One Broken Legacy

Chapter 25: Mob Mentality

Kiri hadn't lied when she said her apartment was small. It had three rooms that all connected to one another, with only the bathroom having a door. The kitchen was practically abandoned, except for the takeout containers overflowing from the garbage can.

The protest had already started, so we hurried to hide all traces of her being a siren with a black wig and a pair of sunglasses.

Her apartment was a few blocks from the town square, an area I was already too familiar with. Today, the homey quiet of the business sector had been broken by the sounds of demonstrators.

Two or three dozen peopled mobbed the amphitheater, signs, and fists hoisted in the air. They reminded me of the pitchforks and torches of centuries ago, and the sloppy letters on signs had language that could have been popular even back then. Humans First, The Devil's Demons Walk, Blood of Coth. Kiri's hand tightened around mine as we stood in the back. I could only hear the mismatched voices of the people on their self-made pedestal, stalking the stage as they riled up the crowd. I was sure Kiri could hear everything.

"Are you sure you want to be here? You can always go back to the apartment."

"You said it yourself, the person responsible is likely to be here." Kiri held up her phone. "I'll get pictures of people, they're more likely to look at me than you."

Exactly, I was throwing her into the hornets' nest with a string of floss as her safety rope. She naturally drew people's attention, and I didn't want anyone in this crowd looking at her.

"If you feel uncomfortable, let me know. We only need to get photos, but I would prefer to stay and see what we're up against." As I had predicted, The Children of Man were going to be an issue, just not in the way I had expected.

"Where are your friends?" Through the tinted glasses, I saw Kiri's eyes darting through the crowd.

"No clue. We were supposed to meet near the amphitheater, but we all underestimated how many people there would be." I let go of Kiri's hand. I did not need another reason for people to stare. "Come on, I'm sure they'll be over there."

I crossed the street to get closer to the protestors. I could understand them not liking Coth, especially with the attacks, but this show was one of intolerance, and as I merged with the crowd, I felt it's sickening grip. The frenzied hysteria jumped from person to person as they united over a unanimous hatred.

"If we don't stop them, they will come for us all." Peter, the hunter from my first interaction with The Children of Man, stood on stage, megaphone in hand. "Soon enough, they won't stay in the dark. They will come to our houses, businesses, and schools. They want us to be patient, waiting until we're vulnerable. We won't stand a chance."

"He can't seriously think we're the dangerous ones here, can he?" Kiri whispered as the crowd frothed around us.

"He has no reason to think otherwise. They don't know us because it's dangerous for us to come out, so it circles in a loop. I'd be scared if Coth were attacked, wouldn't you?"

Kiri didn't respond, but I didn't blame her. I hated that it was so easy to justify their actions. Fear drew us to many lengths; these people just made no effort to move past it.

I pulled out my phone, making it look like I was videotaping the crowd. Old, young, all seething with anger.

A hand hit my shoulder, and nails sunk into my jacket as I was pulled back with an almost desperate force. As I turned toward them, a pair of sunglasses were pushed onto my face, stinging where the metal scrapped my skin.

"You shouldn't be here," a voice hissed in my ear. "If anyone sees your eyes, they'll turn on you."

"Get off me," I half yelled, rolling out of the person's grip and capturing their arm. Eyes lifted beneath a head of auburn hair, revealing the startled yet determined face of Lana. "You..." I stuttered, dropping her arm.

"I told you it wasn't safe," Lana growled. "Get out of here."

"I need to be here." I looked around for Kiri, but she was missing in the mob. "Someone is attacking humans, and I need to be here to stop it."

Lana's face contorted, her jaw-dropping. "You're here to help us? Why?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you. Why are you here? You don't belong with The Children of Man."

Twice Lana had helped me, put me before the mission of her group. She didn't believe their words, yet she was here. It didn't make sense.

"I'm here trying to help kids like you." She looked broken, and for just a moment, I saw the scared, desperate woman she was trying to hide. "This is how I help."

"It's not right. You don't have to be the one to help them." I turned my back, sending her a disproving look over my shoulder. "I don't trust you. You're one of them, A Child of Man."

Lana didn't try to stop me, but I hoped my words had some impact on her. She had to know they were true. Her reasoning was good but still flawed.

It didn't take me long to find Kiri, and she had found two accessories. Anya was hopping up and down, black hair floating above her as she attempted her childish search of the crowd, while Nick stared at the stage, his face red.

"Where were you?" Kiri said as I got closer. "You just disappeared."

"I thought I saw someone I knew," I laughed, which sounded fake even to me. "I was mistaken."

Kiri didn't look convinced, but Anya didn't seem to catch my lie and quickly jumped into the conversation. "I've never seen so many people here, not during the day."

Her eyes beamed, and I suddenly had a gut-wrenching feeling that this might have been a bad idea.

"I can't believe you got permission." It wasn't like Alpha Daniel to underestimate the townspeople and allow his wolves to go out in public during a protest.

"Well, I got permission to come to town to help Nick pick up some stuff for his room." Anya rubbed the back of her neck. "We're going to call this an opportunity."

I shook my head. I should have known Anya would pull something like this.

As the protest continued, more people pressed in. We had everything we needed; Anya and Nick had taken photos as well, so we decided to stop pushing our luck and leave.

Anya offered to lead us out of the mob, and I made sure Kiri and Nick weren't lost in the crowd. I had to quickly duck out of the way as a sign turned, the wooden corner almost catching my head. As I rightened, the crowd shifted, pushing me away from the group, and Nick went sprawling. He connected with Kiri, toppling them both to the ground. A few kind people made room for me as I helped Kiri up. When Anya joined us to help pull Nick away, her eyes went wide, and she let out a blood-curdling scream.