Guard

She took a deep breath and the shadows in the room flowed into her. The world shimmered for a moment, reality warping like the middle distance on a hot summer’s day. 

There was a soft pop and the room plunged into blackness.

A window to the left, the only one in the room, was a soft yellow square of midday light that feebly struggled to illuminate anything beyond itself. The rest of the room was submerged into light drinking, sound killing, sanity shattering darkness.

I struggled to control my breathing, to avoid panicking. It was hard to avoid staring at the weak light like a moth stares at a fire until it’s consumed. I took a slow, deep breath and turned my back to the window. Right now, the light was a trap, the warm promise of safety a lie.  

My knife was in my hand, the cool steel a sharp contrast to the sudden warmth and sweat. When had I pulled it free? I let the breath free, slowly, and realized even that sound was muffled.

Even though I was ready for it, I never saw the attack coming. Foresight saved me as the dagger sliced through my leather vest but was stopped by the chain mail underneath, keeping the razor point from plunging into me. I grunted and staggered, feigning injury. The second stab, aimed for the more vulnerable under arm, triggered years of training and I clamped down, pinning her hand and knife against my body.

I reached out and my right hand gripped her bicep, the adrenaline holding her in place, while I stabbed the dagger in my left hand down, aiming for her chest, a literal shot in the dark. There was the briefest moment of resistance as I pushed the knife down, then a gasp. A heartbeat later I felt a wetness cover my hand and the darkness faded away.

The life in her eyes lasted a heartbeat more as the last bits of shadow dribbled from her mouth and nose before burning off in the light.

The door opened and two men stepped in. They glanced at the woman, still cradled between my knife and arm in an intimate embrace, then glanced at each other.

Each took a deep breath and the shadows in the room flowed once again.

There was a soft pop and the room plunged into blackness.