Invaders

Preface:      I'm not sure why I did it. Maybe I shouldn't have. No, I definitely shouldn't have. If I could redo that day though, I would do the exact same thing.      It all started with a scream. It wasn't an average angry or sad scream either, it was one of pure agony. My feet moved automatically, Cass Cass, my feet seemed to scream as they were running across the sidewalk, Cass. It was ridiculous, I know, but at the moment all I heard was her helpless voice. Suddenly, the shouts died out. Too late, my mind screamed, too late. Still, my feet kept moving refusing to stop even if my mind was telling them to. Nausea overtook me as saw where the now barely audible whimpers were coming from. It was a child around 5, but it wasn't her. It was a little boy. My heart ached for him as a young man, only a few years older than me jammed his fist into his face. Why? I thought, why would he do this? Then I saw it - the curved black ink slithering up the boy's arms. He was one of them. My mind did not linger on this long. Hurling myself forward, I leaped on the man catching him off guard. He stumbled sputtering curse words in my direction. "Stop!" I screamed. He did, but only for a moment. "Well," he smiled maliciously, "if you're so fond of it how about you join him?" His hand landed on my back and shoved me against the wall. His fist connected with my jaw as my knees gave out      Despite the searing pain, I started to crawl towards the boy who looked almost lifeless against the cement. A foot rammed against my ribs but I kept going. Another slam to the ribs left me gasping for breath. Still, though, I kept moving forward until I reached the boy. The kid had chubby cheeks, like Cassy. Like the last moments of her life, this boy's chest lacked movement. Suddenly, I was in the past.