FIREBALL

Chapter Three

My heart is pounding and without the lights on I feel like this could be the day I die.

The person is pinning me to the wall and he's grabbed my hands in a way that I can't move. I  can tell it's a man because of how masculine his hands are, plus he dragged me into the men's washroom, I can bet it's a man.

I whimper in pain when he pins me further.

I don't normally get scared given my work, but when it comes to being attacked in the dark, that scares the s**t out of me. I can hear his low breaths and I'm just waiting for him to do his worst.

"Who are you?"

Silence.

I guess he won't be talking to me. I lift my knee so as to kick him in the groin but he is so fast and turns me over. The position I'm in is so scary.

"Please don't hurt me."

The only thing I can do right now is beg for my life.

And the person is just too quiet.

I feel cornered and indefensible, but it would have been better if I knew who my attacker is and what they want. I can't know that because it's dark and they seem to be dumb.

I don't know what's going on in the station, we never have power going off for this long without back up.

Wait.

What if the station has been attacked?

I know that's close to impossible but it doesn't mean it can't happen.

The person reaches for my throat and that's when I panic, he is going to strangle me, he squeezes into my windpipe and I feel as my lungs are almost giving up.

I'm struggling to catch a breath and I can't move since he's pinned like literally my whole body, I'm so helpless.

I'm trying to stay alive but I know I will lose this battle, and as I close my eyes and let the pain sink in I can see my dad.

"What are we doing here?"

I ask him as I look at the secluded place, it looks like a forest.

"You wanted me to train you? Here we are."

I can't explain the excitement in my heart, he is finally going to train me.

"But I thought you didn't think I could do it."

My dad has never seen me as capable of being like him, he thinks just because I'm a girl, I can't fight like he does, he's never said it but that's what I presume at least, his actions tell me more. The mere fact that he can't trust me to defend myself, so this will be the perfect opportunity for me to show him that I can do it.

"Then prove me wrong...fight back."

He holds my arms behind me that I can barely move.

I'm scared of fighting back because he is my father, it's not right if I try to fight him, I know it's training, but in our part of the world children don't pick fights with their parents, no matter the situation.

I try to free myself  but it's all effortless.

I release a long breath giving up.

"Dad I can't."

I feel a warm tear roll down my cheeks, I feel like a loser.

I think he hears my sniffles because he lets me go so fast.

"Honey, what is it?"

"I feel like a loser dad, I always fail you, just like I failed mom."

I sit on the piece of branch on the grass and let the tears flow. The memories of my mom come flashing and I can't control the tears that follow.

It's all my fault.

I should have done something, but I was too weak, and now she is no more.

I feel him squeeze on my shoulder and pulls me into a warm hug.

"Whatever happened to your mother was never your fault, okay?"

I don't nod because I seem to disagree with him, no amount of convincing will make me think otherwise.

It was my fault.

"You were young, trust me, there's possibly nothing you could do."

I'm sobbing uncontrollably.

None of what he tells me is helping. It's even making things worse, because thinking of her has this power of breaking me, the guilt.

"Okay, if it helps then, it was my fault."

"No daddy, you were hurt."

He doesn't say another word, instead he lets me cry in his arms. I know this topic affects him too. He's never really moved on from mom's death. None of us have.

I yelp when in a swift move he turns me over and grabs me by my arms and I'm back to the position we were earlier before I got to breaking down.

"Really dad?" He played me.

He is normally not good at comforting, so I'd be surprised if I stayed in his arms any longer.

"Remember, if you want to be a cop, the first think you must learn to do is defend yourself.

He is holding me by the back in a way that I can barely move. I feel weak.

"Come on Cassidy, if you don't fight back you die."

That has always been the rule, fight back or you die.

Survival for the fittest.

I struggle to move out of his arms without prevail, he is too strong for me.

"Maybe if you stopped being weak and fought back, your mom would still be alive."

And that is my undoing, I don't know how fast it happens but I push him back with my lower back and before he can contemplate what is happening I kick him on the groin, he bents back and I give him another kick on the stomach which makes him fall back and I'm already on him, I grab his arms and criss cross them on his back.

"Okay, you win."

I'm not letting him go.

"Baby it's okay, I accept you're good." I let him go and wipe my tears with the back of my hand.

Him making me feel even more guilty was a wrong move.

