The Perfect

Chapter 3

Cadence woke up to a loud bang. There was an explosion and then The Hollow was on fire. Stephano and Mia ran to where the blast came from while Kalen was nowhere to be seen. Cadence got up and ran in the direction Mia and Stephano went. Cadence found her and Stephano hiding behind a crate.

"What do we do?!" Cadence said, frighted. Then the smoke started to clear and figures walked out. Cadence recognized them as her family and neighbors. They were all armed and Cadence's father was dragging a beaten and bloody Kalen behind him. Kalen was kicking and throwing punches at random people. He was hitting a majority of the people around him, but couldn't hit Cadence's father. Then Kalen grabbed a fallen branch and was going to hit him. Her dad whipped around and pointed a plasma gun at his head.

"Nobody moves! Or he dies!" He yelled.

Cadence was in the shadows, hiding. She grabbed a long-range plasma gun and crept along to where she could get a clear shot. She said a quick wish before turning the safety off and firing. It hit him in the neck, burned right through and killed him instantly. He dropped the gun and fell to his knees before falling face first into the dirt. Cadence's mother and brother dropped down and kneeled next to him. Cadence started to walk over to them.

"Get away from us! Why would you do this? Why would you side yourself with them? They are just animals, meant to be killed and eaten! Why?" Cadence's mother said, angry and grief stricken with what her daughter did.

"Because you're wrong! You are all wrong! You taught me to hate animals, but for what? Why do they deserve this treatment and you don't?"

"Who are you Cadence?" Her brother said.

"I'm not you!" Cadence yelled, then pushed past them. She helped Kalen up and got him to Mia.

"Kalen! Kalen get up. Kalen please wake up, please." Mia said crying. "Stephano, grab the medi-gel! Hurry!"

"Here it is Mia, but we don't have much left."

Mia then applied the medi-gel and held her brothers hand, hoping he would open his eyes, as The Hollow burned around them.

"Mia, we have to go. We can take him with us. If we don't go all of us will die!" Cadence then helped Kalen up and started guiding him to the exit. Mia just sat staring at where Kalen was lying. Still hoping.

"Mia, lets go. Come on, Cadence needs our help if we are to get him out of here. If we don't go, then you will die. Kalen wouldn't want that, so come on, let's go. For him." Stephano encouraged her.

Mia then started to stand up. The tears were gone, and all that was left was anger. Anger for her brother's pain. Anger for her pain. Anger for Cadence's pain. Anger for everyone's pain except for those flesh-tearing, blood-curdling, pain-giving Riffnocks that lived on that cursed moon!

Stephano, Cadence, and Kalen went to the next town over that still had a hospital.

• • •

"For him." Mia stated, as she walked past Cadence's family. She continued thinking this as she walked past the burning wood, the searing fire, and the dead townsfolk. She walked straight into the town and burnt it and its inhabitants to the ground. She left none alive. Not even the children. Any Riffnocks that got out of their houses, she shot dead. The anger fueled her rage and she killed and killed and killed. When Stephano finally caught up to her, the town was gone. All that was left was just smoldering ashes.

"Mia, what have you done?!?! What did they do to deserve this?!?! Your brother is fine! We got him to a hospital and they are caring for him now. When he is ready to go, we will take one of their medical frigates and head out to take down Donovan Arc."

"He's fine? I was sure he was dead. This...all of this...I did it for him, for you Stephano and Cadence! For every Earthling ever killed by the Riffnocks."

"But, you didn't have to do this! There were other ways!" Stephano said, astonished at how his friend had changed.

"They are ruthless and would have killed us anyway!"

"You don't know that!"

"YES I DO!! Before you met me, I had to deal with this life, to be afraid everyday, to not know if I was going to live or die. I just never knew. Then I picked myself up. I went to school. Got a job and then I was never scared again. This place, and what these "people" do is not right. It is not the right thing. The animals that live here used to talk and live a life like the rest of us, but then these Riffnocks went and changed everything!" Mia then fell to her knees and wept into her hands. Stephano went over and put his wing on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go see your brother. He needs you now more than ever." Stephano then coaxed Mia up and they both headed for the hospital.