Sarah had been keeping track of the battle at the edge of Redrock, constantly checking with folks, redirecting their positions as she updated the map by moving the pins to get a tactical advantage. Because of this she knew what happened to Tarz and from what she heard, was in critical condition. She (with Sophie’s help) had set up a row of healing potions on a seperate table, and had cleared a third to place Tarz on. The non-humans bursted into the police station, quickly crowding the place.

“Get Tarz on the table now!” she barked.

Tarz was quickly put on the table, the non-humans freaking out. Sarah went up to him, felt his throat.

“He’s unconscious. We need to open his throat immediately. You!” she yelled, pointing at a random dwarf. “Get me that potion over there!”

“Yes ma’am!” the dwarf said, giving a salute, doing as told.

Sarah was handed a red potion.

“You two open his mouth!” she ordered, pointing at two random lizardmen.

They ran up to the table, pried his mouth open as Sarah poured the liquid. What followed was Sarah going into complete nurse mode. She commanded random non-humans to do any task as needed to save Tarz’s life, mostly pouring a variety of healing potions down his gullet. While Sarah was busy with Tarz, Sophie was busy petting all the non-humans on the head. The patting session was interrupted by the radio coming to life. Static followed by frantic breathing came from the other end. Seeing that the adults were busy, Sophie remembered what she saw her mother do so she did the same. She picked up the receiver.

“Hello!” she yelled into it.

“Sarah, we're in bad shape! The mines aren’t working! Roper’s walking right through them! And there’s something wrong with these people! They’re like zombies cutting a path straight through town!” the voice on the other end shouted.

“Oh no.”

“What do we do?”

“Ughhhhhhhhh throw a rock.”

“W-what?”

“Throw a rock at the bad guys.”

“....Fuck it. Everyone throw rocks!”

A silent pause ensued. During it one of the non-humans had noticed Sophie, an elderly dwarf. Sarah’s landlord Mr. Kurgan to be exact. He wore some very old dwarven battle armor. It was a brown armor set though it was unknown whether the brown came from rust or if that was the suit’s natural color. He walked over with a rifle slung over his back.

“What’re you doing Sophie? Playing radio?” he asked.

“No. I’m helping for real.”

“Sure you are sweetie.”

The radio came back to life.

“Rocks aren’t working! We’re losing folks fast! What now? ”

“What? The other side of town is being attacked?” the dwarf said in disbelief.

“Ughhhhh run away. Go home.” Sophie answered.

“Sarah!” Mr. Kurgan exclaimed at the operating table, trying to shout over the conglomerate of non-humans that surrounded her.

“Go home?” the voice on the radio asked.

“Yes. Go home now. You tried, that's all that matters.”

“O-ok.”

Sarah heard Mr. Kurgan’s calls. Promptly ordering some of the non-humans to watch over Tarz, made her way to the radio. She snatched it from Sophie.

“It’s Sarah, what is it?”

“Wait didn’t you just…nevermind! Sarah it’s Roper! He’s pushing from our side! I think I’m the only one left. He’s-”

The radio abruptly cut to static.

“What the hell? Roper’s not supposed to be here! He’s supposed to be at the mansion with Mason!” Sarah yelled to herself, feeling blindsided by the turn of events.

The non-humans not assigned to Tarz were beginning to form around the radio, worried looks on all their faces.

“I mean we just have to reinforce them right?” a catkin suggested.

“Do you think any of us can handle a council member? Why’d you think we let the sheriff handle Black? We don’t stand a chance.” a dwarf shot back.

“Well we can’t stay here!”

“Quiet!” Sarah shouted. “Let me think!”

The radio’s static ended. A new voice replaced it-a voice that they all knew. Preacher Roper’s voice sounded soothing and calm as he spoke while screams were faintly heard in the back.

