Nocturne

18. Monsters and men

I sat with Nolan on a park bench beneath a shaded tree, leaning into his side and watching as people went to and fro. Aeric and Margo had joined a couple of kids across the street in a skate park and were letting everyone teach them what to do. Margo didn't take to it very well, but Aeric already seemed to be decent. I laughed quietly as Margo's board slipped out from beneath her and she cursed like a sailor, eliciting booming laughter from the kids around her. It was something about the accent and word choice that always made it enjoyable to watch.

"Remember when I used to have one of those?" Nolan asked.

"Yeah, you loved that thing until Hailey broke it." I snorted, feeling his finger curl in my hair. We'd done a little shopping, got some new clothes and ate lunch. Osiris was talking with a few people in the park itself, wearing a new black crop top with golden Eyes of Ra printed across it, and I watched her start laughing out of the corner of my eye. I also saw that one of them wasn't human.

"It's a little weird, coming out here and seeing everyone." He said gently. "The humans don't even know there's monsters in their midst...and those who do know, don't care."

"Maybe we could just stay here when it's all said and done," I looked up at him with a smile, "live like monsters and men."

"I think I'd like that."

The sun was just starting to dip below the horizon, painting everything in vibrant oranges and reds. The air was so thick with the humidity I could've swept it up in a jar and it'd still be there the next day; it was strange, but I was almost comfortable in this heat. With my power gone, I wasn't bothered by temperatures higher than an eighty, which was a relief right now considering the weather. Margo and Aeric finally rejoined us, having admitted defeat to the teenagers they were hanging out with. We'd be needing to head back to Devorah's part of town soon so I whistled for Osiris to come back, watching her saunter closer to finally rejoin us.

"Are we heading home?" She asked, and I nodded.

"We've got to go meet with Dev, I'm sure her and Medusa are missing us by now." I snickered. "I know I missed them."

"Well, let's-"

Everyone paused when the sound of gunfire echoed in the air. I exchanged glances with each of them, everyone having paused to assess the situation more thoroughly. The shots rang out again and even the humans heard it this time. We were dangerously close to the Sacramento facility, so we all seemed to have the same idea in mind when we took off towards the street corner and the city center. I led the way and everyone grouped around Nolan, the only odd looking one in the small herd. It didn't take us long to get to the facility, and when we did, we were greeted with what was surely a strange sight.

The street had been cleared for the most part, but to my horror there were a few Imposters hiding as people in gas masks and torn PASCI uniforms throwing smoke bombs over the brick and barbed wire fence around the facility. Actual agents shot over the edge, and the bullets were ricocheting too close to the humans for my liking. There were small sects of subjects who still acted like Oracle had intended: no regard for human or subject life, they just wanted to take everything down. Obviously these ragtag subjects were doing exactly that by the sounds of the slurs coming from their lips.

"Should we jump in and help?" Margo asked quietly and I debated for a few seconds before pulling my mask out of my pocket.

"Looks like we don't have a choice," I huffed, "I'm sorry Marshall, we just can't seem to avoid the fights."

"If we break down a part of the wall now," Osiris jumped in as she analyzed the scene, "it'll be too big to repair fully, if at all, by the time we come in for our attack."