In This Life or the Next

Bonus Chapter: Longevity

Somewhere, a little girl was facing a little trouble. . .

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"Give it back!" Stella cried.

She reached for a black and gold token that hung onto the end of a thin golden chain, but it was pulled away before she could touch it.

"I don't think so," an older boy said. "You and your friends have a debt to pay."

He pushed Stella away, who lost her balance and fell down.

"Ah!" She couldn't react fast enough and her head slammed into the grass.

Now, not only did Stella lose her most important object, her clothes were now stained with grass and dirt, her head felt like it was spinning, she could hear a faint ringing in her ears, and she could feel a large bump on her head where it made impact with the ground.

The boy and his friends laughed at Stella while Stella's friends tended to her.

"What is this ugly thing?" the boy said while swinging the token's chain around his finger. "I've never seen anything like it."

He didn't wait for the girls to answer. "Oh well, I bet it'd sell for a few bucks on the Internet."

His friends laughed again. "Hey man, you better split the money with us, hahaha!"

Those words were like a second wind to Stella, who exploded off the ground and rushed the lead boy. His lackeys couldn't react fast enough and Stella slipped through them before latching onto the boy's head like a face-hugger and bringing him down to the ground with a crash.

Stella crazily clawed at the boy's face. "DON'T! YOU! DARE!"

The boy put his hands up to protect himself, but Stella nails dug into his arms until they were bleeding. "Help me!" the boy screamed.

His two lackeys each took hold of one of Stella's arms and pried her off.

But, in a mad frenzy, Stella bit the hand of the lackey on her left, causing him to shout and let go of her left arm. And with her left arms, she scratched at the lackey on her right.

This time, though, the lackey on her right was prepared and caught her hand before she could touch him. Then, he shoved his elbow into Stella's cheek and knocked her down again.

Stella's friends were frightened by all this and had run away, leaving Stella alone to deal with the three boys.

The third lackey drove his heel into Stella's side while she was on the ground. Stella coughed up a bit of blood. Fortunately, the lackey only did it once and then went to help the other lackey and their leader off the ground.

Now there was a large dark purple bruise on the side of Stella's face as well as a muddy footprint on the side of her shirt. She tried to get up but the kick to her side left a piercing pain that prevented her from getting up.

"Hold her down," the lead boy said.

One of the lackeys planted a foot on top of Stella's stomach.

The boy touched one of the bleeding scratches on his arm, only to recoil from the pain. "You're gonna pay for this," he hissed at Stella.

*ptu* Stella spit at his face from the ground.

Amazingly, it hit its mark.

"You!" The boy shoved his lackey out of the way and drove his foot into Stella's side.

"Ah!" Stella screamed.

Again, she was only kicked once.

"Hold her down," the boy said again, and his lackey returned his foot onto Stella's stomach.