The brick shattered the glass and the little girl screamed. Her older sister covered her mouth and carried her into the bathroom. She gave her the ultraphone and a card before locking the door, but the little girl was shaking so much, it took her sometime to unlock the screen. The explosion outside of their apartment rattled the tiny bathroom window. The lights from a Police Hovercar illuminated the burning sky. Lana had never been more afraid in her life.

When she finally managed to dial the number on the card, the line was busy and she almost burst into tears. She tried the emergency number next, her hands shaking violently as she tapped the digital buttons again.

“This is Meteora Emergency Service-”

“Hello, my name is Lana and there are strangers in my house!”

“Regrettably, no operators are currently available to take your call-"

The girl whimpered and glanced at the door.

Their apartment was a shoddy two-bedroom affair with thin walls and cheap door locks she could open with a credit stick. She could hear her older sister pleading; Lana too was pleading in her head, but she had no idea who was supposed to answer.

Her friend Weirha had told her about the half-machine gods who administrated both Human and Varoxi Sectors. They were the people he prayed to when things got out of hand. Lana had never seen them, not even on the news, and she did not know how to pray to these gods.

She held the ultraphone to her face and squeezed her eyes tightly. As if answering her prayer, her hands vibrated and a light appeared within her grasp. She accepted the call and whispered into the receiver, her heart pounding.

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“H-Hello? Is this Mr.Volkov?”

“Yes, this is Detective Volkov speaking. How can I help?”

“My name is Lana and there are strangers in my house! They threw a brick through the window, please come quickly-”

“Address, Please.”

The girl whispered her address. She thought she heard laughter from the other side of the door. Not the happy kind, but the kind that sounded like they were doing something bad.

The detective seemed to recognise the address and her identity.

“You’re Ingram’s kid,” he said. “Is your sister there?”

“She is outside talking to them.”

“How many men are there?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“Are they armed?”

“I don’t know either. I’m so sorry. ”

“Is there someone else there with you? A neighbour perhaps?”

Lana did not know how to answer the question. The man was clearly asking about another adult who could assist them and there was not any.

“No one can help us,” she sniffed, wiping her tears. “Please come…”

“Stay where you are. I’m on my way-”

A bloody scream erupted from the living room. Lana dropped the phone and hid under the sink. Tears flowed from her eyes and she covered her mouth, hoping the men outside would not hear her sob. The fear gripping her heart relented slowly when she spotted something in the bin.

It was a comb, old and crooked with strands of her crimson hair tangled around its teeth.

A fire rose from her belly and burned hot in her heart, liberating her from fear. She could hear the detective's voice from the receiver, telling her to stay put, but she could not stop thinking about her older sister.

Nysandra was the only family she had left.

She had given up her dream to look after her. She had always been the knight in shining armour.

Lana wiped her tears from her eyes and steeled her mind.

She would not just sit and cry while the men were hurting her.  

It was her turn to be the knight.

The little girl snatched her father's old razor from the sink and took a deep breath in front of the mirror. Ignoring the faint rational voice from the ultraphone, she stormed out of the door.