Chapter 37
Trapped. That's the dominant force I felt between us. Trapped and at the same time tempted with release. I wanted to run. Oh god, you have no idea how badly I just wanted to grab his hand and run as fast as we could. This was torture... because we couldn't. One casual step at a time when we entered the darkness and away from the parking lot. Any second, I felt they would attack. We were engulfed in the shadows, even though the snow on the ground lit up reality around us enough to see we just entered the bare thick trees. We were covered and if they were going to come at us, it would be very soon. We already felt them around us.
Luke's arm wrapped around me was much more tense now as was his body. I could feel he was ready to turn it around on them whenever they made their move. Glancing down and slowly over to him, I noticed barely that he did in fact have his gun out and ready at his side. I felt my teeth dig into my bottom lip and I tightened my grip on the pepper spray, not ready at all... but needing to be for this at the same time.
"Drop the files; we don't need to worry about those now," Luke whispered in a low voice as we moved, side by side, into the woods deeper. I didn't question it. I doubted it was because he wanted to give the files to them for our lives; that probably had nothing to do with this. We just didn't need to lose them in the middle of this. When we get out of this... and we will get out of this... we will pick them up on the way back to the car. Right? I mean, that's what was going to happen. We weren't going down, we couldn't, even when my fluid mind seemed to chant at me that we were dead meat. My mind can go fuck itself.
Swallowing, I found the feeling in my free hand to open my coat up a bit and slid my hand under the material. When I felt the two heavy and suspicious files pressed into my chest, I took them out from my coat and nonchalantly bent down with them as we walked, laying them down in the snow against a bush where they couldn't be seen. I felt my heart ting with grief, in the risk of losing those files... but we wont. We got this, Luke knows what he's doing... but damn if I wasn't freaking out on the inside! I didn't want him getting hurt over me.
"Albany," he said a bit more urgently. "Any second, they will come at us. I don't think they have guns because they would have used them by now. So I need you to be ready. I can hear them closing in around us..." he said and it was during that moment where I heard branches creak and snap from behind me... from yards off to the side. It was making my nerves shake on edge but I held onto his words as he continued. "Use that spray with anyone you see. And if it gets bad... you need to run, do you understand?"
I only nodded as I got what he was saying through my head, not sure if I would actually run though. I-I just didn't know! I couldn't say if I would if it got bad. I wouldn't want to leave him. I wasn't ready, even though he was. He was trained after all and prepared. It made me feel slightly better. But not much when he was still in danger and with me not knowing what was going to happen. I found out a second later.
We continue walking through the woods, our footsteps swishing over the thin layer of snow that covered the ground. But with my ears straining, I soon picked up on more sounds, more movement around us. Only this time, it was fast... and coming from behind me. In only a matter of seconds, something, someone was sprinting through the trees and nearing us. And the moment I heard it, was the moment it was but a few feet behind me. I acted on instinct - on that fear and that rage swelling up inside my tightening chest.
I was terrified, to say the least. But... once I heard in that split second someone running at me from behind, all I wanted to do... was kill that person. I was done with all this shit. And I wont back down. With that spurt of anger in me growing, I spun around and disconnected my contact with Luke, my eyes hitting the force charging at me - of a man but a few yards away. And just before he could reach me, tackle me, I raised the can of pepper spray Luke gave me with a scowl and pressed the nozzle down. Spraying the man before me with the acidy fluid that made simple chaos erupt before me.
At the same time... there was a reason Luke couldn't respond to the man like I had. Otherwise, he probably would have shot him before he attacked me. But no, just as I sprayed the man directly in the face, making him stop dead in place and fall to the ground in agony, the other stalkers around us attacked just as he had. Going right for Luke.
