Against the wall

She rubbed her aching neck.

It felt like she was brushing her throat with emery paper.

Furious, she pushed her bare heels over the linoleum and rammed her elbows against the rough plaster of the wall.

During her frenzy, a shrill cry rose up in her and blew over her lips, screaming.

Her throat burned and it felt like her vocal cords were about to snap.

Tears came into her eyes, but she could not stop.

Still screaming, she heaved herself up and swept through the room like a fury, which had protected her for over three weeks.

By her own stupidity she had desecrated this place of refuge and Laila destroyed everything that got in her way.

She swept the bedside lamp off the table, pulled the mattress off the bed and threw the chair against the wall.

Her vocal cords were completely overburdened by the service and their hoarse croaks could barely drown the pounding of their hearts.

If her vocal cords broke, her mind would also break away with an unspectacular 'zipp'.

Laila fell silent.

With an empty look and a lowered head, she stopped, trying to control her breath.

Alarmed by the noise in her room or assigned by Brutus, Rosa and the spotty doctor hurried into the room.

Rosa began reassuring Laila as the doctor carefully approached her with a syringe.

But Laila had realised that she could trust only one person—herself.

Whoever stood in her way was against her.

No one in this mendacious and sick world was there for her.

Also on the word of Anita and Miguel she gave no chancellery.

They would let them die in this wretched jail.

"You are alone and know how to handle things."

She escapes the syringe from the fearful doctor and rams it into his neck.

He rolled his eyes in a funny expression and dropped to the ground like a felled tree.

Rosa reached for her arm.

Laila rammed her elbow into her stomach and pushed Rosa aside.

She rushed to the door.

Brutus stood smiling in his uniform, filling the door frame.

He raised the stun gun, Laila blackened.