Maria didn't understand. In one moment, she was looking over her shoulder, having noticed that something had happened to her pursuers, and in the next, she was running straight at them. Their weapons were already aimed, as if awaiting her arrival.
Forcing her body to a halt, she reflexively raised her arms to block an instant before her vision was filled with red. A barrier rose in front of her, blocking the red rain. The resulting explosion pushed her back, but she didn't go far, slamming into something that held her in place.
[Maria!] A familiar voice shouted in her mind.
[Shield!] She replied.
