Short Stories

Four: Heat

(A/N: THERE IS GORE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)

I felt heat creeping into my cheeks as I narrowed my eyes at the bullies. They kicked a small boy dressed in a, now muddy, green button-up shirt and black pants. He groaned quietly in pain, and the bully cackled in pleasure. The bully's cronies laughed with him. I shoved past them and helped the poor boy up.

"Are you okay? Let me help you to the hospital!" He widened his eyes and I turned around too late; the bully punched my head making me fall onto the battered up boy. A small guttural growl escaped my throat as heat spread through my body like wildfire. I got up off the boy.

"Stay down, close your eyes, and cover your ears." I whispered quietly to the boy. Making sure none of the bullies saw or heard my advice to the boy, I quickly stood up and faced the vultures. When the leader threw a punch at me, I catched their fist. The bully growled at me and attempted to throw another punch at me; I also caught that punch. Suddenly, I brought their arm up and hooked my elbow by their arm and brought my elbow down rapidly. The sound of breaking bones, ripping flesh, and screams of pain filled the empty alleyway. Then, I turned in a way that made sure I was in a chokehold with them. The sounds of desperate gasps for oxygen filled the silent air. The others stared at me with horror-filled eyes. I Chesire-grinned at them as the heat crept through my bones and crawled its way into my skin.

"STOP! PLEASE! IT BURNS!" The bully in my arms screamed in pain. Their skin started burning and blistering. The smell of fire, smoke, and burning flesh filling the alley. The leader's followers attempted to run out of the area but walls of fire blocked off their entrance. They stumbled back and tripped over each other and fell into a pile of limbs and screams for help. I released the thoroughly burnt leader and they collapsed onto the floor dead. I rolled my eyes at the bullies.

"You know," I started, "I could just burn all of you individually and hear your screams of torture." A flame bursted out of my finger. They all screamed louder for help.

"No one's going to help you. This is MY neighborhood after all." I simultaneously wrapped chains of burning fire around their bodies and put them into neat little rows as I lifted the poor, cowering boy that was being bullied out of the alleyway into safety. The bullies all screamed in pain as the chains burned the but not enough to put them into shock.

"I'm going to demonstrate what's going to happen to all of you." I grabbed the leader and with the fire pulled the leader apart into thousands of little of pieces.

"Of course, it won't be as fast. But your leader was dead, so pulling them apart slowly would only be boring." I smiled wickedly at them. Their screams grew louder, and I sighed in annoyance.

"Oh shut up." Ribbons of fire covered their mouth and their screams were muffled by the smell of burning flesh melting together, sealing their mouths shut. I sauntered towards them and began my torture.

I laughed in pleasure as the heat overtook my body and began its work.