Successfully Intimidated

My heart pounds quickly, and my mouth is filled with the taste of blood. My legs burned as they moved, but I couldn't stop. If I did, they would find me. I was sure of it.

I see the sign, the Wa**art sign. Excitement washes over me. I can stay for a few days and wait for the police or military. Finally, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Unfortunately, that thought is quickly snuffed out. I stumble to a stop panting as I see goblins stabbing at the glass sliding doors of the entrance with a knife of their own. I freeze and hold my breath, even though my lungs scream at me to let some air in.

I slowly back away; they still sense my presence. They weren't far from me, just a few meters. Enough for them to jump out at me and stab at my abdomen. And they do just that. I lunge to the side and roll across the gravel. Small stones scratch at my skin, but I stay silent.

I glance at the carefully held knife in my hands and hold it forward. I have never used a knife before, so I slash aimlessly. I see them smirk at me, laughing and giggling as they surround me.

Like my death was certain.

I furrow my eyebrows. They were intelligent. They could see my fear and panic, and they were laughing at me?!

My body felt hot; it felt like it wasn't mine anymore. As one goblin jumped at me, I – or rather, my body moved forward as well.

I slash at the front of its neck, and red blood spurts out like a fountain. My eyes widened; it looked too similar. Too similar to human blood. Even though they weren't human, it made me feel like I had done something wrong. Like I committed murder.

But I didn't stop. Well, I couldn't. I was still surrounded, remember? And I was still being controlled by the strong urge to live. Goosebumps travel along my skin like a warning, and I give a quick glance behind me. A goblin, with its arm and dagger, stretched out, lunged at me with a grin. It was about to plunge into my back.

I grit my teeth and twist my waist away from the goblin's path, towards my left. My abdomen hurts, and I feel its blade slice my skin, but I don't stop. Its eyes widen in surprise as its body moves past where I once was. While in its shock, without a hint of hesitation, I stab downwards at its skull.

The knife didn't penetrate the bone, but it made a sickening crack, and the corpse fell to the ground. The other goblins see this and shriek in anger and frustration.

I don't wait for them to gather. I know they are trying to call others. Now, I'm no longer a toy to them but a threat.

I catch some movement on my right. A human being! It was a human being! A large fat man peeking from the latch door on the side of the store. Our eyes make contact, and without a single thought, I bolt toward him.

He flinches, and I can tell he's about to close the door, and I won't be able to open it from the outside. "Keep that door open!" I yell out, not caring if I was garnering unwanted attention from the green creatures.

I was angry. He was watching but made no move to help. How could he?

How long has he been watching?

Did he notice from the very beginning?

Fury fueled my legs; it kept me running even though my legs creaked. I kept moving until I was finally behind the sturdy door of the store. I fall to my knees. I had no energy left; I couldn't even grimace in pain.

I felt dizzy, and I couldn't even breathe properly. I had thrown my knife before, trying to keep the goblins away. I looked up at the fat man's blurry figure and frowned. I wanted to curse at him. I wanted to curse him, but I could feel myself losing control of my body.

"You…." It all went black before I could finish my sentence.

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"All we have to do is wait for the police, and those bastards will get the justice they deserve." A nasal voice snarled.

"Hmph! They think because times are like this, they can do anything they want." Another replied.

I groan as my head pounds. Their high screeches didn't help with the pain; instead, they intensified it. I blink rapidly, I feel dizzy for a while, but the world eventually becomes steady again.

Two women -- one blonde; the other, blue-haired -- stood in front of me, whispering loudly among themselves. They turn at the sound of my groan, and a flash of panic flits in their eyes. But I see it, and they seem to be very scared of the person they were talking about.

I turn my head away. It was none of my business. I just have to survive and make it till help arrives.

"If you're awake, kid, then get up and make yourself useful! Don't you dare slack off while I'm here!!"

A burly man with bright red eyes appears from behind the shelves. I look around; I seem to be at the back of the store. My nerves finally loosened up in the safe environment.

"You bastard, are you listening?!" He yells as he slams his clenched fist into the shelf next to him. The rack, in return, collapses in itself, displaying the grotesque force hidden within the man.

I flinch as I stare wide-eyed at the fist imprint clearly visible on the shelf before staring at the fist that struck it. It was unharmed. The same smooth tan skin as before; not a scratch, mark, or bruise.

This…this monstrous strength! How did he….

I look up to see his face. His smug face is displayed to me, and I pause. He looks down at me like I'm an ant he could play around with for his amusement, something he could kill at any time if he wanted to.

Then it dawned on me. He did that on purpose. To intimidate me. To show that he wouldn't need to waste a single breath to end my life.

It worked. I was successfully intimidated. It made me irritated that I couldn't do anything to faze or oppose him.

I didn't say anything, and he didn't bother with me any longer. He rolled his eyes with a sneer and turned to leave.

"It will be okay. He probably just irritated with things that happened around us." A dark-haired lady consoled me with broken English as she sat next to me. She flashed me a warm smile; her features were Asian looking, and even though she looked middle-aged, no one could deny that she was pretty. She had wrinkles around her eyes; I could tell she was a kind and warm lady who smiled a lot.

"Un." I give a sound in reply. I didn't know why she had made excuses for him, but I undoubtedly knew this was not the reason for his behavior earlier. It was obvious the feeling of power made him drunk.

We all knew. All four women, three men, and the one little girl.

My eyes softened; even children were not spared. We locked eyes, and she flinched, immediately tearing her gaze away.

"What your name, child?" The lady asked. I divert my attention from the girl and face her warm gaze.

I frown and say in a whisper, "I don't know."