Mary stood directly in my path, a solid wall of muscle and malice. Up close, she smelled like a mixture of bitter sweat and old anger, the kind that had been brewing for a long time. She was much taller than me, her presence so large that her shadow completely covered my small frame. Her muscles looked like hard stones carved under her skin, shifting with every move she made. Looking up at her, I felt like a tiny, defenseless rabbit staring into the golden eyes of a hungry wolf, knowing the predator could strike at any second.
"I am not going to fight you, Mary," I stated, trying my absolute best to keep my voice from wobbling. Even though I sounded calm, my heart was doing a frantic drum solo against my ribs. I looked at her messy, sweat-soaked hair and those mean, narrowed eyes. "But ma
