A Sudden Tap

A click. Right in the jaw! I jerked my chin. It moved! My hook twitched upward, swinging fast. Too fast! *Clack!* The curved tip struck the corner of that yellow-and-teal box behind me. A sharp, solid rap. The hollow sound echoed in the quiet room. I froze, crouching low, one eye locked on the shadowed screen beyond. Still clear. No movement. My joints are alive, coiled tight and ready.