Long Past Dawn

I let out a small laugh that sounds more like a sob to me, in the distance I can hear police sirens wailing. I fall to my knees again in shock, no one speaks, we all just wait quietly until the cops come.

One man comes forward to me and wordlessly places his jacket over my shoulders before he steps back. But I take no notice of him or anyone else, I just sit on the floor dumbstruck.

Very soon a group of armed policemen come into the store, the shock on their faces when they see the robbers on the ground unconscious was almost comical.

After the police come in and scout out the store everyone is herded out onto the sidewalk were multiple police cars and even one ambulance is waiting for us. While others are questioned as to what happened one cop escorts me to the ambulance, because at this point I'm covered in blood.

As we get closer the paramedics pale at the sight of me, I mean if there was a mirror I probably would too. They immediately sit me down inside the ambulance and start poking and prodding to see where I'm hurt, not long after a cop comes in to question me. He seems to be in his early thirties and has a notepad that every few minutes he'll write something down on. "Hello, miss...? I'm Officer Johnson."

"Dawn," I say before realizing he also wants my last name. "Dawn Foster, sir."

"I see," he says as he scribbles down my name on the paper, "Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Well I mean I'm being checked over by a team of paramedics that think I should be dead by the look on their faces, but hey dude, give it your best shot. I nod in reply, not voicing any of my thoughts.

"Can you tell me what happened, Dawn?" He jots down his words as he says him, I don't know why but I don't like it, I don't know anything about what he's writing about me.

"I was in the store," I start, thinking back to the items I wanted to buy. "I had come in to buy a toothbrush, pencils and maybe grab a sandwich when I heard a noise from the front of the store. I wasn't sure what it was so I thought I would go check it out when I got to the front of the store those three masked men were already there."

I pause to think how to say the next bit when I realize that even the paramedics are listening to what I'm saying, not that surprising actually, "The first man said to put our hands up before he fired his gun at the ceiling and so I dropped everything in my hands and raised them so they could see them."

The cop is scribbling down everything I say, as if trying to soak it up himself, "That's when I saw one of the cashiers press a button under the counter and I knew it was probably some police alert so I just stayed calm."

I pause as I think about the man that was so ready to aim his gun at an innocent bystander, "But one of the men saw them do it and he raised his gun."

I swallow as I think about what might have happened if I hadn't jumped in. "He raised his gun and aimed it at the cashier. I didn't know what to do and by the time I had processed the situation I was in, I had already rushed out and pushed the cashier out of the way of the bullet and." I pause, taking in my thoughts. "And it hit me right in the c.h.e.s.t."

The ambulance is silent even the cop has stopped writing in his little notebook. I know that they probably already know where I was hit but it must be shocking to actually hear someone say that they were shot in the c.h.e.s.t. "The men were scared, I don't think it was ever their plan to actually shoot any of us. They must have thought I was dead, I mean so did I, but I got back up and the first man shot me in fear again, but this time it only grazed my shoulder, I think because his hands were shaking so bad."

"And..." I think to the next few minutes after that, they felt like a forever and a half. I don't want to tell the cop about my power but he probably already knows from the other people who were there. "And I'd rather not say what happened next."

The cop nods before making one last note in the notebook, which he seems to underline three times. But this time I have a question for the cop, "What will they be charged with?"

The cop looks confused for a second before he sighs, "As far as I can tell, a lot. Armed robbery, weapons assault of a minor and a lot of other things. In my experience, I think they'll be lucky to get out with only 5 years if they have a good lawyer."

He looks me over, once then twice. I don't like it, it feels like in his eyes he doesn't see me, he sees some weak little victimized girl that got shot in a robber, I'm not Dawn Foster to him, I'm just another kid on the job.

"Where do you live? What's your parent's number? I'll have to alert them of all that's happened, especially since you'll need medical treatment." He says, eyeing at my blood-soaked hoodie.

F.u.c.k. I realize my mistake now, not only do the cops know about what I did in the store but if I go to a hospital then they'll find out more things about me I'd rather keep under the rug. I try to come up with a believable lie on the spot but nothings coming to me.

And this is why I shouldn't go places on my own, I say to myself sardonically.

I'm about to think this is the end of it when a familiar voice sounds from behind Officer Johnson, "I'll take it from here officer."

Both I and Officer Johnson both turn to see who it is, and standing behind Officer Johnson in his iconic blue suit is none other than Superman. Why am I not that surprised?