Collateral Damage| bnha

chapter fourteen| fight or flight

I had read about it once, years ago, in a dusty psychology textbook that my father kept in his library. It described how the body was wired to confront danger. Walter Cannon, an American physiologist back in the 1920s, had called it the "fight-or-flight" response: A chain of quick, involuntary reactions that prepared a person to face or flee from a threat. I remembered being fascinated by the idea at the time, imagining that by knowing about it I would be able to choose the reaction I ought to have in the face of danger. I always assumed that I would be brave, clear-headed, and steady if ever a moment of true danger arose.

But now, standing paralyzed in front of them, my heart pounding in my chest like a frantic drum. The reality hit me, knowing the science behind fear did nothing to stop it from swallowing me whole, paralyzing my limbs, my breath, my mind. It wouldn't change a thing. All that preparation, all that understanding was useless in the face of fear. I knew that no matter the situation, I would always be too powerless to try and fight, and too scared to even fight. I knew that no matter the situation.

I would always be frozen at the sight of danger.

"I thought we were rescuing people," Kirishima naively asked trying to get a better look of the people in front of us

"Maybe those are the ones that need rescue" Adachi suggested taking a few steps

"STAY BACK" Aizawa shouted, prompting himself in front of us

I knew it before Aizawa said another word. I knew as soon as I saw that purple cloud and Thirteen went silent. I think I even knew it before it happened...

"This is real, those are real villains" Aizawa informed us as calmly as he possibly could as he used his goggles to cover his eyes. "Thirteen protect the students"

The class practically gasped in unison. Everyone's eyes darted from one side to the other. Unsure of what this meant, unsure of what to do, unsure if we were going to live to tell the story.

As the group of villains congregated in front of us, a deep voice arose from the crowd smoothly stating, "Perplexing, according from the schedule we retrieved from UA, All Might should be here as well"

"So you scumbags used the press as a cover and sneaked onto the campus" Aizawa quickly realized

"This cannot be happening" Ashido murmured behind me

"I am sure the pros will show up, we just have to wait" Tsuyu reassured her

"The alarms" I muttered faintly and both of the girls quickly looked up at me not understanding what I was trying to say, "They are not going off"

"What does that mean?"

"No one will know this is happening" Adachi, who was near us, finished the sentence staring as the villains began approaching us. "Do you think the whole school is under attack?"

I instinctively shook my head at his question

Todoroki looked up at me, sort of intrigued at my certainty, and then he continued, "Whatever it is, one of the villains might have a quirk that is masking their presence here. They carefully chose this facility and knew the time the class was being taught. They are fools for trespassing but they thought this out, whatever their plain they must have a concrete objective in mind"

I could tell, even without taking my eyes off the villains. It was an invisible sting of fear, it prickled against my skin, charged and heavy. Without even turning my head, I could sense my classmates' terror weaving into the atmosphere. And more than that I could feel his rage and passion. I knew what he was after.