~Tree Frog~

Now, cis white women getting content made for them is OBVIOUSLY not the issue here. People write for their personal interests, and there is nothing wrong with that. We all know this, and we all enjoy a fun story with our favorite characters centering around us.

The main issue here is the mentioned women not tagging their content properly, refusing to tag their content properly, straight up lying in the tags or not tagging things at all.

Trans men, nonbinary people, trans women, gay men, disabled people, fat people, intersex people and many people of color or non-american readers are constantly left out of fandom space and forgotten entirely. I've seen hundreds of complaints about it, and it needs to be spoken about more. While I'm on specifically talking about the fanfiction part of it, it is a VISIBLE issue in every fandom space you could possibly partake in. I don't even need to explain to you the rampant racism and transphobia in the cosplay community.

And the fix is extremely easy! TAG YOUR THINGS PROPERLY. It is the easiest, simplest form of allyship one could do for the community, and it goes miles. However, a lot of you seem to not understand how to, even if your heart is in the right place.

How to tag your fanfiction for the general audience:

- Specify the gender of the reader. This goes MUCH farther than just what pronouns are used. I've read WAY too many fanfics that tell me it is gender neutral, only to be hit with nicknames like "princess", or to be told the intended reader loves dresses and wears a bra.

- In tags or a prior description, mention every nickname used for the reader and every possibly gendered descriptor. It's really not difficult, and doesn't take too long.

- If necessary, mention what style of clothes the reader is specified to wear. And if this applies as well, specify any highlighted personality traits you gave the reader.

- Specify the body of the reader. This also goes much farther than gender. "Afab" and "amab" don't exactly cut it. Many people are triggered by certain words connected to genitals, so specify what words are used for those as well! Also, if you are trying to write a gender neutral body, PLEASE specify whether it is entirely gender neutral or something is implied. Many say it is gender neutral, and then explain how the reader's body self lubricates, or even has a clitoris. Please do better than that.

- For the love of God, do not automatically feminize the "GN afab" reader you wrote without a warning, and PLEASE MENTION if breasts are even spoken of, let alone used for smut reasons. And do NOT refer to someone's body as having "fem" or "male" genitalia. just say vagina or penis, please.

- Specify what body type you had in mind. Many fat or even slightly chubby individuals need to look for fanfiction that specifically caters to them, because "neutral body reader" writers, tend to not make it neutral. If you have any specifics on whatever you have written for the body mentioned, do tag it!

- Specify what sort of skin tone or hair texture is mentioned, if at all. Many POC complain that they read neutral fiction just to find straight hair, pale skin, light eyes, and blushing faces to be mentioned. If any color of the body is mentioned at all, or anything is implied, do say so! This also can go for specific things you may not think about, like how long it takes hair to dry, how easy it is to brush, hairstyles and other things of the sort.

It may seem like a bit of a list, but this is really the LEAST you can do for your community. We are consistently forgotten and ignored anywhere we go, and the simple things like this truly mean a lot.

- If there is an implied location, or anything to imply a place of origin, it's best to be on the safe side and mention that if it feels important.

- Please tag if you put the reader through, or mention a past traumatic event. Casually putting the reader character through things like an abusive ex, abusive parents, bad home or work life, or something like a car accident can be highly triggering. tag your scenes thoroughly! This also applies to putting the reader insert through something like sexist comments, unwanted touching of any kind, and similarly negative situations.

I cannot tell you the amount of times I've turned to fanfiction as an outlet and an escape, as many others have, just to be jumpscared by my favorite characters misgendering me. It's truly a miserable experience knowing no place is actually welcoming to me, or in the very least accommodating for people who aren't like them. This post is NOT meant to shame or send harassment to those who are forgetful, but ignorance is never a good thing to uphold. No one is asking you to write for an audience you don't want to, we just want to KNOW who you are writing for. Assuming an entire space is all one demographic is never, ever a good thing.

If you need help writing for a demographic you don't fully understand, just ask people who are a part of it how they would! Look at how other writers write and tag their content, and listen to anyone if they have necessary critiques. I wish you all happy writing! :]

A little boy is cradling his dead parents, barely old enough to grasp the concept of death. Blood had covered the trio, trickling out of the wounds made by an unknown weapon.

