"I-I need a doctor."
I say it under my breath. My head is pounding so hard I feel like I might throw up.
"Oh, sweetie, don't worry about it. There won't be any need for doctors where you're going."
Before I can say anything else, everything goes black again.
When I come to, I'm back at the crash site, my back against the car and my hands tied behind me. So much for my big escape.
Back at school, I used to think about running all the time, but I never did. If only I'd shown the same restraint now.
My head won't stop throbbing, the pain pulsing through my whole body. If I don't see a doctor soon, I might end up with permanent damage. Maybe I already have. I try to remember anything about head trauma, but my thoughts keep slipping away.
"Psst."
Something bumps my shoulder.
I glance up and see the Miracle Inc woman wriggling toward me.
"Help me untie my hands."
"Huh? Why would I do that?"
The nerve of this bitch. First she kidnaps me, drags me into this whole mess, and now she expects me to risk my life helping her? I'm angry enough that I actually think about shouting for the other kidnappers and telling them she's trying to escape. Maybe then they'd take me to a doctor.
"Listen, I work an administrative role now, but I used to be an officer in Miracle Inc's security forces."
"So?"
She inches closer, still whispering.
"I've mostly recovered from the crash, and they still haven't realized that I'm blessed. Untie me now, and I'll deal with those two idiots."
"Heh."
A little laugh slips out.
"You seriously expect me to trust you? After you kidnapped me just a few hours ago? Lady, you're insane."
She leans in even closer.
"Listen, I'm your classmate Arisa's sister. My name is Thea."
Arisa. One of the blessed trio. The three strongest blessed in school. She never bullied me or anything, but that was mostly because she was always too busy picking fights with other people. I don't think she ever even noticed someone like me.
"So? I don't think I've ever even talked to her. Sure, she seems better than the rest of those scumbags, but we're basically strangers, so that classmate thing isn't going to work on me."
"Listen to me. You don't have to trust me. Just untie me and run. Whatever happens after that is on me."
This time she says it louder.
Not good.
I glance over at the two weirdos. They're still arguing. They haven't noticed us yet, but if this stupid woman keeps raising her voice, they will. Then I'll get dragged into it. Running isn't an option either. My head hurts so much I can barely think, and even if Thea somehow bought me enough time to get away, where the hell would I even go?
"Hey! You listening to me?"
She raises her voice again.
I have to act now. Escape isn't possible, which means I need to deal with her first.
"All right. I'll help you."
I lean closer and inspect the restraints. Sloppy work. I could probably get them loose with my teeth.
"How long?" Thea whispers. "How long to undo these?"
I shrug.
"Ten seconds. Maybe a minute. Sloppy work."
She smiles.
"Then do it."
I bite down on the rope and work it with my teeth. The taste hits me immediately, so foul it makes me gag. I have to stop myself from throwing up. I know rope isn't supposed to taste good, but God knows what they did to this one to make it taste that bad.
Slowly, carefully, I work the knot loose, trying to think about anything else just to get through the horrible taste. Eventually it comes loose. Probably took me three or five minutes. Thea doesn't complain.
She gets to her feet, looks down at me, and smiles.
"Thanks. I don't know what I would've done without you. You can scurry off now. I'll take it from here."
Thea grows a little taller. Her skin shifts into sleek, spotted fur, cheetah-like, and a long tail slips out from her pants. Before I can get a better look, she's gone.
Shouting breaks out where the two weirdos were arguing.
I look up and see her on the giant one's shoulder, one arm hooked around his neck.
"Hey, didn't your mom ever tell you not to mess with Miracle Inc?"
"Miracle Inc?!" the chicken woman shrieks.
"Stephan, you useless fuck! Look what you've done now! Boss is gonna chew me out over your screwup again!"
"Shut up!"
The giant roars and grabs at his neck, trying to swat the woman off his shoulder. A huge chunk of flesh is missing there, blood pouring down from the wound. He can't get her off. She drops to the ground in an instant, and before the sand even settles, she launches herself back up and tears a chunk out of Stephan's arm in the middle of his swing, before he can react or yank it back.
"Ahhhhh!"
The giant screams.
"I'm just getting started!" Thea shouts, grinning like a maniac.
She reminds me a little of Arisa.
I'd already stopped thinking about school. Usually I'd be in my room by now, asleep and having nightmares about going back there. Right now it didn't sound so bad.
I sit there with my knees pulled to my chest, staring at the carnage. Thea darts around the giant, tearing pieces out of him while he flails with those massive hands, trying to swat her like a mosquito. Eventually he seems to realize it isn't working, because he starts screaming for help.
"Nara! Help me already! You stupid bitch!"
His teammate just stands there watching, looking annoyed.
I decide not to run.
Whatever happens, happens. If Thea wins, I go with her. If the weirdos win, maybe staying put will be enough for them to take me to a doctor.
Either way, I need to look out for myself first.
A loud scream tears through the night. I pull my knees in tighter and bury my face against them.
No matter what, this is going to be a long night.
I wonder if Yashiro is going to miss me.
Strange thing to have on my mind right now.
By now Stephan is breathing hard, his whole body covered in wounds. Thea drops back to the ground and wipes blood off her face.
"Not good enough. You wouldn't even make it as a grunt."
She smiles.
"I don't know who you're working for, but they must be pretty fucked in the head if they sent something as weak as you to do the night runs."
Her smile turns meaner.
"You're more likely to get killed by whoever you attack than the other way around. Pretty useless, if you ask me."
The giant glares at her, slowly hauls himself upright, and bellows,
"I'm not fucking useless!"
He swings wildly, much faster now, and still misses. The blow passes wide, but the force alone erupts through the sand and leaves a huge crater behind.
Thea slips past the punch, but the force behind it still catches her. Her right arm gets wrecked, her left leg buckles at a sick angle, and she crashes down on the far side of the crater.
Across the crater, Stephan gives her a smug little wave, beckoning her closer.
"Come over here. We'll see which one of us is a useless grunt."
Thea smiles back, but this time it looks forced.
This is bad. I can't take another hit like that, and I'm in no shape to flee.
I look up and see a figure hovering in front of the moon, almost like an angel. Something long is in its hands. A stick, maybe. Is that...?
No. It can't be.
Chickens can't fly.
The figure doesn't linger. A second later, it drops straight at Thea.
I open my mouth to warn her, then stop.
What's the point? She's dead no matter what I do. And siding with a corpse right now would be the dumbest choice I could make. So I stay quiet.
Thea raises her arms.
"I surrender!"
Gonna have to negotiate. I still have enough pull with the company that they'd pay a decent ranso...
The chicken woman is thirty feet above her now, dropping like a falcon on prey. She raises her bat.
Then it hits.
The bat smashes into Thea's head.
The thud echoes through the night.
Thea's head bursts apart. Blood, brain, bone, gore, all of it sprays everywhere. The force of the hit jerks her body so hard it almost looks like she jumped. Her left leg breaks completely from the impact, bone punching through the flesh in several places. There's nothing left of her head. Even her neck is mostly just skin and meat hanging off the body.
It's not my fault. had she stayed put, she'd still be alive. But I can't stop thinking about it. If I had warned her, would it have made any difference? Does this mean that I'm partly responsible? I keep trying to push the thought away, but the guilt keeps creeping in.