It wasn't until after I stopped spraying the asshole before me that I noticed what had happened with what I heard from next to me. The rush of feet running, the yells open in the air... of these loser's battle cry when they hit Luke's body with theirs all at once. One tackled him to the snow from behind before he could stop it. Another following before my eyes but inches away, and another following after, kneeling down next to where they held Luke down. It was a big hit to my heart, to see that just shock my eyes and not ready for something like that to happen - and to Luke. They were here for me! Why did they attack him?!
My eyes staring wide down at the scene, taking it in, I didn't wait, no matter how stunned I was. Gasping, I began to lunge towards the men on him. Even when I saw they held knives in their hands. Even when I noticed Luke was fighting from under them, throwing punches and trying to knock their knives from their hands. His gun was no longer in his hand, wherever it was and all I could think was... not him. Never him.
I started to struggled towards them, ready to tackle one of them over, when another force hit me from the side. It knocked me back a good couple of yards, even behind the guy that was rolling around in the snow now with burning eyes. "Ahhh! Ahh fuck! FUCK!" His screams reached me and were much louder, as I saw him roll around in the snow desperately, covering his face in the icy material of the snow. I only took notice of him because he was all I could watch... on my side, on the ground, and pinned down.
Feeling the threads of love in me working at my head and heart, I knew I needed to fight now. Luke was fighting enough on his own. When I looked up and saw the man that attacked me, I knew this wouldn't be good. He was over me - with a knife might I add which literally couldn't be ignored. First, I was ready and surprisingly when I watched his free hand try to strike down at me in a tight fist towards my jaw. However, I was quick to block his blow. I craned my neck to the side, just in time for his fist to miss and slam into the snow.
I didn't see it coming; I didn't see any of it. And though I was still registering his features when I looked up at him, I was on instinct fighting his other hand that held the knife... that slashed down and closer to my face.
I felt weak beneath his pinning body, of a man I didn't recognize, and when I saw him try to slice at me with his knife, I was sure this wouldn't be pretty. I managed to strike up and block him though, grunting with the effort it took. My hand grasping his forearm in place above me, it began to shake as he tried lowering the knife down to me. I wouldn't let him. I wouldn't! I needed to get through this. All this... horror around me. And if it meant joining in and adding to the horror of the situation, you better bet your ass I will. That was all I could think as I held that hand up, the only strength I had wedged between life and death at the moment. I wouldn't lose this... I wouldn't.
"You fucking bitch!" I heard him growl down to me. His eyes in mine... a bright and deadly blue, wide and challenging. Stringy dirty blonde hair from what I could see in the dark hanging down and around us... as he tried to lower that knife more. All I could do was be thankful he was rather scrawny and frail. Because if he wasn't and had more strength, he definitely would have got me. That didn't mean he still didn't have a chance right now though. "We finally got you!" he said in a insanely high voice as he laughed, showing his yellow teeth, his voice giving off the impression that he was talking to a five year old.
I sank deeper into the snow, trying to move myself as far away from him as I could... away from my fast beating heart that was desperate to continue beating. I ignored his words... because he didn't catch me, he didn't win; they would never win. All their efforts got them is more men dead. I was convinced this would be like that again - despite how many people came for us this time. It was simple: they wouldn't win. And it's because I wont die like this! I wont! I've been through too much and so has Luke. Just as I felt my arm shake even more with how hard he was pushing down on it, it was at that moment... where it stopped. With a shot ringing through the air.
I saw his body jerk over me and that creepy grin left him, his eyes that were shining smug down at me glazed over without another second to think on it. His whole body lost his ability to pin me down. However, that sight didn't last long at all though. When I heard that gunshot and saw it hit him, it sent his flailing body off me and off to the side into the snow. I knew it was pure luck later. But at that moment... I didn't know anything. One minute he was there with the knife, the next his life was ripped away with that bullet firing, sending him flying off me with the knife no longer a threat. With his splattering blood staining my body, the snow... and my mind.
Stunned as I laid there, I couldn't process anything right now. Not the fact that I almost had my neck slit open, or the fact that the guy was just shot over me by an unseen force. His body... limp and gone off me. Not a foot away. My breath came in fast, my eyes staring up in shock at the sky, the oh so gentle and deceiving sky. Peaceful. Yet filled now with the stench of blood and the rough sounds of people around us, around Luke.