“We’re all sinners. Every single one of us. You. Me. Even Grand Master Mason knows of sin. It haunts us….like a phantom. What if I told you, you could be free from sin? What if the path to salvation was available? That every human can become pure in the eyes of Vienna so that when we ascend, she shall embrace us with loving arms? It’s true. Even for you Sarah. Confess your sins, and you’ll be offered atonement. Don’t worry, you don’t have to come to church. I’ll come to you.”

“Holy shit!” A lizardman yelled as he looked out the window.

Everyone turned towards the police station’s front door when the entire wall was blown out. A massive shockwave knocked everyone off their feet, hitting the opposite wall. A congregation of people walked into the police station, wearing robes of purple and gold, about 30 in all. At the head was a man wearing a large purple hat with a yellow brim.

“ ‘We have created many races, none more flawed yet more perfect than man. The best of us, and the worst of us is within them. Because of this they can do great good, or they can do great evil’-The book of Vienna verse 15’” the man intoned.

Behind him the congregation shouted ‘amen’ and ‘blessed be.”

The non-humans-albeit in pain-began to rise, pick up their weapons. Sarah did not, she was holding Sophie in her arms, hiding behind a desk, eyeing the sheriff’s office. The door was blasted open. It was no longer a good hiding spot for her daughter. They’d have to escape the building. Fighting Roper was not an option.

“Sarah. You have given birth to a living sin. Worse than a demon, for even demons are mirrors of humanity. You have in your possession a distortion of mankind. A mistake. Come out, and confess. Despite it all, Vienna will still forgive you.” Roper announced.

Mr. Kurgan was aiming his rifle behind a desk at the preacher, looked down at Sarah, and smiled.

He mouthed “Don’t worry. We got this.”

Then Mr. Kurgan said to Roper “I’m going to give you one warning preacher. Get the hell out of my town or I’m blasting your head straight to hell.”

The preacher chuckled, said “Hell is not the worst place one can go. You’ll see for yourself.”

He made a finger gun with his right hand, a ball of purple aura forming at the tip of his index finger. It fired off like a bullet, hitting Mr. Kurgan’s head with enough force to make it explode. His body fell in front of Sarah, Sophie staring. The young girl screamed, seeing one of the friends of the family become a bloody corpse. The scream began the battle, the non-humans charging across the police station at Preacher Roper and his congregation. The preacher shot bullets of aura at each assailant, like he was at a shooting range. The ones that charged at him specifically couldn't get halfway across the police station. It didn’t matter what species they were, they all met the same fate as Mr. Kurgan. The non-humans that didn’t come for Roper specifically entered combat with his congregation. They were having a surprisingly easy time with them. The church members were easy compared to the HDF warriors they had fought earlier. They were slow, almost alarmingly so. It was like they weren’t all there, their minds being somewhere else. After inflicting wounds that should’ve killed them they realized that their opponents were heavily drugged.

“Vienna has blessed them. No matter what you do, they will continue to fight on. It’s like humanity as a whole. You can cut us down as many times as you’d like, but we always come back.” The preacher said.

The congregation turned the tide of the battle, plunging their knives into the throats of the non-humans, swarming them so they couldn’t escape.

“Sarah Madison, no one will save you. Come out from that desk and repent.” the preacher said, approaching the desk.

Presently he was at it, grabbed it by the left side, flipped it. To his surprise, Sarah wasn’t there. She had vanished.

“Hmmmm. Go find her and the abomination.” he said.

“Yes preacher” his congregation voiced in unison.

Shig ran as fast as he could, running past derelict building after derelict building, having no idea where he was going. His mind was at a million places at once, making it impossible to focus. It didn’t help that there was a crying girl and her mother in his arms.

“Shig!?” Sarah questioned, surprised by his appearance and the fact she was no longer in the police station.

“Yeah!” he yelled as he continued running.

“What are you doing?!”

“I don’t know!”

