Chapter 64

CLAUDIA. I watch as the man collapses right in front of me, scratching at his throat as though he's trying to get to something in the center. I want to say that I feel some sort of regret or remorse. I want to say that I feel sorry for him. But I don't. The only thing I feel is this fiery vindictiveness, a sense of justice that comes from being afraid for so long and finally being able to stand up for myself. The man tries to say something to me. He opens and closes his mouth as his eyes start to bulge in their sockets. I thought he was going to beg me to stop and perhaps even set him free, but no. Instead, I hear, "You whore...." I sigh. It's disappointing how such things don't change at all. He tries to attack me, but he ends up stumbling on his own feet, landing face-first into the pile of snow. I just stand aside as he tries to stand up again, looming over his body, waiting for the exact moment of his death. But it seems that he doesn't want to give up. "Just let go," I tell