Death with Purpose

Chapter Three

As she entered the portal she could feel her sense of touch go numb. In this space between what was known and unknown there was nothing to comprehend. Not even the scientists who built the machine fully knew what was in between you and your output. All they knew was that the senses couldn't accommodate what was actually there. Lily could see, hear, smell, taste, and feel absolutely nothing. The sensation, or lack thereof, lasted briefly as her senses returned and she saw light. Her sense of direction kicked in and she realized she was falling. She saw that she was several thousand feet above the ground and was approaching a large city-scape rapidly. She braced herself for impact and put her hands in her pockets then shot like a bullet into the ground. Her fall had dug her several feet under the ground. She lifted her knee and the dirt was moved. Slowly she climbed out of the hole and looked around.

She found herself looking at several tall buildings. She had landed in a grassy area next to a sidewalk. It appeared to be early in the morning so not many people were around. She was still in her bloody white and purple garments and caught weird glances from many people as she made her way down the street.

Lily approached a man sitting on a bench and asked him something.

"Hello, do you know where I can find a shop that sells clothes?"

"Down a block and to the left. You'll know it when you see it." He said while not making eye contact. The man didn't care enough to look.

It appeared that they spoke the same language. That's helpful, Lily thought. She followed the man's directions and spotted the store. She walked in and immediately captured the attention of the customers and staff. Mothers ordered their children to get behind them. The clerk tried not to lock eyes. It seemed that having a massive scythe on your back caught people's attention. She saw a person get on a small device and put it to their ear, but she paid no attention and browsed the selection. She decided upon some pants that the cashier called jeans, an orange jacket, and lastly a shirt and some undergarments. She handed the clothes to the cashier, but soon realized she had no money. How stupid can I be? The silence between them made the situation all the more awkward.

Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Lily was half thankful that the awkward situation had ended, but was also concerned. It was a man dressed in blue.

"Please set the weapon on the ground, and come with me, we've got a few questions." The man asked. He was a little nervous and had his hand near his weapon.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that." Lily replied. She needed to be with her scythe at all times. She couldn't lose it in a place like this. The officer wasn't happy with her answer and repeated his request again, this time threatening to remove it with force. As soon as Lily heard what he had said she grabbed the clothes, and dashed onto the counter. She then vaulted over the cop. She looked back and saw two other people run towards her, screaming for her to stop. She ran down the sidewalk and saw two cars with flashing lights blocking her path. She kicked the ground and a massive wall of earth was moved out of the ground which pushed one of the cars into the air. The car settled on the ground upside down, in a wrecked state. She ran up the hill she had just created and jumped over the last car. She turned right and ran. Several civilians were driving down the road. She jumped from car to car, but soon ran out and landed on the sidewalk.

Just as she landed she could see a large vehicle emerge from down the street. This one was different, it was black and its siren was different. She could see multiple people dressed in black armor wearing masks emerge from the vehicle. She counted twelve in total, each carrying a heavy piece of equipment. On the vehicle was the phrase, "Paranormal Neutralizer Division" She assumed that it was about to get a little more serious.

She saw a large man approach her with a chain-gun. He was much bigger than her.

"Ma'am I order you to put down your weapon, or else we're going to have a problem. If you can just do that and come with us, we can assure you that you won't be injured." The man said.

"I have no intention of putting it down. Now please, move out of my way, there are things I need to take care of." Lily replied.

"Just know that I really didn't want to do this.." The man said in a serious tone.

He nodded towards a woman to his left. She stepped forward and went to detain her. Lily jumped back. The woman reached to her left and grabbed a staff that appeared to have electricity sparking out. She jabbed but Lily dodged. One by one more squad members came to the officer's aid. Lily noted that each had their own unique abilities. One of them could teleport, another one could make pads in the air to step on. It shouldn't be a problem. We've faced greater adversaries in the past, Lily though.

Their movements presented no challenge. She simply dodged all of their attacks with ease. Lily realized that one of them was missing. She had counted twelve, but only eleven were present. That's when she felt something touch her back. Did he get me? She felt a small pinch. Within moments she could no longer move.

"There, that should help you get a clean hit." An officer said to his partner. He must've been the one who hit me, Lily thought.

The woman with the electric staff pressed it down on Lily and she fell unconscious.