Sophie closed her eyes, waiting for her inevitable death. Her short life flashed before her eyes, all the mistakes she had made. Her concerns about being separated from her uplifted friends at school seemed petty and unimportant now.
"Hey! What are you doing? Get away from her!"
Sophie opened her eyes. She could see Heather had backed away from her, turning to threaten the new arrival.
"This doesn't concern you. Get lost, kid. Unless you want to get hurt, " snarled Heather.
"Roland?" asked Sophie.
Heather turned and looked at her.
"Roland? Is this your boyfriend?" she chuckled. Sophie blushed. Heather sighed. "Well, I had hoped to keep this simple. But it looks like I will just have to kill you both. Although I have to admit that I am a bit hungry and I doubt a scrawny thing like you would fill me up."
"But ... but ... it's against the edicts of Animalia to eat humans or uplifted animals," said Roland, backing away from the approaching monster.
"Oh, is it? I didn't know. Whatever will I do? I simply can't break the law. I guess I will have to let you go," said Heather mockingly. "Get serious, kid. Who is going to stop me? The animal police?"
"Just go, Roland. Save yourself! She is not like the others! She's crazy!" said Sophie.
"Oh, I'm afraid it's much too late for that. Can't leave any witnesses, " said Heather, as she lowered her head down to stalk her prey. She began to circle him. "Sorry, lover-boy, you just had the bad luck to fall for the wrong girl."
Just as Heather was set to attack, a large rock struck her in the head. She turned and glared angrily at the source - Sophie was standing up, a number of irregularly-shaped rocks piled in her shirt.
Heather chuckled.
"You really think those little things can hurt me? Don't you know how thick my skull is?" said Heather, tapping a clawed finger against her skull.
Sophie didn't respond. She just threw another rock. This one struck Heather right in her snout.
"Okay, Sophie. Now you are starting to piss me off. Guess you die first," said Heather as she turned back around.
Suddenly Heather felt a small knife pierce her back. It was a glancing blow, bouncing off the thick bones protecting her ribcage. But it drew blood. And it hurt. She reached behind her back and pulled out the tip of a large spade, some kind of gardening tool the school groundskeeper had carelessly left behind. Roland stood behind her, still holding the wooden handle of the broken tool in his hand. Heather tossed the bent blade to the ground.
"You little ass! That hurt! I'll kill you for that. You want to play hero? You are going to die like a hero!" said Heather as she charged him.
Roland held up his metal baseball bat like a shield, blocking Heather's large jaw. It snapped ferociously around the bat, denting and deforming it. Roland knew it would not last much longer. Sophie threw more rocks but Heather ignored them as they bounced off her back. Heather began to swipe at Roland with her claws, digging deep into the flesh of his chest. He howled in pain, but still held tightly onto his bat, his only protection from the large jaws moving ever closer.
The intensity of the rocks increased, seeming to strike Heather nonstop. One struck her in the eye and she reared back, roaring in anger. Holding her injured eye protectively she looked around and saw that a large crowd had formed around her. Several human students were holding rocks, ready to throw them at a moment's notice. Other students had phones out, some taking pictures, others calling family, friends, and most likely the police.
Heather knew there were too many of them. She could not kill them all. She had let her rage get the better of her and she had made a mistake. And now she was going to pay for that mistake. But she wouldn't be the only one who paid.
"This isn't over, Sophie. Not by a long shot, " said Heather, as she bit down onto Roland's shoulder. Roland screamed in pain. Heather jumped off him and ran away. But not before issuing a final threat. "I'll get you, Sophie. You and all your friends. Just wait!"
Sophie ignored her and ran over to Roland.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I don't think it was too deep. It only hurts when I laugh, " said Roland weakly.
"This isn't funny. You look really hurt," said Sophie, examining the bloody wounds on his chest and shoulder.
"You should see the other guy, " said Roland, as he struggled to stand up. Sophie grabbed him as began to fall and steadied him on her shoulder.
"We need to get you to a doctor. I doubt she was vaccinated and I don't want you to get infected," said Sophie.
As she passed by the other students, Sophie couldn't help but hear their murmurs.
"Was that one of the Animalians?"
"Why was it attacking them?"
"Is it dangerous?"
"Man, they are all dangerous!"
"Where are the police? Has someone called them?"
"They are probably too scared. Better call the national guard!"
No one bothered to help Sophie as she walked with Roland. She knew they were all afraid - afraid of getting infected or afraid the monster might come back with friends. Sophie packed Roland into her car and drove to the hospital. In the car she began to fear what long term consequences this little attack would have - not just on Roland but on the whole Animalian community.