Fighting the Losing Battle

Chapter 3 - Time To Go

Hi! It's me! So, I'm back with a new chapter, and this time it's a shorter one. Originally I wrote chapter three as one long chapter, at over 3500 words, but then when I reread it, it seemed too much, so I have split it into two chapters. On the bright side, it means there will be another update later tonight (hopefully!), containing chapter 4.

Thank you to anyone who has voted or commented so far - I know I've said it before, but it truly does mean a lot. :)

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Unedited - will be edited later (may contain spelling/grammatical mistakes)

Enjoy! And more to follow soon! X

Kira POV

I'm going through the window. I have to. Giving up isn't an option for me, not now, not after all this time. I have an escape route, albeit a rather hazardous one, but an escape route none the less. I have to try. I won't forgive myself if I don't try.

Having made my decision, I can now throw all my efforts into getting through this window and landing – preferably alive. I know that when I hit the ground I will have no time to recover. I will have to start running, faster than I have ever ran before, no matter how bad the pain is. If I manage to escape, I will have time to ease the pain. Later. But now? Now, I need to focus.

Each breath becomes shallow, my heartbeat quickening with the realisation of what I am about to do. I force myself to breathe deeper. If I'm ever going to leave, I have to go now. It's the only chance I will get to escape. I have to take it.

I brace myself for the pain, for I know that there will be pain. A lot of it. I find a narrow gap between two particularly nasty-looking shards of glass, and manage to wrap my fingers around the frame without causing myself too much pain. I place one foot on the edge of the frame, using the other foot (which is still on the ground) to keep my balance, and to build more power. I am conscious of exactly how far away the ground is. Further away than I would have liked. I – strangely, because usually I feel fairly comfortable with heights – feel a sense of vertigo, making me go slightly light-headed. I ignore it, I have to leave. Deep breaths. Three, two, one...GO! I push myself up off the ground, and hoist myself through the window.

Some people say that adrenaline often numbs the senses, blocks out pain. Those people are fools. With my heightened senses, I feel everything. And it is agony. Time seems to stand still, during my fall. I am completely and utterly aware when those glass knives attack my body. A gentle brush past them would draw blood. Having to squeeze through the tiny gap the way I am, the glass cuts deep. My petite body isn't quite petite enough. Deadly spikes slice through my skin as easily as scissors cut through paper. A particularly malicious shard lodges itself deep into my upper arm. I choke on the screams that are trying to force their way out. The last thing I need is to alert them of where I am, what I'm doing. A scream would bring them running. The glass stubbornly refuses to dislodge itself, leaving me stuck, half-hanging out of the window. I twist frantically, trying to get free. All of a sudden, I feel a jolt, as the glass tears through my fragile skin. My arm erupts into flames, a relentless blaze. My whole body is on fire. Every wound pulsates in time with my heartbeat.

Now through the window, I face the freefall. This doesn't seem to last nearly as long. In fact, with the pain clouding all logical thoughts, I am unaware of falling. I hit the ground clumsily, with a soft thump. My body is injured, and it knows it. I shudder, and my throat tightens with the need to scream. I know I have to leave, but my body refuses to cooperate with my brain. Maybe it's best to just give in? To let them capture me. I want to die. Anything to stop the pain. Just let me die. But I can't do that. I owe it to the rest of my people, to keep fighting. They kept fighting. They died fighting. I won't let a broken window be the death of me.