulders and down her back.
“If you just
come out here, Kitten, I’ll take it easy on you. I promise.”
Indi rotated
her neck until every vertebra cracked individually. There was no need for
stealth now. He knew exactly where she was. He was just playing with her. His
shuffling footsteps ended around the corner of the dumpster, no more than a
foot away from her. He was so close that she could hear him breathing. She
steeled herself, ready to lunge, and a trickle of anticipation burned through
her body.
One more step, she thought.
One more step and then I attack.
One more step...
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