Shout-outs to: Azkadellio, dww, bade, CheesyDip15, and Bubbles1023. And also to my beta, I Think It's Creative. :D

The chapters are going to get darker and more violent, so just a heads-up.


CHAPTER 7

Jade West exited the forest with new confidence in her stride; she did nothing to hide herself or pretend to not exist while passing by strangers along the sidewalks. She had left Tori alive on purpose, not wanting to do the deed until a later, more appropriate time. If it was done too early, her plans would be ruined.

The sun beat down into her back as it glowed high in the sky. Jade wiped her forehead quickly, looking uncomfortable to the heat. She wished she could remove her jacket, but since she had torn off her bloody shirt and stowed it away, she had nothing underneath to wear. Instead, she moved to stand under the shade of the nearest palm tree and hoped no one would consider her behavior strange.

Her eyes bounced around the serene scene in front of her, darting from shop to shop, giving the passing humans a brief glance over. Jade's lips melted into a frown. She wasn't satisfied with the current view. Shoving her hands into the jacket's small pockets, she continued down the hot concrete, keeping her head low and sweeping hair across her face to conceal her identity.

Time didn't matter to Jade as she ambled around, poking her head through the doors of brand-name stores, chain restaurants, and small retail establishments. She rubbed her palms together, becoming antsy as she struggled to search for the right place.

The sun passed its highest point and began its descent over the western hills when Jade found what she has spent the last few hours searching for. The windows to the store were tinted and laced with dark bars that created a lattice of metal over the grimy surfaces. She pushed against the door hard, trying to get it open and stumbling inside.

There was a large employee hovering by the entrance, lines creasing his forehead and his body reeking of sweat and dirt. Although he did not speak to Jade, his eyes never strayed from her back as she took a few steps into the store. Jade regarded her surroundings carefully, pushing down the bubbling feelings rising in her chest.

Weapons of all colors, shapes, and sizes plastered the walls.

The biggest, most dangerous-looking ones were locked in glass boxes underneath the white countertops, glinting gold and silver locks in plain sight. The ones against the wall sat in specially designed holders, their noses pointed at the ceiling. A man larger than the guard stood at the register, his glasses drooping over the end of his nose. He waved at Jade, beckoning her to him.

"What can I help you with, ma'am?" the clerk asked.

Jade looked down at the spotted, greasy carpet she stood on. A smile crept upon her lips as she lifted her head and lunged for him.


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Jade pulled her left fist back and smashed it into the security guard's face. The force of her blow cut her knuckles on the edges of his slimy teeth as they caved into his mouth. The man crumpled to the ground, his chin blossoming into a red and light purple. Jade hung above him, trying to figure out what to do next.

She heard the noise of static and turned her head to see the clerk, his face shrouded in fear, fumbling with a walkie-talkie in his hands. Eyes growing wide in anger, Jade grabbed the nearest object she could hurl at the man: the shiny metal badge pinned to the guard's chest. She ripped it away from his shirt, the pocket of the uniform coming off, and threw it as hard as she could at the clerk.

It connected with the clerk's head but clearly didn't do much damage, other than causing him to drop the communication device in panic.

That was all the time Jade needed to bridge the gap between them. She ran at full force, smashing painfully into the glass counter before sliding over the top, arms outstretched, a ferocious growl rumbling in her chest.

The clerk gave a squeak before reaching behind his back as Jade wrapped her arms around his wide waist. She wrestled him to the floor and she pinned his right hand uncomfortably behind his back. His eyes widened in fear as Jade snarled above him, pulling back her fist.

Hot pain seared in the side of Jade's face silver flashed in front of her. She recoiled immediately, grabbing her face with both hands. The clerk scrambled away, his fingers trying to find the fat red button that would summon the police.

Jade got him before he could push it.

Blood dripped down her cheek from the new, large gash below her eye. She bared her teeth at the man as he thrust his small pocketknife at her once more, catching the skin between her thumb and index finger. He continued to jab his weapon at her until he caught sight of the cut on her cheek beginning to heal at an alarmingly fast rate.

First, pale skin stretched over the blood and muscle tissue and then an odd white substance stitched its way over the pink scar.

"What the—"

Jade's fists rained down on his head as he feebly attempted to protect himself. The knife spun out of his grip, landing on the sticky floor. He was out cold in seconds, slumping to the ground. Drawing a hand across her face, Jade grabbed his chubby wrist and felt a pulse forcing its way through his bloodstream. She stood up before pocketing his small knife and then hooking her arms under the clerk's armpits, dragging him to the corner of the store. She tied him to the security guard using cables she found in a drawer below the register.

Jade scouted around the store, finding a ring of many keys attached to the clerk's belt. She locked the front door, turned around the 'Open' sign, and closed the blinds. Then she turned to look over the store's contents once more.

There was a black backpack in the storage room, which appeared to originally belong to one of the employees, judging from the personal items inside. She left them on the floor and went around the store, snatching boxes of ammunition off the shelves and stuffing them into the bag. She even smashed open the glass panels of the counter to grab the special black cartridges labeled in gold writing.