Police are on their way, called on by neighbors.

The woman kept sprinting, navy squares appear to carry her across ally ways. She had one location in mind, one that will surely end with her life being taken in a similar manner as the parents she just murdered. She hoped they would have mercy on her and end her life.

There were other places to run, yes, but she had no desire to runaway. The faster she got there, the faster she never had to be reminded of the child's face, streaked full of tears.

Her dark clothing clung to her body, allowing her to blend into the night. It had been the same pattern, year after year, for eight years. Sleep, get assignment, kill, train, repeat. She had been turned into a weapon to pay off her father's debts.

Her body had grown strong, tall, and voluptuous (often using the later trait to lure in her assignments), but her mind had grown tired.

She was tired of the sleepless nights, tired of using her body, her power, for death and destruction. She wanted a change, she needed a way out.

The little boy should have been killed along with his parents. He had seen her face.

They would have told her that his death would have been meaningless, that no one would miss a child. But they were wrong.

He was a child. Children were supposed to grow up. They were supposed to have dreams and chase those dreams.

She kept him alive to tell his story, so she could be sent to her next life.

So she would be thrown into the Pitt.

Her feet slam hard on the ground of alley outside of her home, the office building used by government officials. She ignores the pain radiating up her legs from the harsh impact.

She maneuvered to the back side of the building, locating the basement steps, and making her way down, not caring to hide herself.

Guns are shoved in her face, flashlights blind her as she hold her hands up in surrender.

This is what she wanted.

"I'm thoroughly disappointed in you, 27. You were my best agent yet." He growls in her face, spit hitting her skin. "Now, I need to build someone else." The stern man glares at the woman, his pristine white suit reflecting in the bright lights.

"I don't kill children." She bites back as her hands are chained behind her back, the man raises his hands for the guards to stop.

"Senator, the orders are to detain her immediately."

"Strip her of her jumpsuit before you send her to the Pitt. I want it tomorrow in the morning, along with that trouble maker in the Slums." The police finish cuffing the woman as the man walks up to her.

He slaps her face, hard. She did not flinch from the pain.

He wipes his hand on a handkerchief, as if he just touched filth.

"I taught you to kill anyone. Not just men, but women and children too. Where did you go wrong?" The hand that slapped her caressed her stinging cheek before slowly dragging down to her throat, choking her, the cloth material separating their skin.

She spits in his face, the clear saliva dripping from his eye.

"I should have killed you when I got the chance." Venom dripped from her voice as the man cackled in her face.

"Stab her before you drop her into the Pitt. Make sure she dies on her way to Hell." He turns and walks down the hallway, the last that the woman will ever see of the monster that turned her into a killing machine.

The cell is made in marble, the stone chilling her to the bone. The police had done as her boss had asked and removed her jumpsuit, leaving her in a simple black tee shirt and matching upper-class pants.

"Boss's order." The police all had sick grins as they stripped her of her clothing and of her voice.

She had ignored the tray of food placed in front of her. It was mockery, expecting her to eat with her hand tied behind her back and a gag in her mouth. All that she was anymore was entertainment to them.

But she was free. She didn't have to kill anymore.

Even if the gods frowned on her, making her live another day, she vowed to never willingly kill another person. Man, women, and children would be safe from her.

The urge to burn this place to the ground is strong, but not strong enough to stop her desire for the Pitt.

Morning had come quickly, the police marched her through the streets of the Upper-class and into the slums. A parade follows them, people shouting slurs and names, some of them true.

The woman kept a straight face to hide her excitement, each pace is a step closer to her goal.

Two stages had been set up over the Pitt. One already held a little boy, not much older than the one that witnessed his parents murder last night.

"Two murderers are going to fall to the Pitt today, to go where they belong. Rudo Suberec, for the murder of the only man to care for him. The serial killer responsible for 30 confirmed murders in the past 8 years. May the Pitt show no mercy."

The woman hung her head as the police moved her hands to the front of her body. A hook came down, ready to suspend her in the air over the Pitt.

"I hope your death is slow." The policeman whispers to her.

