Nowhere Left For Me

x I'm Not Your Problem x

Eyes shut tight, I waited to hit the pavement. One minute ticked on and on, until a crack resounded in my ears. Was it my own skull I was hearing? Very odd, I thought, but indeed if it were my own skull I'm sure I would cease to exist by now. Was this the afterlife then? Opening my eyes and looking straight downward, I found myself dangling 7 stories above the ground. Dumbfounded I stared down at my phone, which had broken into thousands of pieces on the sidewalk directly below me. Sighing, I admitted defeat. I was probably hanging here by the hood of my jacket, left to await death until my weight became too much for it to bear.

"Oi, Flea, would you give me a fucking hand and stop dangling there like underpants on a clothesline?"

A wave of sheer unadulterated panic swept through me as his agitated voice reached my ears. Thrusting my hand into my pocket, I frantically searched for the cold metal of my switchblade, letting my anxiety take over when I found it was not there. Gently swinging my body back and forth, I searched for any clue that it was indeed within my grasp. Feeling a weight in my opposite pocket, I reached for it with all of my effort, only gathering after trial and error that my arm had somehow been pinned in place. 

The adrenaline surging through my bloodstream had been so intense I hadn't felt the strong grip on my right wrist until this very second. Considering it wasn't my dominant hand, it's no wonder I was ignorant to the sensation this entire time. Following the strength to its source, I was met with a pair of angry golden eyes. I was powerless. I had no way to grasp my switchblade and no strength to evade whatever abuse would come from letting him pull me up. Again I was stuck with one option and one alone, and it ended as me a stain on the pavement. 

"I know you aren't deaf Flea! Help me out here!" His grip was strained and his seething anger was rising. He squeezed onto my wrist for extra support, earning a pained wince on my end. The brute had no concept of his own strength and now of all times I deemed it the most annoying. Though I teased him in my head, my lack of an escape route made me for once in my miserable life feel threatened by Shizuo Heiwajima.

I let out a pained chuckle. How pathetic was this situation? I was no damsel in distress. I was a brilliant escape artist; I had evaded this monster for years, always getting my way despite his unpredictable nature. I had to think, and fast. I knew the situation I was in, and had already deduced that my course of action would end in suicide, but how? How could I pull this off with the constricting variables presented before me? 

A dark Cheshire grin painted its way across my face. Checkmate. 

Swinging my arm upwards, I gripped onto Shizuo's arm with what little strength my body had left. The surprise in his eyes made my smile widen tenfold. What a fool he was. As soon as I was pulled high enough, I reached over the ledge, heaving myself back onto the roof. Rising to my feet once again, I flicked out my switchblade finally, making Shizuo take a few strides backwards in caution. 

"Funny fucking way to say thank you, don't you think Flea?" He scoffed at my violent nature. I chuckled at his response. Who was he to crack such jokes in the position he was in; Unarmed and taking the defensive, he had nothing on me at this distance.

Feeling my confidence rush back through my veins, I decided to taunt him one last time, while I had him at my disposal, "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know monsters had feelings too," I laughed, the thought personified into words even funnier than it was in my head, "I didn't know you switched jobs Shizu-chan, becoming a super hero and all, it's very disappointing really. I think I prefer you as a brainless brute, ne?" His face twisted in annoyance to my absolute chagrin. Who needed drugs when the thrill of getting under the skin of another was enough to provoke absolute ecstasy? 

"I'm sorry to tell you this on your first day of the job my dear Shizu-chan, but you're too late. Did you really think pulling me up and leaving me on the edge like this was smart?" I chuckled, "You really are a single celled idiot,"