Lepers

A town named Welhamp, was locked away from all harm and fear, bright colors and smiling faces. They knew no wrong, no fear. Everything was nearly perfect.

Sarafine Henderson. A 19 year old girl, unaware of what lies behind the walls, is the only hope for this town. How you may ask? Everyone here has abilities. You never know what you have until the need for it arises. Jakub, Sarafine's brother, found his when he was younger. A healing ability.

Their father was deathly ill, so ill their mother wouldn't let them in to see him. They had to watch from afar, as their father died.

One day as their mother, Hestia was her name, was tending to their father, left the door ajar by mistake. Jakub, younger than Sarafine, knew than no better than running in.

Tears in his eyes he runs to their dying fathers side, Hestia screaming at the top of her lungs for Sarafine to retrieve him. His hand was locked in his fathers.

As Sarafine is attempting to pry her brother from the nearly dead body, she notices something. The color in her fathers face was restoring. She halted her attempts, despite her mothers yells.

"Mother! Look at dad!" Sarafine retaliates. Every sign of sickness and death was leaving her husbands body.

A single tear falls from Jakub's eye, landing on their fathers hand.

His closed eyes shot open, gasping desperately for oxygen.

"Hestia, What just happened?" He asks, rubbing his head with his free hand.

"Jakub, he found his ability. Healing. Your son saved your life Thomas." She says, voice cracking. Warm tears running down her face.

Jakub on the other hand was terrified. He never knew about the abilities. You learn of them in grade 7. He was simply in grade 5.

Sarafine grabs Jakubs hand, leading him out, and sitting him on the couch in the family room, explaining.

That was years prior, and Sarafine's ability still hasn't surfaced. She tried everything she could to try and adapt an ability, but nothing ever worked.

Her mother constantly was reassuring her than it would come when the need was there, but Sarafine thought different. She thought she was a reject, powerless, until now.

Screams fill the streets, people running North, a giant mess.

Hestia stops a running elder. The Elders are some of the most capable power holders in Welhamp.

" Elder Howard, what's going on?" she asks, voice shaking.

"The Lepers, they found Welhamp. They're breaking down the walls now, we need to get everyone to The Hub quickly before they get here, The Hub is the only safe place." He replys.

Hesita grabs Jakub and Thomas, "Thomas take Jakub and go, I'll go get Sarafine."

Hesita bolts into the house, screaming for Sarafine.

"Yes mother?" She asks, rubbing exhaustion from her eyes.

"We need to go, The Lepers have found Welhamp. We need to get to The Hub before they get here, hurry, put on your shoes and lets go." she yells, out of breath, face flushed pale.

Sarafine rushes back into her room and slips on a pair of shoes, running back out to her mother who is standing at the front door ready to run with her daughter.

They run out and begin running in the direction of The Hub.

The Hub was a extremely secure area in Welhamp. It would only allow the people of Welhamp through. To enter, you had to give a blood sample.

As the mother-daughter duo were running at high speed. they were cut off by a mangy looking person.

Pale, light green tented skin, black ulcers and cuts littering their bodies. Bodies almost doubled over. Faces almost distinguishable

The Lepers.

Heista stops in her tracks, grabbing Sarafine's arm tightly.

"Do not move, do not make any loud noises. They don't know we are here. We can run as soon as their gone." She whispers.

Sarafine flexes her arm, as an agreement to her mother.

The Leper stops in its tracks, turning and looking straight at the two, a low, gurgled growl escaping its mouth. Heista runs for it, dragging Sarafine with her.

The sudden bolting movement caused Sarafine to stumble, her arm crashing into the Leper.

Her screams of pain were almost as loud as the Lepers.

The Leper was in agony, clutching its arm.

“Mom what just happened?” Sarafine yells as they run, her arm on fire.

“I’m not sure sweetie, we can as the elders once we reach The Hub.” She replies, stress in her voice.

They turn the corner and see The Hub just ahead.

They both prick their fingers and run in.

