The End of Summer

Chapter 44- 'Hoy crap, I just poked my way to survival.'

Both of her hands went straight to my neck, and my scream was quickly cut short as she gripped my throat and began squeezing. My arms started thrashing around even more, going to her shoulders and attempting to push her away. I had no hope of it when I had lungs full of oxygen, let alone now that I was being cut off.

She gritted her teeth together as her grip got harder, and I started chocking as I desperately attempted to get some air back in my system.

“You’re going to die.” She hissed at me through her teeth, before pressing her lips together as she gripped my neck even tighter “You’re going to die, and he’s going to find you. He’s going to feel the loss, and he’s going to want to die.”

My vision was starting to blur as I felt like I was drowning. It was at this moment that I briefly registered the sounds of banging against my bedroom door.

“Summer? Summer open the door!” Archie’s frantic voice came through the door, but it was getting fainter by the second.

Miss Vines let out a strained chuckle from where she was putting all her strength into applying the pressure against my throat.

“I lost two, and now he can lose two.” She growled, and with her grip on my neck she pulled my head up and slammed it back down on the bed as she let out a scream that was mixed with a laugh.

 I knew that in mere minutes, I was going to pass out. I knew that she wasn’t going to stop when I did, and I knew a few minutes after that I was going to die. I was going to have the life choked out of me and die in my own bed.

My attempt at fighting her off got weaker, my arms becoming limp as I felt the life drain from me. I had no strength to fight her anymore, and my arms fell to the bed besides me. Even the sounds of my choking got fainter as I went longer without the oxygen my body required.

I waited for the whole ‘life flashing before my eyes’ thing to happen. The art teacher sat on top of me with her hands around my throat and for a second I accepted I was going to die. However, I was pissed that I was not going to get a montage of my life.

I didn’t get images of my childhood, nor did I see the faces of my family and friends. I didn’t even see Archie. I didn’t see any images at all, which is what got me thinking.

If your life flashed before your eyes when you are about to die and I wasn’t getting my movie, then it meant one thing.

There was no way in this holy fucking blue hell I was going to die. Especially not in the hands of this crazy bitch.

I don’t know where I found this bit of strength, but from somewhere it came rising out of its depths. It wasn’t enough strength to go hulk and just throw her off my body and across the room. It wasn’t enough strength to pry her hands off my neck. It wasn’t enough strength for any of that.

However, it was enough strength to lift my right arm up, and with my index finger I jabbed her in the eye so hard I think I might have touched the back of her skull.

She instantly screamed from the pain, and as a reflex her hands came off my neck and went to nurse her eye. As she pressed her fingertips to her eye, I could already see the tears pouring from them from the impact of my…poke?

Holy crap I just poked my way to survival.

I gasped as soon as I felt the air reach my lungs again like I was resurfacing from water. My own hand went to my throat and I tried to swallow as much oxygen as I could to catch up. She was still screaming as her head fell into the palm of her hand, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Bit dramatic for a poke in the eye.

I realised that I needed to do something. Now that the air was hitting my lungs reality became clearer. The sounds of people banging on the door got louder, and I registered not only Archie’s screaming voice now but also that of my parents. I tried to scream again, but it came out croaked and not as loud as I intended at all. I guess my lungs still had a bit of catching up to do.