In the same motion that her hands were hoisted in the air, a sharp blade pierced her abdomen, twisted, and pulled out before her body began the ascent in the air. He then took a step back and joined in with the chant.

The crowd cheered, a mixture of upper and lower class people. They all came together when it came to these events, to find entertainment from their dull lives. Those people only cared for themselves.

Selfish bastards.

Tears pricked her eyes from the pain, but they never fell.

Her body dangled in the wind as the young boy pleaded for his innocence. She never saw the look of his terrified face when they announced her reason for joining him in the Pitt.

Her eyes stayed closed as the hooks dropped her body into the never ending abyss.

She was free.

Her body was as light as the air, the wind rushing around her. She couldn't feel pain, she couldn't feel the mental burden, she couldn't feel anything.

She laughed around the gag in her mouth, her hair flowing freely around her face. Her eyes stayed open to enjoy the view of the beautiful blue sky.

Until she noticed a white flash. The sky had turned from blue to a horrible grey, like a storm.

Trash fell with her and Rudo, the poor boy had passed out before they entered the storm clouds. Lightening cracked around them.

—

He didn't deserve this.

You twist your body, trying to push yourself closer to the young boy, to Rudo. Two navy blue squares appear behind Rudo as you pull him closer to your body.

There has to be a bottom eventually. If you can break his fall with your powers or your body, you will.

Your eyes start to water from the harsh wind—keeping them open for too long makes them sting.

Rudo's body hangs limply in the air, his white and black hair whips in the wind, his tear streaked face contorts as if he was having a dream.

You look through the stormy sky, and that's when you see it.

There was a figure in the clouds. It was a giant and it was watching you. Like it was evaluating you. It was completely grey, the large body sitting with its knees to its chest.

Chills cover your entire body as you use your blue squares to push Rudo behind you, so that the thing has to get through you first.

It tilts its head to the right, then to the left. The thing is so large that it takes for ever for it to move its head.

You keep watching it until you fall through the bottom clouds of the storm.

The atmosphere is hot and dry, moisture lacking from the air. The harsh bite of the wind stings your exposed skin as you fall, faster and faster.

It also stinks.

You flip yourself around in the air to face the ground, and it was coming in—fast.

Weaving through the air to avoid the falling trash, you move Rudo around in the air with your powers, making sure he doesn't get his with the trash either.

You spot a couch on the ground and start to push Rudo to the soft landing. Without a care to your own landing, you make sure the young boy lands softly on the couch. You repeatedly bread his fall with your squares before your own body hits the trash.

The last thing you worry about is if Rudo is alive as your own consciousness fades to black.

—

"Well, look at what I found. A pretty princess from the Sphere." An obnoxiously cocky voice wakes you from what you though was your endless sleep. The second thing you're aware of is the soft trash-bags you fell on top of, and the stank of the contents within.

You groggily open your eyes as you lift yourself from the pile of trash. Praying that the bags don't break, you push your hands into the soft material to support your shocked body.

Standing in front of you is a very tall man with a tan mask on his face. Well— most of his outfit is some variation of tan— his trench coat, his pants, his boots, and even the beat up umbrella that he has resting on his shoulder.

The only color on this man is the red of his shirt and the choker around his neck.

"Here, let me help the damsel in distress." His baritone purrs, his free hand reaches down to untie your gag. Your eyes trace along the tattoos on his fingers, red and black swirls and dots mark his skin.

Tattoos are taboo in the upper district, in your home—well, its not your home anymore. To mark your body with filth is frowned upon, and often punished by the elders.

As the dark material leaves the cavity of your mouth, you cringe at the feeling of the thick air coating your pink flesh. A thick film coats your tongue, your cheeks, and your throat, causing you to cough.

Lifting your arm to your face, you cough into your elbow. Every time you in hale, another bout of coughs come from your body. A pain radiates from your abdomen from the rapid expansion and contraction of your diaphragm. You cringe from the pain.

"Here, put this on your face." You open your eyes in time to catch the black gas mask flying towards your face.

