a long, curved knife in the other. Shan slipped into the room and maneuvered herself between Dart and the two figures tied to chairs in the middle of the room.
While Dart was still trying to regain her composure, Shan struck with her double snakebites, aiming for Dart's neck. Dart twisted and leaped to the side, already slashing with her evil-looking knife.
Shan whipped her hands out of the way. Not surprisingly, Dart held the weapon like an expert, the hilt gripped tightly in her hand and the blade back, waiting close to her forearm. Dart used the knife like it was an extension of her own fist, and that made her very, very dangerous.
There wasn't much room to fight. A frilly yellow twin bed was pushed up against the far wall, with a matching yellow bookshelf and vanity squeezed against the left wall. With the mother and daughter tied up in the middle of the room, Shan and Dart had very little space to operate. Luckily, thought Shan, Dart seemed to be under orders to keep quiet, too, since she hadn't given the alarm, or even cried out when the door had smashed into her face. Shan glanced at the hostages. Both were still alive, and clearly breathing hard behind their gags. The girl was a tiny thing in a floral nightgown, maybe five years old. The mother, her brown hair hanging disheveled around her face, bled from a long gash along her cheekbone. Dart had clearly gotten bored.
Shan held back, waiting for Dart to make the first move. She eased backward, closing the door as she went. The girl's thick terrycloth robe hung on a hook behind the door. Shan grabbed the robe's wide belt and whipped it away from the robe in one swift motion.
"Interesting," said Dart through clenched teeth, and punched at Shan's face with the knife. Shan stepped to the side and deflected the strike with the belt held taught between her two hands. Dart came back for another slash. Shan sidestepped again, pushed the knife away with her belt, then wrapped one end of the belt around Dart's wrist, trapping it.
Dart still held the knife, but with both of Shan's hands controlling her wrist, she couldn't use it. Shan pulled back hard on the belt and kicked. Dart came stumbling into Shan's foot and took it hard in the stomach.
"Let go of the knife," Shan growled. "I don't want to kill you."
"That's not a choice you get to make," spat Dart.
"I think it is." Shan punctuated her sentence with another kick to Dart's gut. The woman doubled over with a grunt, but kept her grip on the knife. Both of Shan's hands were occupied with the belt, so she had no choice but to continue kicking. This time, she jumped and kicked Dart in the face with her left foot. Dart started to fall backward toward the hostages. Shan yanked on the belt, and Dart jerked forward.
As she was stumbling toward Shan, Dart slid to the ground and scissored her legs around Shan's torso and the back of her knees. Shan tumbled to the ground, her back smashing into the wall. Still, she maintained her grip on the belt. The skin of Dart's wrist was already red and bleeding. From the ground, Dart twisted and smashed the tip of her boot into Shan's ribs. Shan rolled to her feet.
Harnessing her energy, her chi, Shan pulled on either end of the belt with all her strength. She kept her stance low, pulling in the earth's power as well as her own. Dart's shoulder popped out of its socket, and she dropped the knife. Finally.
Dart swallowed her screams. Shan saw the tears of pain well in her eyes. Dart shook them away, cradling her arm against her chest.
"You'll pay for that," Dart seethed.
"Oh, please," Shan said.
Dart's booted foot shot out toward Shan's chest. Shan leaped back, but not in time. A second kick, unbelievably fast, followed and connected with Shan's stomach.
All the air abandoned Shan's body. As she bent over, she saw the curved knife Dart had dropped. Shan knocked it under a dresser with her foot. She had no intention of spending the rest of her life in jail for manslaughter.
Shan's
While Dart was still trying to regain her composure, Shan struck with her double snakebites, aiming for Dart's neck. Dart twisted and leaped to the side, already slashing with her evil-looking knife.
Shan whipped her hands out of the way. Not surprisingly, Dart held the weapon like an expert, the hilt gripped tightly in her hand and the blade back, waiting close to her forearm. Dart used the knife like it was an extension of her own fist, and that made her very, very dangerous.
There wasn't much room to fight. A frilly yellow twin bed was pushed up against the far wall, with a matching yellow bookshelf and vanity squeezed against the left wall. With the mother and daughter tied up in the middle of the room, Shan and Dart had very little space to operate. Luckily, thought Shan, Dart seemed to be under orders to keep quiet, too, since she hadn't given the alarm, or even cried out when the door had smashed into her face. Shan glanced at the hostages. Both were still alive, and clearly breathing hard behind their gags. The girl was a tiny thing in a floral nightgown, maybe five years old. The mother, her brown hair hanging disheveled around her face, bled from a long gash along her cheekbone. Dart had clearly gotten bored.
Shan held back, waiting for Dart to make the first move. She eased backward, closing the door as she went. The girl's thick terrycloth robe hung on a hook behind the door. Shan grabbed the robe's wide belt and whipped it away from the robe in one swift motion.
"Interesting," said Dart through clenched teeth, and punched at Shan's face with the knife. Shan stepped to the side and deflected the strike with the belt held taught between her two hands. Dart came back for another slash. Shan sidestepped again, pushed the knife away with her belt, then wrapped one end of the belt around Dart's wrist, trapping it.
Dart still held the knife, but with both of Shan's hands controlling her wrist, she couldn't use it. Shan pulled back hard on the belt and kicked. Dart came stumbling into Shan's foot and took it hard in the stomach.
"Let go of the knife," Shan growled. "I don't want to kill you."
"That's not a choice you get to make," spat Dart.
"I think it is." Shan punctuated her sentence with another kick to Dart's gut. The woman doubled over with a grunt, but kept her grip on the knife. Both of Shan's hands were occupied with the belt, so she had no choice but to continue kicking. This time, she jumped and kicked Dart in the face with her left foot. Dart started to fall backward toward the hostages. Shan yanked on the belt, and Dart jerked forward.
As she was stumbling toward Shan, Dart slid to the ground and scissored her legs around Shan's torso and the back of her knees. Shan tumbled to the ground, her back smashing into the wall. Still, she maintained her grip on the belt. The skin of Dart's wrist was already red and bleeding. From the ground, Dart twisted and smashed the tip of her boot into Shan's ribs. Shan rolled to her feet.
Harnessing her energy, her chi, Shan pulled on either end of the belt with all her strength. She kept her stance low, pulling in the earth's power as well as her own. Dart's shoulder popped out of its socket, and she dropped the knife. Finally.
Dart swallowed her screams. Shan saw the tears of pain well in her eyes. Dart shook them away, cradling her arm against her chest.
"You'll pay for that," Dart seethed.
"Oh, please," Shan said.
Dart's booted foot shot out toward Shan's chest. Shan leaped back, but not in time. A second kick, unbelievably fast, followed and connected with Shan's stomach.
All the air abandoned Shan's body. As she bent over, she saw the curved knife Dart had dropped. Shan knocked it under a dresser with her foot. She had no intention of spending the rest of her life in jail for manslaughter.
Shan's
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