“AHHHH!” Minerva screamed, “Let go of me! Let go!”
“No one can hear you Minerva. We’re a mile beneath the city and no one will be able to hear you,” Dr. Trout growled.
“STOP IT! STOP IT! LET GO OF ME!”
I heard fabric ripping. She screamed again.
FIVE
MINNIE
I kickedDr. Trout in the chest as he ripped my lab coat off. He tossed the fabric aside and pounced again, pressing my back up against the glass wall as I screamed. I kicked again and he pressed his forearm against my neck.
“If you’re not going to learn your place in this office, I’m going to teach it to you.”
I spat in his face. He slapped me.
“LET GO!”
I kicked him again.
I realized how powerless I was. I couldn’t stop him from doing what he was going to do, but by hell, I wouldn’t make it easy for him. And if I delayed him at least, there was still hope.
He punched me in the gut. I cried out and thrust out again, but he was stronger than me and much larger. I tried not to cry, to convince myself that I could fight him off. Then we heard the the loud screech of ripping metal and then the glass between us and the MRI machine shattered and Vidar burst through, his half-naked purple body shuddering as shards of glass protruded from his skin. His eyes glowed fluorescent green as he towered over both of us, his body heaving in rage, his fangs exposed.
His tail whipped back and forth like an upset feline. He was more tiger than house cat, thankfully.
Dr. Trout dropped me to the floor in surprise.
“Step away from her,” Vidar instructed.
Dr. Trout lunged for the pager that would call the soldiers outside. Vidar swiped it across the table and stepped between me and Dr. Trout.
“Step away from her,” Vidar growled again.
“AHHH!” Dr. Trout yelled as he grabbed the MRI computer and yanked it off the desk, throwing it at Vidar.
Vidar moved faster than Dr. Trout could keep up with, catching the large screen and tossing it to the ground. Dr. Trout reached into his lab coat and pulled out a weapon. Agunwhich I didn’t even know he possessed. Likely a last ditch precaution against Vidar’s escape.
“DR. TROUT! NO!” I screamed.
He fired. The bullet bounced off of Vidar’s chest. I screamed again. Vidar lunged for Dr. Trout again. Another gunshot went off. Vidar grabbed Dr. Trout by the neck. Dr. Trout pointed the gun to Vidar’s skull.
“NO! VIDAR! PUT HIM DOWN!”
Dr. Trout fired directly at Vidar’s skull. The bullet bounced off and entered the doctor’s jaw. Blood spurted from Dr. Trout’s neck. I screamed. Vidar dropped the doctor, his hands shaking.
“He’s dead! Oh my God… He’s dead!” I screamed.
The life had gone from his eyes instantly. I’d watched it happen as if in slow motion. But… he’d had the gun pointed at Vidar’s head. How could this be?
I retched, stumbling backward and covering up what parts of myself I could, and threw up in a trashcan in the corner of the room. Vidar rested his giant hand on my shoulder and whispered, “Minerva, we have to go…”
Shattered glass and blood had exploded all over the room.
“We have to go…” Vidar insisted.
“I can’t go anywhere… It doesn’t matter where we go… They’re going to kill us. They’re going to kill you!” I sobbed hysterically.
