I try to wriggle out of his grip, kicking and hitting anything I can reach but he only tightens his hold. Seemingly oblivious to my attempts to hurt him.
My scarf is making it harder for him to get a tight grip on my throat and I'm able to take short shallow breaths. Fear coils around my chest like a vice and I can hear my heart pounding in my ears. I try hitting him and scratching at his arms and hands, anything I can think of in my panic to get him off me.
Nothing works and my vision goes blurry from the tears in my eyes. I try to speak but it comes out as a barely audible squeak.
I stare pleadingly into Robbie's unemotional eyes. His mouth is open in a grimace from his efforts to strangle me and his breathing sounds more like a grunt.
My head starts to feel heavy from the little to no air in my lungs.
Can no one hear or see us? Panic and terror flood me as I realise I could die. I don't know what I did or said to make Robbie act in this way. The little I know of him he seemed like an alright guy. Someone I could call a friend and now he's going to kill me in the middle of these woods and no one is going to know.
Despair joins the tsunami of emotions roiling through me and more tears start to fall from the corners of my eyes.
What did I do to deserve this?! I've never so much as squatted a spider and now I'm going to be murdered and I don't even know why!
Anger boils up inside me at the unfairness of this situation and I make one last attempt at somehow surviving this. In any way I can.
I reach up at his face. Trying desperately to scratch anything I can reach through my fingerless gloves. I manage to scratch him just under the eye but he doesn't even acknowledge it. His determination to strangle the life out of me is his only purpose and anything that gets in the way of that is just a minor hindrance.
I change tactic and put all my remaining energy into trying to loosen his grip on my throat. My scarf is still giving me a minor amount of protection otherwise I'm sure I would already be dead. Although the tiny amount of air my scarf allows me is still barely enough and I start getting black dots filling my vision.
My panic reaches a whole new level as I realise I'm nearly out of time.
I dig my fingers into the tender underside of his wrists with all my remaining strength. As I do a familiar power rises within me. Filling me completely like it did the night before when I pushed the tree back up. This time instead of giving me strength I feel it rising to the surface. Clinging to my skinand travelling to my fingertips. My skin tingles all over but it's strongest in my hands.
I grip Robbie's wrists as tight as I can and then I feel the power release through my fingertips. He cries in pain and jumps off me cradling his hands.
I immediately suck in air and cough and splutter. Then getting my breathing under control and clearing my head I scramble to my feet.
Robbie is writhing on the floor screaming in pain. I can't help but watch in horror as purple and green vein like lines cover his skin. From his hands, slowly spreading beyond sight up his sleeve.
What did I do?!
The feeling of power is gone but it's left a slight tingling in my fingers.
Robbie's screams have turned into chocked sobs and then I see the vein like pattern appear from his collar and work their way up his neck to his face, then up into his hair line. Within seconds he stops moving and his eyes close. I stand there frozen in shock. I take a deep breath and start to call for help but then a hand clamps around my mouth from behind. I jump and lash out at whoever it is behind me but another arm comes around my waist trapping my arms. I try everything to get away but the person holding me has a hold like steel.
“Shh. Calm down. He'll be fine.”
I vaguely recognise the voice but the panic I'm feeling blocks out everything but my desperation to get away from him.
“Gods! Will you stop moving!”
Yeah, like that's gonna happen!
I start trying to stomp on his feet to no avail. As I exhaust myself with my efforts to get away, I notice something both familiar and unnerving. A feeling of despair hangs heavy in the air. Like invisible empty darkness. Like Death... That's it... It'swhat I'd imagine death to feel like. It's been coming and going since yesterday. But I've never felt it so strong as I do now.
“That's it. Calm. I'm letting go OK?”
Without realising it I'd stopped struggling but as long as he lets go of me I'll roll with it. His grip on me loosens and I turn to see Alistair. He looks amused.
The moment there was space between us the horrible feeling ebbed away slightly but I could still feel it emanating from him like an aura. All my instincts tell me I can't let my guard down around this guy.
I hear a moan from behind me. Shit it's Robbie! I drop down on the floor next to him and notice the purple and green veins have nearly disappeared.
“See I told you he was fine.” Alistair's nonchalant tone grates on me and I spin around to face him.
“How the fuck do you know that?! I thought I'd killed him and you just show up out of nowhere and find this all funny?!” I get up and shove him but he doesn't budge an inch. The no-it-all's a statue now?!
