“Hey little lady,” I hadn’t notice the little girl grasping my leg while I was memorized by the bright light, “What is your mommy doing?”

Her frown and quivering lip was enough for me to know her answer, “Your mommy is going to hurt them?”

Nodding her head, she pressed her face as deep as she could into the armor plating on my leg. Her trickling tears were making their down my leg to the cold pavement beneath our feet.

You’ve got to be kidding me. How the fuck did I end up on baby-sitting duty? What kind of parent negates their kid like this?

The footsteps of the horde pounding against the payment ceased, leaving only the blaring nuisance of the car alarms to fill the air.

The horde was stood united, forming a semi circle before the burning mother.

“JOIN US OR PERISH! WE CANNOT BE STOPPED! WE ARE THE TIDE!” The words came in unison, a harmonious orchestra of voices with varying dialects and tones.

The Tide. Fitting, but pretentious. Whoever organized this murderous ensemble clearly has taken a sociology course or two.

The words of the Tide had scared the little girl to her core. No longer being able to control her nerves, she began to violently shake on my leg.

“Little la-“ Before I could get the words out of my mouth, I felt something climb up my other leg, plopping itself on my left shoulder.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Listen up buttercup,” my gaze met the beady black plastic balls of the teddy bear. With a cigarette dangling from his lips, it exhaled a plume of smoke into my face, “You need to man up and save the day.”

What the fuck is going on? How the hell does he smoke? Is it even a teddy bear? Is it even a he?

“I’m sorry what?”

The teddy bears furry stubs removed the cigarette from its lips, releasing one long drag as it did, “I get it you are confused, and I know it is shocking to be talking to a teddy bear. We don’t have the time to ease you into this. So, right now, you need to shut the fuck up and listen.”

With its other empty stub, it pushed my head downwards to the little girl.

“You see that,” the little girl fused to my leg, wailing in terror, began to hyperventilate, “That little girl, or ‘little lady’ as you call her, is your biggest priority right now. You must keep her safe.” The surprising force of the teddy bear’s stub pulled my face up, holding my face so close to its face that my helmet touched his nose. Eskimo kissing a fucking teddy bear. What’s next? Getting my taxes done by a unicorn? “If you fail to do so,” taking one more ungodly puff of the cigarette-no doubt to build the suspense to drive the point home-exhaled straight into the open slits on my face, “I’ll kill you myself. Capeesh?”

The raw smoke billowed in my mouth, scorching my nose and throat, drawing the air out of my lungs. Despite the absurdity of a fluff filled teddy bear attempting to threaten me with its second hand smoke, its words were primal.

Do something, or die.

The purest form of a threat. Short, simple, and, surprisingly, effective.

It was time to decide...

Join.

Or.

Perish.

Live.

Or.

Die.

A.

Or.

B.

I'm choosing option C...

FIGHT.