The Lies We Tell Ourselves (an MCU story)

Aftermath

The city of Manhattan was a bustling metropolis. Seas of people rushed down the wet sidewalks as rain pattered on their black umbrellas. Cars honked, trapped in an evening traffic gridlock.

A group of chattering teens laughed as they trotted by an alleyway, thin heels clicking on the concrete as the glitter trapped in their tight buns and high ponytails sparkled in the moonlight. The shortest of the three, a girl no older than sixteen, paused. She looked around the busy street.

The other girls paused and glanced back, confused.

"Did you hear that?" The young girl asked.

The tallest of the two frowned. "Hear what?"

She peeked into a darkened alley. "I thought I heard someone crying," she admitted, hesitantly stepping a neon green heel into the dreary darkness. Her freind grabbed her arm and yanked her back.

"Careful!" She snapped, glaring down at the young teen. "Those alleys are dangerous! Remember what happened to Kayla last week?"

The shortest looked down, as did her dark haired freind, Kayla.

"She was attacked by a gifted, remember?" The oldest snapped. "She could have died! And it was because she went into an alley!"

She glanced back at the dark alleyway. "But what if someone needs he--"

"No, Emma!" The older teen snapped. "It's one thing to sneak off to a party. It's another to go into a dark alley full of gifted. They could kill you! They're monsters!"

Emma looked down, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.

The oldest sighed and wrapped her arms around Emma, holding her close as raindrops slid down her shoulders and onto the younger teen's back. "Let's get back home and forget about all this, okay?" She smiled a little. "Let's think about how much fun that party was."

Emma nodded slowly, pulling away from the embrace. "I-I think I left my purse back at the restaurant. Can I run and get it?" Without waiting for an answer, she darted off down the street, kicking off her neon heels and not daring to look back at her angry peers. The moment they were out of sight, she slipped into the dark alley.

"H-hello?" She winces as slimy sewer water splashed against her bare feet and crept up her leg. The stench of garbage wafted past her nose, causing her to gag and cover her mouth as her stomach churned.  "Is someone there?"

Rats scurried out from beneath a dumpster. A clawed hand shot out from the shadows and wrapped around the nearest plump rat making it squeal as blood spurted from its broken skin. The hand dragged the struggling rodent back into the shadows. Sounds of tearing flesh filled the dark alley, making Emma back away. She slowly reached for her phone, hand trembling. The alley grew uncomfortably silent.

"H-hello?" her tone was hushed. "Police?"

The water beneath her rippled. Boxes leaning against the dumpster shifted as a figure concealed by the shadows stood. It towered over the young girl, rancid water dripped off of torn pants. Large, muscular tail lashed back and forth, hitting against the boxes with a steady thwap thwap thwap. "What are you doing here so late child."

Emma stuttered as her phone dropped from her hand. 

The figure's triangular ears perked forward slightly at the gentle thump. They flattened once more and he rested a clawed hand on a knife strapped to his side. "These alleys are dangerous. There won't always be people around to protect you." His eyes met hers, dark slits floating in a sea of green. He glanced back at the darkness of the alley then turned to the girl. "Run along now."

The girl turned and ran out of the alley to the safety of her own home, not daring to look back at the slit green eyes or the monster staring at her.