Terence’s charming facade slowly withered away. He scowled, then tensed his face and frowned. With a slow exhale and shake of the head, he finally got the message and marched off down the street.
Ida remained where she was, allowing Terence to create distance between them. Meanwhile, she bent down and took off her stilettos and tossed them aside, then pulled at her dress until she could rip a slit at the side to allow for better movement.
She took off in the opposite direction of Terence, now able to tread silently without her heels and with quicker steps. She followed the street then descended a set of stairs. When on lower ground she began to run, crossing a multi-lane road and passing through a park filled with tall, thick trees. Every human-made structure around her was monumental and imposing, and with Vidrik lurking out there, she felt like a helpless ant trying to navigate a tyrannical child’s play world. She ran along a small street engulfed on both sides by skyscrapers, then through another park which looked identical to the last one. She glanced behind her but saw no movement, then sprinted across another major road which led into a tunnel. She looked desperately down the way for a light, begging for a lone car to drive by and save her. After a long wait, her panic grew unbearable, and her sense of dread forced her to continue forward through the concrete wilderness.
Two sets of stairs led her down to even lower ground where she stopped behind a bush and listened out for Vidrik between heavy breaths. She remained where she was for a long time, listening, anticipating, not daring to move in case she gave herself away. The stillness of the night left her feeling isolated and alone, yet she took comfort in the vacuum of silence, which was tainted only by the whooshing and rattling from events happening elsewhere in the city. Then a tapping sound penetrated her bubble, sending ripples of terror shooting through her. Footsteps. Slow, deliberate echoes from above. She bolted off, speeding through a flurry of street lights and grey walls and windows, her bare feet thumping with pain as they collided with the concrete. Her chest grew tight from the lack of oxygen, which the adrenaline forced her to ignore. The Gare de La Défense train station zipped by as she found herself on the esplanade. Her panic pulled her along, deeper into the growing nightmare, with bright signs, eerily empty restaurants and bizarre artistic sculptures contributing to the surreal ride of terror.
She turned her head mid-sprint and almost screamed when she saw him. Vidrik was now at the far back of the esplanade running straight for her. She sped up again, dashing past the enormous fountain of water and through an open stretch flanked on both sides by hedges. A series of steps appeared in her way and she leapt over them as far as her legs would take her. More obstacles appeared. Benches, bicycles, electric scooters. She navigated through them all. Her terror and desperation grew. Meanwhile, despair began to seep in. How would she keep this up? Vidrik was going to catch her, and he was going to kill her.
To her surprise, she found herself slowing down. Stop running, a voice told her. She listened to it and finally stopped, sucking large gulps of air deep into her belly, forcing her scattered focus back into her body. Overwhelmed and unable to expend any more of her energy on fleeing, she clenched her fists and began yelling at the top of her lungs in the form of a war cry, releasing all her pent up frustration and panic.
Vidrik’s footsteps approached from behind. She turned around and saw him between the hedges sauntering toward her with his twisted smile, still panting from the chase. Her body trembled and her chest heaved up and down. Vidrik approached and slowly circled her, evaluating her with his eyes before coming closer, stopping barely a metre away. She clenched her teeth and stood upright with her fists held tight, refusing to look into his eyes.
“Naughty girl,” he said, reaching out and placing the back of his hand against her sweat-covered cheek.
The touch of him electrified her. She reached up and grasped his arm, snatching it forward and turning to her side while bringing him to ground in one smooth move. He was not stunned for long, growling and leaping on top of her while forcing her down. The slap to her face came from nowhere and left her stunned. He slapped her over again in a fit while she struggled to push him off. She pulled her arms up to protect her head. He punched her in the side of her stomach instead, and she yelled out in pain.
“You dirty!” he said with a hideous shriek as he continued to strike her. “Filthy!” he yelled, hitting her once more. “Disgusting!”
The insults set her off again, and she began yelling and striking back.
“Bastard!” she yelled, slapping his arms away and pushing upward with her body.
His rage grew unhinged, and his strikes became harder and more rapid, as a war of attrition broke out between them. Ida’s body screamed out in pain but she refused to give up, knowing that he had snapped, had gone beyond the point of return. Her instincts compelled her to fight, assuring her that he was going to brutally murder her if she gave up.
Two loud bangs erupted nearby in rapid succession. A third one came even closer, piercing Ida’s ears. Vidrik rolled off her and lifted his head, before his eyes lit up and he scrambled away. A fourth crack followed him before he disappeared behind the hedge. Ida struggled to lift her body. She looked in the direction of where the bullets came, then gasped in disbelief.
Bent down on one knee was Frederich, his gun pointed ahead with both hands and his finger on the trigger.
Frederich got to his
