The *** and the Parliament

I heard the restroom door open and tried to scream, but as I was up against a wall with a hand wrapped tightly around my throat, I could barely gurgle. My attacker took no notice of the intruder, at least until a hand reached up and tapped him on the shoulder. He slowly turned around, and I watched the tapping hand clench into a fist and connect hard with the attacker's face. In an instant, we both fell to the ground.

But while he was unconscious on the bathroom floor, I was holding my throat, gasping for air. Until I could breathe again, it hadn't occurred to me to thank the person who had saved me. In fact, it hadn't occurred to me to even see who it was.

So I looked up. Standing above me was someone I wasn't expecting to see, someone I had hoped I wouldn't ever see again.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I eyed her skeptically but didn't answer, and she held out a hand, either to shake or to help me up. It didn't matter; I wasn't going to take it. "I'm Lauren. What's your name?"

I emitted no sound except the wheeze of carbon dioxide being forced out of my lungs. "I just want to ask you a couple of questions," Lauren said, advancing. I started to panic and retreated into a nearby stall, holding the door closed because I was too weak to reach the lock.

Lauren had every possible advantage over me; however, instead of dragging me out of hiding and kicking my face in, she just sighed and sat down in front of the stall door.

"What if I told you I believed in the supernatural, in demons?" came Lauren's voice, no more than a few inches away. "Would you think I was crazy?"

"No," I said quietly. "You're not crazy. Will you please leave me alone?"

"I can't." Lauren's voice grew soft until it matched mine. "How much time do you have left?"

"I..." Although bewildered, I chose my words carefully. "How much do you know?"

"Well... it's a long story."

I chuckled to myself. "You got that right."