Geoff recoiled instinctively as Andy hurtled towards him from the doorway, growling and frothing like a rabid dog, his bared teeth clamped down holding a blade.
Geoff knew he had no time to react. Fear took him in that split second as his adrenalin pushed him into opting for flight rather than fight.
Andy roared a victory cry as he saw Geoff’s fear.
‘She’ however did not deal in split seconds. ‘She’ took over proceedings and before Andy could land on Geoff and go about inflicting lethal damage, he no doubt would have, ‘She’ manoeuvred Geoff to one side in a flash. To the naked eye it was with blurring speed, though it came from Her calculated anticipation.
Andy landed flat on his nose and felt it crack and spread across his face. His sheer hatred rose to another impossible notch and he leapt to his feet.
Geoff was already facing him although Andy’s next attack was delayed by Geoff’s still dazed expression. Andy was seeing a contradiction stood in front of him.
This tubby fuck looks terrified but ready.
To Geoff it was like a true outer body experience. He could feel every muscle and movement creak and flex along with the racing of his heart yet he himself was doing nothing. He could only feel his own internal terror and exhilaration battle for supremacy.
I’ve got this Geoff. It’s now my fight or death, for the both of us. Here he comes.
Andy made his next move, sliding to Geoff’s right and bringing his blade around in a high arcing motion. Geoff easily ducked under it and moved his way behind Andy while his look of terror turned to one of calm.
Before Andy could turn, Geoff grabbed the back of Andy’s head with surprising force and slammed it down onto his desk. Andy would have broken his nose had it not already been spread across his face.
Geoff realised the power ‘She’ was delivering, what now dwelled within. His fear dissipating, he knew he couldn’t lose although the blood was proving to be slightly discomforting to the eye, he had no stomach for it. Andy’s entirely insane look was also most disarming.
Geoff thought then of Marie looking so timid and damaged, curled up in the corner having to witness this.
I know Geoff. I sense your fear for Marie, and I’ll make this as painless as I can, if he allows it. I plan to knock him unconscious and we can lock him away somewhere.
“You docile fucking lump. Sniff around my wife, will you? Do you know who I am? She is fucking mine and so is this city,” slobbered Andy.
“Andy it doesn’t have to be this way. I have no designs on your wife,” replied Geoff with urgency.
Well that’s not entirely true Geoff, She interjected in his mind. "Let me try a moment, reason with him, locking him up won’t work." Go on, but if he moves for you, he’s going down, he means to kill us, ‘She’ continued.
Geoff put his focus back to Andy, “We can work this out, I can get you help. Just leave Marie alone, look at her Andy. She’s really hurt,” pleaded Geoff. He wanted to at least give Andy a chance, one last opportunity to grasp.
Andy did look at Marie, but he felt no remorse or guilt, only rage as he saw her looking to Geoff and whimpering. The sound went through him like a chainsaw, cutting any last strands of decency.
He span to Geoff then back to Marie. Geoff nodded slowly, patronised him with calm down gestures, palms out.
Fury such as this had no time for pitiful expressions of reason or empathy. Andy wanted them both dead and the way Marie looked to Geoff now, ensured Marie would go first. .
Andy raced to the doorway and grabbed Marie by her wrist, raising her up off her knees. She cried out in pain as his finger nails dug into her skin while her arm felt like it would come out of its socket. He smiled grimly, broken mess of a nose gurgling, as he raised his knife back.
He yelled in frustration and shock when he felt the knife swiftly removed from his hand.
He turned to face Geoff and as he did, he looked straight into Geoff eyes. He saw a glimmer of red light at the back of those eyes and his strength left him. Just like his nightmares. How was this possible?
"I don’t want to kill you, please,” pleaded Geoff.
Geoff’s tone only served to fire Andy’s final resources of strength as he screamed in fear and loathing. I cannot let the nightmares come true. Destiny is mine. Anything else I see, an hallucination. Kill him Andy, kill him. Do him. This is your time. Kill him!
“I’ll kill youuuuuuu!!!!!” spat Andy as his hands latched around Geoff’s throat and started to squeeze.
Geoff wondered what the fuck ‘She’ was doing as he felt all of Andy’s strength unleashed on his neck.
“Urgh, little help please?”
Oh, so you do want my help, she replied internally. You get the picture now. He does mean to kill us as you can see. He is not up for reasoning no?
“Urghhh, noo! Do something!”
‘She’ did a little more than something as Geoff’s left hand suddenly clutched Andy’s tight grip while her red essence burst through Geoff’s eyes and pierced choking vision, straight into Andy’s death glare.
Andy’s grip began to falter as those eyes bled him of energy while visions of his nightmares resurfaced. ‘She’ used the opportunity and pulled Andy’s hands away from Geoff’s throat using the left hand while Geoff’s right, now holding the knife, sliced quickly and decisively across Andy’s stomach.
Geoff stepped away as Marie gasped.
Andy, holding his belly, looked to Geoff before looking down at his gut.
He pulled his blood drenched hands away as the contents of his stomach spilled onto the floor.
Marie screamed and passed out while Geoff stood mesmerised. Andy dropped to his knees and knelt in his own gathering pile of mess.
He looked up for the final time and as he did, he saw not just Geoff, but ‘She’.
“You cheating son of a…” he spluttered, before crumpling into a bloody dead heap.