Glancing away from the starry and clear sky, I turned my head to the side and found the source of that bullet. Luke, struggling with a tight expression filled with will and anger, had his gun back. He managed to get it back and once his eyes reached mine at that minute from where he was laying in the snow, and saw I was safe, he didn't waste any more time in getting back to fighting off the knives that were slashing down on him. After all, when his eyes met in mine during that second, it was when a man tried jabbing him with a knife and he skillfully blocked and knocked it from his flimsy hand.
He shot the guy just in time off me but it was in the span of a second while he was fighting the others off him. My eyes strained through the dark to him a couple feet away and my heart jerked at seeing the amount of blood that began to seep through his clothes. Luke was hurt, cut, and in pain with these men going at him with those knives.
The heart breaking part was that he didn't stop. Even when I knew he was hurt. Blood... all over him, splattered around him with every guy he punched - and every time someone got a hit in on him too. I watched as Luke threw two hard hits in a row to each guy close enough, punching them away from him, and getting to his knees. He smacked the third guy in the face with his gun, swinging it out and away from his body and the hard end of it cutting open the dude's lip. Moans from the men, Luke was getting the upper hand after taking all he could of their knives and abuse.
I took this all in... with my head pounding. And it was just for that second... of him rising to his knees, blood running over his forehead and down to his lip, and a thick red soaking from the inside of his clothes on his chest. With Luke's straight crazy look on his face, determined and wild, I felt my chest want to shatter watching this.
Just as he rose up and smacked the third guy with his gun, I saw the man stagger back. After that, with no hesitation, Luke rose the gun again and aimed it back at the man now that he was a proper distance away. Luke didn't hesitate to pull the trigger, shooting the man and letting him fall to the ground. The second man tonight he killed... and with that crazy drive in him, still no pause. I didn't dare blame him for shooting those fuckers. Not with the sight of him, hurt. He's hurt, I want people to pay.
Just as that man fell, dead, another one of the others began to attack him again, not caring anymore that Luke had a gun against his knife. He tackled him in time before Luke had the gun ready, being too fast, and sending Luke to his back again. He had enough time to spare to push him off, raise his gun again, and shoot that man in the chest.
So fast... everything so fast! The details became lost in everything and I knew it would only get worse.
The third man's body he shot fell over and Luke got to his knees again, just as two or three more men came into view with knives facing him. I didn't know there were some many here... and men dumb enough to face a raging cop holding a gun. Either way, just as I got my senses back, and took in all that was happening... I got to my feet. I tried to forget the body that was shot over me as well as what Luke just did to two other guys. I needed to help him... he looked bad.... And with my quick eyes, I swiftly tried to find the pepper spray in the snow that that man knocked away from me when he tackled me.
Teeth clenched, the thrill in me not growing to excitement - but the opposite. Despair and want to stop. But that's just it. This wont stop - it might never fucking stop! There was only one thing I could do and that was to keep fighting all this bullshit - and live through it. And that meant not thinking at the moment. Forgetting about my fear, not knowing how many were back here... not knowing if I would live. I just needed to remember my anger over everything this caused. Rage for how hurt Luke was, rage for him still needing to fight... and rage that we even needed to face this shit!
I found the spray near the man I first confronted and sprayed - who was now laying there, whimpering, his hands tense and tight covering his face. When I picked up the can... I just looked down at him in hatred. All this... and for what? Revenge? This wasn't revenge anymore. This was business, yet this was becoming more and more personal as time went on too. Pointless.
Standing over the piece of shit that had come at me from behind at first, I didn't have sympathy for the man with what I did next. I knew I needed to help Luke... but not without ramming my boot against his side once, making him groan and roll over in agony. I couldn't help it... when I kicked him in the stomach, hard too.
