The drugged man stared into Shade's eyes. Even though the room was dark she could see the outline of the contrasting red of all the capillaries in the whites of his eyes. He lunged at her again and she ducked, using both arms to flip him over her shoulder. She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a chef's knife from the block.
He ran at her again, not seeming to notice the knife. He wasn't afraid of it. The police had come to realize these people were not afraid of guns either.
She did not want to kill him. She never wanted to kill anyone, but she was growing tired. The fight had been long and she was spent. She needed to incapacitate him. As he came closer she stood still and let him get an arm's length away before swinging the blade at his arm. Blood poured onto the floor but the pain did not stun him for more than a second. She cut him again, close to the same spot, using the moment of pain where he was distracted to grap a cast iron skillet from the stove.
After knocking him over the head, he collapsed.
Once he was down she checked to make sure he was still breathing and ran to the closet where the woman, presumably his girlfriend was hiding. the police sirens were growing louder as they approached.
"Are you okay?" Shade asked the woman who crawled out with tears in her eyes.
She nodded as Shade helped her to her feet.
"He's not dead," Shade assured the woman.
"I know," the woman said. "I know you wouldn't kill him."
"The police are going to have a lot of questions," Shade told her.
The woman nodded again.
"And I...actually have a few.." Shade said as they walked over to where her unconscious boyfriend was laying.
The woman looked afraid to touch him. She blinked with teary eyes and looked at Shade.
"Was this his first time using this...drug?" she asked.
"Yes," the woman rambled sadly. "I was afraid to try it.."
"Do you know who sold it to him?" Shade asked.
"No," she said. "But he told me the guy came up to him on campus..that's all.."
"Why...why would he try this? Hasn't he seen the news?" Shade asked her.
The woman nodded. "He's been...really stressed and a bit depressed lately...he just...and now...what? He's going to jail?"
"I don't know," Shade told her. "The substance is illegal..the other surviving users have been sedated for days...I don't know what will happen."
"Shade.." the woman said weakly.
"Yes?"
"He came at me like he didn't even know me..If you hadn't come..." the woman went on. "I think he would have-"
The police came in through the open door at that moment but they both knew what she was about to say. He would have killed her.
.
.
.
"Somebody's sleepy," Adriana said to Arsenio who yawned for the third time in a row.
"No!" he replied, wanting to stay up. He got onto his knees and picked up his stuffed frog.
"It's fifteen minutes past your bedtime, little one," Bruce said.
The three of them were in the bed and had just finished reading a book. Arsenio began to bounce on his knees and make whining sounds. Adriana and Bruce looked at each other trying not to laugh as his fought his sleepiness.
