REBIRTH: SEVEN DAYS BEFORE DOOMSDAY

A FIGHT

Kara’s POV:

Ethan blinked, his gaze filled with pure surprise and nothing else. He was clearly shocked that Harris had caught his wrists. For a moment, he was even too shocked to move and react.

Then, that shock turned to anger. Ethan’s eyes flashed with more rage, and he jerked his hand off Harris’ grip. Well, he tried to at least.

No matter how hard Ethan pulled, or tried to pull away Harris’ grip on his wrist, he could not manage to free himself.

The fire in Ethan’s gaze lessened for a moment. He took a deep breath and once again tried to free himself. This time, he used even more force than before.

Still nothing. No matter what he tried, or how much force he used, Harris’ grip on his wrist did not loosen.

The entire situation had become both awkward and embarrassing for Ethan, who was trying not to scream out in frustration.

The muscles in Ethan's arm strained as he pulled, but Harris stood there like he was holding onto a piece of rope. I smiled as I watched Ethan’s face begin to grow beet red with rage and humiliation.

He knew that there were cameras rolling, and there were dozens of people around us who were watching him being suppressed with one hand. It didn’t take long before whispers began to spread through the parking lot.

“That’s her husband, right?” someone whispered under their breath. But in the very awkward silence that had descended on the parking lot, their voices spread larger than they intended,

"I think it is. Why is he so weak though?"

"Did he really try to hit her?"

Ethan heard them, and the more they whispered about him, the more his face grew redder.

It didn’t take long before he let out a roar.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" he snapped.

This time, he clenched his other fist and tried to shove Harris off. But the moment he moved, Harris released his wrist and took a step back.

Ethan was far too invested in the shove to stop, so the moment Harris released his wrist, he stumbled back, and almost fell, but he quickly caught himself.

I chuckled under my breath. And I turned around, prepared to leave, because that would be the end of it, right?

I was wrong.

Ethan's pride couldn't handle what had just happened. So, instead of doing the smart thing and walking away. He did something so stupid that I just stared at him with shock in his eyes – Ethan charged right at Harris.

Harris had clearly been expecting him to do that, because he just calmly took a step to the side and dodged his attack. Ethan quickly corrected his error, and threw a punch that Harris easily bocked.

And then, before Ethan could continue his onslaught, Harris punched him, right in the guts. His strike was so powerful that Ethan immediately doubled over after screaming loudly in pain.

His eyes became red and moistened. He tried to push himself up, but before he could recover, Harris grabbed the back of his shirt and shoved him backward with enough force that he stumbled to the ground.

Ethan crashed hard onto the pavement, and a collective gasp came from the people around us.

I stood there, watching all of this happen with a smile on his face.

All of this was so satisfying to watch. This was the same man who had once made me believe he was strong enough to protect me. Now, I could see just how weak he was.

Ethan pushed himself up, his eyes flashing red, even though he was clearly hurt. I could tell he was about to charge Harris again. I wasn’t the only one who could read his intentions, because Harris immediately walked to his side, caught his shoulder and struck him hard, again.

This time, when Ethan fell down, he did so hard, and he stayed down.

Pain flashed across his face as he looked up at Harris. But he was too scared to stare right into Harris eyes, so his gaze found mine instead.

I could feel the hatred within his eyes when he turned to stare at me,

"You…" he gasped, his voice low and trembling as blood began to flow from the corner of his mouth, “You did this to me,”

I frowned. “I did not do anything to you,” I answered, “Yet.”

I was certainly going to get my revenge when the apocalypse started. I couldn’t exactly kill him now unless I wanted to spend the next week in jail. So, he was going to live, for now.

Ethan’s fists tightened against the ground. "Kara…" he spat out my name with so much hatred in his tone, that it almost made me pause, “I will make you regret this.”

I stared at him for a moment before letting out a chuckle, “Okay, you can try,”

His voice cracked across the parking lot, and I knew he was about to launch into another tirade. But I was tired of this, and so was Harris. So, before he could continue, I nodded at Harris, then turned around and began to walk towards my car.

Harris followed after me with a soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Behind us, Ethan kept on shouting out curses, but not once did either of us look back. We both had far better things to do in the next few days than talk to him.

I unlocked my car doors, and got into the driver’s seat while Harris got into the passenger’s seat. I started the engine in silence, and neither of us spoke till I drove out of the parking lot.

The moment I did, I let out an exhale, and turned to look at my side view mirror.

Ethan was still on the floor, and his hand was still raised and pointed directly at me.

It didn’t take long before his figure disappeared from my view, but just before that happened, I was pretty sure I saw a glint of fire in his eyes, but they quickly disappeared.

And this time, I wasn’t being literal. There had been actual fire in his gaze. It was a faint orange glow, but my senses had been growing ever since I woke up yesterday. I was sure I was not mistaken.

Were other people beginning to start awakening now?

I didn’t have the answer, but this just reminded me that I needed to be cautious.

The memory of what Ethan had done to me in my previous life was still too fresh. I had watched that man kill me, and I didn’t want that to ever happen again.

I let out a sigh as I turned around to face Harris. He clearly had a lot of questions to ask, but he had been waiting for me to get ready before he spoke up.

"Thanks for stepping in earlier," I whispered.

He glanced at me briefly before giving me a brief nod, "You are welcome,” he answered with a shrug, “Besides, you are my partner. I had to step in.”

Harris paused when that word left his lips, then, he turned to face me with a smirk on his lips, "We are partners now, right?"

My eyes brightened as I stared at the mischievous glint in his eyes. Then, I nodded. “Yes we are.” I answered, “We are partners.”

“Good,” Harris answered with a smile, “How about we go check out the property now?”

I thought about it for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, let’s do that.”

And with a warm smile on my face, I pressed my foot down on the accelerator.

Even with the setbacks, my plan was moving smoothly. Absolutely nothing can stop me now.

Oh, how I wish I was right.