Pain splintered along my spine and I gasped as the air was driven from my lungs, but I tried to scramble away all the same.
“Maybe your boyfriend wants to see what I'm going to do to you?" he growled, as he strode after me. He bent down and caught hold of me, hoisting me into his arms and ignoring my attempts to fight him off before slamming me back down onto my bed.
Grey followed me down onto the mattress, his hand locking around my throat as he snarled in my face and specks of spittle plastered my skin.
“Keep fighting me,” he purred. “I like it.”
My heart thundered against my ribs like a bird trying to break free of a cage, but it was no good. I couldn’t fight him off. He was five times my size and at least as mean as he was strong. Terror consumed me as his weight pressed me down on the bed but I couldn’t give in. I wouldn’t.
I gritted my teeth and clawed at his hand where it was locked around my throat, breaking the skin of his meaty forearm and causing his blood to spill.
Grey suddenly lurched back, twisting to look over his shoulder just as Taylor aimed a kick at his face from the bunk beside us. Blood flew from his mouth in a spray of red and his head snapped sideways with a sickening crunch.
It should have been enough to take him out, but he barely even flinched as he swung around and propelled his fist straight at Taylor.
I cried out as I scrambled upright, launching myself at Grey’s back and locking my arms around his thick neck as I clung on like a limpet and tried to hold him back.
He barely even seemed to register my weight on his back as he lunged at my best friend.
Taylor dodged the first strike but the second caught him hard in the temple and he fell back onto the bed behind him, unconscious.
I screamed again, hoping a Warden would hear before Grey caught hold of my ankle and ripped me off of his back, tossing me back down on the bed.
He loomed over me, smearing a line of blood across his cheek with the back of his hand as he shifted closer with a hungry look in his eyes. His palm clapped down over my mouth. My nostrils filled with the foul stench of him as his sweaty fingers pressed down against my face and I recoiled into the pillows beneath me. I thrashed and made all the noise that was possible but it felt like I was running out of time.
“Shut up," he snarled, his weight crushing me once more.
I kicked and bucked and tried to do everything I could to get him off me, but it didn't even seem to phase him. In fact it seemed like he was enjoying himself. I did the only thing I could and bit him. Hard.
Grey yanked his hand away in surprise but swung it back down just as quickly, punching me in the face. It was like being hit with a sledgehammer. I couldn't think. Everything went black for a few moments and a small voice in the back of my head welcomed it and reached out for the promise of oblivion.
"No," I growled, forcing the darkness away. My head swam. I blinked my eyes f
uriously, making them work by pure force of will. My vision blurred again then his great ugly face swung back into focus.
There was someone behind him.
All I could make out was a blur of red hair but I recognised Evander instantly.
My eyes widened as he hefted something big behind his head and swung it straight at Grey's temple.
Grey fell off of me with a grunt and crashed to the floor, making the bed vibrate with the impact. He made a sound like a feral beast and twisted to face us, a look of rage written across his features.
Evander threw the broken bed post at him and grabbed my arm. He heaved me up, away from Grey, flinging me on top of Taylor on the opposite bed as I scrambled to do as he urged. He jumped onto the end of the bed too as the electronic voice rang out.
“Would you like some privacy?"
"Yes!" Evander snapped, before it could finish asking, and the walls slid from the ground towards the ceiling.
My eyes widened as Grey charged towards us and I flinched but the security wall shot up between us before he could make it.
There was a huge crash as he hit the wall but it held. A series of pounding noises followed as he tried to force his way in.
“Would you like to allow access to your bunk?"
“No!" I shouted at the same time as Evander.
Grey’s attempts to break into us lost intensity after a few minutes and eventually stopped.