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right then she knew – he’d been after her all along. She should have known, no white man was going to just idly breeze by a Negro female on her own.
    “Asiza… no more… please – you done enough. Leave him now…”
    She could only stare at him – unable to take her eyes from him as he spoke calmly to her.
    “…you don’t wanna kill him now.”
    “HELP MEEEE – HELP MEEEE – UNTIE MEEEE – HELP MEEE – KILL’HA – KILL’HA NOW – KILL’HA NOOOW – HELP MEEE!!!”
    Gareth Kuiper wailed and shouted for his life, trying to see the man standing off behind him.
    Tears rolled down Asiza’s face, she figured her end had finally come – he had a gun pointed at her - by the time she would snatch the whip back, he would have a ball in her – that would be her end.
    “Asiza… I ain’ lookin’ to hurt you, no nothing of the sort.” Broc tried explaining to her right away.
    “SHOOT HA’ – SHOOT HAAA!” Master Gareth pleaded.
    “Yeah… you come t’hurt me, hunt me. I knew – somebody gone come… I knew… ain’t know it was you - but – I knew. Know I’mo die too – so, you go on kill’me, ‘cause I ain’t givin’ up, ain’t comin’ t’ya – an I’mo kill him too – he got to die.”
    “Not by your hand Asiza… not by you.” Broc went on to try and reason with her. She was sweating, hurting with her face full of tears and heartbreak. To see it, made him feel a strange empathy that gripped him deeply.
    “You gonna kill me? Gone do it.”
    “I don’t want to.” Broc pleaded.
     

“YEAH YA’DO – YA’DO WANNA KILL’HA!” Master Gareth squealed, sobbing, the surface of his back, flexing and drawing tight from the sizzling stripes. “Do what he say, gone shoot me…”
    “That’s not what I’m wantin’ – put that whip down and leave this place with me…”
    Asiza stood slowly shaking her head to and fro, “Can’t, I’on trus’ no man… know what ya’ll do t’me, know what you gone do’t’me. I can’t… I can’t… I…” She tried to speak around the thick catch in her throat, she tried to see through her tears – it was hard facing the end, “…I ain’ no animal … don’ want no body, treatin’ me like – no animal – using me – hurtin’ m’soul – like he…” She nodded to Master Gareth, “… hurt my mama.” She paused, thinking about it, taking her eyes from him for just a moment, and then looking up once more, “I… jus’as soon… die… so you gone now – do what you come for… ‘cause I can’t come wit’you – not alive I can’t.”
    “DAMN YOU - SHOOT THAT NIGGAAAA – CUT ME DOWN AN’ SHO-O-OT THAT NIGGAAAA!!!” Master Gareth raged in a foaming madness.
    A lone shot rang out.
    Asiza stood with her mouth open in disbelief – waiting for the burning pain. When it didn't come, she looked down at herself, at her body, expecting to see blood, wondering when the pain would start. There was no pain, no burn, no blood, and no hole. She looked up – Master Gareth had gone silent. Looking to him, she was shocked to see blood trickling from his temple. He hung lifeless against the tree. As if in a dream she turned from him to look back at the big man before her – his flintlock pistol was smoking.
    Her eyes traveled up from the gun to his face, to his eyes.
    “What, what you go and do that fa’?” She asked, stunned.
    “He was irritatin’ me – irritatin’ you.” He said simply – staring into her wet green eyes. Eyes that touched the very core of his soul.
    Asiza was confused, forcing her feet to move, she began slowly backing away. Her eyes on the big white man, wondering who could he be? What made him shoot Master Gareth, when it was plain to see, he had come to shoot her? None of this made a bit of sense to her.
     

“Don’t go Asiza… don’t go. You can’nah keep running – you can’nah keep hiding - you all alone Asiza… you all alone.”
    She continued to back up, trying to open a greater gap