Septifiria; The Becoming

Introduction

   A snake slithered on the ground, past the many corpses, through the puddles of multi-colored blood. None if the dead were normal, as most had different colored skin or body shape. All were mutants, and few looked like humans. The snake slithered to where two figures, a man and a woman, were standing, stopping at the feet of the man.

   A moment later, where the snake had stopped, a young woman was standing. She was pale, sweaty, and blood streaked, though none was her own. The man looked at this young woman, the fire of battle burning in his eyes. They stood in silence for a couple moments, and then he broke the silence.

   “The enemy?” His voice had an intense hatred burning in it, and his tone was short.

   “All dead, or dying,” the young woman reported. She glanced down at the figure lying beside her, and let out a cry of dismay. She dropped to her knees and grabbed the corpse’s hand. “Danae!” she said, feverishly searching for a pulse. Finding none, she brought the hand to her lips and gently kissed it.

   “She’s gone, Septi,” the woman said, kneeling beside her. A pair of white, feathery wings stuck out of her back and the way her blond hair, which was cut in a bob, shone in the light she looked like her namesake, like an Angel.

   “Mourning is for the weak,” the man said coldly.

   “Steppe, let her mourn,” Angel said, rising. “Danae was a wonderful woman and an excellent fighter.”

   “Danae was a rebel,” he said, the anger still in his voice. “She deserved what she got.”

   “You could have stopped her death, though,” Septi said, standing. “She was no more a rebel than I! You were fighting beside her! You could have- should have saved her!” Grief choked Septi, and her eyes were filled with tears. Angel gently hugged her in a motherly fashion. Steppe drew a fist back and punched Angel’s neck. A sickening snap filled the air, and Septi fell with the weight of the dead woman on top of her.

   “You don’t get it, do you, Septifiria?” he whispered, a deadly stillness in his voice. “I save no one. I kill when I want, and if I feel like it…. Well, you wind up like Angel.” Septi laid still, tears coursing down her face.

   “You killed your own deputy,” she said hoarsely, sobs racking her body. “You're nothing but a murderer.”

   “And a proud one at that,” he sneered. He then turned on his heal and walked away, just as sirens pierced the night sky. Septi shifted into a snake and slithered away as the police swarmed the area.