The Berserker

Chapter 7

Those very eyes matched his. I inhaled sharply fighting my instinct to cower.

I'm stronger now.

Someone else stepped up behind Nathaniel with a knife. I grabbed Nathaniel pulling him away stepping forward in his stead. An arcing left kick knocked it out of the man's hand followed by a rebound kick in the stomach knocked him on the ground. He scrambled for the knife, but I stepped on his hand looking down at him. My reflection in his irises showed me with a murderous look. I grinned.

"I've had enough hassle for one day. You're going to walk away, and not look back. Understood?"

"B -" I slammed my knee into his head snapping at him, "No backchat. Go."

I stepped off his hand watching him go. Once he disappeared, I turned to face the guy who was hitting on me. He yelled in pain grasping at my arm as I pulled his head up by the jaw.

"Should've left me alone when I was irritated. Now, I'm angry. You're actually lucky he's the one who hit you." I let out a wry chuckle. "If it was me, I would have broken your ribs and hand too." I leaned closer to his face. "Stay away from me. Your only and last warning," snarling I let him go avoiding the spectators' looks.

Maybe, I do need to finish this vodka tonight, I exhaled through my nose.

"GUN!" someone shrieked, and I turned absorbing the situation. The man had pulled out a gun on Nathaniel who blocked me. Survival instinct kicked in by charging at him. The bottle went flying hitting his hand. The gun went off upon impact and Nathaniel moved, but I was faster.

Arms, legs, neck, ran through my mind as I grabbed the outstretched arm hooking his opposite leg. Sweeping him, I popped his arm socket, the only thing supporting him from falling all the way, and jammed my elbow into his joint. The crack followed in the split-second I clapped his ear. I registered his scream of pain, but it cut out as I jammed my fingers into his clavicle.

My mind raced ahead to how I would get out of here. Behind me was still clear, and I bolted. My hoodie came loose, and I snatched it turning down an alley. A wooden fence appeared, and I swung myself over biting my hoodie as I did. Dogs barked, and I kept running. I came onto another street, and I turned left slowing to a jog. No one was around, and most would be inside if they heard the gun shot. I pulled on my hoodie flipping the hood up and didn't stop moving. The crosswalk was orange, and I stopped keeping on my toes. A car stopped in front of me the window rolling down.

"Get in." It was Nathaniel.

"No." I told him. Getting him involved would be a bad idea.

"You don't have much of a choice."

I backed away from him. "Still a no."

"That's too bad," he said, and pain lanced through my shoulder. I gasped as I recognized it as a bullet wound. I didn't hear the gunshot, so the sniper had a silencer. Nathaniel raised his hand, and I ducked, but it still pricked me in the neck.

What? I wondered then I felt the drowsiness. Run, you still have to run.

I made a couple of steps, but Nathaniel caught me. I attacked, my fist connecting somewhere, but it was still getting dark.

I should've ran when I first saw him, I thought angrily as my consciousness slipped completely.

An annoying ticking reverberating in my head dredged me from unconsciousness. It was the echo of someone tapping something. Strong pressure on my wrists and ankles informed me of restraints, rope ones specifically with the itchy fibre and texture. I opened my eyes slowly to see a metal room with a table in front of me. On the other side was Nathaniel drumming his fingers, and in the corner, a masked figure. The physique and build told me who it was, out of the three boys who remained.