Highway Part 40

Highway Chapter 21(continued)

The man I knocked out had a gun on him, but I didn’t know whether to take it. I didn’t want to kill these men; or rather it wouldn’t have been right. I knew how to use a gun, learning when I was out on the streets. But I could always use it to scare them. I wound my way back, pleased to find him still hidden.

I removed the gun from his side. I could hear a voice nearby, searching for the man who had called out. I peered around the bush, hoping to survey the situation.

He appeared to be alone, but I wasn’t sure it was so. Often, other attackers hide, making it seem as if there was only one member. I took a deep breath, clearing my head. I looked around, hoping to spot the ambush. I saw slight movement in another bush nearby, and I carefully wound myself around the cover, pausing when I saw the man lying in wait for me.

Sneaking up stealthily, I reached up behind him, covering his mouth. He struggled, but I kept a firm grip around nose until he slumped backwards. Stopping quickly to make sure he still could breathe, I got up again.Suddenly, a shot went off by my ear.

I whirled around, only to see a man squinting through the rain. They had guns, and now they were using them. He could only see me faintly, his eyes not accustomed to such darkness. But mine had adjusted an hour ago, and I could see much better.

I slid when he shot again, using the now slippery mud to dive away. I ran right into his leg, and he jumped back. But before he could get away, I pulled it away, causing him to slip as well, his gun being washed away by the rain. He slid as he tried to get up, and I realized I could coat myself in the mud to make myself too slippery to grab. I rolled around, splashing myself in the muddy puddles.

The man had finally regained his footing, and attempted to find the gun. Giving up, he settled for tackling me. He tried to wrap his arms around me, but I was too slick and slipped away from him. The man who I had seen at first had come over now, seeing us fight. He lunged for my arm, attempting to yank it back. Again, I was too slippery, and so he pulled away with nothing. I lashed out, kicking out the first man’s leg. He went down, and I used the opportunity to hit him with the butt of the gun.

After he lay still, I pointed it at the other man. He froze, looking horrified.

“See this?” I called above the storm, “I have a gun. You don’t. What are you going to do about that?”

The man was obviously not prepared for me to have a gun, and he was terrified. He dropped to his knees, muttering something about it just being his job.

“Please, man,” he pleaded, “Look, it’s the others. I didn’t even want to do this; they just talked me into it. You can hurt them as much as you want, just please leave me alone!”

This man didn’t seem to have loyalty to anyone, and he would willingly use people to save himself. I gave him a look of disgust. What a lowly coward. I knocked him out by whipping out with the pistol again. If I had left him, he may have come back and attempted to get in the way.

Veronica’s father was nowhere in sight, and I thanked every god I could think of. She would be racing to town, or perhaps she might have even gotten there already. I had managed to protect us both, and even though Veronica was a bit banged up, she was safe now.

It hrew the gun aside, not liking the familiar feel of the warm,slick metal in my hand. I turned to leave, planning out where I could take refuge while the storm blew over. Deciding I would go back to the other warehouse, I started to walk. I heard a scream behind me, a feminine one. It wasn’t anyone I recognized, but it was one of sheer terror.

There were still girls here? I thought Veronica had let them all out. I turned back towards the unit, only to see a girl stranded on the roof.

She was screaming, “Ayúdame!” which I knew to be “Help me!” in Spanish.

I glanced around. Veronica’s father could be around anywhere, and I didn’t want to risk running into him. But still, I couldn’t leave a defenseless girl caught on a rooftop, perhaps even more so because he could be about. Sighing, I rushed towards the building.

There was a fire escape on the side, and I leaped up to catch the ladder. I climbed, almost slipping in the rain twice. The metal was slick, covered in the rain. I reached the top.

“Calm down!” I yelled at her, trying to speak over the storm. She didn’t seem to understand. She screamed again, and pointed over my shoulder. What?

Pain exploded in my shoulder just as I turned to see what was wrong. I hit the ground, searching for the source of my discomfort. I felt a long gash across my shoulder, warm and bleeding. Lightning flashed again, piercing through the gloom. I looked up to see Veronica’s father, a wild snarl on his face.

Damn it, I thought to myself, how could I have been so stupid? One lone girl, up on a rooftop, after I knocked out all the men? It had been a trap, an obvious one. I had let my guard down too soon. Now there was no way I was going to be able to escape without leaving the girl behind and getting hurt.

I hadn't liked the gun, and now it was still sitting on the ground far away. Now I realized that had been a mistake, one that could prove fatal. He was still wielding the knife, sharp and wicked like the smile on his face.

