Neko and I writhe and thrash about, locked in a final, desperate embrace. Our fingers scrape each other's skin, our nails leaving bloody furrows. We grind our bodies together, trying to squeeze every last drop of air from each other's lungs.
This is a life-or-death battle, a war of attrition. We will fight until one of us is exhausted, until the last spark of life fades and extinguishes. Only then will the victor emerge, broken and bloodied, but victorious nonetheless.
I feel my consciousness fading, but I don't stop. I can't stop. I will fight Neko until my last breath, until the very end. And I know with sickening certainty that Neko will do the same.
And then I realize the absurdity of the situation and start laughing, even though tears are streaming down my cheeks.
"Enough, damn it, do you hear me, you fucking bitch? This madness needs to stop!"
Alexa looks at me in surprise, her brows furrowed in confusion as my laughter echoes strangely in the empty courtyard. Tears stream down my face, cutting through the dirt and blood, glistening in the ghostly moonlight. Alexa's grip on me weakens slightly, her fingers shaking as if she doesn't know whether to keep fighting or break free.
"What the fuck are you laughing at, you crazy bitch?" Alexa croaks, but there's a hint of uncertainty and a glimmer of doubt in her voice. She wipes her face with the back of her hand, smearing blood, dirt, and tears, leaving a dark streak across her cheek.
She doesn't take her eyes off me, trying to understand, to comprehend this sudden, inexplicable laughter in the midst of our brutal, endless battle. She sees the tears and madness dancing in my eyes and feels a chill run down her spine.
"Enough," I say again, my voice hoarse and filled with a strange amusement.
"Damn it, can you hear me, you stupid cxnt? This madness needs to stop."