He began taking random turns in order to be as unpredictable as possible, the only thing he could think to do. He was approaching the center of the town where the majority of Redrock’s businesses were located. The corporate office buildings became their new scenery. He stopped in front of a two story grey bank. Panting, he put Sophie and Sarah down.

“Weren’t you in jail?” Sarah asked, picking up the quietly crying Sophie.

“I was. I planned to sleep through this whole thing. But then you started putting those HDF assholes into the adjacent cells ruining that plan. They wouldn’t leave me alone. It was awful. Then I heard that evil preacher enter the place. And against all my better judgment, I broke out, got my sword, saw everyone get killed, and saved you.” he explained.

“Well what now?”

“I don’t know! You’re the one who makes the plans right?!”

“Right.” she nodded, trying to think of something.

Sophie had buried her face into Sarah’s shoulder, making Sarah realize that saving her daughter was her number one priority.

“ Let’s hide inside the bank. Roper’s people are looking out for us.” she decided.

Shig and Sarah entered the bank, walked across the white tiled floor that was illuminated by the moon’s light that shone through the windows. They headed past a few desks to the teller stations that were lined up in a row. They were all behind a giant rectangular piece of bullet proof glass. Sarah saw a brown door labeled ‘employees only’, and went through it. Shig saw Sarah on the other side of the glass, went behind a specific station, reached under it, and pulled out a short sword.

“How’d you know that was there?” he asked.

“My husband used to work here. Had this in place some HDF member decided to attack him on the job.”

“That’s nice but fighting them is tantamount to suicide! We need to run, not fight.”

“I know that! But do you think we can run? We’d die in the desert even with your speed.”

“Then what do we do?”

“We wait. Either the sheriff will come back or Ms. Akane and Mr. Warren will. We will hide here until then.”

“Are you crazy!? The sheriff’s probably dead. So are those outsiders. Roper will find us eventually. I’d rather take my chances in the desert. Can’t be much worse than the one at home.”

“Then go Shig no one’s stopping you. I’m staying here.”

Shig squinted his eyes, contemplating the thought. He’d paid Sarah back for helping him in the past by saving her life, he can leave with no sense of guilt. Yet the idea of leaving a woman behind to protect her child against psychopaths rubbed him the wrong way. Catkins are a warrior race, not cowards. But all the other Catkin he knew had died tonight following that ethos. He could be the exception. Did he want to be the exception? He had tried to avoid getting involved as best he could. He could’ve been fighting from the beginning but chose not to out of fear. Was this a way to atone for that? This internal self-reflection was making his brain hurt. He decided he was wrong to avoid things. It was as simple as that. Leaving would be wrong, staying would be right.

“Where are we hiding?”

“Upstairs. Where the corporate office is. It has good hiding spots.``

With that Shig went through the employee door rejoining Sarah. She led him to a set of stairs located at the far end of the row of teller stations, and went up.

They entered an empty office space on the second floor. The floor was decorated in a blue and gold patterned carpet. The cubicles were large and ornate, reflecting the bourgeois lifestyle the workers had. To their left were a series of large window panes, giving them a clear view of Redrock. The moon’s light pierced through the windows, giving the space a naturally bright glow. Sarah traipsed past a few desks to a room on their right, stopped in front of the room’s door.

“This is my husband’s boss’s office. It should make a good hiding spot.”

She reached into her pocket, took out a key.

“And why do you have that?” Shig asked.

“My husband was close with his boss. He had the oh so important task of waking the boss up from his naps.”

She opened the door, revealing a small office. The walls were a bright white and the only things in the room were a brown desk and a wooden chair.

“Why’s it so empty?” Shig wondered.

“The boss was relocated to a different branch, and all the elves went with him so the bank’s been closed for some time. Don’t you know that Shig?”

“Catkin don’t do all this complicated banking stuff. We barter. I give you things, you give me things in return. It’s simple. None of this wearing suits, asking for loans, and taking out mortgages nonsense.” he said.

“It’d be funny to see a Catkin in a suit.”

