used. My constricted throat is hindering my ability to fight back, and swatches of black swarm around me. I jab my elbows back into the solid mass of his chest, and receive a bright stripe of pain across my left elbow for my trouble. Apparently not all of his knives are located on his leg. He grunts something unintelligible, and tightens his grip further. Twisting my body to and fro only increases the compression on my windpipe and I sense that my captor is growing increasingly tired of my antics. Or perhaps he's always this friendly with the grunts and the chokeholds, it's hard to tell. I have no desire to confirm or deny that theory but unless I can find a way out of this situation soon, I will be making his acquaintance in a big way. Strength and position are not on my side in this fight, but perhaps the element of surprise still could be my saviour. I make a show of one final weak attempt at struggling my way free, and then slump against his body, surreptitiously sliding my heels back a few inches as I do so. I remain motionless with eyelids squeezed shut as he loosens his grip ever so slightly on my neck. He appears to have bought my act, and as he turn us bodily towards his companion, I grit my teeth and gather my strength to shove myself upwards. I've got one last chance here before I become the latest in a long line of victims in the new order of things. My head connects with the line of his jaw, snapping his ugly mouth closed with an audible clunk. He yowls through his teeth in indignation and pain and I want to echo the sentiment, but I just don't have the time. Slightly dazed from the force of the impact, I weasel out of his arms and hit the floor in a crouch to launch myself towards the door and towards freedom. As a parting gift, I stomp hard on the toes of his busted right boot as I spring forward, ten steps from the door. Eight. Six. Four steps to freedom and I can feel his arm grasping my bicep, but his grip is not strong and I have adrenaline mainlining itself in my system. Pure fear and determination get me to the door despite the anchor, and as I slide through the narrow opening for once the universe is on my side. The big idiot is too big to fit through the door; he holds me just outside the doorway for only a few seconds before I break free and I get a final gust of his delightful breath as he roars obscenities at my rapidly distancing back.
I run for another five minutes before my heaving chest demands I slow and collect my bearings and my breath. In my panic I had run directly into a part of the town I had not yet explored and thereby had not assessed the level of safety there. Additionally, there is nothing particularly stealthy about a panicked woman running blindly into unknown territory, and clearly the hunters were still on the prowl at this hour. I drop into a awkward jog, breathing raggedly while considering my options for shelter. It seems too dangerous to step into one of the buildings lining this street without advance scouting of the situation, and I know there's no time for that. Approximately a block and a half down I see a break in the