by Lisa Simmons
"No!"
The word sent a chill through my entire body as it echoed off the plain brick walls around me. I recognized it immediately, and the fear laced into it set a chill to my bones.
Abigail.
I burst into a sprint as I closed the remaining distance between me and the alcove. My heart nearly ripped out of my chest as I took in the sight before me. There, in the dark, empty hallway, stood the most despicable person I had ever met, pressing the only girl I'd ever loved into the wall. When I saw his hands on her body, I reacted before my mind had the chance to fully process the image.
My body jerked forward before it collided heavily with his, shoving him off her as I tackled him into the wall. The air was forced from my lungs at the impact, but I didn't care. This mother fucking asshole was about to get it for so much as looking at my girl.
He seemed surprised at first, because his body went relatively limp as I slammed him into the wall, but he recovered quickly. My hands gripped the front of his shirt as I pulled him back and slammed him into the wall again, his head snapping forward at the impact.
I could feel the livid rage flooding through me, and I was seeing red as his smug face swam before my eyes. His breathing was ragged, just as mine was, as I let my grip slide to his throat, pinning him tighter against the wall.
"You fucking piece of shit," I spit, my grip tightening around him even more. He clutched at my wrists as he tried to release my hold on him, but I didn't relent. I watched his face turn a dark purple before a sudden blow to my ribs forced the air from my lungs. His knee collided heavily with my side again before I fully released him, and he took the opportunity to rush forward and take a wild swing at me that I ducked easily.
I straightened up, my breath heaving from the rage I was feeling and the blow to my side. My fist pulled back, every muscle in my arm straining tightly before I swung forward and connected my fist to his jaw. His head flew to the side, the impact of my hit causing red to spray from his mouth.
"Reece!" I could vaguely hear Abigail calling my name over and over again, but I ignored her.
My fist flew forward again, this time aiming for the other side of his face before he managed to deflect most of it with his forearm. He retaliated almost immediately with a right hook of his own, his fist connecting firmly with my jaw. Flashes of white sprung up before my eyes before I shook them off and charged forward, my shoulders lowering and colliding with his stomach as I tackled him to the ground.
He landed on the concrete floor with a heavy grunt, his fists flailing wildly as he tried to land a hit anywhere on my head. He connected a few times, but not with the force he would have had if we were standing up. My arms unwound from his waist as I pinned him down with my knees. He bucked wildly to try and throw me off, but not before I landed another two solid hits to his jaw.
He spit a mouthful of blood angrily onto the ground as he glared at me. My breathing was coming in so unevenly now that I was starting to feel lightheaded, but I couldn't stop. Abigail's pleas sounded all around me, begging me to stop. Her cries were loud and shaky, and I could tell she was crying, but I couldn't stop my fists from flying toward this scumbag's face.
I gave another powerful swing, my fist connecting with the side of his head before my chest contracted painfully. My throat was closing in tightly, and I could hear the wheezing I was emitting as I tried to draw a breath, but still I didn't stop.
As I tried to draw a full breath, Jack finally succeeded in throwing me off him. My body sprawled to the ground, the concrete hard and unforgiving as I rolled to the side. Almost immediately, Jack was on his feet and aiming a kick at my side again. He reeled back to kick, but I managed to get to my feet just in time and his foot shot by me in a whiff.
"Stop, please!" Abigail screamed, her voice positively hysterical now as she watched in horror. My eyes flashed to her for a split second, the look on her face absolutely shattering my cold, wildly pumping heart. She looked terrified.
The split second I had paused to look at Abigail had been more than enough time for Jack to aim a strong punch straight at my jaw. There was a loud thud followed by a ringing in my head as his hit connected, and I stumbled backward. My chest was constricted more tightly than ever, and I couldn't remember the last time I had taken a full breath, but again I surged forward.
My fist swung upward, the hit landing squarely on his nose before a sickening crack sounded out around us. Blood gushed from his nose and he stumbled backward. I watched in triumph as he hunched over, hands clutching at his nose as he shouted something inaudible.
