The Broken Date

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Mark's POV: (surprise)

I moved forward quickly, my eyes revealing more fear than, water running down my face, dripping from my hair. I ran up behind Dark, who still hadn't turned around, who still had no idea why Jack was looking beyond.

I raised a broom handle high in the air and brought it down on Dark's head.

Dark dodged to the side at the last second.

The broom handle missed his head and crashed down onto his shoulder. A loud craaaak shattered the silence of the small cabin.

Dark screamed in surprise, and, grabbing his shoulder, spun around to face me.

“No!” He cried, his face contorted in pain, his scars a vivid scarlet. “No! You're dead! You're dead!”

Holding his broken shoulder, he lurched forward, stabbing at me with the knife in his hand.

I leaped aside, easily avoiding Dark's desperate stabs. I swung the broom handle like a baseball bat, smashing it hard into Dark's hand. The knife flew across the room.

Dark cried out in pain, clutching his shoulder with his one good hand. Then, moving with surprising speed, he lunged forward and tore the broom handle from my grasp.

With a desperate scream, Anti dived across the room for the knife.

Jack's POV:

I pulled myself free from the ropes, and dived after Anti. I grabbed Anti's legs in a flying tackle. Anti cried in surprise and frustration.

Anti rolled onto his back, grabbed my bright green hair in both hands and pulled. I screamed in pain and tried to pull away from Anti's grip. I swung at Anti's face with my fists until Anti let go.

Then I leaped to my feet, and tried to land a hard kick in Anti's midsection. But Anti quickly scrambled out of the way, and the kick went wild, throwing me off balance.

I looked around the cabin desperately for a weapon, anything I could use.

Anti turned back to me a grin on his face. He had a knife in his hand

I started backing up. But Anti leaped at me, swinging the knife down hard.

I screamed as Anti tripped over one of the low, wooden chairs. The knife hit the floor first and bounced away.

Anti's head hit the corner of the wooden table as he fell. He slumped to the floor in a heap.

And didn't get up.

I crawled to the knife, grasped it tightly, climbed to my feet and held it over Anti.

Anti was unconscious.

I stood staring down at Anti for a second or two. The sound of Mark's cries made me spin around. Dark had Mark's head in both hands and was smashing it against the side of the bathtub.

Without thinking, I threw the knife with all my might.

The blade flew into the back of Dark's already broken shoulder. He howled in pain and turned away from Mark, struggling to pull the blade free.

Mark's POV:

I rolled away from him, retrieved the broom handle and brought it down hard on Dark's head.

Dark uttered a groan and slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Jack ran to me. I suddenly realized he was laughing and crying at the same time.

“Mark!”

Seconds later, he was in my arms.

I pulled him close, hugging him. I was dripping wet, but I knew Jack didn't care. I was real. I was alive.