The explosion was deafening. A sound so powerful, it shook the building to the very core. The ignition light had been brighter than a stun grenade, blinding her instantly. The following shockwave not only knocked her off her feet, but threw her through the wall. She hit the ground and slid to a slow stop. And for a moment, everything seemed to cease. There was no sound, no feeling, no drug bust. Just weightless, sightless, silence existence.
Then the world came crashing back. Anderson groaned in pain as she rose to her knees. Her ribs and chest ached from the shockwave and collision. Had the wall been that of the block housing, she would have been smeared all over the walls. She winced as the pain shot through her body with every movement. She turned her attention back to her work and searched for signs of life. She reached out with her mind, searching for any survivors. Cautiously she opened her eyes. The action alone was painful. A possible first degree burn from the flash. What concerned her more though, was fact that she couldn't see a thing. She inhaled slowly, panicking would be of no use.
"Control to Anderson. We received a report of an explosion at your GPS. Can you confirm?" control asked.
Anderson lifted her arm. It was sore from the fall, but nothing was broken thankfully. "Anderson to control. Confirm explosion. Medics and meat wagon request-ah!" Her sentence was cut short by a blunt force colliding with her head.
The force through her into the wall behind her. The warm trickle trailing down her head could only be blood. Even if she couldn't see it to confirm it, Anderson knew the sensation all too well. She reached out her mind for her assailant, but a second strike broke her concentration. This time the strike was to her face. Her head snapped to the side in agony. She cried out as the force through her onto her stomach. The bitter copper taste flickered across her tongue from her split lip. Anderson tried to push herself up from the ground. A heavy boot stomped onto her back, pinning her to the ground. The touch of cold steel touched the back of her head, ceasing her movements.
"Move and die bitch."
There were only a few options; fight and die. Lay down and die. Not favorable odds. Still, Anderson couldn't deny the voice in her head, one that had grown on her since becoming a Judge. The only one that had not been created by her psychic readings. The low, gruff voice, belonging to a man equally as brutal, ordering her not to lie down and die.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In an instant she moved. Rolling her body to the left, she drove her right elbow into the mans arm, effectively knocking the gun from her head. The gun fired at the ground, sending debris into the air. The shot rang through her ears, but Anderson kept moving. She twisted the mans wrist quickly. The sickening snap echoed over the gunshot, but was quickly overthrown by the violent scream produced by the perp. Anderson drove her legs into his body, throwing him from her. She rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself to her knees.
The perps starts again before she can react. His foot slams into her stomach, knocking her onto her back. The force of the kick knocks the oxygen from her lungs, leaving Anderson struggling to breathe. The pain causes the muscles in her body to tense as she tries to breathe again. The perps foot came down on her chest again and again, never giving Anderson a chance to breathe.
A single shot fires through in hall, echoing throughout in the block. Although Anderson can't watch the perp fall with her own eyes, she hears the body crumble onto the floor. The muscles in her body finally relax, but the pain from the assault still lingers. Anderson finally catches her breath, taking slow, steady breaths. The sound of heavy footsteps catches her attention. They sounded close. Twenty yards from her position. As she lays on the ground, the footsteps come closer.
"Let me guess, back up." she managed.
"Yep."
"A little late."
His hands comes down on her ribs, pressing them, checking the injuries. "Nothing broken."
"Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt like a bitch." she replied. Anderson grit her teeth and sat up.
His hand suddenly touches her face, catching Anderson off-guard. She draws back a fraction, but Dredd's hand remains on her face. She can feel his fingers tracing the sections of her face near her eyes. Her wounds must be visible then. The site is sensitive, sending a fraction of pain coursing through her face. Anderson winced and drew her face from Dredd's reach.
"It's not permanent. Two hours, you'll have your sight back." he explained.
"Good." she replied. "In that case, we should move out. I don't want your face to be the first thing I see."
Dredd grunted in response and grabbed her arm. Anderson braced herself and rose to her feet with Dredd's help. There was no doubt in her mind she would pay for her comment.
not as brutal as my last two. the degree of battery changes with inspiration. if anyone has suggestions about chapters just let me know.