"You fucking sack of shit, if you ever so much as look at her again, I'll fucking kill you," I shouted. I was about to rush forward again and continue my attack when a pair of hands yanked me backward, their grip so strong it physically lifted me off the ground.
"That's enough!" shouted the man holding me. A bouncer, I assumed, because a similarly large man was now gripping Jack in front of me. I thrashed wildly and shouted curses and insults as I fought his grip, but to no avail. He dragged me down the hallway toward the backdoor. I hadn't even noticed, but a large crowd had gathered, including Luke, who stood looking dumbstruck and completely helpless.
"Fucking put me down!" I shouted angrily. I sounded slightly deranged as I fought, but I didn't care. All I suddenly cared about was getting back to Abigail and reassuring her that I was okay. The look of fear on her face was burned into my brain, and I needed to find her immediately.
"I said put me-" I was cut off by a gasp, my throat choking me as I tried to breathe. I couldn't take a full breath, though, as my chest constricted my lungs into what felt like the size of a deflated balloon.
"Abigail!" I managed to shout, my voice sounding strangled and weak. The last thing I saw before the bouncer threw me out the back door was Abigail pushing desperately through the crowd that had formed to watch the show. Her arms shoved people frantically to the side as her face searched for mine, a look of pure concern and fear upon her features before she finally locked eyes with me.
"Reece!" she called desperately.
After that, I was thrown outside, my body colliding with the hard cement behind the club before the bouncer shouted something at me I didn't hear. My eyes stayed locked with Abigail's, her gaze loaded with terror and desperation, before the door slammed between us, cutting me off from her and leaving me gasping and failing to draw a breath on the ground outside.
"Fingers too numb to feel, squeeze the handle, blow out the candle, blindness."
Chapter 48
“Reece!”
My voice sounded hysterical as I shouted for him over and over, my hands clawing helplessly as I tried to shove my way through the crowd. Panic flooded through my body making my hands shake and my vision blurry. My ears were ringing with all the noise around me and the fear radiating through my veins. All around me, people shouted and cheered, their jeering laughter mixing with the overwhelming sound of the music that still pounded through the hallway enough to suffocate me.
I could hardly control my limbs as I tried to push through everyone. They were all oblivious to my struggle as they tightened around me, further cutting me off from Reece.
I had seen the gasping breaths he took and the painful looking way his chest had contracted. I had seen the dark red hue to his face, different from that of mere exertion. He was, without a doubt, having an asthma attack, and I couldn’t get to him. He was stuck outside, alone and unable to breathe, while I was trapped in here in the mass of bodies. My entire body shook with fear and desperation as I threw my elbow in to whoever was blocking me.
“Move!” I shouted angrily, tears staining my cheeks as I gasped for air. “Fucking move!”
I shoved my hands into someone’s back and received a shove back, but I didn’t care. All that mattered to me was getting to Reece before something terrible happened to him. My arms pushed between two people and I managed to wedge my body through them as another strangled cry of Reece’s
name left my lips. I was nearing absolute hysteria now, and I could hardly control my limbs much less push my way through the bodies.
I let out a strained scream of frustration, ignoring the judgmental and confused looks I received. I probably looked insane, sobbing heavily, shouting Reece’s name, and desperately trying to claw my way through the crowd, but it didn’t matter. “Ha-harry,” I called again even though I knew it was pointless. He couldn’t hear me from here, but I couldn’t stop shouting his name.
“Get the fuck out of her way!” someone shouted from behind me, the deep tone much more commanding than my pitifully weak one. People turned their heads to see who had shouted it before listening to the command and parting enough for me to run through. I felt a hand on my back push me forward and I whipped around to see who it belonged to. Luke’s concerned face flashed before my eyes, but that was all I saw before I turned forward again and sprinted through the gaps. My steps were clumsy and shaky but I managed to stay on my feet. The door at the end of the hall wove in front of my eyes, the tears and the panic making my vision unstable, but it was all I could see as I ran. I was just about to shove through the door when a bouncer appeared out of nowhere, stopping me in my tracks and gripping me tightly.
