Rewind #wattys2015

Chapter Seven: Freeze

Lavi

  I was surely beaten by the first second.

  As the hero, you're expected to win, but at this moment--I could only stand up to the challenge. Jack elbowed me in the jaw and I staggered back, a foggy illusion took place of my sight. He would twirl his pocket knife in his hand after every little dirty attack in his arsenal he had done to me, hoping to go in for the kill, but I had a ace up my sleeve.

  My power had expanded.

  He lunged at me, thrusting his pocket knife. I brought my right hand's fingers together and snapped my fingers--everything becoming silent afterwards. Beads of sweat was on my face and I couldn't quite exactly focus much longer. For once, I felt the limitations of my power.

  Freezing time was a much bigger feat than rewinding time, but it was rather easy to initiate. I discovered this earlier, right before the fight when I had snapped at Jack, taunting him. I watched Jack's frozen stance and looked over at Clarissa by the door. She looked terrified, but a glimmer of hope was deep in her eyes.

  I can't keep prolonging this. I have to land a strike.

  I didn't need to rely on tactics too much for my enemy. He relied on strength and his athleticism. I wasn't so stellar in both departments. Though, that wasn't going to stop me from winning this fight. I faced Jack head-on, the exact spot I was at. Snapping my fingers, time resumed.

  Before his pocket knife could reach my gut, I copied his movements, elbowing him straight in the jaw and following up with a right hook. His body swung drunkenly, crashing up against the sink. I continued my pursuit, tackling him to the ground. At that moment, I noticed his pocket knife flew out of his hand, landing away from our reach.

  I showed no mercy.

  My blood boiled over what he was planning to do to Clarissa. It didn't matter if none of this mattered to me. I'm was going to be the one to save her. Only I could at this point.

  Relentlessly, I smashed in his face repetitively and with every hit my fists grew swore and my bones crackled from his bony face. He brought up his hands, protecting his face from my blows. I grabbed his forearms and stretched them from each other, leaving his face open to attack and rammed my forehead into his own. A surge of vigor filled inside my body and I continued to pummel him until he yelped.

  "Get off me!" He shouted.

  "Not so tough now, huh?!" I growled.

  We heard a sharp yelp. I turned my head quickly towards the noise, my eyes wide, "Clarissa?!"

  Jack slugged me in the face while I wasn't looking and my body lurched towards the ground. I swore under my breath and looked up at Crane holding Clarissa hostage. The silver gun Crane had was pressed against her side. I could hear Jack's heavy breathing from where I lay, "What the hell were you doing, Crane?!"

  "Lower your voice, idiot." Crane ordered, shifting his keen eyes onto me afterwards. "Who are you?"

  "I could ask you the same thing." I glowered. "You're Crane Pickett, right? Let go of Clarissa and you might just live today."

  "Funny. If I remember correctly, I'm the one with the gun here." Crane sassed.

  Clarissa stared at me carefully. Slowly, I darted between them, silence filling the atmosphere. Who ever made a move would be the first victim. Even if Jack and Crane were on the same side--it was clear that Crane was just using him and would more than likely shoot him if he got in his way. My options were limited.