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TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains depictions of violence and threats of assault.
ANGIE
As soon as she was gone, I turned to Kanu and whispered, "We need to do something. Now."
"I agree. But what shall we do? Can we call the police now?" Kanu whimpered back. "I know Lynn does not like the police, but she is hurt. There is big trouble going on here. Besides, we are just two kids." She pointed at me for emphasis. "We cannot do anything to stop this."
"We can. Yes, they are two guys, but they both looked pretty skinny to me. I bet they haven't got enough strength between them to beat up a kitten." I leaned in close to Kanu, whispering fast, and used my most convincing voice, "We can DO it, Kanu. We'll surprise them. My kid brothers are tiny, but when they tackle my mom and I, they usually can throw us off balance pretty easily. It's all about leverage, and center of gravity. If we go in quick, and hit them low, we can get in there. We can get her out. What do you think?"
"Me, tackle somebody? Are you out of your mind!" Kanu wagged her finger at Angie. "We know they beat up someone already, they beat up Jim! Jimmy!" Her voice trembled. She's scared, I think. I'm not sure why I'm not. "What would we do, even if we are able to incapacitate them? We should still find a phone, and call the police!"
"I know, I know." I replied. "I know we could all get in a lot of trouble, and I'm also pretty sure that those boxes have the stolen music. And Lynn, bless her little heart, she walked right into this mess. I don't know what she was thinking but..."
Kanu grabbed my arm. "Never mind that. It does not matter what she was thinking, or if the music is stolen or not, or anything else. All that matters is that they are going to, going to," she mouthed the last words without speaking them aloud, "kill her."
"Yes we are," said a male voice, and the light suddenly came on, surrounding us.
We turned and saw them. The two guys from the room, both spider-legs and lipstick boy were standing in the doorway with big smirks on their faces.
"Boo."
Before I could blink, Kanu and I were wrapped up by the two boys, our bodies squished together, strong arms holding us tight. I felt Kanu struggle against me as the boys squeezed us together, holding down our arms and putting pressure on our ribs.
We struggled.
It was getting hard to breathe. My chest felt tight, and then I felt a yank as one of the guys tried to pick us both off the ground. What are these guys trying to do? It was hands and arms everywhere. I couldn't tell who's arm belonged to who, but someone had my shoulder and back in a vice and a fist was pushing into my ribs. One guy yelled at the other to stop, and to let him have "the little one" which made Kanu scream.
As we grappled, I tried pressing my arms apart and stomping my feet, while Kanu kept screaming. I think she was kicking her legs. Then, like a surgeon's knife, I felt fingers start crawling along my belly through my sweater. His hand moved completely between the two of us, grabbed my waist, and tried to wedge me apart from Kanu.
Suddenly I remembered, wait, I'm the tall one here. I have the advantage, and I'm going to use it. I bent my knees and felt us all drop to the floor, then I quickly pushed upwards, like I was trying to jump in the air. I felt the pressure on my lungs release like a balloon popping, and I was free.
As the air came rushing back into my lungs something snapped inside of me. It was like the world was moving in slow motion. I turned and saw my attacker, spider-legs man, looking like he was ready to grab me again. My arm was bent at my side, my hand clenched into a fist. With power I didn't know I had, my arm straightened, and I hit him hard on the nose. Crack!
It took me a heartbeat to react, with my arm still dangling up in the air, but then I backed away from the boy, panting. He looked surprised as blood poured down from his nose and all over his shirt, and he made a noise like an elephant.
"Stay away from me!" I shouted, and backed up, bumping right into Kanu and lipstick boy, who were still struggling. He was having trouble holding her off the floor. She was still kicking her legs, hard, and screaming at the top of her lungs, "Help! Someone help us!"
I called out to her the first thought that came into my head. "Kanu, you can hurt him! Hit him! Hit him with your head! Kanu!"
I saw Kanu's head snap backwards, and the boy dropped to the floor, taking the girl with him in a tangle of arms and legs. I held out my hand and helped her unwind herself from the boy, who was looking dazed and shaking his head.
Together we ran out, me first, pushing past spider-legs who had his head back and was holding his shirt on his face, still making weird noises as he tried to stop the blood flowing from his rapidly swelling nose. Kanu slammed the door behind us, and followed me out.
I paused for one second, then ran right back into the room where we had seen Lynn. Kanu shut the door quietly behind us.
Using the light filtering through the filth covering the small window, I could see Lynn's form still curled up on the floor. I whispered, "Lynn, Lynn! Are you okay?" I sat next to her and shook her shoulders gently.
"Do not move her," said Kanu, kneeling next to her on the floor. "I have heard that this is very bad."
"I have to move her, Now! They are coming!" I slipped my left arm under her head, and my right arm under her knees, and lifted.
She was surprisingly light.
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