“Can’t use that door, miss,” he said sternly, pushing me lightly backward. My fists balled up immediately and pounded into his chest as hard as I could.
“Fucking let me go! He’s going to die,” I shouted dramatically, shoving as hard as I could on him. He looked surprised and worn out at my aggressive thrashing, and slightly confused by my statement.
“No-“
“Fucking let go of me!” I screeched. My voice lacked even a drop of sanity now, and I was shaking so hard on top of my thrashing that it was nearly impossible for him to hang on to me any more. I was sick of people getting in my way and stopping me from getting to Reece, and I was about to crumble into a thousand pieces. My arms continued their unrelenting attack on the bouncer as I struggled against him.
“They don’t pay me enough for this,” he mumbled before releasing me reluctantly. I bolted around him without another word before slamming my entire body into the door. The air outside was much cooler than the air in the club, and I finally managed to draw what felt like a full breath. The door slammed shut behind me and my eyes scanned the darkness frantically.
“Reece!” I called again, stumbling forward. A heavy sob left my chest as my eyes finally landed on him, sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall with his head pinned to his knees. He was curled up like a child, but I could tell from the shake to his chest and the terrible wheezing that echoed around me that he was in the middle of the asthma attack.
If he heard me, he made no movements to acknowledge me. My feet carried me forward as my hands wiped viciously at my eyes, smearing away the tears as I forced myself to stop crying. I needed to be calm and in control, not a hysterical, panicking mess. I crouched down next to him and examined him.
“Reece, do you have your inhaler?” I asked even though I was fairly sure if he did, it wouldn’t have gone this far. His chest continued to expand and contract quickly, his ribs barely moving as he struggled to draw in a full breath but to no avail. He was unable to speak from the wheezing, and I forced the rising panic down in my chest once more. My hands clutched at his arms that were wrapped around his legs as he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, confirming that he didn’t have his inhaler. My hands shook against his as I wracked my brain for what to do, the fear threatening to take over again as my eyes started blurring again. I shook my head to clear the haze that was trying to settle over it. A sudden idea struck me and I stumbled to my feet, losing my balance once but catching myself before clumsily taking a few steps. A few inches of space existed between his back and the wall that I hadn’t noticed before but was thankful for now. I slid my body between him and the wall, pushing him forward with all the strength I held until I fit between him. His body sat between my legs, and I could easily see the scary shake of it from my position behind him now. I wound my arms around his neck and pulled on him gently, forcing his back to lean against my chest. I had managed to slide him far enough forward that his head was level with mine now. His body was tense, and I could feel the rattle in his lungs as he tried to breathe. “Relax Reece,” I said quietly. I tried to force all the shakiness from my tone but it was impossible to sound completely calm. The feel of his chest beneath my arms and hands was terrifying. His legs stayed curled as they had before, and his arms lay lifelessly by his sides as I placed my palms over his chest, my arms resting over his shoulders. “It’s okay, Reece, breathe,” I soothed, talking to myself just as much as to him. I had to convince myself that this would work and that he would be okay. He didn’t seem to be getting any better, however, despite my efforts. The wheezing of his lungs still sounded around us, and he made no moves still that would let me know he was aware of me being there. “It’ll be okay, baby, just please breathe,” I pleaded, fear leaking into my voice as tears threatened again. I sniffed heavily, determined not to cry. I expanded my fingers across his chest as wide as I could before putting pressure on it and fighting the shallow contractions, trying to simulate his normal rhythm of breathing without forcing him too hard.
“Reece, breathe with me, can you feel me breathing?” I asked shakily. I was getting desperate, and if this didn’t work, I didn’t know what else to do. I focused on taking slow, even breaths, which was extremely difficult.
