Human

Ten

I hit Hecate. I hit her.

I stared up at her beautiful face, now shielded with one of her hands cupped over the lower half and her nose.

I hit Hecate.

I could barely register the pain shooting through my right knuckle. The throbbing sensation was like a pin keeping me hooked to the reality of what I'd just done.

I hit Hecate..

I was frozen. Like a deer in the headlights. A deer who had just hit her hunter, her owner, a creature infinitely more powerful and who held so much control over her life. I couldn't look away. I couldn't move, even though she'd released her hold on me, I stood limply.

I hit Hecate- no.. no I punched Hecate. In the face.

It was dead silent. Frighteningly silent. Slowly, Hecate lowered her hand from over her face. I could see smears of blood on the palm and fingers, her nose was bleeding.

I'd hit her hard enough that her nose was bleeding. I'd been able to hit her and to draw blood.

Her eyes started to drift from her stained hand up towards me. I should run, I should get the fuck out. I should throw myself at her feet and beg for forgiveness, I should break down in tears and hope and pray that for once she'll take pity on me. I should-

We met eyes at last. The beautiful, deep green stared back at me. I could see she was still as struck by shock and disbelief as I was. She would never believe that I, a human, would or could ever hit a Demon.

I could see the shock begin to morph into anger, it fell over her features like an oncoming storm. I could almost hear the thunder crashing and pounding against the earth. My mind screamed at me to run or do something. Out of the periphery of my vision, I could just about make out the blurred shape of the open door, and a figure who had stood to his feet, Laz.

Hecate was moving closer to me. Her eyes were on fire now, the deep green now an onslaught of green flames. I started to lean down, putting my hands up as a way of begging forgiveness, as though it could calm her anger.

"I'm so-"

Before I knew it I was on the floor, cradling my own face. Pain had exploded on the left side and I was winded from the force of being knocked down.

A hand grabbed me by the front of my shirt and I felt my body forcefully yanked upright. My eyes couldn't quite focus properly but I knew it was her, her skin, the blood around her nose, her blonde her, her green eyes. She felt stronger than ever, it was like she was holding me up entirely.

I knew what was coming and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I watched Hecate draw back her fist and punch me again. It knocked my head right back but I didn't fall to the ground again, her grip on the front of my shirt was still firmly in place, keeping me upright.

I lifted my head up again, slowly, it felt like it was spinning. There was so much pain. I looked up at her again, I had to say something.

"I'm sorry Hecate-"

She punched me again, in the jaw. I tried to lift my hands up to protect my face but I wasn't fast enough and the blow sent me back down to the hard ground. I moved slightly on the floor, my whole body ached from being knocked down twice and I could taste blood in my mouth. Hecate must have let go of my shirt.

A powerful kick to the abdomen hit me. Once, twice, three times. It was like they knocked the oxygen out of my lungs. I wrapped my arms around my stomach protectively. I tried to open my mouth to apologise again, and to beg her, I don't know what I would beg her but anything, anything. I was too winded, I couldn't manage a single word.

Another kick came, and another. I cried out in pain. A blow landed on my head and I lifted my arms as best I could to protect it. My ears were ringing so loudly that if Hecate had been saying something and demanding a response from me I wouldn't have even known.

She kicked me again in the stomach and another yelp left my mouth. Silently, I begged for her to stop, though I knew that I had crossed an uncrossable line and I would be lucky to walk away from this alive.

Dazed and lost in my hopeless thoughts, the feeling of a heavy weight on me was a painful shock on my already sore abdomen. I didn't have the strength or the drive to lift my head up, but I could see it was Hecate, straddling me, her body weight only adding to the suffocation I felt from being knocked down and winded.

She grabbed her hand round the bottom of my face and twisted it towards her, making me look directly at her. I could make her out but the picture kept swooning and blurring and wouldn't focus.

She punched me again, in the face. And again.

I let out a quiet, pained moan, I didn't even try to struggle or move away. I think Hecate was saying something to me, but I couldn't see clearly enough or hear anything but the violent ringing.
She rubbed the back of her hand against the side of my face as though she were wiping mud off of it, and I felt something wet against my cheek. Was it blood?

I could feel her grab the wrist of my right hand that was lying limply by my side. She squeezed it tightly and then smashed the back of my hand against the wall. Once, twice, three times, four, five. I started to lose count. Tears escaped me and rolled down my cheeks, I wanted to ask her to stop but the breathe was still so knocked out of me and every time I opened my mouth to try and speak all I could feel and taste was blood.

The pain in my hand was unbearable, weakly, I tried to raise my left hand up to her, silently begging for her to understand. Hecate stopped for a moment, but then took hold of my left arm and twisted it away painfully, I screamed and she brought her fist back and punched me again.

I felt like I was going to be sick. My whole body was screaming. I couldn't stop crying. The tears were flowing freely down the sides of my already damp face. I couldn't see or hear, not properly. I prayed for mercy, for the Queen, for it all to stop.

Hecate's hands were on my throat, I could feel her shaking me violently, intermittently, she was trying to say something, perhaps she wanted an answer but I couldn't hear her over the deafening ringing. I could barely open my eyes anymore.

Suddenly it all stopped, she stopped shaking me, her hands were gone, the weight of her on me was gone. All that was left was the aching agony in my hand, my arm, my wrist, my stomach, my head. Everything hurt. I didn't move. I couldn't move.

I let my eyes close. The darkness was more than welcome.