Chapter 10

Chris came right on time. Short before seven o'clock, Mara's phone buzzed and she grabbed it without looking at the message, shoved it in her pocket and put on her coat before leaving through her window and going down the fire escape staircase to meet Chris. He was already there when she reached the backstreet, his car parked on the side walk. He didn't see her coming because he was on his phone – most likely texting her to tell her he had arrived. When she opened the door, Chris jumped on his seat, he hand flying up to cover his heart.

"Jesus!" He exclaimed. "You scared me, I thought it was someone else!"

"Don't get your panties in a twist," Mara joked, leaning over to kiss him and wipe away his shocked expression at the same time. "Who else could it be?"

"Your br-"

"No, no, no!" Mara covered her ears. "No mentioning him tonight!"

A fond smile appeared on Chris' lips.

"I think I can do that," he agreed. "We should have a secret code."

"For what?"

"Signal our presence, so I can stop having heart attacks when you get into my car unannounced," he explained.

"Do you want me to light up a bat signal in the sky?" Mara ask with a voice dripping with sarcasm.

Chris gave her a pointed look.

"No," he drawled out. "Let's just start with knocking on the window, yeah?"

"I can't promise that I won't forget," she laughed. "But I'll try."

And off they were for their – as surreal as that sounded – first date. Whatever Chris had planned she knew she would enjoy it for the sole reason that she'll spend the whole evening with him and not have to hide for once. He warned her right away that it wasn't much, he just thought that she would like to have a quiet night and just eat something, walk around the city enjoy the last remains of the Christmas lights and the market.

To which she replied that it was perfect and she didn't ask for anything fancy or extraordinary. Actually, the more mundane, the better. As long as it was just the two of them and that they needn't worry about being seen.

Chris parked the car somewhere and they walked the rest of the way to the small restaurant he wanted to take her to. It was cosy and all the waiters had an accent she couldn't identify, and the food was delicious although she could hardly remember what she ordered. The entire first half of this date was a bit of a blissful blur in Mara's mind – she had been too caught up in Chris and laughing with him and sharing glances and kisses whenever it pleased her.

She vaguely recalled leaving the restaurant and feeling Chris' arm loop around her, bringing her as close to her as possible while they walked down town. He meant to keep her warm and safe and Mara teased him because she had never thought he could be romantic – which earned her a snicker and a poke to the side, and then Chris literally swooped her off her feet and started carrying her over his shoulder while she protested vehemently under the puzzled gazes of the passers-by. It was so nice to do shit like that out in the open and having no one giving a damn.

However, it didn't last long. Mara might have a hard time recalling every detail of what happened at the beginning of the evening, but she sure as hell remembered when it all went downhill. It was a voice. A voice coming from behind her, a voice she had never heard before, but by the look in Chris' eyes, he certainly had.

His smile fell and his eyes drifted from Mara to somewhere behind her, and when she turned around, her heart dropped in her stomach in the most unpleasant way. It was like there was a knot in her throat preventing her from asking Chris who these boys were.

They were a group of three, and nothing about them screamed friends. Sick smiles and nasty glares, that's what they were. Girls had a naturally good instinct when it came to sensing danger, and these boys gave her a bad feeling. If she was in full possession of her wits and if her legs obeyed her, Mara would have run away. However Chris' hand held onto hers in such a firm way that she probably wouldn't have been able to wriggle her way of his grip even if she had wanted to.

"Chris?" She croaked out with an effort.

Nobody said anything for over a minute – was it a minute? Or two? Or more? - and merely stared at one another, waiting for someone to make the first move. Anyone who saw them could tell there was something wrong, and soon, they were alone in the little street, the only light come from the bus stop a little farther down.

The three of them began to walk around them in order to surround them both. Chris pulled Mara behind him but they kept circling around them, and the girl's mind went blank. She saw them talk, their mouths moved, they laughed, they say something else, but she didn't hear a thing. Her hands were secured on Chris' shoulders to let him know she was right there, and she felt the way the tensed up and shook with anger.

