Musicians played their tunes while crowds listened joyously in small clusters. Scheduled confetti was shot through hidden cannons. Children tugged impatiently at their guardians' hands and clothing, eager to run into the open to catch the bits of colored paper. After they would have their fun, they all run back to the protection that the shade gave them. The date was June 17th, the day everyone had longed for. The sun blazed in the cloudless sky, offering no mercy to the civilians of New Blara. An odd name, yes, but it was theirs. The town wasn't small, yet everyone seemed to know each other. Banners hung from buildings of all shapes and sizes, but they all had one thing in common. A symbol of Hope and freedom. They held praise for a certain hero. One far too familiar to her followers and rivals. Lupus. A girl who had been born with enhanced senses. Her name meant wolf, and she wore it like a badge.
She stood on the roof, looking down at her city. Everyone was happy and healthy, once more safe from the evil doings of a villain. For months, everyone was sick. Moping around lazily like depressed zombies. Lupus scanned the streets once more, just to be sure there wouldn't be any more problems. Positive her people were safe, she heard a loud, familiar symphony. This was her qeueu to swoop down into the crowd. Grabbing her grappling hook, she shot it to the top of a small thrift store roof. A sense of peace flooded her veins as she soared through the air. Distant shouts worked their way to the crowd closest to where she landed. The sense of excitement and thankfulness filled the air as she held up her hand to silence the crowd with a smile on her face. Clicking the small microphone that had been clipped onto the collar of her shirt by the mayor, she spoke happily,"Dear citizens, I must thank you for your patience during the hard times we faced merely three months ago. I understand that you all struggled to keep away from the toxins emmitted through the city's ventage systems." Her confidence faltered momentarily, a saddened look of regret on her face. She continued," I also understand that many lives were lost to the battle of the toxins. It troubles me deeply that so many lost their loved ones. I assure you, I know what it's like to lose a family member in an unfair way." She felt the eyes on her as she stiffened. She had lost her brother to bullies all but five years ago. Ever since, she's been balancing her greif and duties as the town's savior on a thin twig. That being said, it makes it even harder to acknowledge the fact that all of this was her fault. Families were greiving because she hadn't done anything sooner. What makes it even worse is that the criminal that caused this mess was still out there.
She wished everyone a good day and left the festival that was put together in her honor. Making her way through the crowd into the parking lot was harder than she expected, so she was relieved when she finally got to her car. It was a black Porsche, that alone, she couldn't have been able to afford. The city had helped pitch in so she could get to locations faster without worrying about breaking down. Of course she was thankful for the gift, but she still felt bad driving in it because it was the city's saved up taxes that had paid for it. After resting in the soft cushioned seat, she started it up and drove through an alleyway, a shortcut that led to the hospital. By the time she got there the sun was already setting over the horizon. They say that time flies when you're having fun, but really it flies when you're lost in your thoughts.
Pulling into the hospital parking lot, she found a site she thought she'd never find. More of the crazed zombies that she had fought off months ago were stumbling their way around the hospital entrance. Her heart stopped at the site, unable to find out how they had gotten there. The government had helped her prevent more of the toxins escaping, therefore no one else could have been turned. That meant she had missed some, and it had spread. They hadn't seemed to hear her loud engine, so she cut it off, embracing the unwanted silence. The berries she had found on an expedition, seem to be a cure, but all of them have been locked away in the hospital for emergency use. At the moment she couldn't get to them which means she would have to fight them off, or run and wait for reinforcements. It would most likely be the latter. The festival would be going for the next three hours. That's when she seen it, the dark figure on top of the hospital roof. The only part of his face that could be seen was a smile, and she knew that smile anywhere. There wasn't no mistaking it, but how was it possible?

TBC...

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