He slashed at her face.
Melissa ducked, allowing the blade to pass over her head. She slashed at his belly, drawing blood, and then slipped past him on the right. She flung her arm out to the side to dig the tip of her blade into his back.
Brinton squeaked, stumbling away from her.
She spun on him.
Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Melissa turned her head and spit on the ground. “I've had months of training,” she said. “You popped a few pills this morning, and you think that makes you powerful.”
The man was doubled over with a hand pressed to his bleeding belly, wheezing as tears streamed over his face. “They saved me once,” he whispered. “Even if you kill me, they will save me again.”
“I'm not going to kill you,” Melissa barked, striding forward. “But those god-damn pills
