Episode: 2.10

--- Molly ---

She hit the ground with series of cracks that both made her want to cry, and vomit all at the same time, and for that moment all she knew was pain.

After another moment she began hearing a buzzing sound as bit by bit the pain began to fade, until she managed to work up the nerve to open her eyes.

The sight made her consider vomiting again.

Her arm was broken at a vicious angle, the bone sticking out through torn flesh.

As the pain faded her mind began to clear just enough to make note of ghastly green sparks dancing across her damaged flesh and bone, as they seemed to slowly draw her bone back beneath her skin, a process she couldn’t help but watch in a morbid fascination until the bone was once more hidden by flesh.

(What… what just happened…?)

A memory from just a few minutes ago played through her head, as she remembered Graves words about her magic passively healing her, before remembering what he did after that conversation.

(Graves!)

Her attention snapped back up to the rooftop with a betrayed glare, only to find it empty and the one who kicked her off missing.

(Why… why would he do that?)

Her heart clenched at the feeling of betrayal, at the idea that the one who had given her so much hope these last few days would attempt to harm her in such a way.

“I’m telling you I heard something.” A barely heard voice drifted from a nearby alley.

“It was probably just a car passing by.” A more laidback voice waved away the first.

“Still wouldn’t want to do this with any witnesses.”

“Fine, then you go check while we have our fun.” A third gruffer voice compromised.

“Just leave her alive for my turn.”

A chill ran down her spine at that ominous conversation.

Hearing approaching footsteps from the alley, she forced herself to her feet, ignoring the pain as even more sparks seemed to sprint across her legs.

She took a step, and nearly crashed to the ground once more as her leg half gave out beneath her, a numb pins and needles type of feeling coming from the limb

(Oh, that can’t be good…)

She bit her lip.

“The hell?” A voice made her freeze.

Her eyes jumped to the voice and spotted a large man in dark clothes, staring at her with wide eyes.

“Shit, it’s a Mask!” the man called before retreating back into the alley.

She almost sighed in relief; thankful she’d talked Graves into giving her a disguise earlier, especially one that looked like a particularly elaborate Mask’s costume.

Her eyes drifted back to the building she’d been practicing with Graves on, before drifting towards the direction of her house, more than half-tempted to just call it a night and head home, but at the same time…

“You’re over reacting, it’s probably just-” the laidback voice began, only to be cut off by the one that had seen her.

“I know what a fucking Mask looks like!”

“Then-”

“HELP!” a female voice screamed, causing her heart to stop.

“Shut up, bitch!” the gruff voice snarled, before the sound of hitting flesh echoed down the alley, followed by a faint whimpering.

(The taste of blood filled her mouth as she was sent to the ground from the blow.)

She shook her head before moving towards the alley, even as her heart began pounding in her ears.

“Let’s just shoot her and leave.” the one she’d seen pleaded.

“If there really is a Mask, then where the hell are they?!” the laidback voice finally asked, caving into his frustration.

Standing in the mouth of the alleyway she spotted three men, as well as a woman on the ground sobbing softly.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

(Tears built in her eyes as she watched people pass by, not a one offering to help as the girls continued to belittle her as if she was nothing.)

“Right, here.” She growled, gathering energy in her hands with a ghastly green glow, that gave an eerie tone to the entire alley, as the shadows grew darker and the light promised only pain.

“Shit!” the gruff voiced one cursed, before drawing his gun.

“See I told you!” the panicking one pointed at her.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” The no longer laid back one growled, drawing his own gun.

Her eyes jumped between the three men, and the woman on the ground.

(FUCK! What the hell am I supposed to do here?!)

(You’re going to get yourself killed.)

The woman met her eyes, and the sheer desperation and hope she saw in them… for a brief moment she saw herself in the woman’s place, before her resolve steeled itself.

(I won’t abandon her.)

She swallowed down her fear, and tried repeating a line from an old comic book she once read, “You’ve got a choice, walk away and go home, or I send you three to the hospital. What’s it going to be?”

She thanked everything she could think of that her voice didn’t crack or stutter as she spoke.

The gruff voiced one, the leader apparently, seemed to think it over for a minute before shaking his head with a sneer, “And why should we listen to a freak of nature like you?”

That drew her up short.

Most people knew not to pick a fight with Masks, because if a Deviant was strong enough to be a Mask, odds are they could do a fair amount of damage in a fight.

(Then again there’s three of them and they have guns…)

Not trusting herself to keep from stuttering at that thought, she pointed a hand at nearby dumpster, and hit it with the strongest Mana Bolt she could muster without making the charge up obvious.

