Helen waited until they were almost upon her before she struck. Alexis and her friend had closed in fast, scenting blood, but Helen had held up her hands in surrender. Alexis looked at her with contempt, opening her mouth to unleash a volley of abuse. But she never got the chance. Moving with lightning speed, Helen rammed her fist into Alexis’s mouth, sending her spiralling backwards.
Instantly her accomplice attacked, launching a hefty fist in Helen’s direction. Helen ducked the blow deftly, spinning to knee her attacker hard in the stomach. Winded, her assailant reached into her pocket and Helen took advantage of this split-second delay to drive her hard into the metal railing behind. They crashed into it and, as the woman collapsed to the floor, Helen moved off quickly in the direction she’d just come from.
But suddenly she was pitching head first on to the gantry. Her forehead struck it hard and, dazed, she turned to find Alexis holding on to her ankle. Helen kicked out savagely, desperately trying to free herself, but already it was too late. The women descended upon her from all angles now and Helen found herself being dragged into an empty cell. She screamed for help, but the door was slammed shut, cutting off her cry. She was alone with her attackers now.
‘You like a little pain, don’t you,’ Alexis drawled, spitting blood at her.
Helen had knocked out both of Alexis’s front teeth but this didn’t make her feel any better, especially as her adversary now drew a weapon from her pocket. Helen’s heart sank – it was a long sock stuffed full of bulky batteries – a common prison weapon capable of inflicting terrible injuries in the right hands. Alexis swung it round and round, gathering speed all the while, as several pairs of hands pinned Helen down. Then suddenly and without warning, Alexis brought it crashing down on Helen’s kneecap.
Helen howled in agony but seconds later she felt it land again, slamming into her stomach. The breath was punched from her and immediately Helen retched. Alexis’s arm was raised again and this time as she struck Helen yanked an arm free, successfully deflecting the blow. But no sooner had she done so than she felt a crushing blow to the back of the head. Clearly Alexis was not the only one who was armed.
Helen’s head was spinning. The blows rained down from all sides now, but she was unable to move her arms or legs to stop them. She was losing consciousness fast, the whole scene playing out in a hideous blur. She couldn’t hear properly, she had double vision and there was nothing to do now but surrender to the attack.
Her resistance was at an end.