“Elder James! Hurry! We ran into a Leper and it touched Sarafine.” Hiesta yells.

“The Leper was in pain Elder, it was screaming and bleeding.” Sarafine says as the Elder tends to her infected arm.

“It- what?” He asks, halting for a moment.

“It was in pain, when it hit me. Like I hurt it.” She repeats.

The Elders eyes grow wide.

“You’re- there hasn’t been an ability like this since Elder Charles. That was thousands of years ago.” He says, motioning over for other Elders to come.

Elder Charles was a lengendary person. No body knew what his ability was, but I was so great, he was one of the ones who helped to put Welhamp into solitary away from the Lepers.

“ She has the ability my brothers. She’s our only hope to win against the Lepers.” He says quitely.

“What ability?” Sarafine asks, happy that she has finally found hers.

“Sarafine, this ability is not to be used lightly, it’s all in your own intention of what happens.” One of the other Elders states, “you have a killing ability. When you resent someone or something you have the ability to kill if you so please. It’s a rare ability in this society, it was that of which Elder Charles possessed.” He finished.

“K-killing? You mean I could kill the Lepers?” She asks, slightly scared.

“Indeed my child, but there is a great abundance of them, you can’t go alone. Me and the other Elders will join you in your journey if you so wish to try and fight.” Elder James replies.

Sarafine looks at her mother, who looks both petrified and proud.

Her mother smiles softly at her, a slight nod in assurance.

Jakub runs up to Sarafine, grabbing her by the arm firmly.

"Be careful out there, they're extremely dangerous and can care less about humans feeling, you can not show that you fear them by any means, they'll sense your fear and use it to their advantage." he says, using his knowledge oh so wisely in the situation at hand.

Sarafine nods, and then turns to the group of now heavily armored Elders.

"Stand still, arms straight out." Elder Howard says sternly.

Sarafine does as told and the Elders work together to put thick but seemingly weightless layers of armor on Sarafine.

"Your hands are exposed for the main purpose of letting your ability work at it's full potential, and one last time, you're absolutely sure you want to go out there?" Elder Walter asks.

"Yes, Elder. I wish to try my hardest to help save Welhamp." she replies holding her head high.

"Well we must hurry, we have no time to spare!" He yells in reply.

We all walk hastily towards the front of The Hub, gasping at the sight.

A Number of Lepers, no more than 20, trudging around the town as if it were their home, oblivious to there fate soon to come.

The group of Welhampians emerge from The Hub, The noise of armor drawing attention of many of the Lepers.

"Sarafine, you fight, touch as many as them as possible, Us Fighting Elders will help to get them knocked down, the Healing Elders will help to make sure your hands don't get to infected." Elder James says, smiling at the young girl.

The low murmurs of the Lepers grow closer as the close in on the fighters.

One of the lepers step forward, a sinister grimace on its face, it was, happy? pleased perhaps?

"You have really upped your technology huh Howard? One of my men are dead." the leper growls, voice sounding like nails on a chalk board.

"It wasn't our technology, It was one of our very own." Elder Howard says boldly.

"Oh? I thought Charles died years ago, of what again? Oh yes, us." he mumbles.

"It isn't Charles, it's Sarafine Henderson." He says, pushing Sarafine forward.

The Leper lets out a blood boiling laugh, Sarafine thought she'd surely go deaf.

"A teenage girl? Are you joking?" He continues to laugh.

Sarafine steps even closer, jabbing the hysteric beast in the abdomen. His laughter turns into blood filled screams. Hand clutching his stomach, small trickles of blood pouring from his lip.

The angry roars of the other Lepers ring out through Welhamp. They all begin to attack, Sarafine mostly flailing her arms as to only touch them and watch them collapse to the ground in screaming agony.

The fights last for hours, having to take cover to heal Sarafine's hands of the Lepers disease.

Sarafine knew this was a dangerous mission, but she had to do what she had to do in order to save her town, her family.

She was Welhamps only hope.