A new chapter

[Lea Kaufman]

21st February 835 A.S - System: New Berlin / Planet New Berlin / Lea's house

---

The blonde woman arrived at her place for the first time this year after spending countless days out in the Omicrons. She remembered that she had said something to Levan Harlow during Christmas. Besides the boredom that was killing her mood, she had nothing else to do. Then, she remembered that Maria Uhmen still hadn't responded to her previous message, a frustrating realization and a lost opportunity to gain some credits. Maintaining her Odin was nothing but an endless pit for credits. With all the modifications The Core had done to it, checkups were certainly expensive.

Lying lazily on the couch, she looked around for a moment, thinking about some stupid ideas. "This house... it's also another hole in my pocket... maybe I should just sell it? Or maybe... 'forgetting something in the oven'." Then, when she least expected it, a knock was heard at the door. Lea stood up from the couch and headed toward the entrance. She opened the door and found herself face-to-face with a man who seemed quite suspicious. He grinned before stepping inside as if he had been invited.

"What in the actual—" Before she could finish, he pinned her to the wall and, at the same time, pulled out a blaster, pressing it against her back. "Quiet!" he ordered. He kicked the door shut before continuing. "You are quite well known as a troublemaker, and so, I was charged with eliminating you."

Before she could react, the man grabbed her hair, dragging her toward the couch before shoving her onto it. He aimed his blaster at her. Never had Lea felt such fear inside of her. If she had been any less experienced, she would have been trembling by now. The man broke the silence: "Now that I have a better look at you, you're exactly the type I'd enjoy having fun with. Just imagine all the possibilities... Ah... I wonder how fun it'd be..." She was disgusted by his words. She would never let herself be toyed with. This man was dangerous, she thought to herself. Then, she remembered—her weapon was in the storage of her ship. She felt utterly helpless; one wrong move, and things would get even worse than they already were. The man spoke again, this time with irritation. "Damn it... you're not giving me the expression I want to see."

He stepped closer to Lea Kaufman and slapped her face hard with his free hand before kicking her in the belly. The impact sent her doubling over, expelling a groan filled with pain. "Argh!" It was agonizing. This man knew exactly what he was doing. She tried to move despite the pain, but noticing this, the man simply shot her legs. "ARGH!" She let out a loud, anguished cry, her voice filled with a level of pain beyond anything tolerable. "There's no way I'll let you move. Your suffering... that face painted with pain and despair... This is delicious..." he said before laughing like a crazed madman.

He stepped closer to her, using his foot to rotate her so that she was now facing the ceiling. Her eyes were filled with a mix of anger, pain, and fear. With a mocking smirk, the man lifted his left foot and pressed it onto her stomach. He applied just enough weight to intensify her agony, ensuring that this moment would be seared into her memory. Blood pooled from her legs—her kneecaps had been completely pulverized by the blaster shots.

Paralyzed by pain, Lea could no longer put on a tough act. She was panicking, like a trapped animal facing a predator. The man laughed again. "YES! YES! More! Your screams just make this so perfect! OH! I know..." After saying this, he pulled a tissue from his pocket and walked toward the kitchen. He found some alcohol, soaked the tissue in it, and lit it with a small lighter. He made sure to set anything flammable ablaze. Once the fire started, he came back, laughing. "You will die from the smoke in a few minutes once the fire takes hold." He then left the house, leaving Lea helpless with the growing fire threatening to consume everything.

She was panicking as she tried to crawl with her arms as best she could, despite the unbearable pain from her legs. "I don't want to die!!" she yelped. At the same time, the fire grew slightly larger, and smoke had already started to gather in the kitchen. Despite the dire situation, she couldn't help but make a joke. "Isn't this the perfect time for a hero to rescue me?" She giggled despite the pain before trying once again to crawl forward. After some interminable crawling toward the back door, she realized she wouldn’t be able to reach it with the injuries she had. "Shit... shit... SHIT...!"

She was growing even more desperate. The fire grew larger once again, and the kitchen was now completely ablaze. The heat could be felt from where she was. She shut her eyes, silently crying as emotions flooded her mind, remembering the good moments and the important people she held in her heart. "Levan... Elise... Jack..." she sobbed. "I think... this is the end... I am so sorry, Elise... I shouldn't have acted the way I did with you... I need... I need to apologize... I need to survive to say sorry!"

Even with newfound determination, panic still overwhelmed her. The flames were growing stronger. Despite the pain, she started crawling again, this time toward the entrance of the house. But with each passing minute, the fire claimed more territory. She was just a meter away from the door when suddenly, it was brutally kicked open. A man and a woman stood there. The man was holding a battering ram, while the woman, in a hurry, rushed toward the wounded Lea and pulled her outside.

"Who are you..?" Lea asked weakly.

"It's fine, we got you out of this. Roman, lift her, and we’ll bring her to the hospital."

So the man's name was Roman. He nodded to the woman. Judging by his physique, he was quite the bodybuilder type, though a bit more on the stocky side. He stepped closer and carefully lifted Lea in a bridal carry.

"It hurts!" she cried out.

---

Lea Kaufman --- Diary of a Rheinlander