The mask was completely black and contained a filter mechanism over the mouth and nose. The straps go around the back of your head, while a rubber seal sits on your face. You quickly tighten the straps around your face, sealing and locking the masks so no bad air gets in.

You take in gulps of clean air and slowly stop your coughing attack.

"Thank you…" The sentence trails off, waiting for the strange man to give his name.

"Name's Enjin, no need to thank me sweet-cheeks. It's all in the days work of being a cleaner." He leans on his umbrella, dusting off imaginary dirt from his two toned trench coat. You internally scoff at the audacity of Enjin.

This guy can not get more full of himself.

You roll your eyes at the nickname he gave you, and stand up to your full height. Carefully, you navigate down the trash pile you landed on and stand in front of Enjin.

His body is lithe, with some muscle put on from working out (or cleaning, you didn't know the man well enough to tell just yet) and he is taller than you by a few inches. You can easily look him in the eye—at least, you think that's where his eyes are behind the mask, maybe humans look different down here— but he was still taller than you.

"Wanna give me your name, sweet-pea?" What is with this guy and nicknames?

"I want to find the little boy that fell with me, his name is Rudo. Have you seen him?" You ask as you begin to march in a random direction. The pain in your side is a harsh reminder of your knife wound, but you can't worry about that right now.

You need to find Rudo.

"I haven't seen any rug rats running around. Now, I would like to know your name, sweetheart. Please? I even gave you mine." Enjin jogs to your side, tilting his masked face towards your own.

"None-Ya."

"None-Ya?" His shoulder bumps with you own.

"None of your damn business. Now help me look for Rudo." You huff in frustration at this very insistent guy who has no sense of personal space.

"Ohhh… I get it. You'll tell me your name if I help you find Rudo. Got it." Pinching the bridge of your nose, you inhale and exhale, trying to keep your well trained composure.

"Yes, fine, I agree." You stop walking when the trail splits into two. A tall tower of trash split the way.

"I have an idea." Turning, you face Enjin. The man had his umbrella up on his shoulder again, his free hand hanging in his pants pocket.

"I'm all ears, princess." You stop yourself from smacking this man into the towering trash pile.

"I'll go right, and you can go fuck yourself." You stomp off to your right, your hand coming up to your side and put pressure on your wound. The sharp pain had turned into a dull thud, but your shirt is getting increasingly wet with blood.

"Oh, come on now princess. You don't need to be harsh, I'm a nice guy, truly." You grunt as your turn around, your free hand poking at Enjin's chest. (It is surprisingly toned and muscular.)

"You have got to learn about personal space, bud." You're seething at this point, your increased heart rate causing more blood to fall out of the gaping hole in your body.

You force yourself to take some deep breaths, watching as Enjin casually points his umbrella in the air behind you.

"I found him." That's when you hear it. The sound of grinding metal and a terrible screeching sound. The ground is quaking beneath you as a force of wind blows past you and Enjin.

You whip around, slightly stumbling on your feet before catching your balance.

Sure enough, you see Rudo flying through the air a red hue glowing in his hands. Your stomach drops at the thought of Rudo being like you.

They turn people like you into weapons.

You can't let that happen to Rudo. He is a child, he has an entire life ahead of him.

"What is he fighting?" You gasp out as you start to run to Rudo. Enjin stays by your side, keeping up with your slowing pace.

"Those, my dear, are called trash beasts. Shit, that little man is tearing them up."He laughs at the sight. Glaring at him, you pick up the pace and start to jog. Enjin easily keeps up with you.

You both approach Rudo as he tears down the rest of the trash beast.

As soon as Rudo's small form gets into your sight, you sprint to him. You slid on your knees and rip off your mask, putting it on Rudo and adjusting it to him as the child's body shutters with violent coughs.

As soon as he catches his breath and regains his surroundings, he immediately backs away from you. You raise you hands up by your head, showing that you're no harm to him.

"Please don't kill me." You stay where you are on the ground taking shallow breaths, both of your hands drop to your wound.

"I won't. I promise." You whisper, trying to not take in too much of the poor air.

You would pull your shirt up over your nose, but it needs to stay down to help clot the blood.

"You really caused a mess, little boy." Enjin hums behind you, his hand rustling around in his bag for something.

