Punish your characters indirectly

‘Well, if you say it’s okay...’ said Ben, taking the bottle. ‘I guess it couldn’t hurt to just try it.’

‘Yeah, it’s cool,’ said Dex, waving a hand. ‘You’ll be old enough soon anyway. Why not get a head-start?’ He grinned and flicked a speck of dust off his leather jacket.

‘Well, okay,’ said Ben, raising the bottle to his mouth. He tipped his head back and tasted the bitter, fiery liquid on his tongue. Before he could even swallow, though, there was a huge, resounding crash from outside. The two boys looked at each other. Dex slowly turned to the window and looked out. Ben saw the colour drain from his face.

‘Laser wasps!’ he shouted, diving to the ground. Ben ran to the window. Sure enough, the swarm of twenty-foot-long robotic laser wasps was tearing through the city, leaving a swathe of destruction in their wake. Full of guilt and remorse, he dropped the bottle. Unfortunately, it was already too late.