As the man punched and writhed beneath him, Mike wrapped his fingers around his neck. He placed his thumbs across the Russian’s throat, stared down at him with eyes blank, and squeezed.
The Russian gasped and gulped, trying in vain to heave Mike away. He tried kicking, punching, pushing, twisting; but nothing made Mike yield. Mike stared downward, as though he was looking through the Russian into some kind of empty space below the floor.
The Russian’s eyes turned bloodshot and began to moisten and bulge. His tongue swelled and stuck from his mouth, spittle foaming at the corners. His lips turned purple as his struggles degenerated into aimless twitches. With a series of gurgling noises, he stopped moving.
“Mike…” said Danny.
Mike looked up vaguely at Danny, his nose crushed, his hair c
