Then, a shot got everybody's attention.

Aro was standing on the roof of a car, holding a machine gun.

"Esmeeee! Stand up and show your face, stupid bitch. I want my money back!"

xxx

Esme was standing at the back of the group. Before Aro's arrival, she was busy with Alice and Alec, packing the meager belongings they managed to rescue into the trunk of a van. It wasn't like her house was destroyed, but a couple of grenades landed close enough to shatter the windows. And a couple of walls. Perhaps not all her furniture ended in one piece. But they were alive, that must count for something.

When she heard Aro, she instinctively searched for a gun. If any lesson came from this catastrophe was that life was too short to let it pass, hidden because of a bully. Esme was determined to leave Aro, consequences be damned. Given that he was responsible for the chaos, she was sure he will end up rotting in jail; besides, most of their money would go to compensate the people in Micanopy. But at least she will gain her freedom.

She took a step towards his voice when Alice stopped her.

"Are you crazy? He has a machine gun!"

"I don't care. I'm not gonna stay here and let him torment this town anymore."

Esme pushed by Alice, then by the many survivors who were scared and confused.

"I'm here." she yelled, way before getting to the front.

Because it was still dark, Aro couldn't grasp where the voice was coming from. So he shot a round of bullets into the sky.

"Come here you wench! Or I'm gonna start shooting anyone who's in front of me."

Esme got to the front and stood right beneath him. She didn't say anything, just glared at him.

"Ah, finally here. Tell me, sweet wife of mine, what happened to the money I stashed in my safety box at our house?" His saccharine voice didn't hide the fury he was feeling.

"What money? What safety box?" Esme shook her head. "I know just as well as you do that I don't set a foot on your side of the house. I don't have any idea if you have furniture, least I will know anything about a box."

xxx

While they were argüing, many of the survivors were getting ready to pounce. Just who this guy think he was? They survived a much frightening threat to succumb to a crazy man with a machine gun. And it was glaringly obvious he didn't know how to use the damn thing.

Demetri, who had a better marksmanship and the night vision goggles, crawled to the back, trying to hide behind a car.

Felix, with the gun he secured from Bella, also tried to hide between the other survivors.

And they weren't the only ones planning to shoot Aro.

xxx

"Are you kidding me? Aro, you and I led separate lives for years! What was I supposed to know about an apartment?" Esme was angry. How many assets did he hide from her?

"Well, and if you didn't take it, then tell me who dared to do it? Because I'm sure every soul in this town fears me, as they should."

"You're an impossible egomaniac!" Esme huffed. "Probably one of your minions took your money and ran."

Aro took a look around, noticing Jacob and Rosalie's absence. The mere possibility that Esme was right and his money had vanished...

"Damn it! Tell me where's my money!" Aro stomped his foot and accidentally shot a round of bullets.

"Aargh!" Someone yelled from the back.

"See! I won't stop until you give me what's mine." Then he addressed the rest of the survivors. "If I don't get back my money at the count of three, I will start shooting. Given that it's dark, I don't know who will fall." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

The group of people around them freaked out. They scattered around screaming, getting Aro angrier.

"Just give me my money!" He yelled and pointed his weapon to Esme, who stood defiantly to his threats.

Aro pressed the trigger, but before any bullet got to Esme, someone within the crowd jumped in front of her. It was James.

"Nooo!" The three of them yelled in unison.

xxx

Suddenly, all the radios beeped.

"Guys! Anyone! Is anyone there?" It was Embry, but his called passed unnoticed between the chaos. Except for one person. Tanya, who was at a reasonable distance from Aro's madness, answered.

"Embry? It's over. I'm sorry nobody contacted you to give you the news..." She was sure everybody forgot he was still at Mrs. Rachel's house at the other side of town.

"No. It isn't over. We saw it. It came from the cave. Something came out from a cocoon."

"What are you talking about?"

"There's a giant moth heading your way!"

xxx

Esme was desperate trying to bring James back to consciousness.

"See, that's what happens when people doesn't comply with my wishes." Aro wasn't bothered at all after shooting James. His worry died when he noticed James was still alive to be replaced with more anger. He was supposed to shoot that damn witch of a wife!

"Shut up! You hurt him! Our son!" Esme cried.

"Meh. He turned out to be a disappointment. Now, where were we? Right, at the count of three, I want my money back!" He yelled to the frightened remaining citizens of Micanopy.

"One..." He yelled while glaring to Esme, his wild hair flowing around his face because of the soft air blowing around.

He shot to the sky again, hoping to bring some fear into Esme. She was still clutching James into her arms but glaring at Aro.

What started as a soft breeze turned into a roaring wind in seconds. A dark cloud was moving fast to where the field was burning.

"Look!", "What's that?" The people around Esme wondered, looking at the sky.

