Excerpt: We're Not So Different

“Fools! You’re all fools!” The windows all along the Heroes’ Headquarters shattered and showered onto the streets. At the flag pole on the top of the building, stood Sonic Screecher.
Melissa Thatcher stared up at him with an air of indifference. A few kids from school watched him, but most just continued walking home. It was a familiar game.
Sonic Screecher would shout loud enough for the city to hear with his super powered-voice. He would whine about the injustice of the world, make a few demands, maybe cause some collateral damage. Then a hero would fly over to him and talk him down, saving the day.
Melissa nodded when Fallen Angel flew up to Sonic Screecher. He was a bit of a joke too. As a pretty boy, he did a lot of men’s hygiene commercials. Still, he wasn’t half as embarrassing as Sonic Screecher.
Fallen Angel managed to coax him into flying down with him. They touched the ground and a couple people clapped politely.
Melissa kicked a piece of trash. Why couldn’t anything exciting ever happen?
Then a train crashed into her.
Not a train, but something horrible and metal wrapped around her and plucked her into the air. Melissa felt her stomach drop to the ground as she lurched into the air. For a couple irrational seconds, she thought she had sprouted wings.
The silver claw gripping her twisted around. What remained of Melissa's sanity vanished and she screamed until her breath disappeared.
Two green, glowing eyes stared from the depths of a building-sized robot. It glared at her for a few seconds and swallowed her.