touched the red spot on her cheek. The bottom of her eye already swelled a bit.
“Yeah, I -Look out!”
The douche bag behind me had gained his feet while I checked on the girl. I looked at him before he tackled me to the ground. His face colored to a dark purple in rage, and blood from his nose smeared sideways from contact with my knee. I hit the ground hard with the guy on top of me, knocking the wind out of me. He swung wild punches to my head, but he was no fighter. I held up my free arms, protecting myself. Slowly, my breath returned. My arms and shoulders would be bruised from his hits, but I waited for him to tire out or slip up. He slowed slightly, and I shot out a quick rabbit punch to his throat.
He choked, and his weight lessened on my chest. He tried to get up, but I wrapped my right leg around his chest as he held his throat and pulled him sideways off me. I rolled onto his chest and pinned his arms with my legs. I paused for a half a second, and then rained blows down on his face, much in the same way he wanted to do to me. I ignored the hell it’d be on my hands, but perhaps it was the only way he’d understand. I’d either choose to hit him into submission or I could just kill him.
A pattern of pounding emerged—eyes, nose, ear, side of the head, in the head. When I tired of throwing punches, I stood up and watched him roll back and forth. Blood poured out of his split lips and nose, and his eyes already swelled shut. Since he didn’t learn a lesson the first time, I threw in two good kicks to the lower part of his ribcage, gauging the pain by the expression on his face.
“No, no, no, no.” The girl’s small voice begged off to the side, and I turned to find her crying.
“Shhhh…Here,” I pulled my flannel shirt off and handed it to her so she could cover herself.
“You killed him,” she whispered.
I looked behind me, thinking the worst but finding I hadn’t. He was just passed out by the pain, and his chest rose and fell slightly.
“He’ll live for now,” I told her, rubbing my arms against the cold air. My thin tank top and the absence of my flannel chilled me.
When I turned back to her, she had my shirt on. It hung big on her to a comical effect. The sleeves hung down past her hands and almost to her waist. She hugged herself and shuddered, but I guessed it wasn’t from the cold.
“Does Bill still have a working line out here?” I asked, and she nodded.
I walked to the other side of the barn, keeping the still form of the guy in my sight. I put in a call to 911 and reported the attempted rape. As an afterthought, I suggested they might want to send an ambulance too. The 911 operator sounded shaken by my matter of fact tone, but I didn’t care. They got the information of where to come, and confirmed that I’d wait for them. The girl cried harder now.
“Shhhh.” I walked up close and put my arms around her. She leaned in, put her head on my chest, and sobbed. I breathed in her scent of strawberries and vanilla, which tickled my memory. I patted her hair softly, kissing the side of her head. It was the only thing I could think to do, my heart and body were suddenly ready to defend this woman from any man. I’d never felt this strong of a pull for a woman in my lifetime. Then I heard the sirens. She stiffened in my arms at the sound and I held her closer as she trembled.
“It’ll be over soon. Just be strong,” I told her gently, soothingly and trying to ignore the effect she was having on me, she wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my shoulder.
“He was going to rape me.”
“He didn’t,” I murmured, not sure if it was a question or a statement.
“No. He would have if you hadn’t come when you did.”
“He’s going to be gone for a long time. I’ll protect you from him.” I promised, she sobbed and squeezed me tighter. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight.
When the sirens approached, a new sound blared over them. The buzz
“Yeah, I -Look out!”
The douche bag behind me had gained his feet while I checked on the girl. I looked at him before he tackled me to the ground. His face colored to a dark purple in rage, and blood from his nose smeared sideways from contact with my knee. I hit the ground hard with the guy on top of me, knocking the wind out of me. He swung wild punches to my head, but he was no fighter. I held up my free arms, protecting myself. Slowly, my breath returned. My arms and shoulders would be bruised from his hits, but I waited for him to tire out or slip up. He slowed slightly, and I shot out a quick rabbit punch to his throat.
He choked, and his weight lessened on my chest. He tried to get up, but I wrapped my right leg around his chest as he held his throat and pulled him sideways off me. I rolled onto his chest and pinned his arms with my legs. I paused for a half a second, and then rained blows down on his face, much in the same way he wanted to do to me. I ignored the hell it’d be on my hands, but perhaps it was the only way he’d understand. I’d either choose to hit him into submission or I could just kill him.
A pattern of pounding emerged—eyes, nose, ear, side of the head, in the head. When I tired of throwing punches, I stood up and watched him roll back and forth. Blood poured out of his split lips and nose, and his eyes already swelled shut. Since he didn’t learn a lesson the first time, I threw in two good kicks to the lower part of his ribcage, gauging the pain by the expression on his face.
“No, no, no, no.” The girl’s small voice begged off to the side, and I turned to find her crying.
“Shhhh…Here,” I pulled my flannel shirt off and handed it to her so she could cover herself.
“You killed him,” she whispered.
I looked behind me, thinking the worst but finding I hadn’t. He was just passed out by the pain, and his chest rose and fell slightly.
“He’ll live for now,” I told her, rubbing my arms against the cold air. My thin tank top and the absence of my flannel chilled me.
When I turned back to her, she had my shirt on. It hung big on her to a comical effect. The sleeves hung down past her hands and almost to her waist. She hugged herself and shuddered, but I guessed it wasn’t from the cold.
“Does Bill still have a working line out here?” I asked, and she nodded.
I walked to the other side of the barn, keeping the still form of the guy in my sight. I put in a call to 911 and reported the attempted rape. As an afterthought, I suggested they might want to send an ambulance too. The 911 operator sounded shaken by my matter of fact tone, but I didn’t care. They got the information of where to come, and confirmed that I’d wait for them. The girl cried harder now.
“Shhhh.” I walked up close and put my arms around her. She leaned in, put her head on my chest, and sobbed. I breathed in her scent of strawberries and vanilla, which tickled my memory. I patted her hair softly, kissing the side of her head. It was the only thing I could think to do, my heart and body were suddenly ready to defend this woman from any man. I’d never felt this strong of a pull for a woman in my lifetime. Then I heard the sirens. She stiffened in my arms at the sound and I held her closer as she trembled.
“It’ll be over soon. Just be strong,” I told her gently, soothingly and trying to ignore the effect she was having on me, she wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my shoulder.
“He was going to rape me.”
“He didn’t,” I murmured, not sure if it was a question or a statement.
“No. He would have if you hadn’t come when you did.”
“He’s going to be gone for a long time. I’ll protect you from him.” I promised, she sobbed and squeezed me tighter. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight.
When the sirens approached, a new sound blared over them. The buzz
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