Page 120 of Alik

“We have to kill her,” Onion Breath interrupts. I watch him slosh through the blood to retrieve a paring knife from a drawer.

“Are youafraid?” Creeper laughs. “She isn’t a murderer. She’s just a weak girl. Andhandcuffedfor god sakes”

Weak?

Did he just call me weak?

I pull harder on the cuffs.

“Yeah, well she can be a dead girl.” Onion Breath stalks my way with the paring knife.

“Stop,” Creeper commands. I watch with a smile as he appears in my vision, blocking Onion Breath’s way.

“Get out of my way. “

“You’re not killing her.”

“Are you not hearing this loony bitch?”

“Iwanther.”

He wants me. The way he says it, his voice heavy with emotion, almost makes me wonder if Creeper meant to say he loves me.

But that isn’t possible, of course. You can’t love someone you feel you own. You can’t love someone you enjoy hurting.

Before Alik, I didn’t understand that. Before Alik, I didn’t know what love was.

He’s a man capable of inflicting pain far greater than Creeper ever could, but he would never harm me. And although it’s been difficult for me to admit, I too am a person capable of inflicting pain far greater than Creeper ever could, but I would never harm Alik.

I don’t think Alik is coming to save the day. Alik maynevercome.

But he loves me. I think he’ll always love me, even if I die today, the same way I’ll always love him.

When Onion Breath shoves Creeper, Creeper goes for the knife, and Fish jumps in to tackle my unlikely protector. Creeper tries to fight them off, but when Fish locks his neck in a chokehold, he waves his arms as he falls to the ground.

Panic rises inside me, and I raise onto my knees as I watch the fight leave him. The blood in the room parts like the Red Sea to clear my vision, and I widen my eyes at the sight.

No.

No, they can’t kill him.

“Stop!” I scream, my voice full of the desperation I feel.

Because if they kill Creeper… How will she ever get her chance? Or Alik?

I don’t want suffocation.

I want hispain.

I dart my eyes around the room, my teeth grinding. I’ve spent all this time waiting to see if she’ll show up. Waiting for her to take over. Waiting to see if she’ll save me.

Maybe it’s time we worked as a team.

I tug the cuffs against my knuckles then close my eyes, accepting what I have to do.

I take my left thumb into my right hand and pull it back, my eyelids reflexively clenching at the pain.

The last thing I feel before the world blackens is the explosive release of my thumb’s ligaments.

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