For a while, Usa stumbled around the outskirts of town, trying to stay alive in the wilderness. When her days were not spent hunting (using what little she knew), they were spent at the bank of a small stream. There, Usa would stare into her reflection and cringe at what stared back at her. Parts of her skin had been turned from its rich golden-brown color to a blackened, scaley texture that reminded her of charred wood. Touching these patches of skin did nothing because anima was so ingrained into a person’s essence that taking it away was the equivalent of burning someone from the inside out. She can remember the feeling of not existing, of being burnt into nonexistence, and wonders how she is still alive. What purpose does she serve now? Usa thought that if she can survive, she’ll figure that out. 

Several days passed- weeks maybe, but Usa hadn’t bothered to keep track of time. One day, a group of hunters- boys she’d gone to school with- tried to shoot her as if she was some kind of trophy prey. They managed to shoot her in the leg, and she went down with a scream of pain as blood blossomed beneath her pant leg. One of them grabbed her. His name was Matthew- a biblical name for a horrible person. Matthew took his belt as Usa struggled, attempting to get away. She swung a fist aimlessly, and he caught it-

And Usa watched as the life drained out of him. Suddenly, the wound in her leg didn’t hurt. Suddenly, Matthew let go of her fist, and Usa scrambled out from under him as his body slowly turned to stone. She watched as his body fell to the ground, made completely out of stone. She ran, then, as the rest of the hunters chased after her, screaming harsh words. Their voices still ring in her ears, even now.

Somehow, she lost them.

How, Usa isn’t sure- maybe they had run out of steam, maybe she lost them by climbing the hill whose cave she now stands in, terrible of this new ability she has. In the darkness of the cave, she covered her mouth to stifle the scream rising in her throat. Thoughts raced through her head as fear pulsed through her veins. Usa laid there, curled into a ball- her breathing heavy, her mind even more so. When she came out of it, when her brain and body processed exactly what happened, she stood on shaky legs and threw up the berries she had eaten for breakfast.

And then, she screamed as thunder shook the sky and rain came down in sheets.