"Why are you doing this?" Wolf asked.

Onyx felt his eyes burning into her back, making her squirm in front of the machine – the one that would turn the city to ash. When everyone was burned to a crisp, she would no longer have to listen to their taunts, and witness the sneers they judged her with.

"Why not?" Onyx asked back, spinning around to face him. He looked ridiculous with the pointed mask that covered his glowing yellow eyes and his overly hairy face. His abnormalities were glanced over because he was a 'hero' to the city, but all he was to Onyx was a nuisance.

"Because these people are innocent," he replied, fully believing the words that left his lips.

Onyx tilted her head back and laughed. "Innocent? These people are rotten to the core – much more than little ole me. They look at me like I'm a plague. Like my midnight skin will taint them, like accepting me would make them a monster too."

"You have made yourself a monster."

Onyx shook her head, pointing a clawed finger at the window. "No, they created a monster when they looked at me with fear."

*********

Word count:  192