The Ink Infection [Brief hold and Editing]

Chapter 6

She gave me a death glare as she stepped from side to side. Suddenly, she lunged forward with the broken piece of glass aimed at my stomach. I barely managed to dodge the sharp edge, as the glass cut my left waist. I gasped and clutched my side with my hand, staggering backwards. Itzy came at me with a smile playing on her face. I withdrew my hand, now bloody, and tried to punch her, but the pain at my side prevented me from hitting her. She dodged easily, and I blundered forward, my arm punching empty air. Itzy laughed and taunted me with her blade. I leaned on a table to get my breath.

"Look who's tired already," she scoffed as she kicked me in the back.

My body slammed against the table, my breath knocked out of me. I rolled down to the floor, gasping for breath. She walked over to me, putting one of her feet on my right side and her other foot on my left. Itzy sat down, putting each of her knees on each of my arms next to my head, forcing a groan from me. She put her piece of glass at my neck, smiling triumphantly.

"Itzy!" said a girl's voice. I turned my head and saw the same girl who called Itzy to her table.

"Don't you think that's too far?" she asked, trying to talk sense into Itzy.

Itzy turned her head towards the girl. "Shut up unless you want to get cut like this boy, Vi." She glared at her. Vi gulped and turned her attention away.

"There we go," Itzy said, satisfied. "No one to stop me now."

I strained hard against her knees, and I struggled, trying to move, but she was too heavy. She forced more strength in her knees. The back of my mind was angry. Stop pressing down on me! That anger soon turned to fury, and with regained energy, I managed to fling her off of me. She toppled backwards, still holding the piece of broken glass in her hand.

Furious, she scrambled back to me.

"You son of a BITCH!" she screamed, crawling towards me. I started to move back, away from her, until my head hit the edge of a table. I winced. Pain flaring up in my head. Itzy grabbed her piece of glass and raised it high in the air.

With a scream, she drove the piece into my left thigh. My eyes widened in fear. At first, I felt nothing. The pain must have been too strong, I thought. I'll feel it later. As in cue, excruciating pain swallowed me, and I writhed in pain on the floor.

Someone was screaming. Maybe it was me. I wasn't sure. My vision was only focused on my leg. A white piece of jagged glass, buried in my thigh, blood oozing out. I tried not to throw up and managed to keep it down.

"Oh, I'm not done with you," Itzy said, laughing crazily.

"You freaking ugly-face!" I told her, still trying to withstand the pain.

"You did not..." Her eyes narrowed, despising me. She grabbed me by my throat and dragged my upper body and leaned it next to the table. I could see her fists as she rolled up her sleeves. The first punch was painful, as another and another followed. I could taste blood in my mouth now. Thankfully, the punching stopped, and I gathered my blood and saliva in my mouth and spat it at her face.

Itzy's eyes flashed dangerously, and she raised her hand once more.

"Hey!" shouted someone across the hall.

People had gathered around us, fighting. Well, more like watching someone get beaten up. They made way for the voice. Odir! It was Odir. He looked at me, beaten up and bloody, and then looked at Itzy. His eyes showed rage, and he grabbed her by the wrist.

"Let go of me, you bitch!" she screamed. But she was no match for Odir. He started to turn her wrist, and she screamed in agony.

"Stop! Stop! Please! I'm sorry! I'll never do it again!" she pleaded, but Odir kept on turning her wrist. A few seconds later, Odir dropped her wrist, moments before it broke. Itzy grabbed her wrist with her other hand and glared at Odir and me.

"Stupid rats," she muttered and picked herself up, marching into the crowd. I could see her red hair walk towards the door, and she disappeared. The door slammed shut, and the crowd started to talk at once.

"Are you okay?" asked a voice.

"Sorry, we weren't able to help you. She's a mean one," added another.

Odir knelt next to me, examining my cuts and bruises. I heard the door open and the doors banged shut. Itzy again? What does she want to do with me now?

"We need to take you to the hospital," Odir said. "Does anyone know where the hospital is here?" he asked the people around him.

"Move out of the way, guys!" a strong voice said. I recognized that voice.

Jack showed up with Kelly beside him. His blue eyes looked at me worriedly.

"She beat you up badly," he observed, looking at my face.

"No, shit," I said, grimacing.

He trailed down over my body when he saw my leg. His eyes widened at the piece of glass in my thigh.

Odir put his hand on the glass, trying to pull it out, but Kelly stopped him.

"If you pull it out, he's going to bleed a lot. Plus, he might die of blood loss. It's better if we take him to the hospital," she told him.

"Can you move?" asked Jack, as he took my shoulders and pulled me to him. He tried to pull me up, but pain shot through my sides and leg. I groaned and winced as my waist felt like it was burning.

"Odir, Kelly, each of you grab Neil's legs. We're taking him to the hospital," Jack said, his voice serious.

Jack looped his arms through my armpits and lifted me. Kelly and Odir both lifted each of my legs. I yelped as pain shot through me again. After a few moments, the pain turned dull, still present, but dormant. Waiting to put me in suffering again.

When they started to walk, pain overwhelmed me, and the world started to turn black.

"Neil!" cried Odir, "Stay with me. We're almost there."

I looked up at the white lights above me, trying hard not to black out.

"Neil!" I could hear someone yelling my name over and over again, but I was losing consciousness.

"We're almost there, hang tight!" The shout echoed in my ears, muffled.

I could barely hear people calling for help, the running footsteps, and the wind blowing in my hair. I tried to open my eyes, saw a glimpse of white, and everything turned pitch black.