#Chapter 30: I tried asking nicely

I should have been able to fight off the attackers. There were only two of them. The mountain of a man who I spied, too late, approaching from the right. And a second one that I never even saw, who seemed to appear from nowhere. Suddenly he was right behind me with a rough hand reaching around my face, pulling me backwards and down into the crook of his elbow, with something soft pressed hard against my mouth. I knew there was nothing I could do once I breathed in the sharp smell of chemicals and my vision started tunneling into darkness. Up until these past few weeks, I had been proud of my fighting skills and fast reflexes. I was one of the best fighters in my pack. But the baby was slowing me down. And I wasn’t training anymore, I realized. My new lifestyle had me lazy and weakened. Out of practice, I’d dropped my guard, too. The giant was coming close, his tombstone head blurring in and out of focus, when my body went ragdoll limp. Then I was looking straight ahead at th