Portals To Another World

The hooded woman

"I'm trying my best to be polite, but if you move that knife a centimeter closer to me I will tear you apart."

The woman under the hood did not move an inch to deflect the blade, as if she could she could do so by moving at the very last second. My breath hitches at her tone, low and deadly, raspy and slightly slurred as if drunk. But she did not see the hooded woman stumble or down any ale. Instead she saw the woman enter the bar and dodge the groping hands of the drunk men with nothing but feline grace. She sat at the corner table and ordered a bowl of soup but never touched it, clever on her part, but no ale. She kept her head down and eyes beneath the shadow of her hood. The blade is angled in such a way that it would go right up into her stomach, a perfect clean death. The man is tense and slightly shaking but the woman is perfectly calm and still as a statue, like she is used to this. The man's face distorts into anger, his voice shaking and his tone suggesting he just wants to get this over with,

"You can't do that. Y-" he stutters. "You are at a disadvantage."

"Yes I suppose you're right. I am but a poor defenceless woman being attacked by a big strong man." Her voice is dripping with sarcasm. The man seems to get hold of himself then, probably finding his strength by being mocked. His hand steadies and his lip stops quivering. The woman mutters under her breath so low only I caught what she said,

"This is gonna be good." I can hear her smirk.

The blade moves forward and then everything turns fast and suddenly I'm being shoved backwards onto the floof. At the last second my hand catches the edge of the table and I pull myself up only to see the woman flipping the man over her hip. He lands on his back and his lungs empty surprislying fast. Winded, he tries to get up but she is on him, pinning him down by a blade to the throat. Her hand does not shake, nor does her attention flicker for even a second.

"I'd recommend that you do not move or my hand will accidentally slip. Do you understand?"

The man whimpers but doesn't dare nod. The woman releases her grip and sits back, adjusting her hood so that it doesn't fall back and show her face. Sighing she asks,

"Now. Tell me why the hell you tried to kill me?"

"I- I was told to. I w- was paid to."

They continue talking while I try to regain my balance. I hunker down on my heels so that I don't disturb what is unfolding in front of me, the hooded woman is deadly beneath those robes, I know that for sure. I steady my breath after the shock, brushing a piece of hair out of my eyes absently I look back at the two.

"Stop whimpering. It's annoying." The woman is scowling at the man.

"I c- can't. It's kinda hard to when you've got that knife."

"Hm that is true. I do have a knife. And I am ready to kill you if you don't tell me what I need to know."

"W- what's that?"

"Who. Who Mick? Who payed you to kill me?"

"I don't k- know his name. He didn't tell anyone."

"Well then. See Mick? That wasn't so hard now, was it? Alrighty then, here's what is going to happen now. I'm going to stand up and point the knife at you until you have, slowly, backed out of the door. Yeah? That sounds like a good plan to me. Mick, what about you? Like that plan? The plan in which you can keep your life?"

The man, Mick, just nods and puts up his hands to show he's not doing anything.

"Good. Now Mick I'm going to get up."

The woman stands up and angles the knife towards him. Only then I realise that I'm between Mick and the door, he'll have to walk past me to get to it. I straighten up slowly, quietly, trying not to get noticed by the two. Mick starts to walk backwards to the door, I hold my breath and my shoulders tighten. He passes by me and I let go of my breath.
The woman suddenly yells something that I couldn't quite hear and then there's a arm around my throat, jerking me back. Mick cuts my air supply off nearly fully and my hands fly to my throat, trying to pry his arm away from me. This man could snap my neck easily.
My eyes dart towards the woman, silently begging for her to help somehow. She turns her palm towards the floor, keeping the knife trapped between her pointer finger and thumb.