Her phone in her pocket weighted heavy and Mara pondered whether or not it would be a good call to try and pull it out to call the police. No, they would notice and violence was sure to ensue. But what to do? Her brain was overwhelmed by hundreds of possible outcomes to this confrontation, and hypothetical ways to avoid it, but none of them were conclusive.

"Mara," she heard Chris call her name.

"Oh, starboy is worried for his little girlfriend," one of the boys snarled and now that Mara had come back to reality again, she thought that the voice was by far the nastiest sound she has ever heard. But it didn't get past her that he called Chris 'starboy'. They knew him. And suddenly it clicked. The Yakuza guys. Or at least, three of them.

The other two began to laugh way too loud at something that wasn't even that funny, and Chris took the opportunity to whisper something to Mara's ear.

"You run, okay? When they attack me, you run like hell!" He told her, using the authoritative voice he only resorted to for grave matters.

"No!" She protested, letting her stubborn side show. "I'm staying with you!" It wasn't a request, it wasn't an option, Mara was not being stupid or making this decision thoughtlessly. She would stay by Chris' side no matter what.

"This is not the time to act brave, Mara!" Chris barked at her.

She knew it wasn't directed toward her, the situation justified his anger though. William had taught Mara a few things about self-defence. Geez, why didn't she pay more attention? Think, Mara, think! Never let yourself be cornered. Great, that was great. They were in a little street after dark, they were three, they were two, no corner around. Find a wall and stay there, this way you won't have to worry about what's behind you. Mara looked over her shoulder and sure enough the wall was only a few meters away. Guys tend to focus on arm strength and underestimate girls, go for the weak parts, the stomach, the shin, the crotch. Slowly, her brother's priceless advice came back to her, although in random order. Use your nails. If you're wearing heels, use them too. She wore boots, not the pointiest heels she owned, but it'll do if she has to step on some toes.

"Not so cocky anymore without your friends, huh Schistad?" The boy who seemed to be the leader asked.

His rhetorical question was once again answered by laughter from his two mates, as though it was their duty to signal their approval of whatever their leader said. Mara felt a surge of hatred and disdain for these disgusting people. Attacking Chris because the other Penetrators weren't there, and while he was with a girl! She would like to say she could defend herself, but she probably couldn't, their attackers were much taller and broader than her and she never fought in her life. Chris was already disadvantaged because he was alone and they were three, but if he had to protect her too... It was logical that he asked her to run, but she simply could not.

Mara could not run away and leave Chris behind. This was not how she was, it was against her nature.

Suddenly, Chris' hand was on her stomach, and he pushed her backward rather abruptly, consequently knocking the air out of her and making her stumble back a few steps until she regained her balance and ran for the wall. One of the boys tried to grab onto her sleeve but she ripped it out of his grip. Good, one of them was going after her, this meant Chris wouldn't have to fight against all three of them.

"No!" Mara screamed when the first fist was raised.

Chris dodged it but not the second, although he was a lot fitter and swifter, Chris couldn't fight on two fronts at once. Mara's shouts and 'nos' would be a distraction to him. She wasn't an fighting expert, she wasn't even a fighting amateur, she was just a helpless spectator, but she knew Chris couldn't afford being distracted. Just when one of them tackled Chris and made him stumble back, giving the other the opportunity to hit him again, the third guy placed himself right in front of Mara, whose back crashed against the brick wall behind her.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He asked with a twisted smirk. "Schistad sure as hell knows how to pick his shags," he commented as he looked her up and down like she was some kind of merchandise on display for him.

Mara was so scared she could feel her entire body shake, but hell if she was going to let him see it. She tried pushing him back with both hands, but he barely seemed to acknowledge her attempt to get him to move out of her way.

"Fuck off!" She screamed, pushing him back yet again, except this time he grabbed her wrists and pulled her close to him.

