Page 77 of Fight

I watched, somewhat mesmerized as he squeezed the man harder and then, twisted, the snap of the guard’s neck signaling the end of his life.

The man went limp, and Ciprian loosened his fingers. The guard fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, his lifeless body unmoving.

Ciprian looked down at the man, then back at Markov, then to me. He lingered for a single second, and then opened the door and walked out.

I realized I didn’t know where we were, hadn’t cared enough to look, and for a few long moments, Markov and I stood, staring at the door that Ciprian had just vacated.

It seemed both of us were stunned by what had happened, Markov probably more than me.

I don’t know how long we stood that way, but one moment we were standing and in the next, our gazes clashed.

There was something in his, bravado, and then I realized, underneath, fear.

And then I realized why.

My body was moving before my mind caught up, and a split second later, Markov moved too. I was closer, but only slightly so. Still, I moved as fast as I could, desperate to reach the weapon before he did.

My mind, which had been so quiet before, now raced.

I got to the gun, grabbed it, but a second later I was tackled, the air rushing out of my lungs as Markov flattened me into the ground.

It happened just that quickly. One moment I had been resigned to my death, looking forward to it, and in the next breath, I had decided I wanted to live.

I didn’t know why, and maybe if I lived, I’d take time to examine it, figure out what had changed. Now, though, I had other things to attend to.

Markov was heavy on my back, clawing at me trying to get the gun. I held it tight, but kept my finger off the trigger, knowing that if the gun went off it would hit me, and it would be over.

I clenched into a ball as best I could and then strained hard and managed to bring myself to my knees and twisted my body.

Markov was still reaching for the gun, but I breathed a sigh of relief when his thick fingers were no longer scratching at my hands. A second later, I cried out at the sharp pain on the side of my head.

I twisted as best I could to look in Markov’s face. “Asshole! You pulled my hair!”

Funny what things could manage to offend me, but really? He’d pulled my hair. The sharp sting where he’d tugged still throbbed, and it just hammered home all that I hated about Markov. He stood behind others, used them and his status for protection, but in the end, he was simply a small, petty, worthless man. There was no way I could let him kill me.

On a rough yell, I used all the force I could and slammed my head into his.

It felt like someone had shattered my skull. My vision flashed and a low hum started in my ears. My body went slack, and for a moment, I was certain I had hurt myself more than I had him.

Even though my head screamed in protest, I turned as much as I could, which was much more than I had been able to only seconds ago, and locked eyes with him. A fountain of blood gushed from his nose, and I realized he had staggered back.

I took the opportunity to try to stand but immediately fell back to my knees, my head moving so fast, the room felt like a kaleidoscope.

Just get out, P. Just get out.

That was the only coherent thought I could form, so even though the room was still spinning, even though I could hear Markov behind me, I dragged myself forward to the sliver of light that swam in the distance.

I inched closer, then closer, every move bringing me closer to the light, the door, to whatever lay on the other side of it. I had no idea what it was, but I knew if I got to it, I would have a chance.

I kept my eyes on the doorway, the light that filtered through it, hope rising with every second that passed, every inch that brought me closer.

But that hope was soon dashed.

One moment I was dragging myself toward the light. The next the light was gone, blotted out by a dark form.

My heart dropped, and with it the will that I had only found moments ago.

I went still, stared up into the darkness, and then, after a moment, I let myself fall into it.

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