//------------------------------// // A Tear for my Enemy // Story: The Devil Inside // by Chelis //------------------------------// Through the chaos, Masquerade managed to escape the hall, through the kitchen and to the back alley. He continued to run, even if he was in pain from the pinch of his white oxford shoes. He knew the cost of getting caught. Right behind him, Sunset appeared from the back door, disappearing in the opal flash, and reappearing on top of the roof, her red dress replaced with her all black uniform. She continued the chase, hopping from roof to roof. Masquerade turned and saw her. He pulled out his pistol and fired off a few rounds, all of them stopped by the barrier created by Sunset's raised hand. It was there when they both stopped and stared at each other where she transformed into the She-Demon. He took off after seeing her transform, a little quicker, and a little more trigger happy, his right hand close to his now visible holster. He left the vast network of the alleys and went across the street to the other block and its maze of alleys. On the same street, the armada of chasing vehicles, lead by the jacked up pick up truck of Thunder Breeze, spotted him and raced to him. The many officers stopped where Masquerade disappeared into and charged, most, if not all of them in their suits instead of their usual officer uniforms. Thunder was commanding them, carrying a semi-automatic rifle in contrast to his team's pistols. Masquerade turned the corner into one of the alleyways to find that it was a dead end. He didn't care and started climbing the ladder at the end of the alley. His feet and thighs were sore and he was drawing heavy, labored breaths. He was grunting with each step climbing the ladder, only to stop halfway. On the roof of the brick building was the She-Demon, staring down at him menacingly and ready to attack. He slid down and tried to get out of the alley. It was there that Baltimare's finest were waiting for him, their guns and flashlights drawn on him. The helicopter overhead beamed its light on him and illuminated him. In front of him, the police. Behind him, the She-Demon. It was the end of the line for him. "Alright, Masquerade. This has gone far enough," Thunder Breeze bellowed. "Turn yourself in, they will help you!" The She-Demon shouted. "What she said. We don't want any more violence than there should be. I am willing to put past your attempts at me and my family, just please surrender!" Thunder added. "Stop! Stop! Both of you!" Masquerade shouted as he put his hands over his head in angst. "Fuck you! Fuck all of you!" He began to holler and groan in unintelligible rants for what felt like forever, like an addicted person in the worst of their withdrawal. In his mind, he was being articulated of his emotions, his frustration, but was not putting the words right when spoken. At the end of the speech, he pulled his gun out, which made the officers back off a little bit, their weapons still aimed at him. "Put the gun down!" They all shouted. What is he doing?! In one swift motion, he put the gun to his head. Sunset realized what he was about to do and was overcome with fear. "No!" She shouted, raising her hand out to pull the gun out of his hand and stop him from taking his own life. For the rest of her life, Sunset would forever be haunted by this moment. The sound of the gunshot echoed through the alley, and in the ears of Sunset Shimmer. She watched as Masquerade's body collapsed like a sack of potatoes on the cold asphalt, a pool of blood already forming around his head. Thunder and his men charged forward to the body. The chief kicked the gun out of Masquerade's lifeless hands and checked for a pulse as part of the procedure, all the while his men watched the She-Demon. "She-Demon seems a bit distraught, Sir." He looked up to see that she had her hand on her head in panic. She flew off into the night, leaving the police with confusion and a very messy crime scene. *** "Honey, did you see Sunset when you left?!" Hazel frantically asked as soon as she answered Thunder Breeze's phone call, searching in the chaos of the hall for her daughter with one hand holding her phone while the other covering her other year to block the noise. "No, I haven't. I just wanted to tell you that the danger is over, for the most part. The shooter took his own life," Thunder replied. "Okay, that's good," Hazel replied sarcastically."I still have to look for Sunset!" "Check with the EMTs. If they didn't haul anyone off then that must mean she must still be building.” He turned to his subordinates and barked his order. “Have our guys back in the hall sweep every room for her!" "Okay, I love you," She said. "Love you too," he replied as he hung up and continued to work. Hazel was getting frantic and wanted to try one last thing before getting the police involved. She sent one last text to Sunset. "If you don't answer me, I'm going to go through your room." *** By the time the text reach Sunset, she had transformed back to herself and was in her red dress in the boy's bathroom. She had been sobbing flying back to the hall and still was crying in the stall. "Men's bathroom," She texted back before sinking her head into her knees. Her mother busted in, out of breath, a few moments later, pulling her daughter off the ground and hugging her. "I was so worried about you! Are you hurt?!" She said in her motherly tone. Sunset opened her palm to show the three bullets that Masquerade used to try to kill her. "Oh dear," Hazel said in horror. *** Hazel and Sunset took a cab home, with Sunset still not letting up in her sobbing the entire time in her mother's arms. "It's okay, Sunset. The guy is gone. He won't hurt us anymore," As she continued to sob, she knew that it wasn't about the fear of getting shot at or the fact that her and her family’s life was in danger. She was sobbing because she couldn't save him from himself, and had to watch him take his own life.