Hair to Ashes

Goosebumps litter my skin, a strange sensation given the rage bubbling beneath. The man yells again. Something rude, something inconsequential. They are inconsequential.

Stepping into the light I raise a gun at them, the silence immediate.

"Do you know what you did," I say, gesturing to the small pink towel lying on the floor. They stare at me, confused, dripping in alcohol.

"You are a hero, no? A protector of those who can't protect themselves?" Crouching next to the towel I gently open it, careful not to stir the dust on the floor. Lying on the towel, a small body lays curled into itself, charred almost beyond recognition. Almost. Their small ears and fangs still there, frozen in pain.

"The warehouse. All those tents..."

"Oh so NOW you know what you did!" I gently cover the small body once more, tears tracking down my face as I cover their small face.

"You shouldn't cry over it. It's just a-"

"Wrong answer!" I pull out a lighter and drop it. As the man screamed my heart lifted. I could finally breathe. Crouching on the ground I gently stroked the towel. They weren't an it, they were my life, my family, and this man, this city dubbed hero, had let them perish. Their body forever destroyed, forever screaming. But he wasn't the only so-called hero. Everyone who didn't know the value of a cat's life, would know the name Nemesis and burn.