TenPreparing myself for another blow, I screwed up my eyes and waited.
No punch arrived.
I snapped my eyes open and stared into his ghoul-like face, the lips drawn back over his teeth. Snarling, his hand closed around my throat, and he drove me back against the wall, hard. I grunted as I hit the solid surface, trying to take in a breath. I failed, his hand like a vice, crushing my larynx. I panicked, started beating away at his grip, squirming around, trying to pull free.
“Stop wriggling,” he hissed menacingly. I could see his burning eyes, a fraction away from mine. If he wanted to kill me, he would have done so by now. So, slowly, I conformed and remained still. His grip relaxed a little. “We're going to get away from here and I want you to follow me without a word.”
He released me a