I didn't waste anymore time. I rushed over towards Luke, who was groaning in pain. But he was still going - fighting them with all his energy. With all he had. He was on his feet finally, and I noticed continued to try to dodge their knives. He had his gun... but the second he was on his feet, they jabbed him in the leg with force, making him roughly stumble and let out a teeth grinding growl in response. It made my throat want to close tight. They cut him up pretty good... but I didn't see him get full on stabbed yet like that. And it broke me, even as he raised his gun and shot the man that did it on instinct. Even as he shot the man next to him, and the man beside him too. Three men in three seconds.
So much blood... soaking into the snow, coloring the crystals a deep and bright red, bright enough for it to shine in the moonlight that was cast between the trees. And with that blood, the bodies that surrounded us...
There was one left in sight and for Luke to shoot. And just as Luke was swinging his gun, full on in his direction, my sight blurred. The gun shot didn't go off and I didn't get to see what had happened to it. If Luke was okay. Because the sound that came to my ears was that of my own gasping breath. I was pulled... hit... and was down, laying back in the snow, this time on my side with my cheek against the stinging cold slush. A body hit me, was over me again, and out of nowhere else but the darkness around us of the woods.
"Ugh..." I grunted as I began to squirm under whoever the hell this was. But whoever it was... I knew wouldn't show mercy. They were here to kill... even if they went about it with knives instead of guns this time. I didn't wait, hesitate, or pause as I moved my body quickly to my back, coming face to face with the guy that tackled me this time. Only this time... he was without a knife. Looking up into his face, I found another difference between him and the others: I knew the guy.
Lips gasping at the sight, I saw his snarly smile aim down at me. Of someone, the last time I saw him, he was being arrested by Luke. "P-Patrick..." I growled up at his disgusting little shit face! The sight of him just pissed me off so much more. To know this dip shit was making it harder for me to was a little surprising. "Get the fuck off me!" I said, taking advantage of him not having a knife - thank the lord! But just as I began to raise the can of spray up and over him, his arms came to his use. He slapped it out of my hand, sending it in the snow. Then with both his palms, he pinned my arms and hands above my head in the snow, making it so I couldn't move much. His body, unlike the other guy, was thick and strong.
With Luke still struggling yards away now with that man, that one man I was astonished he couldn't take down yet, I found Patrick's eyes in mine gloat. He didn't want to kill me yet - if he even wanted to at all, which I'd be shocked to find out. Then he spoke, his words and voice reminding me of his too many sexual suggestions. "Tell me, doll, last time we chatted I was getting beaten by your daddy over there," he said, gesturing with disgust over to where Luke was fighting that man. "How does it feel now... to know that man will be dead tonight."
I felt a growl erupt in my throat on instinct. "He wont! You will be!" I said, and with as much disgust as I could put behind it, I cocked my head up and spit up and into his face, the only action I could do being pinned like this.
Watching his face, I saw the hatred enter his eyes... that were always so teasing before. I never knew the extent in which he was involved. He seemed to be too innocent to get involved fully in what they were doing now. But now, it was clear how far our once and long ago rough friendship came. To hate after I got home last summer and now, to this.
The sick look over his face... made him do it. He moved his hands that were pinning my arms down to come up and wrap around my neck. And when his cold dirty fingers wrapped around my neck like that... it made me remember. Remember how to get out of this... that this was the position Luke taught me how to get out of. That I needed to be able to do this, especially as I felt his grip begin to tighten, and tighten even more. Tighten... until I felt it invade my already raspy breath.
"You will both die..." he said, his face that was a foot away, showed his hate for me. It came out, raw and deep, and plunged deep into my eyes. Prying open my lungs and seemingly having the same affect as his hands were. He was starting to strangle me... and it was validated through the look. His lips screwed up in a scowl, eyebrows creased and dipped harshly... I felt it coming. I felt my breath caught! And I couldn't breathe! I can't breathe! I-I can't...!
