Reaching Through Darkness

Ch39
Karen

I opened my eyes to feel the rough hands of someone, a man my guess was, lifting me off the ground and hauling my body to its feet. Once on the ground, I shook my head slightly to see that Romness was the man. I immediately backed up in surprise and fear.

“Why so scared, Jedi? I thought you were in love with me?”

I growled my response back.

“I suppose you would like more of my love eh? I suppose one baby isn’t enough for you low scum, excuse of a woman who-”

I couldn’t stand to listen to him berate me anymore when he was responsible for my condition. How he had the nerve to impregnate me and then attempt to kill the start of a human was beyond me. I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. His cheeks were like stone and his head never turned despite my strength. He caught my hand and firmly held it.

“I like it when girls play rough. Still, I see no reason for your anger. Since my master is busying playing with your companions, I’ll just have to teach you a lesson myself.”

There was a sensation of squeezing and deadly pressure in my lower abdomen. He was attacking my child again. My knees grew weak and I would have fallen to the ground again if he hadn’t been holding my hand. My free hand went straight to the unborn baby and I moaned in pain. Romness laughed at the sight of my pain.

“I thought you didn’t want the child? Are I not doing you a favor by getting rid of the kid? I hardly think you are ready for a child the way you performed that night with me.”

Memories of the rape raced through my mind, flooding my eyes with images that I knew would cause many nightmares later. A flame of anger towards him and a need to defend myself rose in me, giving me the strength I need to get up and fight. With one shove of raw energy, I stood up and kicked him hard in the shin. My foot hit something very hard that rang like a bell. I recoiled my throbbing foot and looked at his leg. He laughed again in an overly confident way at my bewildered look on my face.

“You don’t think I was stupid enough to think you wouldn’t try that again. No, after you fractured my shin, I prepared myself for the same move. You lack creativity as well as brains. Another sign you are no mother for a child deemed to be so great.”

His own forearm was swiftly raised and smacked me in the middle of my stomach. I doubled over and gagged for breath. He was very close to kicking me while I was down, but I dropped back in a hunch position. Romness smiled and brought his lips back up to reveal sharp, pointy, yellowish teeth.

“Not in the mood to play? Then I will make this quick and sweet. Prepare to die, my darling.”

He brought up his leg to kick me in the knee cap. I moved aside to avoid it, and reached out to yank my lightsaber out. I didn’t ignite it, but used the hilt as a weapon. His next move was to punch me in the side of the face when he realized the kick failed. I stopped his fist with my hilt slamming into his wrist and he redrew his hand to call out his lightsaber from his belt. An eerier red blade hissed and snapped to answer similar calls from my sky blue blade. We mirrored each other’s angle, covering our bodies, ready to make the first move. Only, no one made the first move for a full minute. Instead, we stared into the depths of each other’s eyes, daring the first person to show what they had. I knew my sith attacker underestimated greatly and that was to my advantage, but I had little experience with the saber and less with different styles of fighting. I reasoned my racing mind that in the end lightsaber fighting is just about clashing one blade against another until someone gets hurt.

I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to make the first move. My nerves wouldn’t hold up for much longer and I feared what he could do. I advanced a step, testing his reaction. He made no jerk or step back as I hoped. His nerves were fine. I brought my saber back and around to an upper slash. He parried and went back to his stance. It was my turn again and I didn’t like it how he was already in control. I went for a left downward blow, only to change it at last second and switched it waist aim. He stepped into the stroke and pushed my blade away before attacking for my left arm. I met him and tried to hold him off. He was strong and trained. I backed away and studied him again to buy time.

He seemed to know I was in trouble and smiled the same cocky way again.

“Nice talent you have there….did you just learn to pick up a lightsaber? Because if so, you are doing a good job-”

He threw all his weight and strength into hammering into my blade, hitting close to the hilt.

“of dropping it.”
The blow was so hard, my hands could not stand the shock they received and they let go of the hilt. My lightsaber clattered to the floor. I looked down at it in shock and panic. I had no training, no idea what to do. I looked to my right, near the throne chair to see my master and master Skywalker engaged in combat, busily taking on the blond man. I knew my master could not just break away to help me, even though I desperately needed it.

“Now now, can’t you just cry to your master because you have pitifully lost. You have to finish this like a big girl and have your baby died in shame.”

I screamed out at him to stop it. This was my child. It was not his despite how it was conceived. If anyone was going to ends its life, it would only be by me.

“So be it Jedi.”

He leap up high in the air and came down like a soaring eagle. I knew I had one chance to get this right or else I really would be dead. I raised my leg high in the air, curled up. He came closer to me. I waited until I could see the exact angle he was take and then thrusted my leg into his stomach with all my remaining strength. He slightly doubled over in mid air and flew back. He flipped over and landed on his neck on the second stair where he rolled completely over and was still.

“Karen! Karen! Are you ok? Are you- Karen?”

Mirmo’s voice was distance. I couldn’t stop staring where Romness lay. I was begging to ask the question that was burning in my mind. He was so still, but he looked so alive. Was he just knocked out? Would he kill me now?

“Karen, he’s dead. Blond is dead too. Karen? We have to get out of here.”

Dead? How could he be dead. For him to be dead would mean I killed him. I didn’t. I couldn’t. He was not dead. I felt Mirmo tug on my hand, trying to get me to move. I would not move from that spot. I had to witness the death of Romness, my rapist.

“Karen. Listen to me. He is dead. He will never move again. There is nothing more you need to do for him. We will talk about this later, but right now we have to leave.”

I allowed Mirmo to pull me away from my spot. I felt like I was dreaming and everything was very real, vivid, and lucid. I slowly put a hand to my stomach as we left the black room and entered into the blind white halls. My child would grow up without a father now.