Free Worth Saving by G.L. Snodgrass

understanding of the situation.
    My awareness of the environment slowly returned. 
    Trying to get enough air and to slow my pounding heart, I crouched, gathering myself for a charge. The man circled, bent at the waist and came up with a knife from the ground. One of the two he’d dropped in the melee. I hadn’t known it was there. I reached for my belt, my heart dropped as I remembered my knife sitting on the work bench back on the roof.
    As we circled each other I started having problems seeing and realized my left eye was swelling close. I didn’t even remember when it happened; it must have been when we hit the street together. The man smiled, obviously enjoying his significant advantage, exposing a missing tooth he’d probably lost during my initial tackle. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the man made a move towards Ellen and I jumped in front of her.
    We continued to circle each other. The man finally made his move, lunging in and sweeping with the knife. I jumped back, throwing my arms into the air, trying to keep myself between Ellen and the man. 
    “Ellen, get out of here,” I yelled, not checking to see if she followed my order, my good eye never leaving the hand holding the knife.
    The man yelled and made a stab move towards my belly. Twisting, I tried to block the move but missed badly and felt the sharp blade cut into my left arm and skid along the bone.  Fear shot through me as I saw the satisfied look on the man’s face.  Realizing my left hand was now useless and how much danger I was in, I let out a primordial scream. Using the last of my energy I moved to kick the man in the crotch.
    Expecting the move, the man jumped back. I didn’t kick, instead I followed him and using my dead arm as a blocking club I threw a right hook to the man’s face, breaking his nose and making him back up several steps.
    I knew that I had to finish this fast; I was losing too much blood and had spent too much energy. My body was screaming in pain, yelling at me to stop and fix it. Not knowing how much energy I had left, I charged the man again before he could react. Using my head as a battering ram to the chest, I tried to grab the knife arm and hold it away but the man didn’t cooperate. Taking the full force of the charge, he twisted and threw me to the ground.
    Landing on my back, I looked up as the man dropped to his knees on either side of my chest, pinning my arms.
    Moments away from death, my mind exploded with awareness. I could see the sun over the man’s shoulder, peaking through the fluffy white clouds. My nose was flooded by his attacker’s stink. He smelled like he hadn’t taken a bath since last summer. Like wet wool soaked in old sweat. My fingers where bruised and puffy. I had to fight to control my gag reflex at the rusty iron taste of the blood filling my mouth.
    Most of all I could see the man who would kill me. Using my one good eye, I tried to memorize his face so that if there was a Heaven and or a Hell, I could hunt the man down. I cataloged every acne mark, the missing tooth, and the cool brown eyes. Every detail was burned into my soul as the man raised the knife above his head, holding it with both hand.
    I tried to move but I was locked down. Refusing to give up, I gathered a mouthful of bloody saliva and spit it into the man’s face. Taking a deep breath, ready for the end.
    The man dropped a hand to wipe the red spittle from his eyes before he returned it to its previous position, obviously enjoying the moment. He started to bring the knife down again when without warning there was a large crack and an explosion of wood, hair, and blood. The man’s head slumped forward as his eyes glazed over. I rolled free as he fell to the left, unconscious.
    I sucked in a deep breath, Wondering if I was still alive, and if so why? My confusion was overwhelming until I saw Claire standing there, feet spread, holding a 2x4 above her right shoulder like a baseball bat, ready to swing again. Her face