My body on instinct began to scramble under him. I needed to remember the steps, remember the god damn fucking steps! I can't breathe, breathe, breathe! Get it out! Laying in the snow as I saw, my black hair flailed out and the snow crawling up the back of my neck, I felt the heat in my face as if wanting to threaten it. Breath, breathe... ugh! My ears caught the sound of my own struggle and cut off gasps.
Then, at remembering my disappointment towards not being able to do it before, I kept pushing to remember. I mean, I can't forget this time. Don't forget under pressure! Luke taught you exactly how to do this... so do it. As easy as that. Do as he taught. But what were the steps... I needed to live; I wont die in this pace, behind the police station in the woods, from doing nothing but forgetting. I'd happily go to hell if I die and ruin the rest of my life over that. So remember... for my life, for Luke, for Emily, for all I went through already. I've been through too fucking much to die now....
Hook wrist, then elbow, trap the leg, lift your hips, then roll over....
If my eyes weren't already wide enough, they would have grown at the sudden click in my head. The memory of doing it with Luke. I screwed up enough and it wouldn't happen this time. My heart grappled with my mind in my body as I felt the chills run over me. My vision becoming hazy and red around the picture of his face... I had enough left in me to do this. The echoing sounds of Luke grunting and groaning in want, in agony over probably seeing this... pushed me.
"Albany! ALBANY!" I heard him scream out to me from where he was tangled up elsewhere. I knew for a fact that he didn't have his gun for some reason now. Otherwise, he would have shot Patrick over me. His desperate voice for me to stay here, to not go under, put me in action as I remembered.
Grunting at the effort, I rose my hands up and instead of letting them try to push him off like before, I grabbed his arm that was around my neck. Then, with my vision still here, I grabbed that same arm from behind like I knew. Then... next step: trap his leg. Holding Patrick's arm and hand steady and straight on my neck, I shifted as best as I could and raised a leg from under his heavy body, moving it to wrap up and around his leg. And, without a pause towards his confused face, I moved. I lifted my pelvis up, my hips, all of my lower body as best as I could. With amazement, and hope I don't feel too often, he was no longer balance being raised up slightly with me. Then... I did it.
Grinding my teeth, I pushed my sore body up more and made his roll off to his side. But I didn't stop - no, I refused to with how much anger pulsed through me. He rolled onto his back as I kept his hand around my neck tight so he wouldn't let go as I rolled over with him. Just how Luke taught me too. Just how it was meant to happen.
Rolling over and now on top of Patrick, I didn't wait. His face was shocked, confused, and when I let his hands go from around my neck, I let him have it. Straddling his chest, I raised up slightly and wound my fist back, clenching tightly then with as much power as I could put behind it, I aimed right for his dumb fucking facing. Knuckles locked and coming into contact with his nose, I felt myself hold in my groan at the pain it caused. That got no more than a second of attention though. I did it again, nailing him in the nose with a solid and hard punch again until I saw blood start to thickly trickle from his nose ad groans escape his parted lips. And I knew he was feeling the effect. I didn't care though.
Reaching over to the side where he hit the pepper spray out of my hand, I picked it up in fury and aimed it down at his face, spraying it in his eyes as I had the first guy. I don't know how to feel ashamed over being happy when I heard his gut retching scream; but I wasn't ashamed and I didn't cringe when I heard it. I wanted it. I thrived in it when he screamed and at that moment, I felt as if I was slowly losing touch with reality. As if this were a dream... that so much happened in just a few minutes... that so much death occurred around us tonight. That Luke and I could have been among those dead, and with the odds, probably should have. Of course, this nightmare that was taking me over wasn't over yet.
Patrick, screaming in agony, would soon be like the nice fellow I sprayed earlier I noticed - passed out maybe because that's what happened to that guy. I didn't think it would do that but I'm sure it could. Either way, Patrick was fixated and drowning in his own pain as he should be. My priorities now, with seeing nobody else around to attack me, was Luke.