I closed my eyes and inhaled while counting to three then exhaling and counting to three once more. His wheezing continued to strike fear into my heart. If I couldn’t fix him... if his breathing never evened out... my throat tightened around my breath, cutting off my thoughts from traveling too far into the dark oblivion of my imagination. I couldn’t think about that because the panic I was barely suppressing would surely rise again and stop the semblance of calm I was clinging to now. I had to believe that he would be okay or I would never make it through this. My heart pounded dangerously fast in my chest as I refocused on fixing him and blocking out the gasping sounds he was making.
“Breathe with me, baby, okay?” My heart leapt when he managed to raise one hand and place it over mine, his fingers winding around my palm lightly. I could feel the shake of my hand still now that he had put his over mine, and I tried to still it. The wetness from my tears earlier remained on my cheeks, reminding me of the precarious position we were in.
“In... one, two, three,” I instructed, focusing on following my own commands. “Out. One, two, three.”
His wheezing sounded less desperate now, but it was still present as I tried to calm him down. His grip on my hand tightened slightly.
“Feel my chest, Reece, focus on my breathing,” I said, hugging him tighter against me. His legs flattened out in front of him, and I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. His chest still shook, but not with the intensity it had. My heart continued its frantic thudding beneath my ribs.
“That’s it, Reece, just breathe,” I repeated. My hands continued their alternating pressure on his chest, and I was relieved to feel the difference from before. There was no longer a rattle to his lungs, but his breaths were still quick and shallow.
“In... out... easy, Reece, you’re okay,” I whispered, my voice breaking now that he was getting better. Relief so strong flooded through me it nearly knocked me out.
“Abigail,” he whispered, his grip on my hands much stronger than his voice.
“Yes, Reece, you’re okay,” I said again, my voice strained tightly. I forced my lungs to keep the steady, even pace to encourage Reece. I kissed his jaw quickly before sniffling back the tears. I was unsuccessful, however, because a renewed wetness stained my cheeks as I watched his chest rise and fall evenly. Finally, he seemed to be back to normal. These were tears of relief, however, and they were silent as I maintained my grip on him. He seemed limp as he rested against me, his body exhausted from the fight and the asthma attack. My
hand that wasn’t claimed by his rose to pet his hair back from his face, and I discovered that his face was slick with sweat. I pushed his hair off his face as I continued to whisper quiet words of reassurance to him. “It’s okay, Reece, keep breathing,” I whispered. My hand came down to his forehead and I felt a different sensation. Upon pulling my hand back in front of my eyes, I sucked in a harsh breath when I saw that it was stained with red. Blood.
I smeared it against the leg of my jeans, ridding the hot, sticky liquid from my skin before I resumed my gentle petting of his hair. My hand was still shaking slightly.
“Reece,” I repeated, praying he had recovered enough to respond. He appeared to have recovered from the asthma attack, but the unconventional way in which he had clearly had taken it’s toll on him; the lack of medicine in his system had absolutely exhausted him. “Hmm,” he hummed in response. I could feel his chest vibrate beneath my palm as he did so.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly. My voice sounded scared again now that I had managed to get through the attack. The skin of his cheek was burning hot as I pressed my lips into it.
“Yeah,” he muttered. I could tell from his tone how much he hated how weak this made him, and my heart thudded violently for him. He felt heavy against me, and I was suddenly afraid he wouldn’t be able to walk home. “Just let me rest a minute.”“Of course,” I whispered. I was relieved once again when his other hand rose from the ground to wrap around my knee, which was near his side.
“Thank you, Abby,” he said. His voice was deep and gravely like it was when he woke up.
“Shh,” I whispered. He didn’t need to be thanking me while he tried to recover. Besides, if anyone had to thank anyone, it was me. He had stopped Jack from doing who knows what even though it had resulted in a violent fight and an extreme asthma attack. He had done so without a second thought for himself.
