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I turned and kicked at him again, this time hitting his face.
And then I moved faster than I ever thought I’d be able to.
Still on my hands and knees, I scurried toward the hallway, though I wasn’t sure where I was going to go.
He was right behind me, grabbing me around the waist as I tried to keep moving.
I reached out wildly, searching for anything to anchor me, and wrapped my hands around the curio cabinet.
It was all glass and held the few souvenirs and treasures I had collected over my life.
I pulled at it, toppling the cabinet over.
The sound of glass shattering was loud, as was his low scream.
His grip slackened ever so slightly, but it was enough for me to get away.
I crawled a few more steps, but whatever glass had gotten on him didn’t slow him down.
He was behind me, then on my back, then pushing me toward the floor. I bent my arms to brace myself, but they collapsed when he landed on top of me, his weight knocking the breath out of my body.
I wanted to scream, wanted to fight, but I couldn’t do anything but try to breathe.
I realized I had closed my eyes, and I squeezed them tighter, willing my lungs to expand.
Once that happened, I would fight more, but the need for air was overwhelming.
His weight was still heavy on me, and he was so close that I could smell him.
My mind latched onto the smell of lavender, one I recognized from laundry detergent.
Which was insane.
I was trying to breathe, knew that if I didn’t do something, my death was imminent. But all I could focus on was that smell.
I managed to gulp and took in a huge lungful of air, the action painful but the relief immense.
Or it was for a second.
In the next, I felt something, his knee I thought, wedged into my back at the same time as two strong hands wrapped around my neck.
He pushed down with his knee and pulled back, bending me, making it that much harder to breathe.
I could feel the pressure increasing along with my panic.
I had to—
And then the pressure was gone.
I didn’t think about that, not at first.
Instead, I focused on my breath, breathing in, breathing out, feeling the restoration that the air was bringing.
“Uh.”
The low grunt got my attention.
I turned and saw another figure.
