Page 28 of Leave Me Behind
“Bunny, keep your hands low. You’re smaller than your opponent so use their height against them,” Eren shouts, bored. Ian shares a smug laugh with Harrison as I pick myself up from the ground.
“I know!” I hiss back, ready to call it a day, but only Eren gets to tell us when we’re done. My ribs still hurt, but I’m not about to let it hold me back.
The sparring circle is a flat portion of meadow we discovered during the first week. Eren makes us come out here and beat each other up every morning before the sun rises.
My eyes connect with Bradshaw’s. His hair is wet and pushed back. He crosses his arms as he watches me spar with Jefferson. The corner of Bradshaw’s mask lifts in a nasty smirk and rage courses through me ten times more. He’s been far more tame since the night he assaulted me, though I’m not sure how long that will last. Part of me believes it’s only because Eren brought down the hammer on his brother. It’s already been two weeks of trials and training, long night watches and uncomfortable meals around a campfire. And, somehow, I’ve managed to get only a few scalding glares from Bradshaw. Our conversations are one to four words max, but we aren’t fighting like we were. So,yay.
My reluctance to speak with him probably helps. He thinks this is over. That he’s won. He thinks that I’ll submit to him just because he caught me off guard.
Let him think that.
“Come on, Bunny. You’re making me feel bad about this,” Jefferson says in a sarcastic manner.
“Fuck you.” I spit blood to my side, dirt instantly clinging to it.
Jefferson reaches his hand out and motions for me to come at him. His light brown hair is wet with sweat and clings to his forehead. I told myself I’d spar easy with them, let them think they have the upper hand before really letting them have it, but to hell with that.
I unsheathe my knife and charge at him head-on. His eyes flicker with my sudden boldness. He’s too bulky to react to my swift movements. I easily duck and evade his attempt to land a blow on my chest. My leg sweeps beneath him and he lands flat on his back. He chokes out a strangled gasp from the impact. Without hesitation, I straddle his stomach, deck him across the jaw, and hold the sharp side of my blade against his stubble-covered neck.
Jefferson’s brown eyes grow wide and he blanches. I sneer at him and lean down close, whispering sweetly, “Oh, Jobs, you’re making me feel bad about this.”
His nostrils flare and he opens his mouth to spout some dumb shit I don’t care to hear. I increase the pressure of my knife against his flesh until blood bubbles up and he stills.
“That’s enough, Bunny. Colt, you’re next,” Eren orders with a monotone voice, but I don’t miss the glint in his eyes as he looks up at me. A fire that urges me on.Good job.I can practically hear him say.
Ian steps into the sparring ring and I hand his ass to him. Same with Harrison and Pete too. I can see it in their cold staresthat they know I’ve been playing softball with them so far, hiding my true attributes.
“Leave it to a Riøt to be a fucking snake,” Pete says loud enough for me to hear. He’s taking it harder than the rest for some reason. Poor loser.
“Leave it to a Malum to cry about it,” I snap back. Pete’s pupils dilate and his breath turns sharp as he stomps toward me like he can really do something about it. I ready myself, prepared to dislocate his shoulder this time if I have to.
But, of course, Bradshaw feels the need to step in. Pete halts immediately, pissing me off more that their loyalty to him is so strong.
“You think you’re the toughest soldier out there, don’t you?” Bradshaw says with a husky, angry voice that makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
Eren glares at him. “Bones, you aren’t to participate in sparring. It wouldn’t be fair,” he warns.
Bradshaw ignores his brother and walks steadily toward me, unzipping his outer jacket so he’s just in his protective vest. It’s the first time I’ve seen his bare arms in daylight and, God Almighty, is he a fucking vision. His muscles are defined and his veins protrude as he grips his knife. His tight black tactical pants hang low on his hips and my eyes drift there momentarily. He is lethal and every instinct inside my body thrums on high alert.
I think he really wants to kill me.
“Bones,” Eren warns once more to no avail.
“I’m going to make you wish you had quit the moment you got here.” Bradshaw grins beneath his mask and it sends chills down my spine. Terrible things are playing behind his cold eyes.
I don’t bother responding to him. Instead, I grip my knife harder and lower into a fighting stance. Bradshaw is the only one who I haven’t observed sparring, which I’m assuming is toprotect us, but to also keep his techniques secret. I’m not about to charge at him like I did Jefferson.
The four of our squadmates cheer for him, telling him to break my arm and make me cry. My cheeks burn but I force myself to keep emotions out of it.
If he fights anything like Jenkins, I’m fucked.
Bradshaw doesn’t let me wonder for long. He closes the distance between us with four long strides, faster than I could’ve predicted. My instincts kick in. My mind can’t keep up with his strikes but my reflexes can.
He shoots a punch at my throat and I barely jerk back in time to dodge it. His smile is sinister beneath his mask and it only makes his eyes more ferocious. He blocks my counterstrike and I dodge his cheap shot to my kidney. I can tell he’s having fun with this. Bradshaw comes at me directly and I fall for his trick, raising my arms to deflect a frontal assault. He tips to the right and hits me in the spleen. I choke, faltering in pain and he takes advantage of my slip up. His boot hooks mine and I crash to the ground.
My world spins for a second and I choke on the breaths I can’t seem to take.
He has the audacity to laugh as he comes down on me, but I’m ready for it. I twist my ankle around his and roll us to the side. He stops us with his knee and pins my arm to the ground.
