Alexander cursed under his breath as this woman reached for him and stumbled further to the side, avoiding her. No longer in crippling pain, he darted around the corner, moving briskly along the wall. He stopped only when he spied a metal pipe on the floor, probably part of what kept the shelving together, and turned to face the woman, gripping the 'weapon' in both hands like a batter up to plate. For a second, he hesitated. Was he really defending himself with a damn piece of metal against a [i]woman[/i]? He had never hit a girl, and now he intended to club one like a damn pinata. This situation was entirely ridiculous.

Then he heard sirens in the distance and the sound of something plastic clattering to the ground. He glanced to his right and spied the store owner hunched over a dropped smartphone. Somehow, through his pain and his useless arm, the man had managed to pull out his smartphone and dial 9-1-1. That woman had mangled his arm and tried to do the same to Alexander. She had destroyed this place. She wasn't right in the head. Perhaps he wouldn't actually hit her, but Alexander damn sure wasn't about to face her completely unarmed, and he wasn't about to run away to leave the injured shop owner to this crazy bitch's devices. He looked at her again and gripped the pipe tightly, more confident in his decision to raise it against her. Besides, the police would be here within moments. Let them handle her with their guns and their batons and their tasers and their bullet-proof vests.

"What the fuck are you after?" Alexander barked, being sure to step back if she stepped forward, careful to maintain his distance. "I've got nothin'! I did nothing! Why are you after me?"