Some of them dropped to the ground and stayed there. They didn't run. They didn't cry out. They just sat down in the dirt and closed their eyes, waiting for whatever came next.
An old man spoke up. His voice didn't shake at all, even with the ground moving under his feet.
"We're done running," he said. "We don't want to be scared anymore. Just make it quick."
Near him, a woman pulled her husband against her chest. She said something quiet into his ear.
I looked at the group. Maybe five hundred or six hundred people total. Nobody was screaming at me or grabbing at my clothes, begging for a spot in my world. They made their peace.
"Very well."
I raised my hand and let the lightning fall. This time it wasn't the harsh kind I'd used on the crowd earlier. It came down soft and fast, turning each of them to ash before they could feel much of anything.
No pain. No noise. Just an end they picked for themselves, given exactly the way they wanted it.
