CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
I didn't know what I was doing or what I was thinking or what I was hoping for, what was I even going to say to Leah? Was she even going to believe me? Or perhaps she just has a medical condition, or I was going crazy but she seemed genuinely concerned when I asked her for help. As usual my mind wasn't the best place to be in at the moment but having someone to talk to about all this might be of some help, provided she doesn't think I'm crazy.
"Catch a shooting star, soar through the sky, I'm free, I'm free, oh yes I'm free!" I hummed the tune, as I strolled down the road, it would be easier to get a cab a little bit further down the road, "hey cutie! Need a ride" shouted a voice from behind me, three guys pulled up behind me in a Mahindra Roxor off road model, "no thanks, I'm fine" I said walking away as fast as I could without being too obvious. "Hey, where are you off to in such a rush?" Asked the driver as one of his companions alighted and stared after me, I grabbed my pepper spray from my back pocket just as he jerked my arm and held me by my waist. I mercifully retaliated by sufficiently dousing him with pepper spray directly in his eyes and striking him with my knee where it hurts the most, he couldn't decide which hurt more his head or the spot between his legs which I'd struck with special effort. He groaned and writhed in sheer agony, much to my pleasure, "you stupid bitch", shouted the driver, both the driver and the other passenger jumped out of the car, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, with them hard on my heels, there was no way I could out run them, they were going to catch up to me soon.
Catching me in the woods was a different matter, I'd spent a whole lot of time being in the woods ever since I was a child and I was used to the rough terrain, I could hear them shouting at each other to move faster, circle round, catch me at all costs, I could hear their footsteps on the rough terrain, their heartbeats, their heavy breathing, the breaking of fallen twigs. Everything was so much clearer, I could not just hear or smell them, and I couldn't sense their exact location but I sort of knew where they were like an instinct, a sixth sense.
I didn't see the rock there, a feeling of searing pain shot through my leg, I'd sprained my ankle, I sat up to look at it, it seemed bad, really bad, "damn it!" I grunted through clenched teeth, I tried to limp as fast as I could, this wasn't much help, and I stumbled and leaned against a tree. I could hear them getting closer but I wasn't going to get very far in my present condition, all I could do was stand my ground and prepare for the worst. I found a fallen branch nearby and hid behind a tree, hopefully the element of surprise would be of some help, "hey sweetheart, come out, come out wherever you are, we aren't going to hurt you, we just want to play a bit", he was getting closer, I counted under my breath "five, four, three, two, one!" I swung as hard as I could but he dodged it, and landed a gut wrenching punch to my stomach, I whined and coughed, stumbling to my knees, "how do you like that? Not so tough now are you?" I fought to hold back the tears, all three of them surrounded me, there was no telling how far they'd go or what they were going to do to me, "you really think you'd just hit me like that and just get away with it, no we're going to have a little fun with you first before killing you" someone grabbed my hair, it was the driver, he grabbed my hair and jerked my head back with such devastating force that I thought I heard my neck snap, fear seized my heart as I tried to crawl away, as I realized that they could do anything they wanted and I didn't have the strength to stop them, I felt more powerless than ever, I couldn't even defend myself.
The guy who I'd doused with pepper spray kicked me in the stomach so hard that I spurt blood; "it feels good to see you squirm like a worm" he knelt down by my side and watched me writhe in pain, he grabbed my throat with both hands and pressed, choking me, I could see him smiling with sheer pleasure through tear filled eyes, I struggled and tried to fight back but it was pointless, he was far stronger than me and completely enraged, I struggled for breath, I could feel myself on the verge of death with each passing second.
Something within me was awakened a sudden surge of power overwhelmed me, I could feel my leg healing, my senses were at unimaginable heights, I grabbed his shirt and tossed him aside as though he weighed nothing, the strength it felt incredible, I felt as though I could do anything, I rose to my feet, I could see the stunned expression on their faces, "whaaaaaaaaa...…whaaaaaattttt are you?" they stammered, a devilish grin grew along my face, I didn't know where this new found strength came from but what i did know is that it just saved my life and I loved the feeling. I heard the soft clank from behind me, as I turned I saw the driver lunge at me with a knife, I froze but my instincts kicked in, dodging the knife and grabbing his shirt I flung him against a tree, with just enough force to make sure he didn't die, which I later on regretted because I'd gravely underestimated my strength, he wasn't dead but his latter condition wasn't one worth living for, too many bones were broken for him to ever make a full recovery. The other two took off running with their tails between their legs as fast as they could, and so did I, each step felt exhilarating, the speed, it was overwhelming and amazing, but my body was still getting adjusted to moving that fast.
There was no way I was going to let them just get away with everything they'd done to me, I stopped right in their tracks sinking even more fear and panic into their hearts, seeing his face reminded me of how I gasped for breath, in that split second I let my rage overcome my rational thinking, breaking the mental lock that held my strength in check. Without thinking I landed a devastating blow on his chest, there was so much force that I heard a vicious crack as several bones shattered and he was flung back several meters, turning my rage on the last remaining assailant a ferocious Spartan kick sent him flying, leaving his condition no better than his friends. I didn't know what was going on, I couldn't understand what was happening to me, but now that I think about it deep down some part of me liked what I just did, some secret part of me liked seeing them afraid, terrified, that dark and dreadful part like the feeling that their lives were in my hands, ending it was just a matter of choice, and the feeling that such a monster lurked within, it scares me up to this day.