She was honestly surprised she managed to dent the metal, even if she didn’t pierce it, or move the dumpster.

Now that she’d reminded herself of the fact that she wasn’t defenseless anymore… “Because I doubt, you’ll find broken bones all that fun.”

“F-fuck this shit!” the panicky cursed before turning around and running out the other side of the alley.

(Okay… one down two to go…)

“Damn it,” the formerly laidback one cursed, glaring after the fleeing thug, before turning back to his leader, “Maybe we should call, it.”

“No.” the gruff one growled out, “This girl is our in to the Market.”

Her blood chilled, at that.

‘The Market’ was an international black market that covered more than half of the nation. Sure, most of what she knew was a few rumors she’d read online, or in news reports, but to say a woman was there in… She couldn’t back down, even if she wanted to.

“Last warning.” She told them, more to stall so she could charge her next shot than anything else.

“See this bitch isn’t going to do anything,” the gruff one laughed, before eyeing her up and down, “That said a Deviant will probably sell for a lot more than some random woman.”

She felt like vomiting at what the man was insinuating.

Her focus slipped and the Mana bolt launched, going wide of either man.

“Shit, she wasn’t bluffing!” the non-leader flinched before shooting at her.

In a reaction that was more reflex born from ten hours of Graves shooting small mana bolts at her than actual thought; her left arm swept out with a pulse of her magic forming a small mana shield just big enough to cover her torso, and catch the few bullets that could’ve hit her before shattering from the damage.

Moving quick as she could, she dove behind the dumpster before either man could shoot anymore bullets at her.

(Those are real bullets…) she realized hysterically, (They’re shooting real bullets at me!)

(You really are going to get yourself killed!)

Her heart was pounding in her chest, trying to run away, not that she could really blame it at the moment, since she wanted to do the same.

“Damn it, this isn’t worth fighting a fucking Mask!” the formerly laidback man cursed.

“We’re not leaving empty handed!” the gruff one argued.

Her eyes glanced at the alley entrance, if she threw up a shield and moved fast enough, she could probably make it.

She managed to maneuver into something resembling a sprinter’s crouch…

“Then just grab the girl and let’s go, the car is right around the corner!”

…before freezing at the sound of the woman whimpering once more.

(Are you really that much of a hypocrite?)

(That you’d abandon someone else in need?)

(Are you really any better than the people at school?)

Her teeth began to grind together, as her hands glowed thrice as bright as they had before.

“I told you before walk away… or get sent to the hospital.” She dove out of cover before launching two more mana bolts at the men, stopping their retreat even if she missed again.

(Tomorrow I’m working on my aim, all day if that’s what it takes.)

“Ha! You can’t aim for shit!” the gruff thug laughed before shooting at her.

She swept her hand through the air forming another man shield, only this time she kept the magic flow going, feeling each bullet take a little more from her MP, as she charged up another bolt before letting it fly as she dropped her shield for a split second.

(Damn it…)

She glared as the spell flew over the thugs’ heads.

(I’m not going to hit them at this rate and…)

She stumbled as her shield broke, a sense of (wrong, wrong, wrongness) filling her.

One of the bullets caught her shoulder, forcing her to take a step back with her weak footing, as the edges of her vision began to darken.

(Sh-Shit… I h-hit the half, half-way point…)

It was getting harder to breathe as she felt two more bullets hit her, causing her to fall on her ass as she used every ounce of willpower to keep from giving into sheer panic the (wrongness) was causing her.

“Ha, we got her!” one of the thugs laughed. Honestly, she couldn’t tell which one.

“No!” the woman sobbed. Even through the (wrongness) she could at least tell that much…

(Have to… have to do… something…)

She blinked as the alley spun all around her.

(Think…)

She was trying to do that, but her head was all foggy with (wrongness).

“What’s with… green light…?” a voice asked fading in and out of focus.

(Light…)

That made something click in head, though she wasn’t sure what it was exactly.

“Don’t know… Deviant thing…”

(Star light…)

The (wrongness) grew worse as she began gathering magic into her hands.

“Told… this… pay off…”

She glanced up as the men got closer to her, unsure of how far or how close they really were.

A smirk danced across her face at the sight of swirling lights, dancing spots, bendy walls and twisting people.

Especially with the way the twisty people, screamed and cringed when a blast of exploding light hit them both point blank in the face, bouncing off into a small galaxy of floating stars.

(Pretty lights…)

She couldn’t help but giggle at that thought, just before darkness consumed her vision.