The lady slammed the heel of her shoe down on Crystal's foot - and this first assault was like the breaking of a dam.
One person kicked Crystal in the shin. Another pulled her backpack off, threw it across the room, and punched her in the back. She felt nails dragging across her arm while someone else pinched their knuckle into her temple as if trying to kill her. She tried to run, but it was impossible. With no other recourse, she sat down on the floor and pulled herself into a fetal position.
"Help me," Crystal cried as the violation of her body continued. She was shaking violently, and she feared for her life. Eventually, though, the attack slowed to a stop, and Crystal thought it had finally come to an end. Everyone was laughing, though, and that worried her. A moment passed, and Crystal felt a warm liquid flow down her face. It didn't bother her, but then the sour, acrid scent of the fluid hid her nose, and she began to scream uncontrollably.
Somebody was urinating on her - and maybe more than one somebody!
Crystal began to gasp for breath, and she prayed to God for someone from security to walk by.
Jessica was watching from the side. She was more interested in watching than participating. The whole incident was streaming live on YouTube, and Joyce was watching it from home. She smiled as she pulled out her phone from her pocket and sent her daughter a text message. She wrote: "What do you think of the show?"
Joyce: "It's great. Was it your idea to stream it on the internet?"
Jessica: "Mine and your Father's. He's pretty much done trying to play nice, I think."
Joyce: "I thought the highlight was when the boy started throwing eggs at her, but then those men started pissing on her. I can't wait to see what happens next! It keeps getting better and better!"
Jessica: "It's too bad that the eggs weren't filled with shit. That would have been hilarious!"
Joyce glanced at the crowd and saw that a local news crew had arrived, and they were setting up their cameras. Amy was on the scene-she had been forced to cancel a dinner appointment to be there, and she rushed to the forefront of the crowd. "I need to go," Joyce typed. "Things are beginning to get REALLY interesting. We'll talk later."
Jessica: "Okay. Bye, daughter. I Love you!"
The crowd parted to make room for Amy and her crew with their cameras, lights, and microphones. As Amy got closer, she gagged and covered her nose. The girl's smell was so strong that she could smell "The People's Victim" - which was what she was starting to think of Crystal as long before she saw her. Amy didn't want to be here, but she had received the order from her boss, and he didn't take no for an answer.
The People's Victim was curled up on the floor. She was covering her head with her hands, and she was whimpering. Her hair was a mess, there were scratches all over her body, and there was blood. In this condition, she almost didn't look human.
Before Amy talked to Crystal, she wanted to speak to one of the people in the crowd so that she could get a better understanding of what was happening. By chance, she narrowed in on the woman who'd supplied the eggs. "Excuse me," she said, "Can I ask you about what is going on here?"
The lady smiled as Amy held the microphone so that she could speak into it.
"This girl deserves everything she's getting," she said, "and maybe more. She intentionally caused her Father to have a heart attack. She is scum, and she doesn't deserve to live!" The lady hocked, turned to Crystal, and spat the greenish-yellow loogie into her hair.
Amy frowned and said, "That sounds pretty harsh. Can you tell us exactly what this girl did that made her Father have a heart attack, and why is it causing such public outrage?"
"Do your research!" the lady exclaimed. "If you want me to do it for you, then you'd better put me on payroll first!"
"Never mind." Amy shrugged. She knelt beside Crystal and said, "Miss Smith, my name is Amy. Can I ask you a few questions?"
When Crystal heard Amy's voice, she slowly raised her eyes. She knew that as long as Amy was there, no one would dare hurt her. She nodded her head and said, "Thank you."
Amy smiled and said, "I heard that this all started with a video. Can you tell me about that?"
"The video was taken out of context," Crystal explained. "These people that you see around me, they did this to me without taking the time to let me explain my side of things, and when it comes time for me to get revenge on them, they will rue the day they were born. And unlike them, I won't have to take the law into my own hands because the law will be on my side!"
Amy was impressed by Crystal's inner strength and resilient attitude. She was a mess, but she remained unbroken.
When the woman who'd supplied the eggs heard what Crystal said, she took a few frightened steps backward. She wanted to leave, but the people from the television station blocked her way. "Our audience is going to want to hear from you again," they said. "Not to mention the police."
The lady's mouth dropped open, and her face turned a sickly, pale shade of green.
"I have a recording of what happened," Crystal continued. "I will hand it over to the police and my lawyer, and I will also make it public. It will clear everything up, and then everyone will see who was in the wrong and who was in the right!"
"I have one more question," Amy said. "Is that okay?"
"I'm sorry, but it will have to wait," Crystal replied. "I'd like to get to the police station now."
Everyone was frightened by Crystal's words. If her evidence was valid, it meant that they had violated the law. They were afraid of being held accountable for what they'd done, and they tried to slip away. Much to their dismay, though, the police had already arrived, and they had the place surrounded.
Joyce hadn't been the only one watching the Youtube live stream.