“You may have taken Veronica away from me,” he shouted, “But not for long. I can always find her again, and I always will. Killing you is just a bonus.”

He was laughing now, the sound being mixed in with the wind. He took a step towards me.

“After her brother,” he said, “It devastated her. Still, she could pass it off as a fluke incident, perhaps because he had been so young. But if I kill you, that’s a different story. She thinks you’re strong, that you can do anything. If I kill you she’ll know that she can never get away from me, and that I’ll kill anyone she gets close to.”

I could only see the lunacy in his eyes, and I understood he was having a mental breakdown. He was on the verge of becoming hysterical, his maniacal laughter continuing.

“And it’s all because of you. Did you come here to save her today? Do you love her? Is that what she thinks? It doesn’t matter. All that matters is you’ve given me a wonderful psychological tool with your death, and I thank you.”

I was angry, angrier than I had been in a long time. But it wouldn’t do me any good to lose my focus now, and it was just what he wanted. I won’t play in your games, you mad man. I raised my head so I could be heard better.

“You act like you’ve already killed me. I think you’ll find it’s a lot harder than you expected. And yes, I do. I hope she knows, because otherwise I haven’t been very good at expressing things. But I’m not dead, so don’t thank me yet."

He smirked, his attitude full of cockiness and disrespect.

“You think that you can take me?” he asked, starting to circle.

I shrugged, repeating his action. I pulled out the small knife, and he laughed.

“Is that all you have? And you really expect you can win against this?” he asked, lifting up the kitchen knife.

He thought too much of himself, which could be his downfall. He was good, that I didn’t doubt, but anyone could lose in a fight. I could lose to any young fighter, and so could he.

I noticed he was limping ever so slightly as he circled, and his shoulder seemed to cause him pain. Veronica had really gotten him good, and with a hair comb no less. I felt pride well up inside my chest, and I thought of her to keep my mind clear.

“Well,” I said, hoping to cause him anger, “You’re limping around with a hurt shoulder, and you can’t see out of one eye. All of which, were caused by teenagers. I think I have a bit of an advantage here.”

I didn’t know that for sure, but I knew that he reacted badly to anger, and I wanted to make him lose his focus.

“I mean, come on,” I continued, “Is it really so hard to contain a few small kids? You’re taller and stronger. You must really not know how to handle them, huh? That scar’s pretty nasty.”

He screamed in rage. His face was absolutely livid, so red it looked like a tomato. He lunged with his knife, a move I had long anticipated. I dodged it effortlessly, kicking him as he was off balance. He fell, but got up just as quickly.

“How dare you? I’ll teach you to open your mouth!” he exclaimed in fury, “I was just going to kill you quickly, but now I’ll make it slow and painful!”

We fought with each other on the rooftop; the constant lightning flashes the only light. There were several close calls, for I couldn’t see in between the strikes. I received several small cuts, and so did he. He managed to give me a cut on my face, and the blood coursed down my cheek.

The girl from before was huddled in the corner, thankfully. If she got involved, I couldn’t assure her safety.

He lunged and I parried, the cycle continuing. He was getting tired now. I had developed increased endurance over my years on the trail, whereas he only developed muscles. He was stronger than me at first, but I would wear him down. He was also too bulky to get around as nimbly as me, for I was more compact in frame. He had obviously never had his victims last this long before.

“I’m no teenage boy,” I called to him, “It won’t be as easy.”

He simply continued attacking he swung it down, and I barely countered with the pocket knife. It was so much smaller, and I couldn’t stop the blade from coming close to my neck. Using every shred of strength I had, I pushed him away just enough to hit him. His face was was leaned in, and so I head butted him. It hurt, but I needed to get the knife away from my throat. He was standing in a daze, and I tackled him to the ground. I punched him several times, but he didn’t pass out.

He grabbed my shoulder from the ground, and I screamed in pain. Gritting my teeth, I pushed him back, leaning a leg on his wound. He also cried out. I shoved him into the concrete, simultaneously putting pressure on both gashes made by the comb. I reached for the knife in his hand, but he flipped, creating a long gash. It burned, and I let go.

He stood up, leaning over me. My hand wasn’t numb, and I could still move it. But he didn’t need to know that, and I could actually do what I was going to do before. He was on his guard now, and knew how good I was at fighting now. I would have to make him truly feel like he had all of the power. I only hoped his sadistic instincts would kick in and he would attempt to torture me like he had said. Resigning myself to pain, I waited.