A Man among Wolves

Chapter 17

The exit wasn't this way!

This lead only to the toilets and nowhere else!

But Selva was too scared to turn back and run in the other direction. He was afraid that if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to run again. Anyway, he could hear voices behind him which meant there was no time to turn back. So, he kept going. His legs carried him directly to the toilets. He ran into the Gents toilet and bolted the door.

Within a few seconds, there was a hammering.

"Selva! Come on out!" A voice barked. It was the red-haired man's voice.

Selva almost toppled backwards onto the tiled floor, which was slightly wet and slippery. He was searching for a way out. He was searching for something. Anything.

"Selva!" The hammering continued.

It wasn't a big room. There was a row of cubicles nearby on his left that led to the toilets. On the other side, there were an equal number of urinals. Behind him, there was a tiny wash basin with the pipe half open, with its water running. Selva glanced in every direction, panting like a dog. There was a dusty, exhaust fan at the top right corner, above the urinals. Blue was its original colour but now it looked almost light brown with dust. That would be the only way out...that is, if he could find a way to remove the exhaust fan apparatus and push himself out of the cavity on time...

That seemed completely impossible. Given the amount of banging the man outside was doing on the door, it might break soon.

"Selva!" There was a loud and powerful set of knocking that threatened to break the door off its hinges. "Selva! I won't ask nicely again. Come outside and I won't harm you."

How stupid did that guy think he was, Selva thought!

"Please, let me go!" Selva shouted back, finding his voice with difficulty. "I will run from this city. Tell Agilan I won't ever get in his way again! Just let me live!"

Something heavy collided with the door and there was a huge bang.

But the door held.

Selva was panicking stronger than before. He started opening the cubicles, wondering if he could find something to help him. But there was very little that would help him at the moment. That man outside was stronger than him and was a trained thug. He, on the other hand, was a nobody!

"Selva! I will break open the door and find you and pull out your intestines!" The red-haired man roared from outside. Hearing his voice roar like that was very reminiscent of the scream at the beginning of the movie he had been watching. It made the hair on the back of Selva's neck stand erect.

The final cubicle had something.

Beside the toilet, there was an empty bucket and a mop that was leaning on the corner of the wall. A mop with a stainless-steel handle.

It wasn't anything special. But it was better than having nothing.

There was another collision on the door. It would give way soon!

Selva rushed to grab the bucket and the mop and stood at the end of the room, between the final cubicle and urinal. He was holding the mop on one hand. Bucket in another. Like the statue of a Goddess holding a sword in one hand and a trident in another. Waiting. Waiting for what? For his attacker? For his death? The latter seemed more probable. If the red-haired man didn't kill him, his heart might explode of its own and that would be an ending he would prefer...

With a thunderous boom, the door gave way and the red-haired man burst in, looking hither and thither.

Then, he spotted his prey.