“Never in a million years.”

Sarah laughed, motioned for him to follow her into the office. They entered, closed the door.

“Ok now we wait. Are you doing ok baby?” Sarah asked, caressing her daughter’s head.

The girl didn’t respond, only continued to cry quietly into her mother’s shoulder.

“I know you’re scared but it’s all going to be over soon I promise.” she assured.

“She has a right to be scared. A lot of folks are dead out there. The town smells like death. And imagine what they’d do if they got their hands on her. Probably kill her in the most brutal way they can think of. They think she’s an abomination right?” Shig added.

Sophie began to cry louder after hearing that.

“Shig!” Sarah yelled.

“What I’m right aren’t I?!”

“Shut up!”

Sarah began to whisper to her daughter, looking at Shig.

“Make her feel better.”

“Huh?”

“Come over here and make her feel better. It’s your fault. You fix it.”

Shig warily came closer, having no idea what to do. His face was in front of Sophie’s.

“Kitty.” Sophie said, pulled his whiskers.

“Ow!” Shig yelped.

The little girl laughed. Pulled again. Laughed louder. Shig backed away, thinking a whisker or two was torn off.

“Freaking humans.” he grumbled.

Sarah and Sophie were now laughing at Shig’s expense when a loud crash was heard outside their room. Sarah immediately hit under the desk, Shig took out his sword.

“Sister. Do you sense it?” a deep male voice said outside the room.

“Yes brother. Sin runs rampant here. I can smell it.” a female responded.

Their voices sounded strange. They slurred their words and sounded extremely monotone.

“Are you here sinner? You cannot run from God. Vienna is always watching.” the male said.

A shuffling was heard. They were turning the office space inside out, turning over every table, checking every possible hiding spot.

“You should feel blessed. Preacher Roper wishes for you to atone for your sins. He is offering you the path to salvation. “ the woman announced.

Sarah had her hand over Sophie’s mouth, trying her hardest not to let out any noise. Shig stood still, like a statue, his sword ready to slash whatever came through the door.

“They’re all dead sinner. All the non-humans you convinced to fight for you, are now facing Vienna’s wrath. But do not worry. They never would’ve gone to heaven anyway.” the male stated.

The sounds of movement were getting louder, they were almost at their location.

“You know sister, I think we are especially blessed.” the male began.

“Why is that brother?”

“Because we were the ones who found the sinner.”

The door was kicked in. Two figures adorned in purple robes ran it, their sleeves so long that their arms weren’t visible. One was a man with shoulder length long brown hair, red eyes, and a noticeable stubble. He ran, kicked Shig in the stomach, and knocked Catkin into the wall. The other was the woman, who had the same colored eyes, had her brown hair tied up in a short bun. She ran towards the desk, kicked it over.

“Found you sinner!” she yelled with a twisted grin, her face inches away from Sarah’s.

Sarah with one arm held Sophie close to her chest and with her other arm, took her short sword, plunged it into the woman’s chest, yanked it out.

“Ack” she said, blood spurting out her mouth before collapsing.

“Sister, you should be more careful. Sinners act desperately before atonement” the man lectured.

Sarah jumped to her feet, backed away from the man, her sword raised towards him as blood dripped down from its tip.

“Shig!” Sarah yelled.

As if on cue, the Catkin dashed back to them, kicking the man with enough force to send him out the room, across the office space, through one of the floor’s large windows to the street below.

“Take that!” he yelled in triumph. “See how you humans like getting kicked! No more kicking Shig!”

“Go finish him off! We can’t have him report to Roper!” Sarah ordered.

“Right!”

The Catkin ran out of the room.

“Mommy!” Sophie cried.

“Don’t look baby. We’re going to be fine. Mommy’s going to protect you.” Sarah promised.

“Now why would you lie to the abomination like that?” the body on the floor said, slowly getting up.