Mara cursed and shouted at him in disgust as she tried to wriggle her way out of his grip. The longer he kept her body pressed against her, the more nauseous she felt. If he didn't let go soon, she was going to be sick. When she slammed her heel right onto his right foot, the guy let go just enough for her to free herself and he swore and slapped her for this. Mara's cheek burned and the force of the impact made her head spin, but it was nothing compared to the second strike. Soon enough, she felt blood drip from her nose and down her chin.

"You fucking bitch! When I'm done with you we'll see if you still feel so bold! Not even Schistad is going to look at one when I'm finished!"

Mara didn't want to picture what he planned on doing her, and there was no way on earth she would let him do – or Chris for that matter. She knew she could count on him. Yet when she got a glimpse of him over the perv's shoulder, it was hardly Chris she saw, rather a limp body being severely beaten. He didn't even react anymore, and the two guys kept throwing punch after punch and they laughed. Mara thought she would never be able to forget this sound.

The third guy tried to force himself on her once again, cutting short to her horror-stricken staring at the scene behind him. In a surge of braveness, boldness, recklessness, call it whatever you like, she kneed the guy in the lower region of the stomach, and when he bent in two, she grabbed him by the hair to pull his head down and once again kneed him, right in the jaw. A sick crack was heard but she didn't stay long enough to contemplate the damage she had done. She ran to Chris and shoved one of the guys aside. Taken by surprise, he stumbled on his feet and fell to the ground, and the other's attention deviated from Chris long enough for him to hit back.

"Chris!" She called his name. "Chris!"

But Chris, despite his bloodied face, had still some fight in him and he didn't listen to her until he had overcome his last adversary. He had pushed the guy to the ground, and straddled him, hitting him again, and again, and again, and Mara lost count of how long this lasted, but she didn't have it in herself to tell him to stop, she didn't have nearly enough empathy for those guys to tell Chris that it was enough. At some point, he stopped, and it seemed like the boy was going to make it anyway. He coughed up some blood and groaned and then he rolled around. The guy Mara knocked out was slumped against the wall, and the third one quickly ran away as he realised he didn't have the advantage anymore.

As soon as he was out of sight, Chris collapsed on the ground, his knee hitting the cold, hard gravel of the road and Mara dived forward to try and catch him before he fell. She managed to wrap her arms around his torso just on time and his head didn't touch the ground.

"Chris!" She cried out, her vision blurring rapidly. "Chris, oh my god! Chris, stay with me!" She kept on demanding he didn't close his eyes and that he talked to her or anything! Anything goddammit! But he couldn't fall unconscious, not now! They were safe now. "Chris, please, stay with me!"

Tears were streaming down her face and they left a sensation of cold in their wake, as though the sharp winter wind were turning them to ice as it blew on her face. She couldn't be bothered to wipe them away, everything she saw was one big blur but all she needed right now was to feel the weight of Chris' body against her, and she thought she was going to faint of relief when she felt his arm wrap around her. He might not be able to answer her, but he tried to show her he was still awake. Mara pulled away and cradled his face in her hands, wiping away some of the blood and tears that covered his face.

"Chris," she sighed, leaning her forehead against his. "You're al right?" She asked, earning a chuckle.

"I'm glad you stay anyway," he told her, trying to shoot her a smile but everything hurt and he had blood in his mouth.

Mara still hiccuped a laughter. She had never seen such a beautiful smile. Chris, oh Chris...

"C'mon, we can't stay here," he told him gently. "We have to go and find help. Call an ambulance, call the poli-"

"No, no police. No hospital." It was final.

"But look at you! You need to see a doctor!" She insisted.

"I'm fine," he croaked out, doing his best to sound sure of himself and not show in how much pain he was. "I'll be fine. Just- call William."

A lot of things ran through Mara's mind within the two seconds of complete silence that followed Chris' request. Among which questions like: what? Come again? Are you out of your mind? Are you sure? And a long list of other variations of those, but in the end, there was only one thing to do.

"Okay," she said softly. "Okay, I'll call him."