MAEVE

I don't know why I'm on this rooftop about to save this boy from his ass. Tara shoulda been the one up here; they were supposed to be out on patrol. Lazy butt.

I woulda completely missed the boy. Shoulda. The sky is deep purple with an edging of orange. The stars are fully visible, a rare enough sight. It's mesmerizing. Almost never is there any trouble on nights like these, almost, but I guess luck decided to kick my butt tonight. I only noticed him when a Them started to growl, a low guttural sound. Resonant enough to shake the rooftops. Everything. Also, he's in a frickin' glass mansion. Perfect target for a Them.

What is he even doing out? No one's supposed to be out without people like me, trained soldiers. The Them roars again. I almost fall from the rooftops. I really should save this boy. Maybe.

My eyes scour the rooftop for some way to get down; I really shoulda done recon before. Guess Ima lazy butt too. Finally, I spy the curve of a pipe running from the roof to the side of the building. That'll do. I run over, sit on the edge of the rooftop, and begin to slowly lower myself down, so that my hands are the only thing holding on. I plant my legs on the wall, push towards the pipe. My body bangs against it, and I grab the side of the pipe, sliding down.

My feet hit the ground. I look towards the building, hoping in the time it took to get down there, the Them didn't eat the boy. Being eaten is plain nasty. Especially when it's Them. And did I mention, the Them is one of the wolf kinds? That's even worse.

Anyhow, the boy is running . . . straight towards the glass wall at the end of a hall. Dumbass. The Them's behind, right on his heels. The kid has long hair; it's whipping around his face. I wish I could chop it off, because it looks like it's blocking his eyesight. Besides, that's one of the rules. No long hair. The boy completely misses the stairwell near the end of the hall, and keeps running straight.

My eyes bounce onto the ground, and keep bouncing away, like those small orange balls we keep at the place for the kids to play with. He plows straight into the wall, shattering the glass, and plummets towards the ground.

I cover my eyes to avoid the glass that rains down from the wall, glittering in the sky. When I can only hear the boy screaming and Them roaring, without the sound of glass, I uncover my eyes.

The boy fails to notice me. I seriously don't understand him. Almost everyone can recognize a soldier from ten feet away. The boy runs towards the right.

I don't understand how he didn't die from that fall, or how he got up so quickly when I can only stare at him open mouthed. Them pounds after him, snot running down Their nose, Their teeth dripping with saliva.

Them lunges, their powerful hind legs propelling Them into the air. Them's front legs hit the ground, Their mouth snapping close, barely missing the boy's shirt.

The boy screams, stumbles, and trips.

The next few moments go by in fast motion,

I pull my gun out of my belt. Them leaps onto the boy's chest. The boy screams, Them's head's a centimeter from their face. Them opens Their mouth--about to take a bite from the boy's shoulder.

I take aim. Shoot.

Them screams, the bullet lodging right about their left eye. Them turns towards me, growling, blood dripping onto the boy's shirt, coating Their face. Their lips pull back, re-exposing sharp teeth. Them pounds the ground, runs at me. I aim again--and

Somethings hits Them from behind--

Them falls and--

The boy's staring at me with glowing hands.

He's one of Them.