To the End.

Chapter Seventeen

"Quit moving." Kazuki's voice came out demandingly as he tried his best to force Shioko to hold still. Her body twisted too much as her hands went from grabbing his wrist to hitting his chest. Kazuki made use of his free hand, roughly punching the woman in the left cheek, causing her to let out a loud cry of pain, however, the sound did little for him. Normally he'd enjoy sounds of pain, but he was too angry, too worried that he was going to get caught. It was annoying how he wasn't going to be able to enjoy this murder as much as he had hoped, and he was still mad he couldn't enjoy Kaneko's either.

Shioko legs kicked, hitting Kazuki in the shin, causing him to briefly let go of her shirt. She knew that kicking him would be a better chance of getting lose, and thankfully she was right. Any opportunity to get away from him was one she was going to take, even if the chances were more slim than anything else.

In the time Kazuki's hands left her shirt, the woman took the chance to move back closer to the trunk. While she was inside, something hard kept hitting her in the head every time Kazuki turned or hit the brakes. Anything hard was needed, anything she could use as a weapon of some kind. She looked down into the trunk, eyeing the flooring until she saw the metal object: a crowbar. She'd never really seen anyone with one in their car before, so it seemed weird to her, but she wasn't going to dwell on the thought. Without a thought, she grabbed it with full intentions of using it, but Kazuki was quicker.

"Don't you dare."

The man reached forward, grabbing the metal bar with one hand, between both of Shioko's. He tugged, thinking it'd be that easy for him to get it free, but Shioko held on as tightly as she could. She wasn't stupid enough to make it that simple, and she knew if he got a hold of it, she was going to be beaten to death right there. Kazuki wouldn't care. It'd be easier for him to get rid of her than it would be to let her live. She knew too much, and that knowledge was what was going to land her in the ground —or wherever Kazuki decided to dump her body.

Shioko continued to pull on the crowbar with as much force as she could muster. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins, giving her the strength she needed to successfully pull the bar out of Kazuki's grip. With one swing, she hit him in the shoulder. Her height was a downfall, but she'd do whatever she could to get Kazuki away from her. She had no intentions of killing him; she didn't want to go to jail for murder just as Kazuki would when he would be captured. All she wanted was for him to at least be knocked out so she could steal his keys and car and get as far away from him as possible in order for her to call the police.

"Give me—"

Kazuki's words were cut off when Shioko swung again, hitting him in the jaw. He let out a disgruntled grunt, rubbing his jaw instantly out of instinct.

"Bitch."

He mumbled the word as Shioko stepped aside and away from the trunk. It dawned on her that Kazuki could easily try to push her inside, and she didn't want to go in there again. She was surprised she didn't suffocate in there, if it was even possible.

"Don't come any closer."

The warning sounded pathetic coming from such a small person. There was no way Kazuki was going to feel threatened, and he laughed at the sight of her. She looked terrified and weak, nothing that he couldn't handle. If he had a problem fighting women, he wouldn't have killed multiple already. Tiny women always thought they were big and strong when it came to facing death, and it amused him.

"Oh, come on, Shioko." Kazuki began, stepping closer to her. He tilted his head to the side, feigning that innocent and polite version of himself that she'd met, but she wasn't buying it. No one in her position would. "Put it down, and we can just get back in the car like nothing happened."

As if Shioko was going to fall for that.

She swung again, trying to keep him back. It was clear that he wasn't phased. No matter what she did, Kazuki was only going to laugh in her face and do whatever he needed to in order to get the crowbar and kill her.

But Shioko wasn't the type of person who gave up. Being beside the car, she quickly took off running. Maybe it was stupid. After all, Kazuki had the car and could chase her down quickly, if he so chose to. Luckily for her, he only began running after her. He wasn't going to let her go that easily.

She ran as fast as she could, listening as Kazuki's feet made contact with the pavement behind her. He was close behind and she knew it, but she wasn't as quick as she thought she was. She knew it and suddenly stopped. Kazuki wouldn't expect her to suddenly quit running and turn around, and when she did, he quickly came to a stop, seemingly confused. Taking the moment of confusion to her advantage, she swung the crowbar once again, aiming higher this time as it made contact with the side of Kazuki's head. Whether she wanted to or not, she kept swinging. Kazuki raised his arms in defense, but it didn't stop her. She kept swinging and swinging, hoping that she would at least succeed in knocking him out this time. But the more she swung, the less Kazuki fought back as he dropped down to his knees after one loud crack to the side of his head.

But she didn't stop.

The adrenaline was pumping too much and she was running on fear. He was still looking at her, his eyes now large as he stared up at her from his kneeled position in front of her. There was blood coming from a wound on the side of his head, and even if she noticed it, she still took one last hard swing, hitting him straight in the temple. Kazuki let out a painful noise before falling over, laying a hand over his head.

"You thought you were going to kill me like the rest." Shioko stated as she looked down at Kazuki. His head was bloody, and he didn't seem to be trying to fight back. The keys to the car were hanging out of his pocket, and she could just as easily grab them and make her get away, but something inside her snapped.

Kazuki was a horrible man. He was someone who played with people to the point of playing God —deciding who got to live and who died. He tormented people for no reason other than for his own sick pleasure, and it was time all those women, Naora and Kaneko and the mystery of the others, finally got a form of justice. She no longer cared about the consequences of her actions. She kept hitting him in the head, harder and harder with each swing. The sound of metal hitting skull was disgusting but she paid no mind. It was similar to the noise Kazuki heard while smashing Naora's knees —that stomach-churning noise.

Fifteen minutes later, Shioko finally let the crowbar drop onto the pavement beside her. There was a pool of blood beneath Kazuki and blood splattered over her clothes, face and hands. But she didn't care. Kazuki was a monster and deserved to die, and it was easier than she thought. In the end, he was the weak one.

Even with all the blood, she still felt a wave of fear go through her. What if he still got up? What if the wounds did nothing to him? What if he was some kind of freak that wasn't phased?

But Kazuki didn't get up.

His eyes were lifeless, soulless.

He stared up at her, and she could see the fear in them. He never thought anyone would be able to turn the tables on him, especially not someone so much smaller and weaker. But in moments of fear and desperation, it didn't matter the size or strength of a person.

Shioko wiped her face with the back of her hand before she walked toward the car. Kazuki may have thrown out his own phone, but he never noticed hers tucked into the inside of the door. Grabbing the device, she called the police. She remembered the number that had come up on Kazuki's phone, and thankfully she was right.

"I've killed Kazuki Takemura. He kidnapped me. It was self defense."

She hung up without another word, tossing the phone onto the passenger seat while she sat on the driver side. The keys were still with Kazuki, but she didn't care. Soon the police would track down her location and send someone to her. What would happen to her next, she didn't know, but at the moment she didn't care. Kazuki was dead, and that's all that mattered.