"Aro, watch out!" Someone yelled.

"Bah. That's the oldest trick in the book. Two..."

Tanya was calling whoever was listening to be careful with the moth, but even with Embry's notice, she wasn't prepared for the horror that flying monstrosity represented.

Aro missed the dark shadow floating just right over him. A gigantic moth flapping its wings. It was like a truck with wings!

The moth woke up from the change very hungry. After flying around to stretch its wings, the moth flew to where it sensed light and warmth. It screeched as it came close to the fire to see the burning corpses of its buddies.

"Three!" Aro lifted the machine gun, ready to shoot the crowd when the sound of a screech froze him.

The moth instinctively flew down to the jumpy creature. With its mouth claws and legs, it took Aro and flew up to the sky until it was out of sight. Trying to bit into the squirming body of Aro. The moth got him in a few bites, losing bits of Aro's body in the process.

The people around Esme freaked out.

She was calling for a doctor when a loud thump made her jump.

Aro's head fell just at her feet. A primal scream of terror forever etched on his twisted face.

xxx

"Felix! Demetri! Someone!" Tanya was desperate, trying to get one of the agents to listen. She saw, just like everybody else, how the moth circled the sky around the field. It's wings barely distinguishable in the dark night, if only for the white dots between the sea of dark brown and gray that covered them. They have to find a way to kill it before it ate the whole town!

And Tanya, noticing how they used all the grenades and Molotov cocktails, thought of the only remaining alternative... the rocket launcher.

"Hey, Mrs. New... Tanya!" Edward answered from his post behind the van where Aro stood. He planned, along with Felix, to jump on Aro once Demetri shot him. Obviously, the arrival of the moth changed those plans. "Felix is crawling your way. He's wondering what is left from our arsenal."

"We're going to need your help. The damn rocket launcher is pretty heavy and I heard Felix was injured." Tanya explained, relieved to hear they were coming.

The moth flew really close to the ground, in an effort to see how many of those yummy squirming things were standing around.

Not one minute later, Felix and Demetri were helping Tanya to set the rocket launcher.

"Bring those cases, Edward," Tanya ordered, trying to remember how to assemble the weapon. "Michael got them as a gift. We never thought we would use them." She shook her head.

"These are ancient! Are you sure they work?" Demetri exclaimed.

Edward brought the case, it wasn't heavy at all. Once he opened it he found out why. "Hmm, Tanya. There's only one thing here." He took the elongated missile out of the case. "You know, I always thought these things were bigger."

"Shh! Bring it!" Felix almost slapped the round object from Edward's hand, checking if it fit the weapon in his hands. "These things are delicate. Worst, I think there's only one of them."

"So we only have one shot."

Felix and Demetri nodded.

"We need a distraction, something to bring it closer," Felix stated.

"I'll do it." Emmett offered, still sad about witnessing Rosalie's death. "I think I can raise a hell of a ruckus with that horn." He pulled not only the horn but a lantern too.

"Are you sure?" Edward asked, worried about his friend. "This isn't a suicide mission. As soon as the moth flies down to you, you get under cover. You know what, I'll help you."

"No, no, no. It will be easier if only one of us go. You better help here to aim for the fucker."

Demetri walked to Emmett. "Ok, son. here's the plan. "

xxx

Emmett climbed to the roof of the fire truck.

"Hey, you!"

Waaaank. Waaaank.

He blew the horn, jumped moving the lantern up and down.

The moth noticed him and then flew on a downward spiral, right to where Emmett was jumping... just when the moth was about to reach him, he jumped and rolled under the truck.

"No shot," Felix yelled over the radio. "I don't have a shot!"

"Stupid moth." Emmett cursed from his hiding place.

The moth crossed the dark sky, circling the area, only to dive to the truck again, almost turning it upside-down. Then it flew up again.

This time Demetri was the one aiming the rocket launcher while Edward and Seth helped him.

"I almost got it...I almost got it..."

When the moth took off again, in a straight line up, Demetri got his shot.

He pulled the trigger.

The crowd went silent, watching the missile flying straight to the moth.

Boom!

It reached its goal, making the moth explode in thousand of pieces.

"Everybody run!" Bella screamed over the radio.

"Why?" Tanya wondered.

"We don't know if the moth was toxic!"

But running was futile. The bits and pieces of the moth's wings fell all around, and they were thankful when the body landed in the middle of the field, far from anyone.

Still, Bella took a stick and walked over one chunk of a wing. After poking a few times, it didn't melt the stick. She carefully squat, and slowly reached for the wing. She touched it with the tip of her finger. Nothing happened.

"Hmm, interesting."

And this way, with the death of the giant moth, the crisis of the puss caterpillars ended.


So, what do you think?

In case you were wondering, I didn't forget about Bob ;) There will be an epilogue.

See ya.