นางรำอย่างข้าคงเป็นได้แค่เครื่องบรรณาการของท่านแม่ทัพ

Anne’s pov

I continued down the few flights of stairs, gripping tightly to my lantern, and straining my eyes to see clearly. It tugged on my mind to go back and wait for my fellow hypers (nerds) whom I could walk with, but my brain and body were exhausted from too much reading and little sleep that I ignored the thought.

Night class was a part of me. It was a thing we did around here. You know, studying at night away from our hostels and comfy beds. I’ve been doing it since my 100level, and now in my 300level in the university studying medical laboratory science, I couldn't stay a day without going. It's like my body had programmed itself because all the time I tried reading in the hostel, I ended up sleeping. I might as well blame the cozy bed that kept attracting me to lie on it.

Well, the thing is, I go to ‘night class’ with my friends and coursemates. I go alone on very few occasions and this night was one of them.

My hostel wasn't that far off, so I thought that if I hurried, I would reach my room and my bed in no time. Wow, just the thought of it made me happy.

There were no streetlights on the road I was walking on because, well, the reading hall was in an underdeveloped surrounding, but the adjacent road leading to my hostel was lighted. I had to make it there.

Two silhouettes were coming from the opposite direction. One was staggering and the other, who seemed taller, was supporting him.

'Drunks.' I thought.

I quickened my steps so I could make it to the light, literally. I didn't realize I was holding my breath when they were close until I started gasping for air.

I exhaled loudly when they finally passed. "Crises averted," I whispered to myself. But, I rejoiced too early because almost immediately, I felt a hand cover my mouth and another grip my arm.

My heart sank, "oh my God, this is not happening!"

I struggled to free my hands, to no avail. Another set of hands grabbed my waist, and I was dragged towards the bushes away from civilization.

I kept on trying to scream, but the hand covering my mouth muffled them. "Stop squirming, princess." I heard one of the delinquents say.

I was violently shoved to the ground, and I felt sharp grasses pierce my skin. The hand covering my mouth momentarily left it. I shrieked so loudly but it was cut short when one of them, the taller one, smacked me across my face, almost knocking me out.

My vision blurred. I shook my head vigorously to stop the dizziness.

I kept on struggling and kicking as they made their way, tugging and ripping roughly on my clothes.

One of them climbed on top of me, straddling me and the other held my hands with one of his, securing it under his knees, where it crushed away in my veins, while his other hand was still placed over my mouth.

"Wow, she's such a tiger," the one holding my hands drooled lustfully as his drunk counterpart worked sluggishly, unbuttoning my jeans.

He ripped the big shirt I had on, exposing my stomach, then pounded his face against my stomach, sniffling and licking on my skin. The next thing he did was grab my boobs and began fondling them.

"They're small but perky," the guy on top of me slurred again.

"Dude! get on with it already so I can have my turn," the guy holding my arm hissed angrily.

I didn't know how I did it but I managed to free one of my hands from the guy holding it down over my head. Working quickly, I searched and searched for anything I could use as a weapon.

My hand landed on something in the shape of a hard stick. I grabbed it and began flinging blindly, aiming at nothing and everything.

In my bid to save myself, the stick came in contact with something soft and I pushed it further into whatever it was.

Liquid gushed from the place the stick punctured and splattered all over my face.

Time stood still. Although, I guess it was my imagination. The guy on top of me screamed, holding his neck. He fell off me to the ground beside me, writhing in pain while his friend stood abruptly, shocked by the sudden turn of events.

I sprung to my feet and dashed across the bush, making my way to the road.

I heard footsteps behind me,

"He is chasing me! God, I'm dead!"

The footsteps caught up with me and went past me, causing me to momentarily falter. The dude kept on running until he disappeared around the bend. He had left his partner behind.

I made it to the gates of my hostel, entered, and exhaled shaky breaths. "Thank you, Lord."

My whole body started shivering. My head pounded against my eyes while my teeth couldn’t stop chattering.

My mind was in chaos because I was finding it difficult to wrap around what happened.

I was going to be raped. Like seriously! They wanted to rape me. This was something I heard in the news, and on social media, but never for once could I believe I would face such a scenario.

“Oh, God! I stabbed that guy.”

I searched around, but there was no one in sight. Not even the security that usually stayed at the hostel gate was available. The guy was bleeding out down there if he hadn’t died already.

I stared at my bloody hands and for a split second, the thought of going into my hostel, taking a long hot bath, diving into my bed and pretending everything was a giant nightmare seemed like the best move. But then it occurred to me I would be killing someone if I did nothing.

I began pacing up and down, partially waiting for someone to come around. I was scared. I wanted to scream and alert the entire building, but then I didn't want to be associated with the predicament I was in.

Amidst the whole fogginess and confusion, I could still make out that tiny part at the back of my head that kept on telling me to go back before it was too late. I could administer first-aid, right? Then call for help afterward.

"It’s official, I'm going crazy," I muttered to myself. I'm still trying to understand everything and my stupid head is telling me to turn around.

What if he wasn’t dead?

What if he wasn’t that hurt, and was actually pissed, sitting there in the bushes, waiting for me?

But his partner ran off, right? It could only mean things had gone downhill, right?

I took a huge, deep breath and sprinted back to where I ran from.

"I have a death wish."