"I asked you a question! Are you deaf?!"
The back of my head throbbed, pain splintering out from the point of impact.
His fingers dug into my neck. I couldn't breathe.
My vision started to blur. I bit down hard on my own tongue, forcing myself to stay conscious.
Because this was the opening I'd been waiting for.
I gathered every ounce of strength I had and drove my foot up between his legs.
He doubled over, howling, and I threw myself past him and ran.
Shoes would only slow me down. The second I cleared the door I kicked them off and sprinted barefoot.
My only possession clutched tight in my fist: my phone.
I ran for my life out of that building.
I ran like a cornered mouse spotted by a cat, panicked and blank-minded, stumbling onto the brightly lit main road.
Only then did I realize my hands had been clenched so hard they'd gone numb.
The gleaming "Fox Group" sign loomed ahead. I steeled myself, smoothed the wrinkles on my clothes, and walked barefoot toward the entrance.
People make reckless decisions when they're desperate.
I walked and wrestled with myself at the same time, trying to figure out how to get inside, how to talk my way into staying one night.