Death Alley

Chapter Twenty-seven

"Do eet harder. Spin zhe knife more. Eet eez all in zhe wrist!" Inga shouted, strands of hair falling out of her tight bun as frustration took its tole.

I held the small, sharp knife firmly in my hand, drawing it back, pausing as I focused on the tree I had as a target. My heart pounding, I launched my arm forward, releasing the knife. Metal rang out in the air, but just as things seemed promising, the knife bounced off of the tree, leaving it unscathed.

"Dammit!" I yelled for the umpteenth time. Not bothering to retrieve the knife, I fell to my knees and buried my face into my hands, using them to muffle my exasperated scream.

"Getting frustrated eez not going to help. You need zhe focus and zhe calmness to succeed." Inga advised after a sigh.

"Yeah, toots! Calm your tits." Oh, how Hank's voice sickened me.

"Are you not late for a meeting viff a prostitute or somezhing? You are not helping!" Inga spat.

"What's wrong? Haven't had your dose of vodka yet, soviet?" Hank smiled mockingly.

With a twitching eye, Inga turned to me as I rose. "Go take a break."

I brushed the dirt off of my now very worn jeans and turned to the tent that my poor Brian lay in. This is what distracted me from learning how to fight, how to defend myself. No matter how much I tried to focus on something else, Brian was what was on my mind constantly. Would he ever get better. Was he going to die? The thoughts kept piling in my head. I knew I couldn't live without him, just couldn't.

I walk in to see Skai sitting in the bed next to him, her dark hand clenching his pale one. She turned to me with a saddened expression. "Bre-en... H-hurt."

"I know..." I couldn't help the year that rolled down my cheek.

"Hey there," Brian stirred. "Making any progress on the whole fighting thing?"

"Psht," I shrugged. "I wish."

"Did Inga suggest any other kind of fighting besides throwing things?" Brian asked.

"No," I answered. "She said that since I'm so small, I need to kill from a distance or else, I'm dead. Those wolves would have swallowed me in a heart beat."

Brian slowly moved his head, and attempted to move his body, but ended up just gritting his teeth and stating still. I winced at his reaction, and for every pain he felt, my heart had a cramp of its own.

"I can't do it," I said after Brian stopped moving. "I... Oh God, are you okay?"

Brian's eyes were tightly shut, and he whimpered softly. A weak, wobbly hand rested on his chest. "It hurts..." His voice cracked. "They say my ribs are broken."

"Oh... I don't know what to do... I will get the 'doctor,' " I said in a rush before speed walking out the door.

I tapped on the elderly oriental woman's shoulder and told her to come to Brian's aid. She was turned to another woman that had been injured the night the wolves came. It took a few minutes before her hands were free, but she worked quickly and got to Brian as soon as she could.

"Where hurt?" She asked.

Brian gritted his teeth and pointed at the place where the pain came from.

The doctor left for about a half a minute and came back with a few herbs. "Eat this."

Brian did so, swallowing slowly, for it was painful to do so. However, there was immediate relief. I didn't know what kind of herbs could do that, but whatever they were, they were something to be treasured.