"I hope you know I didn't mean what I said." I ignore him.

I feel like deep down he always blamed me. It's good to know where his stand is.

"It's the truth, it was my fault, it will always be." I pick my phone from the ground and start walking away before he calls me back.

"Cass."

I stop without turning back.

"Every time you are cornered, remember this fight, and just know you are stronger than you've ever imagined."

I don't say a word, I walk away but one thing I know, I will always defend myself no matter what happens, because if I don't fight back then I will be weak, I'm not a weakling.

I snap out of my flashback when I realize I can barely breath.

The person is still strangling me.

I don't know who it is but I can't let them kill me without fighting back. I let my anger take over and with one snap I move my arm from his trap and twist his arm. They groan in pain when I knee kick him on the stomach.

I want to reach for the switch and turn on the lights but I feel a blow on my jawbone and I fall back.

I'm still weak from all the strangling but I'm so ready to fight back.

I'm a cop I'm supposed to defend myself. All the training can never go to waste.

I feel the salty taste in my mouth, no doubt I'm bleeding, he got me good.

I try to get up but they give me a kick on the back which pushes me back on the floor and I accidentally bite my tongue as I hit the floor, this will definitely make the bleeding worse.

I know one thing for sure right now, whoever it is wants to kill me and they are doing it through a slow and painful death.

I don't know if I've ever had enemies, I'm twenty three I don't think I would have created enemies by that age probably my dad's enemies, he's crossed a lot of people no doubt, given his career. The person definitely works in this station.

I'm wheezing painfully on the ground, I'm too weak to fight back.

I don't know if it's a miracle or something because the lights are turned on and the next thing I can hear are punches and blows flying everywhere. I can manage to lift my head and I think I can see Jax.

He came to save me, my knight in shining armor, well it's not nighttime yet, but you get the point.

The attacker is in a mask and when Jax tries to reach for his mask he pulls out a gun which makes Jax step back.

He is walking away and Jax can't do anything because he is pointing a gun at him.

"Man that's a very wrong move, this is a police station you can't escape." Jax tells him but he doesn't say anything, he walks backwards and disappears out of the door.

"Are you okay?" Jax asks as he runs to where I am.

I'm coughing painfully due to the strangling.

"Yea, alert the other officers, we have an intruder."

"On it." He says as he reaches for his walkie talkie transreceiver.

"Yea, officer Jaxon here, an attack by an intruder has happened at the men's washrooms, be on the look out. One officer down send help."

I don't know why he is saying one officer down when I wasn't shot.

I sit up on the floor as he walks to where I am.

"Are you okay?"

I nod.

"Who the hell was that?"

"I don't know." It's not like I got the opportunity to know who it was.

"Can you stay here for a while help is coming, I need to know who it is."

Yea, I'll be fine. I tell him as I hold on my chest and move back to lean on the wall. He pulls out his gun and walks out of the washroom when a couple of officers walk in followed by Melody who so surprised to see me in this state.

"Cass."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure, we can take you to the doctor." One of the officers says and I shake my head. He hands me some paper towels and I use them to dry the blood from my nose.

"I'm fine."

Melody's transreceiver comes live.

"Officer Melody."

"Emergency meeting, all the officers in the board room right now!"

"Yes sir."

No doubt that's Mr Tulle.

"Can you walk?"

Mel asks and I nod.

***

Everyone is already settled  when we get to the meeting after a little first aid has been done to me. The first person I spot is Jax and he looks very nervous. I don't know why my eyes landed on him first but the moment our eyes meet, he looks away.

The boss is no longer in the clothes he was in earlier and I'm a little surprised because I didn't know he left the station.

"Officer Cassidy and detective Jaxon can you care to explain why you had the whole station at a stand still with prank alarms?" He asks angrily even before I can take a seat.

What?

He thinks that was a prank alarm?

"I was attacked."

"Do you have prove of that?"

"Jax saved me." I say pointing at Jax who looks away.

"Is that true Jaxon?" Jaxon takes in a low deep breath avoiding any eye contact with me.

"I wasn't anywhere close to the washrooms sir."

The hell?

Did Jaxon just deny he was there when I was attacked?"

I look at Mr Tulle and he has a hidden smirk on his face.

His height, his physique, he has strong arms, and surprisingly when he takes a few steps I notice he seems to be in pain.

He was my attacker!

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