And something else.
Regret.
Then—
A sound.
A faint scrape.
Fabric on fabric.
Behind the tallest heap of rags to my right.
I stopped instantly.
Every muscle in my body locked into place.
I listened.
Nothing.
The silence stretched.
Too long.
Then—
Movement.
Sudden. Violent.
Before I could even pivot—
A body slammed into me from behind.
Arms like steel cables locked around my throat, crushing inward with brutal precision.
A forearm pressed hard against the side of my neck, digging into the carotid sinus—targeting the exact nerve cluster just beneath the jaw.
A trained move.
My vision exploded into white. Stars fractured across my sight.
My knees buckled immediately.
The world tilted.
Black creeping in at the edges.
But instinct took over.
I dropped my weight forward, forcing momentum to work in my favor, dragging the attacker with me just enough to break their balance.
My left hand shot up instantly, fingers clamping around their wrist.
I twisted—hard.
Bone grinding against bone.
