ELBINA 3

Chapter 8

My ears rang from the gunshot, my heart pounding in my chest loudly so I'm sure it can be heard by the both of us.
The force of the ricochet gives me chance to get it out of his grip and throw it away from us.
I don't give him two seconds till I start reigning down hits on him, one after the other so I feel the sprays of his blood splatter on my face like some lunatic. I feel brutal, animalistic and volatile.
I was volatile, I was a criminal.
He feebly tries to stop my fists connecting with his broken and bloodied face, but his movements are weak and barely there.
It's him or me -
It's him or me -
I can't feel guilty, I can't.
He can recover from this, he can.
I try to forget about the guilt eating me up as I deliver the last few blows that force him into unconsciousness. Looking down at his face, it's barely recognisable and I'm thinking...
Shit.
I did that.
I look down at my fists and the blood only confirms it, I did that.
Shit.
I don't get anymore time to think, my hair is yanked backwards and a sharp sudden pain in my stomach, just above my right hip, has my breath taken from me.
I'm thrown backwards onto the ground, the back of my head smacking against the gravel.
Oh god,
I'm bleeding, it stains my shirt.
I've clamped a hand over the stab wound, looking up and seeing the other man standing above me.
He's glancing behind him at the other one, at the damage I inflicted and he grimaces.
He grimaces at what I've done.
Me.
Fuck, this hurts.
I clamp down harder, the palm of my hand wet and feeling the blood filter between my fingers too.
"Jesus... You nearly killed him." I gulp, sweat forming on my forehead as he checks over his partner. Crawling my way back away from the both of them but not making it very far.
The stained knife still in his grip, my blood drips from the end of it. My breaths come out in pants, frightened and looking at the early dull dawn light surrounding me and how no one can help me escape this.
"Elbina and Fallen are dead." I shake my head, watching him stand up fully and stalk over to me despite me crawling further back against the tarmac.
I don't want to die.
"No." It's faint, I glance back down at the blood again.
I don't want to die.
"They may not be now, but it won't take long to find them. Either way, you failed them."
"I HAVEN'T!"
"You clearly had a plan in motion, whatever it was you were supposed to do. It's not going to happen, is it?" I groan in more pain when he stands on my ankle, putting pressure on it and preventing me from getting away.
I shake my head, "Don't do it." I almost begged him, almost.
"You can't get anywhere if you're dead." He flexes the knife in his hand, dropping down till he's over me and I have to quickly hold him off. My hand grabbing his, feeling the knife point inch into my chest just the slightest.
"GET OFF!" I push against him harder to try get some distance, he just smirks down at me.
"DON'T MAKE ME-"
"Don't make you what?" He snickers down, pushing a little more down on the handle of the knife so I'm sweating trying to keep it from going deeper. My blood soaked cheeks and my swollen eyes stare right back in absolute agony so I'm not sure if I'm really seeing anyone in front of me anymore.
All I can do is hastily reach into the pocket of my trousers, panicking even more when I fumble for a couple of seconds not finding it.
COME ON LUCAS
He's digging it in a little more, I can't breathe.
Ella's not here this time.
She can't save me.
And this time, she needs my help.
So just do it.
I haven't got a choice,
I almost say sorry, but then, he's trying to kill me.
And I don't think I could have said it even if I wanted to.
It happens so sudden, I tried not to think about it too much. I just needed to survive and this was the only way I could think to do it.
He thuds to the ground beside me.
And god, I really hope that was the only way.
My eyes shut against the image, the blood that splatters over my face and the knife falls from my chest too. 
Finally, I look up at the sky too afraid to look down. Letting the gun clunk on the ground to the side of me and more than anything, guiltily enough... I feel relief wash over me.
Despite my tears and despite my uncontrolled sobbing, I feel relief.
It takes too long for me to get up, limping over his dead body slumped on the ground and avoiding the bloodied unconscious man. I nearly collapsed onto the door of the car, breathing heavily and nearly buckling at the knees to the ground.
Taking all my energy to climb back into the car seat and pull over my seatbelt, my head dropping back onto the headrest.
I flick down the visor, seeing the sheer amount of blood that cakes my face. I start to panic, wiping my face over and over again.
Why won't it come off!?
I killed someone,
I just killed someone!
Come off!
Get off!
I'm crying, I know I sound insane.
WHY WON'T IT COME OFF!?