Chapter 31: Kidnapping VII - Bloody Fists

She needed both her hands free if she wanted to fight hand to hand, and with nowhere else to put her communicator, she put it in her mouth. If she swallowed it, so be it—as long as she didn’t choke. 

She pulled her hand back for a punch, and then accelerated her fist, slamming squarely into a thin forearm that Gecko had put up on guard. Yes! Now, to contin...ue...?

Her fist kept going and she belatedly realized that Gecko had fallen back. At the same time her fist connected with his arm, he had been moving back, mitigating the force of her blow. Suddenly off balance, her next punch was weak and was easily slapped aside.

A knee slammed into her stomach and she almost spat out the communicator—she would have if she hadn’t gritted her teeth. She stumbled back, holding her stomach.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted Chameleon running up and she turned to face them both. Behind both of them, Bobcat was leisurely stretching his limbs, a smile on his face.

Annabelle paled. Just Gecko was difficult enough, but now she had to face two more? Fortunately, Bear didn’t seem to feel the need to stand up yet. He was applying something to the cut in his ribs. At first she felt kind of sorry for him, but now she was nothing but thankful that she had been ruthless.

What can I do...?

Chameleon was probably a bad fighter. Just looking at his form and from her experience being carried on his back, she could tell that he wasn’t accustomed to exercise. The only function Chameleon served was to be a distraction while Gecko served as the main offense.

The problem was Gecko. The boy was lively, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his fist up protecting his face while simultaneously ready to strike. With his mask off, she could see the wound on his face much more clearly. 

It was smooth at the top before becoming jagged as it traveled down his face, ending at his jaw. If that wasn’t from a previous knife fight, she didn’t know what else. An industrial accident at his age?

She wished she was so lucky.

Her entire chance of escaping basically banked on her being able to beat Gecko and Bobcat. Then she had to slash the tires of the jeep or commandeer it, or they’ll just catch up to her on wheels.

Alright, focus!

Annabelle breathed in deeply, filling her lungs with the cool underground air. She didn’t know if it was just her, but she was much more awake now—awake and alert.

I can do it! What will they do? I’ll definitely stop them! First, Chameleon will probably attack as a distraction before Gecko follows up... 

Annabelle dragged her feet, pretending to trip. She winced at the pain of the stones in her feet, real and not faked.

As she expected, Chameleon quickly darted forward, or as quickly as someone like him could. To her eyes trained in martial arts, he was quite slow.

By the time Gecko made his move, Annabelle already had one of Chameleon’s outstretched hands firmly between her own. She stepped to the side. Twisting, bracing herself on one foot, she ducked and pulled Chameleon over her shoulder, turning his own momentum against him as she grunted from the effort. For a moment, she couldn’t see anything. 

Finally, the man lifted off the ground and rolled over her hunched figure to slam into the jagged rocks and tracks behind her with an audible huff as the air was knocked out of him.

Then she turned around and swung her fist blinding, feeling the back of her fist slam satisfyingly into something soft—something hard behind that softness that cut into her hand. 

Before she could celebrate her hit or even cry out from the pain of cutting her hand, pain blossomed on the side of her face that wrenched her head to the side.  

Something came loose on the inside of her mouth, rattling inside her mouth along with the communicator. Something coppery and warm filled her mouth and she had to spit it out through gritted teeth to stop herself from choking on it.

Stars filled her vision as she backed away from Gecko, who was holding his face just like her. Wincing, Annabelle rubbed her face. That was... a tooth? Strangely, it doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would...

She spat out a spray of blood again before she wiped her mouth, glaring at Gecko.

“I thought you weren’t going to hurt me,” she growled.

Gecko shook his head, as if clearing the stars from his vision. “They won’t. I will. You’ll be fine anyways—as long as you don’t bleed out or lose an organ or limb, a visit to the hospital will fix you right up as if nothing had happened.”

“Like your face?”

Gecko’s serious expression turned ugly. “You’ll pay for that!”

“Make me!”

Hehe. He’s mad, he’s mad. This time I’ll get him... focus on the defense, Annabelle!

Still grinning, Annabelle crouched down, ready to receive Gecko’s attack. She was going to pay back what he did to her at least double. And don’t forget to keep track of what Chameleon and Bobcat was doing...

Fortunately, Chameleon was only just starting to get up, while Bobcat was too far away to help.

For now at least, it was just her and Gecko. Come!

Gecko dashed up, fast at first, but slowly down as he drew near. Annabelle was a bit disappointed. Did he see through the bait? That’s unfortunate.

That was fine, though. She had another way to ensure he came to her. Once he did, she would ensure he wasn’t back off while still conscious. 

Belevere liked her face. She’ll make him pay for hurting it.

With a finger, she quickly used the blood on the side of her mouth to trace a line up the left side of her face. Then she gave him another bloody grin. 

And that was enough to send Gecko into another rage as he charged again, right into her waiting guard. A heavy blow with all the force of Gecko’s charge slammed straight into her held up arm, or at least it should have. Instead, Annabelle pushed it aside, throwing Gecko off balance just like he did to her, but worse.

“Gecko, wait!” Bobcat’s warning cry suddenly echoed in the tunnel, but it was already way too late for Gecko.