Once she believed her bag was sufficiently full, Jade marched around to find the proper tools. Two hand weapons were stuffed into the pack, both loaded and ready. She found a nice big one, weighing it in her hands and slinging the strap over her shoulder before testing it out, aiming the open end at the mirrors in the corners of the store and admiring her criminal appearance.

Jade scurried out the back door, carrying all her equipment in her arms.

She had the guns.

Now all she needed was the victims.


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The creature was pleasantly surprised at how easy the mission had been. The two humans in the weapons store had hardly put up a fight and now, thanks to them, the creature had successfully gathered up the large tools it would need for future use. Jade's body resisted injury well, the creature noted gleefully.

Everything was going according to plan. The creature had never felt this level of happiness in its life…ever. Its companions back on its home planet would be very proud right now if they could see their peer's accomplishments.

The creature had been the one to volunteer to visit this place they called 'Earth,' where many different species lived, sometimes in harmony and sometimes as enemies. The creature had been told the dominant breed was called 'humans' and they were the ones that built the structures and developed the technology on the planet.

However, the creature had not known at the time there were also different types of humans as well. Animals, yes, the creature had known about the diversity in the felines, canines, equines, and such. But humans? That bit of information had not been revealed to the creature.

The creature remembered a long while ago, before it had fully matured, that an accident had occurred and one of its own visited Earth. It had been disastrous and that individual had never been heard from again.

Exploration, destruction, and revenge.

That was what the creature was here for.


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Jade knew she couldn't be seen as soon as she set foot outside. At least, not with this large weapon hanging from her neck. It wouldn't fit under her jacket and she needed a way to get to her next destination without being spotted.

Eventually she settled on taking to the rooftops. Scaling the wall of the gun store, she pulled herself onto the gravel-covered top, her boots crunching into the dirt and pebbles.

The bag bounced on her back unnervingly as she stayed low and made daring hops across the different buildings. Occasionally she would peak over the edge to make sure no one watched her progress and that she went in the right direction.

Her legs started to ache from having to bend over and her spine felt like it would snap. Jade pushed on until she caught the scent of freshly printed paper. She paused on the rooftop and leaned over the side, finding an beige building below her with a octagonal logo made up of blue trapezoids plastered on the front. This was the place.

Jade popped the hood of her torn leather jacket over her head and adjusted the straps of the backpack to ensure it wouldn't slip off her shoulders. Taking the large gun in her hands, she jumped off the roof.

Her legs felt like jello when she collided with the ground. Straightening up, she saw people around her staring in shock and wondering why she hadn't passed out from the fall. Ignoring them, she pushed through the glass doors of the building and raised her weapon, pulling the trigger and releasing several bullets that shot right through the ceiling.

She had everyone's attention in the next second. This store's security guard, a female wearing blue and a tight-fitting police hat, whipped out her own weapon and aimed it at Jade.

Jade didn't want to permanently injure the woman and took the knife from her pocket that she had stolen from the clerk at the gun store. She pressed the button to unleash the blade and threw it at the guard. The woman dropped her gun in fright as the handle end smacked into her chest.

People ducked below counters and employees disappeared behind their desks. Jade chuckled darkly and walked over to the first standing employee she saw, pointing the gun at the man's sweaty forehead.

"Money," she snarled, holding out an empty hand.

The man shook his head, beads of sweat dripping into his eyes. He shook with fear. Jade rattled her gun aggressively and the man cowered lower, his hands scrambling for the button on the register.

The thick wad of cash toppled into Jade's palm but before she could even wrap her fingers around it, the security guard shouted from behind, "Drop your weapon and put your hands on your head!"

Jade spun around, glaring up at the guard, who stood less than fifteen feet away. The woman repeated her command, her gun pointed directly at Jade's chest. Jade shrugged and placed the weapon on the ground.

"Here you go," she said simply.

"Slide it towards me," the guard warned.

Jade stuck her foot ahead and pushed against the gun sharply. It spun out-of-control and discharged half a dozen bullets in a random spray. The guard dropped to the floor—Jade did not know if she had been hit. Jade retrieved her weapon as everyone kneeled in their hiding places, still shell-shocked. Knowing she had to act fast, Jade made a round to every open stall and snatched up money, rifling through lost purses and bags as well. No one made a move to stop her.

When her backpack was close to exploding, Jade tried to figure out how she would leave the bank. Without warning, shrill alarms sounded and seven big police officers barged through the doors wearing protective gear and holding up guns that would rival Jade's.

"Get on the floor now!" someone yelled through a megaphone.

Jade laughed and turned towards them, taking steps backwards. She waved her gun at them but did not fire.

"On the floor now!" the voice repeated.

Jade pulled the trigger and shot at them. She bent over the split second before they fired back, riddling the walls behind her with bullets. People screamed and Jade slipped out the exit before the officers could catch up to her.


So...what did you of all of that? Shocking or expected?