"Who are you? What are those things? Why did they try to kill me? Please don't kill me." The boy yells as Enjin growls, "Shut up and be quiet or you'll wake up more trash beasts!"

You ignore both of the men as you focus on yourself. At this point, you've lost enough blood to elevate your heart rate and increase your air consumption. There is not enough oxygen rich blood getting to your whole body.

If your hands and feet start to get cold, then you'll really start to worry.

You distantly hear footsteps approaching you, the crunch of boots on the coarse sand registers in your brain before you feel Enjin behind you.

Another face masks is pulled over your face gently, Enjin's tattooed fingers trace the seal of the mask to your face, silently adjusting it to fit your face. He is kneeling on the ground behind you, watching your hands for any signs of trouble.

He knows something isn't right about you, but Enjin is not the type of man to go around, fixing other peoples problems.

Rudo continues to yell at the both of you while you notice the groaning of metal against metal right behind you. The ground starts to shake again as a hot wave of stank filled air hits your body.

"Enjin?"

"Yes, sweets?" He stays crouched behind your back, his body heat radiating onto yours.

"The beast is back, isn't it?" You quietly ask, not wanting to turn around to face your timely demise.

"I'll take care of it, princess." He stands up, and you look over your shoulder to see an enormous trash beast looming over the three of you. The metal and plastic parts of the beast make up the resemblance of a face. It has two eyes placed closely together, a snarling mouth, and ears.

Chills run down your spine as two more beasts appear behind the one looking directly at you.

It has binocular vision, all top predators do. The beasts eyes were locked onto you.

Enjin starts to curse under his breath, slowly standing up, using his umbrella for support.

"This is why you shut your mouth when I tell you to, brat." Enjin's face-mask is illumined with a brilliant yellow as he looks over his shoulder. Your eyes widen in shock as it seems his own are looking at you.

It can't be.

"Now I have to do my job." He snarks, holding his umbrella out to the side with one hand.

The brilliant yellow surrounds the raggedy old umbrella and it turns into an armored umbrella. The cloth scraps are now perfectly white with black and yellow blades. The tip of the umbrella has a matching dual colored spile.

The trash beast yells as it charges, starting the fight.

You both move at the same time, you crawling to Rudo as Enjin jumps at the trash beast.

You move as close as you can to Rudo before he starts to back away from you. He falls to the ground, scooting away from you. His white robes get covered in dust as the trash beasts tear up a storm.

"I promise, I won't hurt you. Ever." You say to the scared child, his red eyes look into yours before his flicker to Enjin in action. You move closer to him, trying to decrase the distance as much as possible before you activate your power. Electricity runs through your veins as you manipulate the air.

Navy blue surrounds you and Rudo in a make shift dome. You raise one of your hands to focus on your power, the other staying firmly clamped to your side. Your breathing had slowed down again from the clean air provided by the mask. The rapid heart rate could be from the trash beast fight or from your blood loss.

You couldn't tell the difference.

Your eyes watch Enjin through the blue haze, his striking yellow contrast blazes through sky as he drills through the beasts. He destroys them with one powerful blow, making bits and pieces of trash rain through the air. Some of it bounces off your blue barrier.

Enjin slowly floats down through the air, his umbrella swaying his body back and forth as it catches the wind. You and Rudo stay speechless until Enjin touches down on the ground.

As the man lands graciously in front of you and Rudo, you drop your barrier, the blue dispersing into the atmosphere.

Rudo stands and walks up to Enjin, continuing to question the man as you stay on the ground, both hands holding your side. If you could stay like this for a few more minutes, the bleeding should stop.

You feel more stable since your heart rate got slower, the fight with such large creatures must have been keeping it high.

Enjin takes off his mask, and you can not make yourself disagree with the very first thought in your head.

He was attractive. His blonde hair flowed freely from his hair, his light brown eyes locked with yours for a moment before he took off his mouth piece.

"Name's Enjin… and I'm just a humble cleaner." That man wouldn't know humble if it hit him in the face.

He's attractive, but he is still cocky and has the ego the size of an elephant.

Enjin coughs as he puts his mask back on, his large fingers placing his mouth piece in place, leaving his helmet in his bag.

