“You miserable swine,” he sneers.
I remember how disgusted Gabriel was by merely touching my bare arm, so I spit in his face.
“Damn it!” he flinches, releasing my arms and rubbing at his face.
I pound away at his chest, hoping to knock him off me. Gabriel’s hands wrap around my throat, squeezing ever so slowly as he continues holding me down. I begin to choke and my vision darkens.
“Hold on just a little longer,” Gabriel whispers softly. “You won’t have to suffer ever again.”
I can’t see anything now, gasping and squirming under his weight. I strike at him with my hands to no effect. I grab his arms, attempting to pull them away from my neck, but it’s useless. He’s just too strong for me.
“Be brave, my darling,” he says. “Everything will be over soon.”
Strangely enough, some compliant part of me wants to relax and stop fighting. But a nasty angry part wants to live, refusing to give up. So I kick at the floor behind him, my shoes sliding on the stone surface. I frantically grab at his shirt, my hands brushing along his side.
“Easy now,” he whispers. “We’re almost done.”
My right hand brushes something. I feel the metallic handle of the knife Gabriel wears on his waist. I pull it out and stab him, still unable to see. His grip on my throat weakens. Gabriel releases me, producing a strange gurgling noise. I take a few deep breaths and push him off. My vision begins to normalize and I see Gabriel now on his hands and knees, a blade sticking out from his side.
I scream, stepping away. He grabs my ankle, pulling me in closer. A surreal horror enfolds me, because for a moment I believe that Gabriel must be immortal. No matter what I do, he will kill me anyway. I let out another hysterical scream and kick him in the head. He falls over, lying facedown on the floor. I pull the knife out of his side and stab him in the back. Gabriel stops moving.
I stand in front of him, feeling like I’m about to break down. But instead, I begin laughing insanely.
“I’ve killed you,” I say, kicking Gabriel one more time. “You were right all along. Killing is easy.”
Then I look over at Amy’s body and stop laughing just as abruptly as I began. The room becomes blurred as tears flood my eyes. Only now, I fully realize what’s taken place. My friend is dead and I’ve just killed my master. I’ve committed the worst crime possible. I’ll be burned alive or hung from a tree should anyone discover me here.
I wipe away Gabriel’s blood from my face. Holding the knife in a shaky hand, I exit the basement. I walk along a corridor in some sort of daze, not even bothering to listen for guards. I suddenly think of Gabriel’s gun, wondering why I left it behind. But there’s no time to go back now. I have to leave this place as quickly as I can.
Turning a corner, I almost bump into Tanya. She stares at me wide-eyed as I freeze, holding the knife in front of me.
“What happened?” she whispers.
“I killed Gabriel,” I say. “I must escape right now. Amy is dead.”
Tanya’s mouth falls open upon hearing the news, then she smiles.
“You killed him!” she utters in admiration. “Take me with you. I want to be free too. Please.”
I know I shouldn’t involve this little girl in my troubles, but right now I’m too scared to be completely alone.
“All right,” I whisper, motioning for her to follow.
We make it almost to the front door, when I hear guards approaching. I grip Tanya’s arm, leading her away in a different direction. We conceal ourselves under a staircase. The guards shine flashlights, checking the hall. Somebody touches my shoulder. I turn instantly, holding the knife tightly. The house maid with scars on her face stands in front of me. She looks at my blade, my clothes soaked in Gabriel’s blood and puts a finger to her lips, signaling us to be quiet. She leads us along a corridor to a small hidden room. There, she opens a window, takes a look outside and gestures for us to climb out. We never exchange one single word and I’ve no idea why she’s helping us. I nod, mouthing a thank you before jumping outside.
Tanya and I jog through the dark garden and come to the tall brick wall surrounding the residence. I jump, catching the edge of the wall, and pull myself up. Then I help Tanya up and we both land on the other side.
With no definite plan or destination in mind, we jog along the deserted streets of Central Settlement. I’m not a slave anymore, I suddenly realize, I’m free.
CHAPTER 15
I’ve been dreaming about freedom for a long time, but suddenly having it now is terrifying. I have no idea what to do. It’s the first time in my life I haven’t had a master. There’s nobody giving orders and controlling my life. Only now can I fully understand what Samantha meant in saying that the thought of freedom was scary to her. How are you supposed to feel safe when you don’t know how you’ll feed
