Today's OneWord: Automatic

Once Roger started screaming at me, my response was practically automatic. I didn't run; I didn't flinch or pull away as if burned by an invisible flame. I didn't freeze and let my body stiffen as if I had been dipped into amber and fossilized for future alien archaeologists. No, I was the person who reacted with...well, action. I chose "fight."

So I hit him. And hard, too. He toppled over, the blood gushing from his nose as if it were a broken faucet, his words torn from his throat as he was too stunned to respond verbally.