He stalks towards you, Rudo hot on his heels.

"Look at you, being all protective like a mama bird." Enjin extends a hand to you.

You wipe your bloody hand on your pants, hoping to get most of the red liquid off your skin before accepting his help.

Slapping your hand into his own, you grip onto his coarse skin to pull yourself up.

The size difference in your hands is staggering. You thought you had pretty average sized hands for a woman, so Enjin's hand must be larger than normal.

As soon as you were up right, you drop his hand and gave Enjin your name.

"Thank you for helping me find Rudo."

"Sure thing, mama." Enjin turns around and walks away, slinging his umbrella over his shoulder again.

"But I gave you my name?" You jog to keep up with him, your long legs matching his equally long strides.

"Mama, ma, they both have a nice ring to it. I think I'll stick with those." You glare at the man before winding back your arm and landing a solid punch in his shoulder.

You didn't put all of your power in the punch, but Enjin barely moved an inch. He must be used to taking hits.

"Asshole." You and Rudo say at the same time.

You look over your shoulder to see the short child having to job to keep up with you and Enjin.

—

Eventually, Enjin leads you three out of the bad lands and to a cliff formation in the distance. The sand stone had layers of orange, black, and white, indicative of the different minerals prevalent in those times of compaction.

The wind in the area must be serious, since there is no water to do any mechanical erosion. The loose material inside and around the formation had blown away, leaving a very odd looking formation.

Enjin made Rudo walk in front of you both, and he continued to stray in pace until he whispered in your ear.

"Stay with Rudo and talk to those people over there. I'll be back, I won't be far. Promise." His hand rests on your shoulder before giving it a quick squeeze.

"Remember that learning is fun, Rudo!" Enjin calls out to the young boy as he slips away from your group.

Then he was gone.

You didn't exactly trust the guy, but you never intended to stray too far from Rudo either.

After catching up to the young boy, you slow your pace to match Rudo's. You both walk up to a group of men standing by a truck.

They were parked by a weird looking building that had pumps connected to their trucks. The once white building was painted with dirt and graffiti, the rest of the foundation worn away with time.

There are 5 men in total, their faces covered with gas masks.

All of them seem to have average builds except for one tall guy. He seemed to be muscular as well. They were all likely armed as well.

Your gut immediately turns sour, not liking the situation that Enjin put you both into.

"Woah, look at those two."

"Its a boy and his mom, who cares."

"No, look! Look at their clothes. Or, the boys clothes. Could it be?"

You ears pick up on their muttering, as they seem to be sizing you both up. You try and slow down your pace, but Rudo walks right up to them.

You stay right on his heels.

"Hey! Where did you come from?" One of the guys leans too far into Rudo's space, so you place a hand on Rudo's chest and guide him behind you. His head stays peaked around you, looking at the other people.

"Um, we came from a place you guys call the Sphere." You would have smacked your forehead if you didn't have both of your hands ready to summon your shards.

"Oh really! We never though we'd catch a live one! Especially two!" They rip their face masks off and surround you and Rudo.

Your heart rate increases again as you try to push your way out of the circle, keeping a strong grip on to Rudo's arm.

"Rudo, stay close to me." You didn't want to fight anyone, but you will to protect Rudo.

"Grab her." Hand seize your arms and pin them behind your back. The tallest and largest of the group had gotten behind you so he can stop you from fighting back.

Yeah right. They don't know what they have coming.

"Don't hurt him!" You yell as three of the other men lead Rudo away, one other bald man stays standing in front of you.

"Don't worry about the little runt. We wouldn't want anything happening to our precious cargo. I wonder what a woman Spherite would cost?" His hands roughly take off your mask, a stark contrast to Enjin and his care.

"You can burn in hell." You spit on his face as he laughs.

"I'm already there, you bitch." His hand drags down your face and he pinches your cheeks together, as an ugly grin stretches across his face.

"And you're here with me." He coos as yell out in rage and disgust, activating your power.

You curl your legs to your chest and kick out, pushing the bald man into the ground.

Two long shards of navy blue light shine in your fists, stabbing the man holding your arms through his stomach.