Sliding off of Patrick, not offering his rolling now and screaming figure another glance, I stood up and found my vision clear even more. Even better... until I matched a pair of groans to the men that were a couple yards away. And when my eyes found them, I froze in place, eyes zeroing in on Luke.
He was facing towards my way - but facing someone that had his back to me. I didn't get a good look at the man but Luke was a mess. Bloody but nothing deadly. Tired. Hurt and in pain. And... filled with so much rage at the same time still. So much heart to keep going. His uniform, I noticed was ripped and wet from the snow he was constantly pinned down in (just like I was). His hair a mess, dripping... and helping with the slight blood on his face. His green eyes... just damn. Damn. Lit up the woods with his power, his passion, to fight this guy. And they brightened even more when he caught my eyes, and influenced a sight of worry in his gaze.
But all this... this still sight of him didn't last. This was the same guy he has been facing for a while now - and as far as I could tell - the last one standing. But that didn't make me feel completely safe. Luke's gun... was laying in the snow next to him and I knew he would have used it if he could. Either he was out of bullets or it broke... I didn't know. But now, he was facing a man with a knife.
Anxiousness filled me at the sight. It wasn't long until the man charged for Luke again, knife poised and ready, flashing and winking in the moonlight. He went at him and Luke dodged his swipe with the knife, grabbing the man's coat and whipping him in the other direction. With spite filling the air, Luke didn't pause as he let go of the man's coat and with his other hand, got in a quick punch, sending the man staggering back.
]However, this entire time, I don't think the man noticed I was there. Luke sure did. Hell, with every chance he got to look at me, he did. With eyes begging... I knew what he wanted. He wanted me to run as he demanded me to do if that time came. And whether that time came and went, or was still here, I wouldn't run. I knew it would have been the smart thing. But he knew me well enough by now to know that I don't listen that well.
I needed to stay out of the man's sight if this was going to work. Just the fact that I was considering it was crazy. I wasn't ready to do something like this - nobody was ever ready to do something like I was finding out would be a must. I wasn't willing any more time to pass with this fight going on. Especially when Luke was lucky thus far with everything. It was only a matter of time - especially now - until he would get it. He would get that knife in his chest soon enough if he continued to fight this guy without a weapon. He was cut up enough as it was now. So it was time I do something for a change, especially when the man that seemed to almost tower as tall as Luke with the same build was getting impatient.
I know Luke wanted to scream at me as he blocked and hit this guy multiple times. To run, to get out of here. But he didn't want to give away that I was behind him. He didn't want to point me out. Which was the best thing at the moment. I kept looking around on the ground for a knife... I mean come on, all these fucking people were hauling around knives. There had to be one around here somewhere, around one of these bodies....
When I finally came to find one, I felt my body stiffen. I didn't want to do this, I didn't want to do this.... but I must. I will do this. Picking it up, I moved closer to where Luke and the man was, fighting even more creuly with each other. With cuts slipping in on both sides and I knew I didn't have much time. I got closer... and closer to Luke and the man... until Luke saw what I was about to do behind the man's back. I was getting closer, and Luke's eyes just became wider. Until, a final and deafening crack in the air... ended it all.
It was Ramper... standing off to the side between some trees, the shotgun poised in his hand and aimed at the man. Who now, to my overwhelming relief, collapsed to the snow and became swallowed in his own pool of blood. He saved us... and no matter how traumatizing this was, I realized I could never called this guy Rapist again. With saving us - and saving me from killing this guy myself like I was about to.
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Alright, I tried to really cut down the emotion in this way as well as her thoughts and centered it around just action. Did you guys think that was too fast paced? It was meant to be a little scattered if that makes sense but not too fast paced either. Either way, you guys can bet this will have a huge affect on both Albany and Luke.
And to clear up confusion, the guy that saved them, Ramper, was the "idiot" cop Albany does not like. He was in the last chapter if you guys remember briefly