Page 111 of Malachi
“You little cunt, get back here!” His voice called, the very sound of it sending fear rippling through me like icy needles of terror.
My dress whipped against my legs as I ran, gliding against the cool, jagged edge of the rocks as I rounded the corner. Suddenly, his hands were on me, grasping at me and pitching me forward until I fell again. My ankle pulsed violently with renewed pain as I tried to push up and get away.
His hands were faster, pushing me back down onto the ground. Rocks and jagged bits of ground pressed against my chest, making it hard to breathe.
I tried to get back to my feet, working to gather them underneath me as pain spiked and sliced its way up my ankle and into my calf like a white-hot knife, but it was no use.
His hand grabbed around my ankle, pulling me back, and my face collided with the rocky ground below. My cheek stung and my eyes watered as jagged rocks scraped me, only adding to the pain that had begun to stack up in my body.
With a great groan, he reached forward with his other hand, making a grab at me, but I was faster. I kicked my good leg back, hitting something — whatever it was. It was enough to make him groan, and his grip relaxed enough for me to move forward a bit. I only made it one step, as his hand grabbed up at me once more.
His hand wound through my hair, pulling it tight and then shifting again until he grabbed it clear down by the scalp, tearing hair from the roots with an audible ripping sound. He turned, pulling me as I reached for my hair, kicking and grappling for a way to get a foothold as he dragged me across the ground.
“You fucking crazy ass whore. You never were good enough for Zion. All of you girls and your Temple boys have been nothing but trouble from the start. You all deserve this. Deserve every damn second of this fate. God’s plan.” His words barely pierced through the pain radiating through my body in waves.
“You bastard! Let me go!” I screamed.
“Death is a kindness. You should thank me,” he chuckled darkly, with an evil, maniacal sense of humor.
“You should thank me for ridding you of a worthless husband like Malachi. He was never worthy of Zion. But don’t you worry your pretty little head about any of that, Missy. You’ll be joining him soon,” he sneered at me. It only made me fight harder. Not that it was easy. It was hard. Incredibly hard. Refusing to give in to the pain and despair was easily the most difficult thing I had ever done. But I knew Malachi would not want me to give in, so I dug deep within myself and found the strength to keep fighting. For him. For him, I could become a beast of my own.
Pain ran through my body in sharp, static waves. Black fog curled around the corners of my vision. But I would. Not. Give. Up. I couldn’t let this monster win. As long as I didn’t quit fighting, there was a chance. And if there was one thing this fucker of a man could not do, it was take away who I was. He could not take away the fact that I was, and would forever be, Malachi Temple’s wife. Strong. Fierce. And most certainly, not a quitter.
Strength welled up inside me; from where, I did not know. Images of all the times I had run from Malachi, fought him, struggled to escape his clutches, played through my head. It was almost as if he had been training me for this very moment. I knew how to fight. And the Reverend wasn’t half the man my husband was. He couldn’t even hold a candle to Malachi’s strength and tenacity.
I almost smiled for a moment as I realized the Reverend had absolutely no idea who he was trying to subdue. The pain faded to a dull ache, easy to ignore. I had experienced pain before. I knew how to handle it.
I bared my teeth and roared in defiance. Reaching my arms over my head, I grabbed at him. I kicked and pulled on his arm, giving me the leverage I needed to flip over.
I ignored the pulling of my hair from my head as I gathered my feet up under me. Digging my heels into the dirt, I pulled with all my might. I could feel the hairs pulling out of my scalp like pinpricks of stinging rain as they ripped from the roots.
Just a bit farther and then — there!
I rocked from my heels to the balls of my feet, launching me towards the Reverend’s thigh. Mouth open wide, I hit him face first.
“What the — Argghhh!!” he screamed. My teeth clamped over his linen covered flesh. I bit down hard. Harder. Pulling my jaw up and closing my teeth together as the skin beneath the linen finally gave way, breaking as blood poured into my mouth.
Shaking my head back and forth, I refused to let go until flesh tore from flesh and He crumpled onto the ground, screaming in pain. One last good tear, and I felt a chunk of his thigh rip completely free. Only the fabric of his pants kept me from coming away with a mouthful of bloody flesh..
The sound of his scream pierced my ears like hot knives, his hands releasing my hair as he grabbed for his leg, trying to staunch the bleeding. I didn’t think, acting on pure instinct. I sprang forward, spitting the blood out of my mouth as I almost tripped. My hands caught against the ground as I pushed up again, up and forward. Always forward. Step, step, step, go, go, go.
On past the clearing.
Around the totem.
Then to the left.
Feel your way.
I wanted to quit, to just give in and let the fates decide how cruel my ending would be. But I couldn’t do that.
Harder
Faster
Keep moving. Don’t stop.
Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes as I turned the corner to see the moss covered mountain side I had been searching for. It was here. I’d found it. My shoulders wanted to sag with relief, my body giving into sheer exhaustion, but I couldn’t. Not yet.
