It All Comes Tumbling Down
A turning pointLoud voices drifted over the night air. It wasn't a chilly night but it wasn't quite warm either. It was enough though to make Chris thankful that she had to walk around. If she stood in one place undoubtably she would be wishing she had brought a jacket.
Chris shifted her patrol path to the source of the voices. For the past couple of days she had caught some teenagers loitering about after dark and smoking. They were local kids and since they never caused any harm Chris just made them leave, after they picked up their cigarette butts, and didn't call the cops. Sure they got a little rowdy sometimes but that still didnt mean they weren't good kids.
"You guys. We've talked ab-" Chris cut off as she rounded the corner. Instead of seeing Tom, Mike and Samantha she was greeted with a small group. They were dressed in black with skii masks and had various weapons on them ranging from clubs to guns. Chris on the other hand had only a flashlight on her.
Two of the group turned to Chris. Their movement allowed her to see a small prone figure on the ground. Their face wasn't quite human looking. If Chris gambled she would have placed good money on the prone person being a newly created metahuman.
She snapped her eyes back up to the group, most likely one of the many hate groups that had sprung up like weeds after the "Pax Metahumana" event as the news had dubbed it. Sure there had been hate groups before, but nothing like this.
"Scram girly." A man growled in a low threatening voice.
Chris tightened her hold on the flashlight. "
Why? So you can kill that kid?" She couldn't let that happen. She could let someone die when she could stop it.
"You a metabitch?" A decidedly feminine voice sing-songed.
Chris felt her lips curl. "
No, I'm a decent human being. Unlike present company."
There was a few seconds of silence before the first male voice spoke again. "Her too." It wasn't directed towards Chris but it sealed her fate. Lightening fast one of the hate group punched her hard in the stomach. Chris doubled over gasping for breath. She could see out of the corner of her eye one of the club's swinging for her head.
Panic and fear filled her. She was going to die. She didn't want to die. If she had faith like her mother maybe she would have prayed to God. Instead she reached out to something she knew. Something deep within her. Something she had ignored and shoved away time and time again.
Stone slid over her like a blanket. An old friend returned. She heard the club snap against her head as she finally gulpped in a lungful of precious air.
"She's a meta!" Chris heard someone cry. She raised her head just in time to see guns being raised. She closed her eyes as the sharp bark of gun being fired hit her. The bullets pingged off her stone skin. The small chunks of dislodged stone hit the ground with the spent rounds. They all stared numbly at the site for a long heartbeat.
Then Chris smiled.