Shattered Mirror [Rewriting]

Chapter 3 - Revived

Blood, sticky and thick, bubbled from Corliss' wounds like magma, her life force ebbing away with each drop that oozed out. She seemed to Nomathemba to be falling in slow motion. Even time had screeched to a halt since the bullets penetrated her abdomen, Liss' face frozen in a look of horror that Nom was sure mirrored her own. She wanted to jump forward and stop her best friend from hitting the floor but she couldn't. Her body had grown numb and her ears deaf except to the sound of her own racing heart. She wanted to die. She wanted to take Liss' place so she wouldn't have to live with the guilt because it was her fault. This whole mess could have been avoided if she'd simply listened. If she'd just taken Liss seriously about the window, they could have gotten away and her friend wouldn't be...A strangled sound worked its way free from Nom's throat and she forced herself to look away. The evidence of her own stupidity and now utter helplessness was far too painful to gaze upon. She wanted to cry, to have the tears blur the scene before it burnt itself too clearly into her mind. 'Kill me!' Nom was tempted to scream at the intruder whose weight still had her pinned to the floor but her voice hitched behind the lump in her throat. And by the look on the thief's pasty face, he wouldn't kill her even if she had told him to. Terror had twisted his features into an ugly picture, the scar running down his right cheek deepening into a gorge. His dull eyes were as wide as saucers and wild as a tropical thunderstorm brewing on the horizon, unable to look away from the sin he'd committed.

"Shit," his laboured breathing made the word breathy, his filthy frame shaking with disbelief. The gun he'd used was clenched so tightly in his right hand the knuckles were threatening to tear through the skin. He hadn't meant to kill anyone. The weapon had been more for show than for actual use. His eyes flitted downward and he was shocked to find he'd forgotten about the girl's friend who was still pinned beneath him. Apprehension clenched its iron fist around his chest and he flew up, wanting nothing more than to run out the door but the girl's gaze held him pinned. "I-I-I want n-no more tr-tr-o-ouble," the thief fumbled over his words, edging toward the door and hoping the girl would be too afraid to stop him.

"What?" Nom couldn't believe what she was hearing. The bastard's words were like a bucket of ice water being upended over her. The blanket of guilt and depression was ripped from her by a boiling anger that flooded through her veins. A volcano had erupted in her heart and the magma now fuelling her on forced her to stand, her body practically vibrating with unshed violence.

"No-o tr-o-ou-ble," the thief swallowed heavily, taking another step backward. How quickly the African's eyes had frosted over made him hesitant to make any sudden movements. She looked like a panther whose muscles were coiled in anticipation, waiting for the right moment to pounce on her unfortunate prey. She was, for lack of better words, utterly demented and he knew he'd made a mistake by speaking instead of running.

"You killed her," Nom snarled, a feral instinct in her demanding vengeance, demanding that she tear the offensive man to shreds. She licked her lips, only too happy to adhere to the desire coursing through her.

"I n-never me-meant t-to!" he tried aiming the gun at her even if he wasn't planning on using it again. No, one murder had been enough for him.

"You lowly scumbag! You pathetic whelp of a man!" Nom stalked forward, baring her teeth in a primal manner. He'd murdered her best friend and he didn't even have the guts to do the job properly. He was going to run instead of facing her down. The piece of shit didn't deserve to live. "How dare you invade my best friend's home, shoot her and then claim you don't want trouble?"she shrieked. Her brain refused to process it, anger making it short-circuit around any idea other than revenge. Nom didn't give him a chance to respond but instead charged at him, arms extended before her. She didn't even care that there was a gun pointed at her. The man would pay even if it cost her her own life. It was a worthwhile sacrifice. With shocking speed and skills Nom didn't even know she possessed, she knocked the gun from his hand and landed a punch in his gut that made him bend double. She proceeded to drive her knee into his face, slam her elbow into the back of his neck and finally she kicked him to the floor. He coughed and spluttered like the pathetic specimen he was, blood trickling down his face from his shattered nose. The picture was nearly satisfactory. "I will kill you," Nom grinned maniacally, grabbing him by his hair and tossing him into the wall with a satisfying crunch! Her rage made her clumsy though and, as she brought her face close to his, he slammed the butt of the gun into her temple sending her reeling into the wooden coffee table. He took his cue and hurtled for the door, stumbling because of his injuries but Nom was not so easily deterred. She charged him once more, knocking him to the floor right by the exit. Laughing, she stood, grabbed his leg and dragged him back to the lounge, her grip strong despite his incessant wriggling.