Annabelle tensed all her muscles in her free arm and threw her fist forward. Gecko’s momentum brought his face right into her knuckles and she felt something crunch. Her stomach turned at the sensation, but she forced it away.

Don’t think about it, don’t think about itdon’tthinkaboutit... Remember, Annabelle, it’s you or him.

Gecko’s head snapped back while his body continued forward. Then he fell backwards, falling on his back onto the ground with a solid whump.

Annabelle jumped back, chest heaving from the close call. If she had let Gecko hit her back then, the person on the ground probably would have been her instead.

As she calmed down, she felt the pain in her mouth grow sharper. The stabbing in her soles became more painful as well. Trying to not let it show on her face, she warily watched all of her enemies. By now, there were only two people still standing—Bobcat and Chameleon.

Bear was still just watching, willing to move, while Gecko...Gecko wasn’t moving. Blood flowed from his nose to drip down the side of his face, soaking into the gravel.

A chill ran down Annabelle’s spine as she considered something she hadn’t before...I didn’t kill him, did I? But it was just my fists...oh, please no...

Her raised hands began shaking and she felt sick. When she thought back to the sensation she felt—the feeling of something being crushed—her right hand seemed to lose all strength.

Bobcat and Chameleon rushed over to Gecko’s side. Annabelle tensed when they near her, but all they did was kneel down next to Gecko.

“Hey, get it together, man,” Bobcat muttered. He produced a towel from his pouch and wiped the blood from Gecko’s face, leaving red streaks behind on his face. Blood soon flowed out again, following the path already carved out by the blood before it.

Worry furrowed Bobcat’s brows as he continued to fuss over Gecko, while Chameleon just stood nearby seemingly unsure of what to do. Finally he settled on glaring at her.

“Um... is he okay?” Annabelle asked.

Neither of the two men answered. Annabelle’s skin prickled under Chameleon’s gaze and her dread only grew the longer Bobcat attended to Gecko without any results. But since Bobcat hadn’t given up, there must still be hope, right?

After what felt like an eternity, Gecko suddenly convulsed, coughing up a spray of blood that must have flowed into his lungs.

He’s alive! Relief flooded through Annabelle, quickly turning to horror as the man rolled over and got onto his knees, the flow of blood redoubling. With a low groan, Gecko pinched his nose to stop the blood. 

He staggered to his feet, swaying unsteadily as he tried to find his balance. His gaze drifted until it finally locked onto her.

Why wasn’t he unconscious?

His crooked nose bent to the side and he panted, breathing through his mouth, hacking up a spray of blood between every breath. Annabelle felt herself backing away. “Please, stop this already...”

“Hell no. We’ve already this far in. You’re not getting away,” Gecko snarled, his voice distorted from his pinched nose, but it wasn’t funny in the slightest. 

Bobcat and Chameleon both stepped up next to him. Bobcat laid an arm on Gecko’s shoulder. “Let me handle it. At least wait until your nose stops bleeding, okay?”

Gecko shrugged off the man’s touch. “I’ll be fine. This tiny injury is nothing...”

He shook his head and held up his fists in a fighting stance again. No longer being held, blood dripped out of his nose again. 

Frustration at his stubbornness suddenly flared.

“Why are you going so far for me? Just leave me alone!” Annabelle shouted. “Go away already! Pick on someone else!”

She was sick and tired of fighting already. Her fists hurt, her feet hurt, her face hurted. She wanted to just go home and go to bed. “I hate all of you!”

“Screw you! None of this would be happening if you just shut up and went with us!”

“What the hell is that logic? Who the hell was the one who kidnapped me in the first place?” Annabelle shouted. “I’m going home and none of you will be stopping me!”

Bobcat had been silent as he watched the exchange—his eye suddenly twitched at her words. “You seem awfully confident for someone who could barely handle Gecko. I’m sorry to tell you that I’m a better fighter than him.”

He ignored Gecko’s glare.

“Can you take both of us—the three of us at the same time?”

Bobcat stepped threateningly and Annabelle backed away.

“Enough already!”

“Just shut up and go with us! If you don’t resist, I swear we won’t hurt you!”

“No!” Annabelle screamed. She opened her mouth, spitting the communicator and her knocked out tooth into her hand.

A sharp pain struck through her head and three different liquids suddenly materialized in her mouth, their empty bottles dropping to the ground with a clink of glass against rock. 

The cool fluids of red, green, and yellow mixed in her mouth with her blood, forming a mixture that tasted horrible.

She quickly swallowed before she put the communicator back into her mouth, tossing away the tooth. She could regrow it later.

Power filled her limbs as the effects of the temporary boosters worked their miracle. All of the pain she had been feeling, growing to an almost unbearable level as the adrenaline drained away in the lull in the battle, dulled as if a switch had been pulled. She felt more strength in her legs than she had ever before—her arms, too.

Strangely, the dangerous unfamiliarity that she had expected to experience from having her body temporarily modified to such an extent did not appear.

In spite of herself, she allowed herself a small smile at her pleasant miscalculation before she looked back up at her three foes. If it wasn’t for them, she wouldn’t be hurting right now. If it wasn’t for them, she wouldn’t have experienced that guilt of almost killing someone—someone she regret she didn’t finish off while she could.

She wanted to just run away from all this, but they would not let her. The only thing she could do after pushing this far was to knock all of them out.