Grantaire is seized. He has little enough time to react, save clutch at the arm that has taken hold of him and hope for a swift death. He had had no real hopes of winning but had sought to avoid death for as long as he could, finding no pleasure in the promised pain of it. In the struggle he throws a punch blindly, hoping to strike any part of his attacker with enough force to make him loosen his hold. He is a decent boxer and can hold his own in a match but this miserable game has him suffering from lack of drink and he is unprepared, only knowing that if he gains his freedom he intends to run.

If he escapes. The prospect is a poor one.