Monster Gauntlet Read Free

equal-opportunity parade. There was even a group of people protesting Monster Gauntlet. They shouted and waved signs with words like, “Abominations!” and “Blood Sport!” and could really see their point. I found that kind of ironic, since I saw the MG logo everywhere as one of the sponsors of the parade.
    I smiled. The weather was beautiful and everyone, while opinionated, was respectful, or at least of afraid of the armored police. Almost everyone was well-behaved and seemed to be having fun. That was about to change.
    The problems, at least at my part of the parade, started right in front of me. I was midway down The Mall when it happened. The atheists were marching in a group ahead of ours. Some people on the sidelines started shouting at them, calling them all types of names. I heard things like, “You’re violating my religious freedom!” and “How dare you say my God isn’t real!” There were lots of fanatics shouting, “You’re going to Hell!”
     So many people were involved it was hard for the cops to identify who the troublemakers were. Then people started throwing things.
    The sense of peace and the fascination I had quickly turned to terror. The atheists and members of the crowd clashed like Highland clansman on a medieval Scottish battlefield. I could see the crowd closing in up ahead like the parted Red Sea in the Bible collapsing in on the Egyptians. The atheists, gays, and Monster Gauntlet fans were attacked by the crowd fueled by religious ferocity.
    People shouted behind us. The Monster Gauntlet fans greatly outnumbered the protesters, and the whole thing quickly became a free-for-all.
    Then the women were attacked.
    The police scurried in like an infestation of black beetles, arresting anyone they could lay their hands on, parade participant and spectator alike, just to get them off the street.
    I instinctively looked for Alysh.
    “Hey Blue Hair! Turn around! You’re under arrest!”
    It took me a second to register that somebody might be talking to me. I turned around.
    A cop stood about four meters away. She was short and thick. She stood with her legs apart as if she were practicing shooting at gun range. My eyes focused on the metal can in her hands.
    “That’s right, bitch,” she said. “Get down on the ground! NOW!”
    I froze. Then a blurry shape collided with the cop. The next thing I saw was a tangled human mass on the ground as the cop struggling with a random person. Knocked from her hand, her weapon skidded towards me and stopped at my feet as if fate had meant me to have it. I picked it up.
    I turned to find Alysh. I spotted her signature red hair and was horrified by what I saw. A massive man (even taller than Alysh) in a police uniform seized her forearm and was attempting to twist it to bring her into submission. Tall and strong and versed in self-defense, Alysh managed to break out the man’s grip. He responded by tackling her, rugby-style. Somehow, Alysh managed to get her feet. So did the cop. Alysh turned to run. Her eyes met mine as the cop grabbed her hair. He snapped his arm as if cracking a whip. Alysh went down. I actually saw her head bounce off of the asphalt. There was a sickening sound like an egg cracking. Then the man piled on top of her.
    Suddenly, I was on my way to the ground. I shouted out in surprised. I felt like I’d been hit from behind by a car. Pain pierced my side. I rolled on to my back and the woman cop mounted me. She raised her armored fist to smash it down on my face.
    Remarkably, I hadn’t dropped her pepper spray in the fall. I whipped my arm up, held the can in front of her face (underneath the protective half-shield) and unloaded the spray directly into her eyes, nose, and mouth. She would have screamed if sound could have come out of her mouth. Her body slumped off mine. She writhed and rolled around in pain. Remarkably still willing to fight, she drew her yellow plastic Taser pistol with a shaking hand.
    As she raised it, I stepped