The footsteps in the living room quieted down, then ceased completely.
Christina slowly crept towards the bedroom door. She placed her eye on the peephole, hoping to catch a glimpse of whoever had broken into their house.
Silence.
Mark crawled right behind his mother. He was visibly scared, and the raging storm outside only worsened his fear. He tugged at his mother's shirt to gain her attention, but Christina shushed him.
"Stay quiet, and keep packing your things. I'll have to go outside to investigate."
"Don't go."
"Shush!"
The sound of footsteps resumed. The intruder was still in the living room.
Christina lived alone with her son and expected no visitors at that hour. Whoever it was, she could safely assume they were not friendly. She cursed herself for not locking the door when she came into the house.
A thought occurred to her to walk to the kitchen, grab a knife, and confront whoever it was that walked into her house. But then she realized the intruder could be armed too, so she changed her mind.
"Mark, get my purse," She instructed with a low whisper.
Mark searched the room. Despite the looming darkness, he could see the entire room as visibly as day. Soon enough, he found the purse beside the bed and passed it to his mom.
Christina emptied the contents of her purse on the floor. In the darkness, she searched for her phone, her fingers dancing around the floor. She finally picked it up and quickly dialed 911.
"What's your address, ma'am?" the responder replied after Christina explained her scary situation.
"It's 12 Harbour Street, Grandview City."
"Alright, ma'am. Is the intruder a manipulator?"
Christina couldn't visibly tell, but she remembered the weird noise she had heard when the intruder first came in.
"Yes," she replied.
"Priority one situation... Stay calm, ma'am. Agents have already been notified and will be in your vicinity shortly."
Christina heaved a sigh of relief. She sat on the floor and pulled Mark closer to her side, gently resting his head on her thighs.
"Don't worry, Mark. We'll be safe." She reassured her son.
"Let me go outside, Mum. I can fight."
"No, Mark! You're just a boy. It's too dangerous."
"But Mum..."
"Shush, Mark!" Christina lowered her voice to whispers. "A dangerous manipulator could kill you in seconds. We'll be safe here. The agents are coming."
At that moment, the storm's intensity suddenly increased. The winds raged loudly once again as the rain threatened to fall with a force that could flood the entire neighborhood.
Amidst the storm, there was a humming noise that echoed within the house, which was suddenly followed by a loud boom.
A minor explosion had rocked the lobby, shaking every wall in the house.
Mark screamed out in fear and held onto his mother tightly.
A second explosion rocked the house. More powerful than the first.
"Mum, I'm scared!"
Christina pulled her son closer to her chest and prayed for the agents to arrive quickly.
A brief silence ensued. Soon afterward, a high-pitched noise pierced through the walls, followed by the sound of objects crashing and falling in different directions.
Then it all ceased.
In the moments that followed, the entire house fell into an eerie stillness. The only sound that could be heard, was the wind gently rocking the house.
Christina let go of her boy and rose to her feet. She briefly glanced through the peephole and placed her ear on the door once again.
When she heard no sound, she decided to check the house to make sure the intruder had left. She then pulled her son up and gently nudged him to the bed.
"Wait here, I'm going to check if it's safe."
"No, please don't."
"Be quiet, Mark. I'm just going to lock the front door. That's all."
"I'm coming with you, Mum. I'll protect you."
Christina knelt and kissed her son on the forehead and gently patted the soft, curly, black hair on his head.
"My little hero. I can't wait to watch you grow up and be a great man like your father. Until then, be my little boy and wait here. Okay?"
Mark slowly nodded.
Christina smiled at her son, stood up, and walked to the door. She gently opened and paused, waiting to know if there was any danger. When all remained quiet, she took a deep breath and walked into the lobby.
Suddenly, a bright purple ray beamed through the lobby, ripping the air apart as it struck Christina right in the chest. The ray flung her back a few meters, where she slammed into a wall and fell onto the floor.
Mark watched in horror as the whole event unfolded. Without hesitation, he ran into the lobby. He quickly knelt beside his mother and nudged her aggressively, trying to wake her up.
"Mum!" he called out repeatedly as he tugged on her clothes. He raised her arms upwards, but they dropped straight to the ground. He began to cry and yelled out repeatedly for help.
It was no use. Christina was dead.
The night fell silent once again. The intruder had vanished and the raging winds outside slowly dissipated. The only sound that could be heard was the painful whimper Mark let out occasionally as he sobbed over his mother's body.
Minutes later, the distant whirring of three military choppers became audible, growing louder as the choppers grew closer. A beam of floodlights fell upon the house, illuminating the interior as well.
Two choppers landed on the tarred road in front of the house. A dozen armed men rushed out, surrounding the house at strategic points. They were all dressed in black military uniforms and held white firearms.
One chopper remained in the air, circling the house. The co-pilot held up a mic to his mouth and spoke into it.
"This is the State Anti-Manipulator Agency. You have been surrounded. Come out and peacefully surrender or we will take you with necessary force."
Inside the house, Mark was completely unfazed by the commotion around him. He lay his head on his mother's chest, crying helplessly.
Outside, a few neighbors had gathered to witness the arrest, but they were safely held back by a perimeter fence around them.
The agents were ready to move in. Their Commander, an old baldheaded man, marched in different directions, yelling orders.
"Squad B, circle the perimeter. Squad A, get ready to move in with me. Someone, give me a disruptor STAT."
A female agent quickly handed him a white firearm.
"Commander Zorn, what about the hostage who made the distress call?" she asked.
"If there's a manipulator in that house, she's probably dead already."
The Commander raised his left arm and waved it forward.
"Move in, now!"
The agents rushed forward and kicked open the front door. They scrambled around the living room, flashing their disruptor lasers in multiple directions.
"What the hell happened here?" One of the Agents queried.
The entire room was in disarray. The furniture in the house had been wrecked and tossed all around. Scorch marks were visible on the walls of the living room.
However, what was most noticeable was the large crater in the middle of the room.
"This level of damage could be the work of a Tier Two or Three Manipulator. " Commander Zorn informed his agents. "Stay alert. They might still be here."
"I've found him, sir."
Commander Zorn rushed to the lobby where the agent was. At the end of the lobby, he could see a young boy huddled in the corner with a dim blue aura radiating from him.
"He's a Weather Manipulator. Arm your disruptors." Commander Zorn ordered.
Mark had been crying helplessly, but when he saw the agents, he was filled with an uncontrollable rage. He slowly stood up and turned to face them.
"There's a body beside him." An agent called out. "He killed the hostage."
"Damn! He's just a boy." said another agent.
"It doesn't matter. He's a killer now." Commander Zorn then pointed his gun at Mark. "Come forward, little boy."
"No!"
Mark's eyes began to glow as his aura grew brighter. He raised his right arm at the agents, ready to fire a bolt at them.
He was too slow.
Without hesitation, the agents shot their disruptors at him.
Mark screamed out loud as he got hit with the nerve-paralyzing darts. Unable to withstand the pain, he slumped to the floor and fell unconscious.
The agents slowly approached him with their disruptors still pointed forward. A female agent knelt beside Christina, taking note of the wide scorch mark on her chest.
"What do we do with the boy, Commander?" She asked.
Commander Zorn let down his disruptor and kicked Mark to ensure he was unconscious.
"He killed a woman, so he's definitely coming with us to face punishment. His life is about to become a living hell."