The crowd began to gather just before dusk. A group of citizens who had found common ground over the actions of meta humans in their city, as well as around the country, and the government’s inaction on the matter. The group organized over social media and had planned to shut down Central Avenue, the main intersection leading out of Little Ulster to block traffic during rush hour, when many of Lost Haven’s citizens were getting ready to leave work for the evening. When the protest initially began, only a couple of dozen protesters had taken to the streets. However, as the evening wore on, more and more protesters had joined them, as well as a large contingent of counter protestors to oppose them. However, the protestors, and police were not the only ones to turn out, as several members of the local media had shown up to cover the protest. Now several hours old, the protest had snared traffic in and out of Little Ulster, creating absolute gridlock. 

[b][i]Freaks go home, we can take care of our own![/i][/b] 

The chant echoed through the streets as the protestors marched against down the avenue against the tide of resistance provided by the counter protestors. The two groups hurled insults at one another. As each moment passed, violence threatened to erupt as the protestors and counter protestors clashed. The volatile nature of the protest saw members of Lost Haven’s finest call in support, realizing that they were quickly losing control of the situation. Within minutes, officers in full riot gear were on the scene looking to regain order. 

Their presence only seemed to agitate the protestors further. 

Soon, the protestors turned their ire at the police. First, they began hurling insults at the officers, blaming their ineptitude for the need of meta humans in the first place. Then, they began hurling bottles and rocks, and anything else that they could get their hands on. One officer was even injured when a protestor hit him with ball bearings which had been removed from the wheels of a nearby car. The sudden outburst of violence had managed to turn what was supposed to be a peaceful protest into a full blown riot. 

Soon, more police in riot gear stormed into the area. They began grabbing protestors and counter protestors alike, handcuffing them and throwing them into police transport vehicles. Some of the protestors resisted, fighting off the police as best they could. They continued throwing bottles and rocks, fists and elbows at the police, who answered in kind with batons and stun guns. The entire scene was completely out of control. Some of the protestors began smashing storefront windows and overturning parked cars…

Until everything suddenly stopped.

The sound of laughter could be heard. At first it sounded as if it were coming from afar, however it grew louder and louder, until it was coming from everywhere all at once. It was not your typical laughter, in fact, there was nothing typical about it. It was an otherworldly laughter, a laughter that was felt just as it was heard, a laughter that caused everyone to stop in their tracks. 

Then there was darkness. A black mist seemingly came out of nowhere, engulfing the crowd. There were cries of panic as the people in the crowd could no longer see in front of them, yet they seemingly all knew exactly what was happening. They seemed to know just who it was who had made his presence known. 

Then suddenly, the black mist dissipated. 

“You fight amongst yourselves. You allow your fear to control you.” A disembodied voice spoke, the words vibrating off of the walls all around the crowd of people. “Your futile acts of violence only feed me, make me stronger. You are all my children, and I’ve come to bring you home.” 

No sooner did the voice stop speaking than three figures made their way into the crowd. One of the figures was easily recognizable due to his skeletal features. The monster known as Cannibal King forced his way into the crowd, immediately setting out to slaughter as many people as he could reach with a large scythe. As he brought the blade down on panicked protesters, he cut right through them, the impact of which made a sound like a blade cutting through a ripe melon. 

With the Cannibal King were two women. One of which seemed far younger than the other. The younger woman held a small metallic ball which she tossed into the air. The ball hovered for an instant and then began to change. The ball grew eight legs and a pair of wings, as well as a pair of razor sharp claws. When the object began flying toward the crowd, it looked like a combination of a hornet, wolf spider, and a crab. The metallic monster buzzed through the crowd, removing limbs and in some cases, heads, while the young woman smiled, finally having the means to get revenge on a society that has utterly abused her for her entire life. 

The other woman who was known to few as Soulfire stood her ground, summoning demonic energy from her body, engulfing fleeing victims in its power, and then seemingly blinking them out of existence. 

As the crowd scattered in a panic a fourth being seemingly emerged from out of nowhere. At first, only the vague outline of a man could be seen. Then, within moments the figure showed itself. The monster known as Nightmare had finally showed its true face. To those who saw him, his visage matched his name. He truly was a living nightmare. His grotesque face was something that any survivors of the massacre would take to their graves. His pale skin misshapen face was something out of a horror movie. His dead, white eyes and rotting flesh reminiscent of something that might appear on The Walking Dead, rather than in the middle of Little Ulster. The cadaverous creature looked at the carnage that had already been wrought in his name, and he grinned. 

“Finish them. Finish them all.” He gleefully said to his followers as they set out slaughtering the remaining protesters.