Wither With Me

CHAPTER 53 - RESOLVE

"I-I hate you... Fuck, I hate you..."

"Let me go!! I don't want anything to do with you!! Let me go!!!"

With a yank that nearly dislocated her shoulder, Logan knocked Nora down and proceeded to perch on top of her waist. He pinned her arms down with both hands. Nora squirmed and shuffled her legs, trying in vain to get him off her.

She was terrified. Her body resisted on its own volition, but her reasoning had frozen. What options did she have left? Would someone else show up to rescue her again? Did anyone know she was there?

"W-Why...?" murmured Logan. "Why did I have to end up like this...?"

With strength bordering on inhuman, he put Nora's arms together over her head and held them down with his left hand, leaving the right one free. He caressed her hair, then her forehead, then he began touching her face. She shrieked and looked away, causing Logan to grab her cheeks and force her to stare at him. He squeezed tightly, pulling tears of pain from her.

"I t-thought this was everything I needed... I had you good, you k-know...? Easy cash, without worries; and thanks to that lil' sis of yours, you were d-docile like a puppy..."

His hand slid down Nora's body, towards her torso and waist.

"Don't touch me, you pig...!!"

"No, I see it now... I was blind... H-How did I not notice before...?"

His hand climbed back up Nora's body, and stopped by her neck. Those icy fingers closed around her skin, and began gradually squeezing tighter.

"H-Had I never met you..."

She couldn't breathe.

'Oh, god...!! Help...!!!'

"Had I never met you, I wouldn't have gotten involved with that b-brat... And I wouldn't have gotten into this mess... Fuck, I could've been somewhere else, in a different city, a different country..."

His fingers tightened up, sinking deep into Nora's neck. "...you... disgust me...!"

Nora lost the strength in her arms and legs. Her struggles were pointless. Logan remained firm as a slab on top of her body, with his eyes piercing hers. He wasn't blinking, or breathing, he merely continued squeezing. Her head was spinning, and her vision became blurry, as a painful burning sensation flooded her lungs, growing stronger over time.

'...h...el...p...'

A new tremor shook the building, and Logan began murmuring to himself, whispers that in a matter of seconds escalated in magnitude, until they became anguished screams.

"...it hurts... It hurts! M-My head hurts...!"

The pressure immobilizing Nora's arms vanished, and her throat was able to take a breath, causing her to cough violently. Logan grabbed his own head with both hands, swaying it from side to side.

She wouldn't have another chance. Mustering all of her remaining strength, she pushed Logan off her and kicked him in the chest, making him grunt and fall on his back.

She wouldn't stop coughing. Using a table as support, she stood up. Her trembling legs seemed to lack the necessary strength to stand on their own without something to hold on to.

Logan squirmed on the floor, still grabbing his head. For an instant, Nora's mind went blank. That man, who had so much tormented her, who for so long made her suffer, was now defenseless, exposed.

Vulnerable.

She dragged her gaze towards the objects on the table she was leaning on. There was a metallic desk lamp. It looked heavy. Breathing with difficulty, fighting the coughing fits, she wielded the lamp by the neck and faced Logan.