Chapter Text
There is a point when an animal realizes it is in danger. Most living things are able to make these jumps quickly, using their senses and genetic memory to ensure their survival. Humans, for the most part, have started to lose these baser instincts, relying heavily upon the laws of society and democracy.
For Evie Islas, those instincts were awakening. The tendrils of dread had started to curl up within her and just as abruptly, had seized, squeezing around her consciousness so viciously that she gasped aloud from the shell shock of it.
The animal part of her brain was saying danger, but still, the polite human in her was trying to rationalize the threat away.
Stupid, stupid online dating, she thought with real feeling. Fuck.
Her date, who had shown up late, went Dutch, and who had offered to walk her down the dark city streets to her car for the sake of chivalry, ironically enough, was the real and present danger she was now facing.
He had whirled her into an alley, and was using his considerable size to trap her against the harsh surface of a brick office building. It was 2AM and empty, much like most of the city streets.
Was this really happening? Her mind reeled. Surely this wasn't happening. Her body was reflexively responding. Moving against him, politely and futilely pushing him away, as if it was all a a simple misunderstanding.
Perhaps it was? Women were awfully forward nowadays. Maybe he was used to one night stands?
Even disoriented, Evie's voice was firm, not leaving any room for misinterpretation, "I'm not that kind of girl, Frank. I'm not into this. I just met you. I'm not going to have sex with you! Get off of me! Stop!"
He didn't. He laughed, and his breath, which she hadn't noticed before, smelled sour. But then again, all 6'1" of him had kept a polite distance before this...assault.
Now, however, he was trapping her in with his body, his hands fumbling over her clothes, the scruff of his beard, which she had found so terribly attractive before, was harshly rubbing on the delicate skin of her exposed neck as he loudly breathed in her scent. His teeth were too close to her pulse and it was setting her on edge, reminding her of how vulnerable she was, pinned down like prey.
He had told her he worked construction and his arms were like iron framework around her now, boxing in her petite frame. He was literally a foot taller than her and was taking ruthless advantage of it.
His hand abruptly found its way inside of her jeans, his callused hand cupping the fleshy globe of her ass and another wave of shock and disbelief hit her at the sheer audacity.
In the back of her mind she had always been aware that this was a possibility for females. She was careful to avoid situations like these. And before it had always been a numerically low probability rate of it happening to her. And here she was, about to get raped.
The thought of the word jarred her, bringing her back to her current situation.
He wasn't stopping. She was a virgin and she was about to lose her virginity in a dark and dirty alley.
"I'm a virgin! I don't want this!" the desperate plea to his reason ripping out of her like a sordid confession, the words out of her mouth before she could fully process them, before her pride could quash down the almost begging quality to it.
Frank doesn't skip a beat, continuing to rub his jean clad erection against her core, voice so terribly sure as he laughs again, "Don't worry, baby. I'll make it good for you."
Perhaps it's the absolute certainty in his voice that sets Evie off. Perhaps, it's the way that she knows without a shadow of a doubt that he has done this before. Perhaps her body had a late and very delayed reaction to her fight, flee, food, or fuck evolutionary instinctive responses and now they had surged forward, treating her as a cornered and injured animal.
But deep down, Evie knows that it's her rage that really responds. Pure, unadulterated rage. Rage at how this worthless piece of shit has come this far for what must have been a long time coming without getting the absolute shit kicked out of him to knock his unbelievably large ego down a few pegs to proper societal rule following.
She no longer saw a human in front of her, but a rabid dog that had gone unchecked for too long, leaving a path of destruction and damaged victims in his wake without a single fear of repercussion.
Evie had known violence. She had lived with it, grew with it as a child. Had learned to expect that if the right buttons were pressed, someone could smile at you one second and then hit you the next, smile notwithstanding.
She wasn't going to be the next victim for this wolf in sheep's clothing. She was done with that part of her life. Before, as a child, she hadn't known anything else. What had seemed like the natural order of things had been revealed to her later in life as something reprehensible. Evie had known a childhood of submission and fear simmering on the back burner of her mind at all times.
But now, her childlike innocence was gone, leaving a jaded and hard adult behind. Her rage poured out of her, adrenaline howling through her body, and without a shred of rational thought, she went for the kill.
As someone who had grown up in the country Evie was familiar with a wide variety of tools. She had known the lands, had hunted and fished. Had used chainsaws to cut trees, axes to split wood, machetes to clear brush. Part of that upbringing was keeping a pocket knife handy at all times. For protection and utility. In case her seatbelt jammed and she needed to cut herself out, in case she needed to pry open something else, or cut something free. In case she was attacked.
But now she was the one attacking. The steady flow of words and thoughts that surmised her consciousness had stopped and only crude animal instinct remained.
Before Evie knew it her hand had slipped to her purse, pulled out her knife, flicked it open, and in a crescent moon motion, slit the throat of her would be attacker. The motions were quick. Too quick for her brain to follow. It only processed the blood that bathed her immediately after. Hot and thick as it hit her face, splattered her glasses, and ran down her neck and into her shirt.
Frank was surprised, if his wide eyes and loud gurgling were any indications...almost as surprised as Evie was.
The knife was still in her hands and she was poised and ready for any counter attack as her dispassionate eyes unflinchingly performed a quick calculation of all the blood that was pouring out of his spasming body...surmising that there would be none. And as if waking from a dream, finally the scent of copper assailed her nose.
She jerked from the intensity of the metallic smell, so potent she could taste it on her tongue.
Her glasses were splattered, but it didn't hinder her vision from making the clear distinction of seeing the life go out of Frank as his eyes went sightless. Time slowed down. Confusion and fear contorted his visage, untamed eyebrows drawing harshly together before rising to his hairline as his mouth formed a misshapen 'O' of silently dawning horror. His hunter green eyes spun to the gleaming silver edge of the black steel of the switchblade in her manicured grip, before accusingly turning back to bore into her hazel ones. A whimper squelched from his torn throat, and then his body collapsed before her, a marionette with cut strings as he fell gracelessly to the pavement, droplets of blood jarring from his body to coat the ground closest to his oddly cocked neck.
Evie didn't realize she had been holding her breath until it wheezed out of her before returning in short, rapid pants. Her chest was heaving, the knife that she had been holding so firmly in her hands clattered to the ground as she clutched the brick wall behind her for support, and scrambled along it away from him and his sightless eyes.
Even dead, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him as she retreated from the carnage, her wide hazel eyes darting frantically over the crimson liquid spilling along the cracks in the concrete.
"You're kinda scary."
Evie swiveled her head to the sound, but couldn't catch a glimpse of the source of it before her vision blacked out. She heard herself fall, felt the vibration in her skull from the resounding impact, and then the floor of the alleyway slanting down.
"But you don't scare me."