July 12th, 2702 - Demigods (part 1) - Kristine Sofie Stein

The sun had just breached the horizon and light swept across the land as a Norwegian father and daughter ran into a farmhouse. They had arrived in Germany a few days ago but made no progress towards France with the army up and about everywhere. They were also in hiding from a group of angry citizens.

The farmhouse smelled like every other farmhouse and the two city people were disgusted by it but were stuck there for now. The father was athletic, wearing a worn-out wool jacket and jeans along with red sneakers that didn't fit the rest of his outfit. His daughter was eighteen, a slim and curvaceous blond girl, was bleeding from her knees. There was blood all over her white shirt and jeans but she didn't feel any pain. It had happened quite recently when they were running away from the locals, so she expected it to heal soon enough. She was a Demigod, unlike her worrying father who was unaffected. He knew what she was but he still couldn't get comfortable seeing her bloody, even if it didn't pain her.

The father peeked outside between the curtains and his heart stopped. About twenty locals were marching towards them and they were all armed.

"Kristine, we have to go," he said.

"I can kill..."

"You will do no such thing!" he interrupted her. He held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Promise me that you will not use those powers until we get to France." Kristine sadly looked at him and nodded. "Promise me?"

"I promise."

"Good. You're human for now. You have to be to stay alive."

"Ok."

"Get out of the house!" The locals were outside and were taking aim.

"We're human! Don't shoot!" yelled the father.

"We'll be the judge of that! Step outside!"

"Just leave us alone! We just want peace. We came here to stay away from the war!" he pleaded. The crowd outside grew impatient and started shooting. The windows shattered and splinters of wood exploded in every direction as the bullets came flying by. The father and daughter hit the floor as soon as they heard the first gunfire. The door to the farmhouse was kicked open and five men barged in pointing their guns around the place.

"There's the girl!" said one of them.

"Kill her." said another.

"We're human!" the father shouted, begging and jumping at their feet. "Don't harm my daughter!"

"We should kill him too!" Kristine was crying with her hands over her eyes, frightened of all the shouting and gunfire. One of the men grabbed her hair and forced her up from the floor.

"Leave her alone!" yelled the father but was immediately put down with a strong attack from the end of a rifle by one of the men. He wasn't completely unconscious but his body was weak and unresponsive.

His vision had blurred but he could still see Kristine being pulled into the kitchen. They were manhandling her, beating her face and calling her names. More men came into the house and picked him up. They dragged his body outside where the rest of the locals were waiting. They began searching his pockets and valuables for an ID.

"Yeah, this is the man. We've found him. Aleksander Stein. The Norwegian Ministry of Defence flagged his daughter as a Demigod." said a man who seemed to be leading the locals. He had a big beard and a red coat. "Embarrassing how they made it all the way here to Germany. This is why we help our country and stop these people." he addressed the locals. "The Army cannot contain so many people. We must help them... and kill these monsters!" The locals cheered as the rest of the men inside the house brought Kristine out. She was beaten badly and abused. Her clothes were ripped and her face was swollen and covered in blood.

"Kristine! What have you done to her?!" roared the father. One of the locals kicked his face to shut him up.

Kristine blankly stared at everyone, including her father. Her body felt numb and soulless. She never asked for any of this. "Kristine!" She looked at him one last time. He was saying something but she couldn't hear him. All she could hear was a ringing echo. The men started beating him up. She watched like a statue, unmoving and emotionless. Her heartbeat was regular, never skipping a beat. She could hear it and the blood pumping through her ears. "Kristine!" She suddenly retrieved back her focus and realised the locals were all aiming at her. "Kristine! I allow you! I allow you to use your powers!" That was all she needed to hear. She always did as her father asked. He was always there for her, supportive and there in time of need. Her mother had left them together once she found out what she was. Only her father stood beside her once she had her powers. She trusted him. So when her father gave her the green light it was all over.

Her eyes focused on the group. Time seemed to slow down. Everyone was paralysed including her father. She calmly got to her feet and walked in front of the locals. Their eyes moved but their bodies were still. She could feel their fear exit through the pores of their skin. She could hear their heartbeats and then she imagined the worst thing imaginable... and it happened...

Her heartbeat was regular. Theirs... didn't exist.