Ameena calling my name. Why wasn’t she helping me? Why wasn’t she stopping him? Couldn’t she see what he was doing?
Of course she couldn’t see. She couldn’t see anything. None of us could see anything. I was drowning, and she was just a few feet away, and she couldn’t see. Why wasn’t there a light? Why couldn’t there just be one—
With an electrical crackle, a bare bulb burst into life on the closest wall. I felt the hand on my neck relax just a fraction, and heard a low mumble of surprise, before Ameena launched herself at the man on my back.
Mr Mumbles caught her by the arm and swung her behind him. With a
clank
of metal, Ameena staggered into a mound of debris from the fallen roof. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her head hit the crumpled iron, hard. She whimpered once, then slumped down on to the flooded floor.
Finding strength I didn’t know I had, I twisted, knockingMr Mumbles off balance. He toppled sideways, and I helped him on his way with a kick to the ribs.
We both made it to our feet at the same time. Eyes locked, we stood there in the garage, the rain matting my hair and curving the brim of his hat. The light bulb buzzed on the wall, hissing quietly whenever a raindrop touched the glass. I still hadn’t quite figured out where it had come from, but I wasn’t about to question it. I’d needed a light, and I’d been lucky enough to get one. Now if only I could find some kind of weapon, I might stand a chance.
Almost immediately, my toe brushed against something solid on the floor. I let my eyes flick down, losing sight of Mr Mumbles for only a fraction of a second. An axe. There was a large, double-handled axe at my feet. Another coincidence? Maybe my luck was changing.
When I met Mr Mumbles’ gaze again, I saw something there I hadn’t seen before. Something raw and primal. Was it fear? Probably not, but I could have sworn it was something close.
Like a sprinter off the starting blocks, he made his move.I bent double and my hands found the axe handle. It was heavy – heavy enough to do some serious damage. The silver blade glinted in the light. I gripped the smooth wood tightly. The axe felt deadly in my hands. It felt unstoppable.
It didn’t stay in my hands for long. Even before I’d straightened up, Mr Mumbles wrenched it from my grip. He stood and examined it for a few moments, weighing it in his hands, studying the polished metal head, as if it were some weird, alien artefact.
Backing away, I quickly scanned the garage for something else to use against him. There was nothing. Aside from the bits of broken roof, which would be too heavy to lift, there was nothing in the garage but me, Ameena and Mr Mumbles.
And the axe in Mr Mumbles’ hands.
The blade gave a low whistle as Mr Mumbles ran at me, swinging the weapon in a wide, sweeping arc. I dropped down on to my knees, as – with a
whum
– the axe cut through the air just a few millimetres above my head. A crop of neatly sliced stray hair drifted down from the top of my head.
My left knee had landed on a small scrap of the metal roof. It was barely a foot square and it was rusted badly, but it was the only thing which might be able to protect me.
I grabbed for the piece of iron and looked up in time to see Mr Mumbles bring the axe back around. The blade passed behind him, then curved up and over his hat. I blinked, unable to move, transfixed by the graceful movement of the axe, as it swung down, down,
down
towards my face.
A split second before I was split in half, the floodgates opened and reality came rushing in. I was about to die – this was no time to admire his axe-work. Recoiling, I shut my eyes tight and held up the broken section of roof for protection. It felt like a pointless gesture, but there was nothing else I could do.
The axe hit my forearm with a dull
clang.
Cautiously, I opened one eye. I couldn’t quite believe what I saw.
I was no longer holding a rusted piece of scrap iron. Instead, my
Of course she couldn’t see. She couldn’t see anything. None of us could see anything. I was drowning, and she was just a few feet away, and she couldn’t see. Why wasn’t there a light? Why couldn’t there just be one—
With an electrical crackle, a bare bulb burst into life on the closest wall. I felt the hand on my neck relax just a fraction, and heard a low mumble of surprise, before Ameena launched herself at the man on my back.
Mr Mumbles caught her by the arm and swung her behind him. With a
clank
of metal, Ameena staggered into a mound of debris from the fallen roof. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her head hit the crumpled iron, hard. She whimpered once, then slumped down on to the flooded floor.
Finding strength I didn’t know I had, I twisted, knockingMr Mumbles off balance. He toppled sideways, and I helped him on his way with a kick to the ribs.
We both made it to our feet at the same time. Eyes locked, we stood there in the garage, the rain matting my hair and curving the brim of his hat. The light bulb buzzed on the wall, hissing quietly whenever a raindrop touched the glass. I still hadn’t quite figured out where it had come from, but I wasn’t about to question it. I’d needed a light, and I’d been lucky enough to get one. Now if only I could find some kind of weapon, I might stand a chance.
Almost immediately, my toe brushed against something solid on the floor. I let my eyes flick down, losing sight of Mr Mumbles for only a fraction of a second. An axe. There was a large, double-handled axe at my feet. Another coincidence? Maybe my luck was changing.
When I met Mr Mumbles’ gaze again, I saw something there I hadn’t seen before. Something raw and primal. Was it fear? Probably not, but I could have sworn it was something close.
Like a sprinter off the starting blocks, he made his move.I bent double and my hands found the axe handle. It was heavy – heavy enough to do some serious damage. The silver blade glinted in the light. I gripped the smooth wood tightly. The axe felt deadly in my hands. It felt unstoppable.
It didn’t stay in my hands for long. Even before I’d straightened up, Mr Mumbles wrenched it from my grip. He stood and examined it for a few moments, weighing it in his hands, studying the polished metal head, as if it were some weird, alien artefact.
Backing away, I quickly scanned the garage for something else to use against him. There was nothing. Aside from the bits of broken roof, which would be too heavy to lift, there was nothing in the garage but me, Ameena and Mr Mumbles.
And the axe in Mr Mumbles’ hands.
The blade gave a low whistle as Mr Mumbles ran at me, swinging the weapon in a wide, sweeping arc. I dropped down on to my knees, as – with a
whum
– the axe cut through the air just a few millimetres above my head. A crop of neatly sliced stray hair drifted down from the top of my head.
My left knee had landed on a small scrap of the metal roof. It was barely a foot square and it was rusted badly, but it was the only thing which might be able to protect me.
I grabbed for the piece of iron and looked up in time to see Mr Mumbles bring the axe back around. The blade passed behind him, then curved up and over his hat. I blinked, unable to move, transfixed by the graceful movement of the axe, as it swung down, down,
down
towards my face.
A split second before I was split in half, the floodgates opened and reality came rushing in. I was about to die – this was no time to admire his axe-work. Recoiling, I shut my eyes tight and held up the broken section of roof for protection. It felt like a pointless gesture, but there was nothing else I could do.
The axe hit my forearm with a dull
clang.
Cautiously, I opened one eye. I couldn’t quite believe what I saw.
I was no longer holding a rusted piece of scrap iron. Instead, my
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