Chapter 7: Dream Demon
His gun went flying someplace; he didn't know where. Doubled over in agony, Quaid desperately shoved a shoulder at Lori, but she sidestepped and kicked him in the face.
Then she came after him with high kicks lashing out for his head (damn her dance classes). Quaid back peddled across the room and slammed into the wall. He managed to block her next kick, knocking her foot away, but she used the momentum to spin all the way around and land a two-handed blow to the side of his head. When her two hands came back the other way, he ducked under them, lifted her up and flung her across the room.
With a squeal, Lori landed on the bed and rolled across it to come back up on her feet, pulling a dagger from out of an ankle sheath as she did so. He didn't see in at first, and so came rushing towards her, only to jump back as the knife slashed and slashed again. She shifted the dagger to the other hand, jabbing furiously at him. She was as berserk as any Fury out of Greek mythology or as Lilith, the dream demon from the Talmud. When one of Lori's vicious thrusts came too far, he grabbed her wrist, dragged her past him, and threw his other arm around her throat. He shook her wrist until the knife flew free.
Her foot came down hard on his instep. When he winced, she struggled free and dove for the gun on the floor. He leaped for it too, coming down hard on top of her.
"Help me!" She screamed. "Help me!"
A wall of the room exploded.
Quaid got the pistol away from Lori, and scrambled to his feet, swinging the gun around to meet the men rushing in through the hole.
The first one in slapped his gun aside, but Quaid ducked down, drove his shoulder into the man's thighs, and upended him.
The next one grabbed Quaid's wrist and clawed for the gun.
Quaid's other wrist was grabbed by the third man, who spread eagled him.
The fourth man charged, but Quaid got a foot up, caught the man's belly, and shoved him away.
The second man loosened Quaid's gun but lost his grip on Quaid's wrist. So Quaid punched him hard and then reached across and punched the man holding his other wrist.
The fourth man came charging back. Quaid blocked his punch and decked him. Suddenly, the second man was there too. Quaid ducked, got his arm around the back of the man's knee, and stood up, sending the man over backwards.
Someone hit Quaid from behind, and then the thugs came swarming in all over him, driving him to the floor. Quaid struggled back up to his hands and knees when Lori kicked him in the face. The kick twisted him over, and with the fireworks went off in his head half blinding him, the thugs grabbed his wrists and began pulling him back up from the floor.
Perhaps it was a dream, but the door to the hotel room opened and in strolled Melina with an assault rifle. When she started firing, the men dropped Quaid, which just made them clearer targets for Melina's bullets.
Bodies were dropping everywhere.
Lori dove at Melina from the side and knocked the assault rifle flying. Then she kicked Melina in the face. Melina grabbed her lapels and did a backwards somersault, hurling Lori across the room.
Quaid wanted to help, but his bones were like water.
Lori bounced off a wall and came back fast after Melina, who block her punch and spun around to land a hard kick in Lori's belly. Lori doubled over and Melina straightened her with an uppercut. Then she punched Lori in the face and swung again. The second time, Lori got inside the punch and elbowed Melina in the kidney. When Melina stiffened in pain, Lori got her elbow inside Melina's and flipped her. Melina staggered back up to her feet, and Lori punched her in the face, and then punched her again before she could recover, and then again.
Melina went down, trying to stay conscious, trying to clamber back up again.
Quaid was on his feet now, struggling across the room. He slammed into Lori from behind, carrying her down to the floor with him as he fell. She pushed his semi-conscious body aside and struggled up just in time to be kicked in the face by Melina.
Lori fell heavily and didn't move.
Melina bent over and gathered up Quaid and her assault rifle. As Quaid rose, he got his hand on the pistol and tucked it into his belt.
"Let's get out of here," urged Melina.
"Good idea," agreed Quaid.
They staggered across the room and out the door. Each step was painful as they made their way along the corridor and went down the elevator. When the doors opened, they moved quickly across the lobby and went outside.
Benny was waiting for them. Their bloody and bruised faced popped his eyes open. "Whoa!" he gasped. "You guys look like you could sure use a cab."