He immediately lets go of your arms and his heavy body falls to the ground, his arms circling his stomach.

You throw a long shard through the leg of the man that touched you, his yell echoing off the walls of the cliff faces.

Reloading your hands with short shards, you kick both men in the head, knocking them out.

You run to Rudo, throwing two short shards into the shoulders of two of the men. The dark blue light flies through the air, going from from a gas to a solid as they lodge into their bodies.

A glowing red chain wraps around them and Rudo throws their bodies together, knocking them out.

You ignore the sharp pain in your side, the hard work your body had done to heal yourself had been torn open again with your kick.

Instead, you reload your hands with two more short blades, taking place beside Rudo.

"Stop you shitty little Spherite freaks! Both of you!" You walk by Rudo's side, noticing the rage that had taken hold of the young child. His red hue crackled through the air, his body shaking with the rage.

You pity the child.

He was too young to feel a rage burning like hellfire.

You dissipate both of your blades and reach out to Rudo.

"I got this, okay?" You free hand rests on Rudo's shoulder before you summoning a large shard.

Another hand grips your wrist and pulls you back.

"Easy there, ma. You showed them. You both did." You and Rudo both deactivate your powers, Rudo's instruments fading to ash as yours dissipate into the air.

A heavy silence hangs in the air, you take in deep breaths and what you did.

All of the men are on the ground, groaning in pain, or twitching in silence.

You can't seem to catch your breath, your hand slips from Rudo's shoulder to your chest to feel your racing heart.

Your hands are cold too.

"Um, Enjin?" Rudo asks, his eyes small as he tries to wrap his head around what happened.

You slip your hand out from Enjin's grasp, a rush of blood leaving your head, leaving you off balance.

Stumbling, you walk away from the duo before your knees hit the ground. A puff of dust hits the air as you struggle to keep focus.

A light whimper leaves your lips as you tear your shirt away from your body. You lift the wet material over your head and slide it off your arms. The hem of your shirt drips with crimson.

You groan at the bloody sight that your stomach had become, fresh, cherry red liquid flooding out of the newly reopened wound. Your chest is shaking, not able to catch one deep breath without your mask on.

Your diaphragm spasms, trying to help your heart by increasing the volume of air in your lungs. But you can't keep up, you can't catch your breath.

Your heart beat is in your limbs, your legs cold and numb beneath you as your freezing fingers try and fail to hold onto your shirt.

After struggling to fold up the shirt, you place it over the gaping hole and press hard with both hands, another pained whimper escaping you. You had only seconds of consciousness left.

You really didn't want to die.

You were finally free, and you don't want to die.

Tears slip down your face as the fear of dying settles in. You feel cold, too cold to stay alive.

"Woah, mama! When did you get that?" Enjin is kneeling beside you, his hands supporting your back and pressing down on your own to help stop the bleeding.

"Got it- 'fore I left the Sphere." You cough, the air tickling your throat without your mask.

"Shit, don't worry, I know a really good doctor." With every gasp you take in, your body gets weaker and weaker. Your muscles shake, homeostasis desperately trying to keep you warm and alive.

Before you know, your body is leaning fully against Enjin's as the man wraps his belt around your waist to secure your shirt on your wound.

You hear a distance cry, maybe it came from your own throat.

You can't really hear or see anything anymore.

Your fist weakly comes up to grab Enjin's shirt collar. He looks down to you, his brown eyes full of worry.

"Put Rudo first." You whisper before black clouds your vision, finally succumbing to your injuries.

Your body lays limb against Enjin as the man looks behind him to see Rudo passed out behind you both.

Likely prolonged exposure to the poisoned air.

He has to move fast.

Enjin lays your body on the ground, using his bag to support your head as he grabs a spare chain from one of the trucks and ties up the kid.

After collecting both of your masks and securing them to your and Rudo's face, Enjin quickly puts on his own mask before picking you up.

He cradles you to his chest, your limp body feeling frightfully cool to the touch.

Enjin drags Rudo behind him as he carries your body to his car, parked a fair distance from your current position.

Enjin needs to move, and he needed to move fast. Your life was in his hands.