He wrenches free and drives the blade forward with all his remaining strength.
It buries itself deep in my chest.
I must lose consciousness for a second or two. The sharp object pierces the wall of my chest in a blinding burst of pain that leaves me howling and my knees buckling.
The next thing I know I’m on the ground, glancing down at the handle of the knife protruding from my body. Blood wells around the metal, thick and crimson, washed away by rainwater only to be replaced by more oozing out.
I can feel how the blade scrapes against bone, buried deep in muscle and flesh, centimeters from my heart.
It hurts to breathe. It hurts to even lay still.
For one crystalline moment, I think this is it.
This is how I die. This is how my rabbit dies.
It’s over.
Damaged himself, with a broken nose and shattered rib, Black Shell stumbles over to the cliff’s edge.
“Now you will know,” he rasps, blood dribbling down his chin. “Now you will remember what it feels like to helplessly watch her die.”
With a desperate, final surge of strength, he shoves at the wardrobe.
“No—” I croak, outstretching a hand.
But he doesn’t listen. His boot connects with the wardrobe and sends it tumbling over the cliffside.
It rolls one end over itself as it flies over the edge then lands in the churning sea with a great splash. It manages to float for a few short seconds before the tide quickly drags it under.
“MONROE!” I bellow, instantly consumed by sheer terror.
Suddenly the blade in my chest doesn’t matter. I shove myself to my feet, wrapping long fingers around the handle and wrenching the knife free with a roar of agony that sounds more animalistic than human.
Black Shell’s eyes widen with shock.
I’m already launching myself toward him, his blade in hand, anticipating his dodge before he executes it.
As he scrambles to maneuver around me, swerving to the side, I’m waiting for him as he does. I run the blade straightthrough his throat, twisting it as I do, forcing a gasping scream out of him.
I wrest the knife free and watch as blood once again makes an appearance—it spurts from his throat like a gory hose. His hands scrabble at the wound, but it’s useless.
This wound is fatal, and he’s done.
His body crumples to the ground, the life quickly draining out of him.
“Your revenge goes unfinished,” I growl, glaring down at him, droplets of water clinging to my face and hair. “You die a failure while I live to continue my bloodline.”
He chokes on air, giving one final gasping breath before twitching and then going still.
There’s no time to bask in the victory.
….thereisno victory until my rabbit is safe and sound.
The same terror consuming me as when I watched the wardrobe fly over the cliff, I sprint toward the edge and dive with no hesitation.
It’s at such a height that the impact from the water is like hitting concrete. It’s intense slamming into it, but any pain exploding from my feet to the rest of my body is outright ignored.
I plunge into the frigid dark waters, the cold shocking my system and stealing some of my breath but still not enough to stop me.