The woman smiled as blood came out of her mouth like a waterfall. She flicked her arm, revealing she carried a small knife.

“I stabbed you through the heart! Why aren’t you dead?!” Sarah exclaimed in utter disbelief.

“Vienna’s blessings flow through my veins. She is all I need to live.” the woman replied. “Now come with me, sinner. Preacher Roper wants you alive.”

“Sophie, hold onto mommy and don’t let go.” Sarah barked, ignoring the grotesque woman’s request.

Sophie scrambled out of her mother’s arm, clinching to her back instead, and held as tightly as possible.

“Preacher Roper wants you alive, he never said I couldn’t hurt you.” the woman said, her smile getting wider, revealing her blood stained teeth.

The woman sprang from her position, seeking to drive her knife into Sarah’s body. Sarah ducked under the attack, sliced her blade across the woman’s body, and ran out the room. She sprinted past the cubicles to the stairway, almost falling over in the process, Sophie’s weight throwing her sense of balance off. She huffed and puffed as she went down the stairs going so quickly that Sophie’s legs were dangling. She had almost made it to the bottom when she heard stomping behind her. Sarah was tackled from behind, making Sophie lose her grip of her mother, hit the tiled floor as Sarah and her assailant slid into a teller station.

They tussled on the ground, rolling across the floor trying to establish dominance. Sarah eventually lost, the woman pinning her on the ground.

“No escaping atonement! You will confess!” the woman yelled, punched Sarah across the face.

A few teeth were knocked out, the blood making a small splatter on the floor. Sarah tried to reach for her sword, but it was just out of reach.

“Leave my mommy alone!” Sophie hollered, threw a stapler from a nearby teller station at the woman’s head.

It hit her forehead, throwing the woman off. Sophie then kicked the sword over to her mother, who promptly grabbed it, stuck it into the woman’s head. The blade had gone completely through, the handle sticking out the right side of her head, most of the blade sticking out the other end. Her body fell over, allowing Sarah to get up.

“Mommy!” Sophie yelled, hugging her mother’s leg.

“I’m ok sweetie! You saved mommy, good job.”

“But mommy you’re hurt.”

“This is nothing. I’m fine. Now back away sweetie mommy’s gotta get this sword and then we get out of here.”

Sarah bent down, tried to pull the sword out of the woman's head but it was difficult. The sword was stuck in there like it was Excalibur in the stone.

“Mommy what happened to the kitty?” Sophie questioned as Sarah continued to pull and pull.

“He’s finding the other bad guy. Don’t worry he’ll come back and find us. Right now we need to leave. I’m sure the bad guys will come here once they know their people are missing.”

Sarah --frustrated by her lack of progress in removing the sword-got closer to the woman’s body. She put her left hand on the woman’s head, gripped the blade’s handle with her right, and tried to seperate the two.

“Come on” she grumbled, putting all her effort into it.

Sophie watched, standing a few feet away. It was a sight that she couldn’t fully comprehend. As she stared, she noticed the arms of the woman twitch.

“Mommy!” she called out but it was too late.

The woman flicked her knife out once more, jamming it into Sarah’s ribs.

“Ah!” Sarah screamed, backed away.

“Aghghghghggh” the woman gurgled.

Sarah held onto her side, trying to determine how much damage was inflicted. It felt deep and blood was coming out at an alarming rate. She didn’t have time to stay here.

“Damn” she grunted.

Sarah turned her attention back to the woman. She was trying to get up, but it appeared that the sword in her brain destroyed her motor functions. The woman kept falling to the floor again and again. It was an ignominious display, looking like a wounded animal trying to escape a trap. The woman must’ve stabbed Sarah out of reflex alone. She was harmless, not worth spending time on.

“Come on baby we’re getting out of here!” Sarah said, leading Sophie by the hand as they jogged their way out of the bank. Sarah had a new pressing matter. Her wound wouldn’t stop bleeding, and she was beginning to feel a bit light headed.