[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/l1W8cXJ.png[/img][/center]

[i][color=Darkslateblue][sub]Star City, The Glades, Night[/sub][/color][/i][hr][hr]

The gun spoke thunder, spewing hot lead, breaking the night’s silence. The bullets missed their target. A costly mistake on the gunman’s part.

The scream came of its own accord, muscling its way out between Dinah’s lips before she could stop it, before she could even think about it. The silence that the gun broke, the cry shattered, along with all the windows in a block radius. Shockwaves rippled through the air before slamming into the gunman, hurling him from his feet, the gun dropped from nerveless fingers. He might have let loose a scream of his own before the streets concrete robbed consciousness from him, but if he did its noise was lost in the echoes of hers. 

It took a minute for the adrenaline to wear off, for her heart to stop pounding that Tony Ramone beat. She didn’t feel out of breath, but her lungs were demanding air, like they just wanted the taste. Maybe it was just her bodies way of telling her that [i]‘it’s good to be alive’[/i]. 

Movement in the deepest shadows of the non-descript Glades alley had her dropping into a balanced crouch, fighting instincts finely honed and ready to rock. [i]Ted Grant, look at me now[/i]. A heartbeat later she realised she needn’t have gotten so worked up. There were no more horrors left here, no more asses to kick. Not tonight. The disappointment that welled up in her chest at that realisation surprised her.

“It’s alright, you can come out. Bad guys down.” She called into the darkness. A moment later two figures moved out of the gloom, halting and slow, like they weren’t sure they wanted to give up their cover just yet. The way the Glades had been recently Dinah wasn’t sure that she blamed them.

The woman held the boys hand and positioned herself in front of him protectively. Mother and son, Dinah figured. They both had that hollow-eyed, drawn out ghastliness that seemed distressingly common amongst those living in the glades now. It had been a while since their last good meal. It hurt to look at them, both so threadbare and destitute. It made her feel like their suffering was her fault, that she had done this horrible thing to them, or at the very least wasn’t doing enough to help them. Guilt made her avert her gaze, made her turn from them. She had to make herself busy.

First, she checked the thug. He was still breathing, thankfully. It was some hit he took, and while Dinah didn’t mind breaking a few bones here or there, she drew the line at killing, even scumbags who tried to rob women and children. It wasn’t for her to play God, even in a Godforsaken place like this. Then she pocketed the gun. There was more than enough hardware on these streets. She’d dispose of it later. She thought about dropping the Star City Police a call, to let them know there was trash needing collecting, but decided against it. It would just go ignored, like all the other calls she’d made before. Sure, the guy would be able to walk free as soon as he was awake, but what else could she do? 

The mother and son were still staring at Dinah, motionless. Voiceless. Hopeless. Their faces were blank, but Dinah felt like she could read them like books. They couldn’t countenance anyone going out of their way to help them, not for free. They were just waiting for the other shoe to drop. That’s what living in the Glades did to people now. It was the anathema of innocence. It broke her heart to see it. 

“You’re safe now.” She said. They didn’t react. She forced a smile, and held an open hand out to them, beckoning them onwards, out of the dark. They didn’t move, not a muscle. She couldn’t say she was surprised, but it hurt nonetheless. She tried not to show it, fixed a fake smile, like that could make anything better. “Well, good luck.”

Luck. Like that was what they needed. They seemed to share the sentiment, their blank gazes accusing her of some nameless, hateful crime. 

She turned her back on the pair and headed down the street, fists clenched tight and a weight on her chest. 

“Thank you.” 

She spun, but the pair were gone, no sign of them ever being there in that dark, empty alleyway.