"Joseph, please, we have to stop this before anyone else gets hurt," Samantha said. "We can go back home. I'm sure your father will understand-"
"I'm not going back to that shithole. I have a destiny ahead of me. I'll be the most famous scientist in the world." He sneered at her. "There'll be plenty of bimbos lining up to take your place."
"Joe, I love you. Doesn't that mean anything?"
"I don't need you or your love. I don't need anyone! Not you, not my father, not my mother-no one!" He lunged forward, catching Samantha off-guard. His punch to the side of her head sent her sprawling on the pavement, the world spinning around her. She tried to get up, but couldn't move.
Joseph stomped towards her like a rogue elephant trying to crush her. Prudence blindsided him, knocking him down. He seized her by the shirt, hurling her away as though she weighed nothing. He faced Samantha, his face turning scarlet and throbbing muscles breaking through his sleeves.
Samantha got to her feet and ran back towards the bank. Prudence had mentioned Wendell had a potion that could change Joseph back. Her only hope lay in giving this to him before he finished off she and Prudence.
She came within sight of Wendell before Joseph yanked her back by the hair as she'd done to Prudence. She somersaulted around, kicking him in the head. This only made him laugh. "You can't hurt me, baby," he said. "You're a fucking Barbie doll for Christ's sake." He swatted her aside, knocking her back into a lamppost.
Samantha sagged to the ground, her vision turning dark. She willed herself to get up, but her muscles refused to heed the command. What did it matter? He was right: she couldn't hurt him. Before she might have been able to do something, but not with this dainty body.
"It's too bad," he said. "You were a nice piece of ass." As he reared back to shatter her head with his fist like a ripe melon, she saw a flash of red from the corner of her eye. Wendell flew through the air, landing on Joseph's shoulders. He managed to hang on even as Joseph bucked and spun like an enraged bull.
"Get the net!" Wendell shouted. "Get the net!"
Samantha heard this command from a great distance, the words slurring together to become almost indecipherable. Then she found herself on her feet, running towards the bank with Prudence leaning against her. "Come on," Prudence said. "We can do it. Together."
Samantha nodded her head, not quite understanding. She followed along as Prudence tucked a corner of netting into her hands. "Stay with me," Prudence said as though to a small child. "I need you to stretch this out as far as you can. Understand? That's a good girl."