That only enraged him more, the sounds coming from outside her bedroom more animal now thanhuman.
The door splintered with acrack.
Andy kicked his way through the remaining pieces, shoving the chairaside.
Mia reached out of the closet with her left arm, aimed the bear spray at his face, hitting him dead in theeyes.
He screamed in pain, dropping his weapon and clutching at his face. “Cunt!”
She jumped out, lunged for the pistol, gripped it with her left hand, her right arm completely useless. He kicked at her, catching her in the sternum, knocking her back, crushing pain driving the breath from her lungs. The pistol skittered across her bedroom floor. She tried to reach it, pain almost making hersick.
Andy grabbed her by her hair, yanking her to her feet and throwing her back onto her bed. “You ruined mylife!”
“You ruined your own life, you sad piece of shit!” She kicked him as hard as she could, hitting his face and throat, the pain in her chest making it hard tobreathe.
Brokenribs?
Eyes red and watering, he fell on her, wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed, trying to strangleher.
“I think I’d like killing you with my bare handsbetter.”
Oh, no you don’t, youasshole.
She took hold of a ski pole with her left hand and jammed its pointed tip into his temple. He shrieked and released her, blood flowing from a wound on his headnow.
She sucked in air, pain shooting through her chest. “How’s your headachenow?”
He drew back his fist and struck her hard on the cheek, pain exploding inside her skull, lights dancing before her eyes, darkness dragging herdown.
Stayawake!
If she didn’t, she woulddie.
She fought the darkness, opened her eyes, saw Andy retrieve thepistol.
It wasover.
Mia fought to hang on, pain and blood loss sucking her down. “I held your hand. When you were in medical, I held your hand. I helpedyou.”
“Then you went and told Frankeverything!”
The sirens were gettingcloser.
“You need to go, Andy. You need to run. They’re almosthere.”
“I don’t care.” He took a few steps backward, pistol aimed at her. “When you’re dead, I’m going to put a bullet in my head. You have no idea how hard it was to see this through, to live with this pain every day. I’ve wanted to end it for so long, but I held on so that I could watch you diefirst.”
BAM!
Meyer howled, fell to the floor, looking in shock toward thedoorway.
Joaquin!
He lay on his belly on the landing, pistol raised with one hand. “Stay…down…”
Whether Joaquin was talking to her or Meyer, Mia couldn’t be sure. She rolled off the bed, taking what cover she could, just as Meyer raised his pistolagain.
This time it was pointed atJoaquin.