There was no longer a need for subterfuge. As far as he was concerned, everyone on the bridge below was trash. Not particularly wicked or corrupt trash, but they took a paycheck from people who willingly abandoned the lesser members of society so that they could have greater comfort. Meanwhile, the sheriff’s department was left to fend with the entirety of the rest of the county.

Scott hopped down from the four-story building and landed with little fanfare. Not only was that drop insignificant to him, his control over his personal gravity largely made fall damage a thing of the past in most instances.

Sonja hopped down and he caught her before she hit the ground. It was unlikely the drop would have hurt her much, if at all, but there was no reason to risk it.

He turned his eyes toward the bridge. “I would prefer not to kill anyone.”

“I’ll follow your lead,” she said dubiously. There were dozens of men on that bridge. While her master might be able to drive them away without killing them, it was uncertain if the events about to take place would actually happen the way that he intended.

No more words needed to be spoken. The duo set off for the bridge at a slow confident pace.

“Heads up!” called out a member of the militia. Several men took note of the outcry and looked toward the East side of the bridge.

Scott did not stop walking forward even after the man called out for him to stop. Instead, his dead eyed stare evoked his mood.

“Fuck off,” he said curtly mid-stride.

His aura washed over them like a tidal wave of dread. The formerly confident members of the militia screeched like terrified monkeys then flailed around. A few shots were fired by accident as none of them had the presence of mind to aim. They writhed on the ground, clawed at their faces with bloodied fingernails, and ripped the hair from their heads due to their panic. As Scott drew closer several of the men hurled themselves over the side of the bridge, their screams continued to echo even after they were embraced by the waters below.

A few of the men who leapt from the bridge soon bobbed to the surface and began to flail around spastically in the water. They were now on the outskirts of Scott’s aura. Frightened, but able to at least tread water.

Unholy screams of terror echoed far and wide as the duo strode through the area. Just behind Scott, and with much higher charisma that the average pathetic human, Sonja was largely resistant to the effect. However, even she shuddered slightly.

They crossed the bridge without being accosted and paid no concern to the men left screaming in their wake. There was only a short distance now to the hospital. A group of armed men drove around the corner. Alarmed by the gunfire the militia’s quick reaction force barreled down at them. Scott never stopped walking forward. His aura reached them, and their transport truck veered wildly off the side of the road. A fire hydrant was ruptured. Water shot into the air like a geyser. The sound was not nearly loud enough to drown out the terrified screams of the soldiers caught up in the shadow of his passing.

One man climbed out of the back of the truck then screamed frantically while he rocked back and forth on the ground. He then managed to reach his feet and took off at a run, his arms flailing wildly even as tears and snot poured from his face.

In the back of the troop transport men crawled atop each other in such a manner that anyone who viewed the scene might think of shrieking maggots. They were rendered into nothing more than a tangle of limbs, puke, tears, and shit.

As they approached the hospital Scott bid her stop. They drew off to one side in order to avoid further contact for the moment. Several van loads of men soon tore through the area. They rocketed down the street in search of the disturbance.

Scott spent a chunk of his current funds and brought Sonja’s armor into the world. She grinned at him then began to change into her gear while he explained his plan.

“So, I’m just a distraction?” she asked, her tone one of obvious hurt.

“A beautiful one, yes,” said Scott. Before she could retort, he waved his hand. “This isn’t about cleaning house. It’s about Ashton. I can move much more freely as a shadow.”

She nodded to him. He did have a point, even if it was a truly annoying one. Ashton was a sister, and her friend. She wanted to do more than merely distract a few pathetic human soldiers.

“I’m not sure if this is strong enough to make you bullet proof,” he said while he gestured toward her armor. “So, try not to get shot while you’re also trying not to kill anyone.”

“I don’t get to kill anyone?” she asked, a slight pout on her lips. There was nothing fun about that prospect at all!

“If you can help it,” said Scott. “Think of it as training.”

She looked at him for a moment, her piercing blue eyes shining with intensity. “You are going quite light on these people, despite what they have done.”

Scott looked into her eyes for a moment then inclined his head. “I know. I have to try to do something different at least once. Not every answer to my problems should be someone’s death.”

She offered him a dubious glance. However, she said nothing.

“A killer of everything that offends me is not the person who I want to become,” he clarified. “Killing is easy. I need to make harder decisions and face greater challenges.”

“And if Ashton is dead?” asked Sonja.

“The militia better have a lot of tokens,” he replied coldly.

His response caused a beautiful smile to cross Sonja’s lips. That was a much better thing to hear in her opinion.