FAULT LINES ━━ titans [REWRITING]

THREE.

"Why don't you be on your way, sweetheart?" the man repeated, his voice lowering to a dark and menacing tone.

Abigail's lips twitched upwards. Okay. Picking a fight it was. "Why don't you fuck off?"

The man's eyes widened momentarily before anger brewed like a storm across his face and he reached forwards and grabbed her arm. Abigail looked down at his hand then back to him as she grabbed his wrist, and when he brought his other arm down, she caught the baseball bat he was swinging for her. Holding onto both his arms, she then lifted her leg and planted her foot firmly into his chest, letting go as she kicked him into the racks of snacks where he fell down cold.

"Don't fucking touch me," Abigail spat, before turning back to the five remaining. They stared at her in surprise. A wave of dejá vù washed over her as they abruptly charged. Two fights in less than a day. She was really returning to her old life a bit too easily.

One of the two with the guns kept his aim trained on the cashier, but other one joined his friends in running at Abigail. As soon as the first bullet rocketed past her, Abby burst into action, diving behind the first rack of shelves, she rolled to the end of the short row and came up in a crouch. Hidden, she avoided a few more bullets before they scrambled up the aisle after her. The brunette bounded to her feet, skidding down the next aisle and grabbing the top of the low rack, pushing herself over it and into the air. Airborne, she wrapped her legs around the shoulders of the first robber she could reach, using her body weight to pull him to the ground and herself back to her feet. He stayed down.

Abigail picked up his bat, using it to block the blow of a pocket knife wielded by a short and scrawny thug, throwing the blade-embedded stick to the side and kicking him in the stomach before he landed a punch to her cheek. Fuck. She felt her skin split, but grit her teeth and blocked his next swing, landing one of her own before smashing his face off the shelf stacked full of sweets and confectionary. She dropped him to the ground and looked up to see the one grasping the gun aiming at her. Amateurs.

Lunging forwards quickly, she pushed the gun skywards, hearing it go off twice before she pulled it from his grasp and threw it carelessly across the shop. Out of reach. He landed a blow to her stomach and she felt her chest spasm, her breath knocked straight from her lungs. It took her by surprise and the man wasted no time in making the most of it, hitting her again in the abdomen, this time catching her kidneys. That one really hurt. Abigail let out a choked breath then clenched her teeth and forced herself together. The wind gone from her lungs, she saw stars explode into supernovas before her, felt her body begin to sink like a lead balloon.

But this wasn't time for self pity. She stood straight and used her forearm to block the next punch before turning into his arm; back to his chest, she grabbed onto the arm she'd just spun into and pulled him over her shoulder, making sure to plant her foot firmly on his shoulder blade as he hit the ground and twisted until he let out a scream. Dropping the limp limb, she looked up at the fifth attacker. He was younger than the rest, clutching a silver aluminium bat with wide eyes. As soon as their gazes met he let out a squeak and dropped the bat, legging it out of the door.

"Good choice," Abigail murmured under her breath after him, delicately touching her midriff before she turned to face the last criminal.

He was the biggest, and the meanest looking. But the pleading and fearful look splayed clear across the cashier's face eliminated any idea Abigail may have had about just calling it a fight and walking away. She left her doubts in the broken chocolate bars thay she crushed underneath her boot. Abigail made her way back to the front of the isle until she stood opposite the gunman, and she could've sworn he'd doubled in size.