Black Diaries

57. Fight in the Dark

The head of an asshole connecting with a hard wall makes a beautiful sound. Trust me, no subwoofer or surround-sound system can compete. The thudding base of a cracking skull stands alone.

"What the hell...?"

The man at the door turned around just in time to see his companion fly by. A moment later, my foot, continuing on its arc, hit him in the side of the head and hurled him against the half-open stable door, slamming it shut again.

"Holy shit!"

"Who is this bird?"

"Hey—she's wearing nothing but a night—umpf! Rg!"

Three down. One for good, the other two were getting up again, shaking off their dizziness. Whirling, I aimed another kick at one of the men, but the advantage of surprise was lost. He jumped back, and my foot only graced his chest. Lunging forward, he grabbed and held it. I wobbled, and nearly fell. Twisting my leg, I just managed to slip out of his hold.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" A pair of massive arms wrapped around me from behind, caging me in. The boss! "Bruce Lee?"

"No!" I wheezed. "He used kung-fu!"

Lightning fast, I slammed my head back in an uppercut headbutt, right into his throat. With a gurgle, the chief thug let go of me and stumbled backwards.

"And ," I added, whirling around and delivering a follow up punch that hurled the big man off his feet, "he never killed anybody!"

Something came out of the darkness beside me. I raised my jacket-padded arm just in time to catch the blade of the knife. It sliced through several layers of material before stopping just short of my skin. Hm. I would have to get a better jacket.

"Now, now," I told the man with the blade, who didn't look very thrilled that his slash hadn't found its aim. "That's not very nice."

He tried to back away. Emphasis on tried. My heel slammed into the side of his head in an ura-mawashi-geri kick that could knock the socks off you. It certainly knocked the man off his feet.

A sound behind me reached my ears just in time. Ducking, I half-twisted and grabbed the man's arm that was flying towards my back. With a powerful tug I made him sail past me. He crashed into the fence beside the stables with an unhealthy crunching noise.

Whirling, I raised my arms to block the next punch—but it didn't come. The three of them that seemed still to be conscious were standing around me at a little distance, watching wearily. One had cut on his head, and another's nose was bleeding.

Quickly, I took in my surroundings. Where was I standing? Between them and the stables? No, damn! I had ended up exactly where I started, and they were still huddled next to the stable door. At least it was shut now. But it was no longer locked. It would be open in a moment, and a moment was all they needed. A moment with Silver Star and a sharp knife.

The boss seemed to have had the same thought. "You two stay here and take care of her!" he growled. "I'll see to the nag."

From his pocket, he drew a small, sharp surgical blade.

"Oh no, you don't!"

Before any of them could move, I had ducked between his two henchmen and grabbed the boss's hand. A little pressure to the wrist, that was all, that was all I needed...

"Aargh!"

His fingers flew open, and the knife dropped to the ground. Slashing out with my foot, I gave it a good kick that hurled it into the darkness.

A moment later, the chief thug's free fist collided with my head.

Strange... I mused as I sailed backwards, gazing up at the night sky. I'm seeing way more stars up there than should be visible on a cloudy night.