Wednesday, September 27th, 9:54 AM
Minneapolis, MN
She inhaled a deep, cleansing breath. And then she took in another deep breath, letting the air, her blood, flow completely through her arms, body, and legs. Relax, relax. It was working; the shaking was decreasing.
She opened the towel and looked within. Thick, nearly one-inch wide, over four inches long, the knife had a solid metal blade with a sturdy, black handle. Part of the blade near the tip was smooth, but closer to the thick, rugged handle the blade possessed a serrated edge that would be good at inflicting a gashing, nasty wound. She grasped the knife’s handle securely and quietly tossed the towel onto the shower floor.
She thought a moment. This was only to buy some time. Soon as done, she needed to grab that gun, probably still in his jacket, get her shoes, her own jacket, and leave. Forget about the wig and hat.
And more importantly, that SOB in there deserved this. No mercy.
She quietly turned the door handle and walked out of the bathroom. He wasn’t nearby. She eyed the room’s entrance door. It was still shut, locked, but she could easily unlock it and leave in seconds, once this was done. Didn’t matter where she would go. What did anything matter anymore?
And the cops and legal ramifications, even ending up in jail. All of it would probably be better than any of this.
She walked softly in her sock-covered feet until reaching the end of the short hallway’s wall. She slowly inched herself forward, until she could see around the corner.
He was sitting in the cushiony, swivel chair next to the desk. He was leaning over, flipping through some of those dopey hotel restaurant and tourist guides. He was angled so she could see some of his left side. This couldn’t be more perfect.
She softly walked toward him. She kept the knife in her right hand, hidden behind her right thigh.
“Hey, Dana,” he said, sensing her approach, but not glancing back. “You should see some of the menu items here. I’m starving.”
Perfect. He would never expect this.
She lightly rushed forward, her socks gaining friction on the carpet. Hate drove an abrupt increase in her energy. Neraeh’s smiling face, and what horror they could do to her, flashed briefly in her mind. Pains still throbbed but became less noticeable. And sudden muscle strength powered her right arm.
Just before she approached, the SOB turned slightly to his left, noticing her closing presence. Too late, bitch. She thrust her left hand out, taking hold of his forehead. At the same time, she reached her right hand around to slice directly into his throat with the serrated edge.
In the moment she felt serrated edge cut into flesh time felt altered. From what she could sense her arms and upper body were yanked forward. He spun around to his right in the chair. Pain emanated from her wrist as it was twisted and pushed back. The knife immediately dropped from her hand, falling into his hand. He shoved her left hand off his forehead, at the same time hurtling the knife with intense force to the far corner of the room, nearly hitting a window.
He lunged up and faced her. Blood streamed from his broad, thick neck. Shock and confusion screamed from his eyes, but something else did too; fierce power and determination that she had never seen directed at her from his eyes before.
Without hesitation she began sending jabs at his face and finger pokes at his eyes. But every single one was blocked instantly, far too humanly fast.
Her heart pounded. Her mind stuttered, but only for a moment. She remembered her legs. She thrust up her right knee to jab him in the groin. But it was instantly met with a powerful block by his fist. She lunged her left foot at his leg but was quickly met with another blocking blow from his hand.
In a whirlwind of motion, she suddenly found both her arms tightly sealed beneath his left arm, leaving her upper body completely immobile. He had positioned her to his left side. But she could see his face. Use your head! And legs! She plunged her forehead at his face, but he quickly thrust his head back. She tried this several more times, yet his defensive maneuvers were far too fast. She struggled to kick him, only able to lift knee jabs to his groin from her tangled position. But he blocked every one of them with his free hand and legs. “Let me go!” she yelled at him. “Let me go, let me go!”
She felt his foot sweep behind her left leg. He pulled her forward, though keeping his head back away from her, causing her left knee to buckle, her stance collapsing downward. He grasped his hand on her left shoulder and twisted her around. He slid his same hand to her back’s center, continuing to lower her. She couldn’t help but hold onto his left arm with her trapped hands, hoping to break the fall.
But it soon became clear he was holding her, breaking the fall. He wasn’t trying to slam her to the floor.
Once she was on the carpeted floor, he quickly released her and shot up and backed away from her.
She uncrossed her legs and spun around. She scrambled up to a standing position. Her breathing heaved deep and fast. She stared at him. He stood four to five feet from her.
“Dana.” He was breathing hard too. He was blinking a lot. He touched his neck. He looked at his fingers and saw the blood. It didn’t seem to faze him at all. He stared back at her. “What the hell…are you doing? Why…are you doing this?”
Neraeh, she screamed in her mind. Neraeh is why! But not a word she spoke.
His concern for her and his pause in their fight was his loss. She began the bouncing, prancing motion Carter had told her to use. But as soon as she did, Evan stepped closer. He brought his fists up and ready. She drew closer to him. She sent jabs toward his face and neck, but each one was met with hand blocks, far too fast again. Something wasn’t normal with this guy. Hal was right. She switched the position of her feet and then sent face jabs at the same time delivering a kick to him. But again, he blocked them, both.
She backed up a few feet. The wide area where they fought between the bed and the wall with the bathroom sink on the other side supplied plenty of room. Desperation inundating her, she swung around to her left and shot her right foot at his chest, at the same time attempting a smack to his head.
Sudden streaks of motion, his one hand blocked the hit to his head and his other hand seized hold of her right foot and forced her backwards. She landed on her back against the wall but kept standing.
He stepped back a few feet. His breathing was yet rapid. “Dana. Please! Stop this!”
She stared at him, her breathing as fast as his. A thought abruptly entered her mind. He knew. He had to have known Neraeh spoke to her at the meet and greet, this past Friday. But, that was when…when he held her so close and comforted her. Why, though?
He wiped his eyes. She studied his face. Tear streams leaked down to his facial stubble. He was crying, really? Blood was trailing down from his neck onto his shirt. He stepped a little closer to her. “Ever since…I was twelve.” He breathed in deeply and exhaled. “Been practicing martial arts, with a vengeance. Taekwondo. Jeet Kune Do. Many times a week, beyond required. Giving lessons…at our academy. Master Ren, always claimed…I excel, at what I do. And yes, I hide it. Two hundred seventy-five pounds. Working on my second-degree black belt. Did you really think…you could overtake me, Dana?”
Her elevated breathing was making her dizzy. Her mind began slamming images and thoughts all around. No, stay focused! Think. She recalled how he defended her that time at the party after Hal’s cruel remarks, besides how he saved her life from bitch Hal only earlier today.
She wrapped her arms around her body. She turned away from him, pressing her face against the cold wall. The fibro pains aching within her entire body seared more than usual. Her life, and her family’s life, meant nothing, to anyone, except maybe this eighteen-year-old kid standing near her now. The tears started pouring out. She covered her face with her hands. Her legs trembling and weak, she could no longer stand, and began sinking down to the floor. She cried, wailing out, like she had never cried before.
She curled her knelt body away from him still, upon the floor, by the wall. She struggled to suppress the nearly uncontrollable wails. Why is this happening to me?
“Dana.” She sensed he had knelt near her. “Please, baby, let me help you. I know something is very, very wrong. You were fine, just…just moments earlier.”
His close presence only made her breathing harsher, her wailing cries more difficult to stop. “No, no. Leave me alone!” She kept her face hidden from him. “Just leave me alone!”
“Gosh damn it, Dana! Not this time. I am NOT leaving you alone! I am taking full control of this situation, right now.”