"Would you like to allow access to your bunk?" the smooth voice cut into my worrying and nearly gave me a heart attack.
"No," I whispered very sure that I didn't want to let anyone into the bunk with us.
"What?" Taylor mumbled, still mostly asleep.
"Someone's out there," I said, but it was the wrong thing to say. As soon as the word 'out' left my mouth, the walls slid down.
Grey stood in the gloom at the exit to our dorm. He turned to face us, his eyes shining wickedly as he took in our panic.
Taylor was up, trying to position himself in front of me.
"There you are," Grey growled and he leapt across the room.
He moved far quicker than I would have expected based on his bulk. He jumped over an empty bunk, knocking the mattress away towards the door. Before I could work out how to get the walls back up, he was upon us.
Taylor shoved me backwards and moved towards Grey with a yell. In his panic, he pushed me harder than he meant to and I tumbled back. I fell out of the far side of the bed, sliding across the floor and my head connected with the edge of the bunk opposite. My vision blurred.
Taylor aimed a punch that hit Grey in the mouth, but it barely seemed to register. Grey actually laughed at him as his huge fist swung back and connected with Taylor's jaw. He went down on the other side of the bed. I was frozen with shock, adrenaline coursed through my veins urging me into action but I couldn't make myself move.
Grey's attention shifted back to me and my heart leapt into my throat. I rolled under the bunk I'd collided with and started crawling beneath it. My heart was pounding and my palms were slick with sweat as I tried desperately to drag myself across the cold floor as fast as I could.
Springs squealed in protest as he jumped on top of my bed. The thump, thump, thump of my heartbeat pulsed in my ears. My elbows screamed with friction burn as I dragged myself forward under the next bed. I was nearly there, if I could make it to the doors there would be a Warden down the corridor and I must be faster than him if I could just get to my feet.
I was halfway out from under the final bed as I felt his iron grasp close around my ankle. He dragged me backwards. I screamed as loudly as I could and the skin from my arms burned as I tried to claw hold of anything at all.
My fingers hooked onto some part of the bed frame and I thrashed and kicked at him, screaming again as I tried desperately to break free of his grasp.
He grunted with effort as his fingers dug into the skin around my ankle more tightly and he yanked hard. I felt my fingernails shatter as I was ripped free and pulled from under the bed.
Grey tossed me like a rag doll, down onto the mattress behind him and I hit my head again on the bed frame. Blood trickled down my face but I had to keep fighting. He loomed over me and laughed, cracking his knuckles together as he moved forward slowly, taking his time.
I kicked as hard as I could, aiming between his legs and heard a satisfying groan for my efforts. He flinched backwards, releasing his grip on me momentarily.
I rolled over the bed, back towards the far end of the dorm and threw myself off the edge, hitting the ground on my feet. I started running instantly but he was just as fast. He caught hold of my hair and ripped me backwards, throwing me to the ground again.
"Maybe your boyfriend wants to see what I'm going to do to you?" he growled, as he picked me up and slammed me back down onto the bed. I looked over to the spot where Taylor had gone down, but he wasn't there any more.
Grey noticed he was missing at the same moment I did and spun to look over his shoulder just as Taylor aimed a kick at his face. Blood flew from his mouth in a shower and his head snapped sideways with a sickening crunch but he didn't pause as he swung around in a circle and propelled his fist straight at Taylor.
Taylor dodged the first strike but the second caught him hard in the temple and he fell sideways onto the bed next to mine, unconscious.
I screamed again, hoping a Warden would hear. Grey turned his attention back to me, smearing a line of blood across his cheek with the back of his hand. 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.
"Shut up," he snarled.
I kicked and bucked and tried to do anything 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 blackness away. My head swam. I blinked my eyes furiously, making them work by pure force of will. My vision blurred again before his great ugly face swung into focus.
There was someone behind him.
All I could make out was a blur of red hair but I recognised Evander instantly.
I watched as he hefted something big behind his head - it looked like one of the bed posts - 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.