Fauna gasped. Nadia's jaw dropped.
Mika stared in dazed disbelief. Before he could ask—
BANG!
The other cheek.
He reeled backward, his hands flying up to protect his face. But the hand was relentless.
It raised the shoe high and brought it down again—BANG, BANG, BANG—raining blows on his head, his shoulders, his arms.
Mika ducked, dodged, tried to block—but the hand followed him, the portal shifting to track his movements.
It smacked his back, his bum, his thighs. It whacked his elbows and knees. It caught him on the side of the head, on the neck, on the ribs.
"Why?!" Mika cried out, his voice cracking. "What the hell is going on?! Why are you hitting me?!"
Smack!
"Ow!" He rubbed his arm. "Why are you hitting me even harder?!"
Smack!
"Not there—not there—that's my privates!"
Smack!
"My butt! You hit my butt! What kind of punishment—"
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"At least hit me in one place! Why are you hitting me all over?!"
The hand didn't answer. It just kept swinging.
