"Where are my keys, where are my keys? Oh, okay. Found it! And here's my phone and a camera. It's a good thing I bought you, baby, from my mom! I miss you so much! All I need to do is take a picture of what is happening with this thing, Steel or that weirdo superhero, the scene, and afterward make a report about the crime scene…. Screw this! Why do I have to go there and-,"
"Where do you think you're going, young lady? Didn't I tell you not to leave your room, unless it's necessary?"
Just before I could even reach the ingress, the old receptionist stopped me from nabbing the doorknob. Even though he was butting his nose in my privacy, it was that man's job. He was the guard. If the professor asked for it, I was just a student who would take pictures of the crime scene and become the first report I could present in class.
And believe me, old guy, I wouldn't want to be here if it wasn't for my job.
I gingerly turned around and flashed the old man a wintry smile. "I'm going to buy my pads. Is that wrong?"
"We have those over there," the man argued, and pointed at the rusty see-through cabinet.
Truthfully enough, it contained the pads that I mentioned. But I wasn't aiming for that. And who in the right mind would even buy those things, when those pads had cuts and dirt all over the place? Oh, wait. These guys, of course.
"I will go outside and buy some pads. Bye-bye!"
The receptionist guy couldn't stand a chance after what I had said to him. My voice almost turned out as a witch-hunting for her next prey. And I was. This man could try, but I was not going home without any treasure in hand. And when I meant treasure, I was portraying the crime scene that Minjun saw up ahead.
But how on Earth did Minjun hear and sense something happened near the town? And what kind of idiot would rob someone in broad daylight? If I were a criminal-which I was not, I would've chosen the time and place where I would conduct my indecent deeds. But then again, people already knew that. They would avoid those places where the robber might wait for them.
Those trains of thought kept me sane after running one kilometre away from my apartment. Fortunately, Minjun's slimy ass left a trail as if begging for me to come to the place, which he didn't.
"Don't worry, Minjun. After taking some juicy pics, I will leave and be on my merry way."
But the deeper I went into the streets, the fewer people came passing by. It was as if this place was far from the busy road I went through earlier. My heart pounded like drums playing in a band. And I was a metallic singer trying to shout and hit the highest notes that mankind had made.
Within a few seconds, the sounds of gunshots resounded in my ears. It was horrifying. The volume from those guns skyrocketed than those from speakers. I didn't imagine that the blast coming from those weapons could pierce my eardrums.
"You stupid, good for nothing, roommate! Can I at least live in peace, have a nice cup of coffee, and be a journalist for once!" I ranted to myself, as I crept closer to the scene.
After finally taking a quick turn, three armed robbers and a mother with her son greeted my eyes. Those people had tattoos covering their necks as if it was their crest. From the looks of it, these robbers were in a gang of some sort. I didn't know. It was just a wild guess while watching the scene unfold before me.
There was also someone in front. It was Minjun, who had his arms extended on each side. He vowed to protect the family behind him with his life. He was a man of his word.
But there was a problem when I first glanced at the site. Minjun had the power to bend any metals to his will, regardless of their components. He also mentioned to me that a bullet penetrated his skin.
However, there was one thing I didn't forget. Minjun told me he could only use his powers for thirty minutes and had a cooldown for roughly an hour. When he first arrived at the apartment, I deduced he had rested there for five minutes. That man swallowed the excruciating pain coursing through his veins until I found him flapping like a fish.
"What would happen if he tried to absorb the bullet without his powers kicking in?" I asked myself, while gritting my teeth.
Minjun wanted to become a superhero, but saving someone using his life was not worth the shot. Imagine how many people he could save if he tried to wait for a better opportunity. The best thing to do here was to leave the family and recharge for a few minutes. Why would he even do this?
"Come on, man! We don't have all day! Give us the money, and we won't shoot those two girls."
"Let me taste her too, for a short while. Nobody's watching, anyway."
"We can have fun, boys. But we need to deal with this fucker first."
Those three idiotic criminals uttered to themselves. Each of them had pistols in their hands and a knife for good measure. The smoke coming out from the gun's barrels told me those robbers had called their shots. I also heard gunshots coming in this direction, which should have attracted attention from the mass.
I immediately called the police through my phone, and it worked. I couldn't talk, so I whispered everything that those people behind the line needed to know. However, as luck would have it, my phone died. After everything that I had been through, this phone of mine turned off.
"Well, I hope they received my distress call. Now, what am I going to do with this?"
There was nothing much I could do but capture the scene before me with my camera. I knew it was a terrible idea coming here! But there was nothing else I could do about it, considering my dream job. If I backed out from this, how could I withstand the more treacherous phase of my life? Adulthood.
I couldn't stand the tension in front of me and captured my first pic. I grabbed my camera using my shaky hands and clicked the button. And that sealed my fate right off the bat. The moment I did that, a bright light enveloped the scene. The next thing I knew, I cursed a million times that no human could.
"FUCK! WHAT THE HELL!"
"IT'S TOO BRIGHT! DID THE COPS FIND US?!"
"YOU IDIOT! IF THE COPS ARRIVED, SIRENS WOULD'VE BEEN INVOLVED. IT'S JUST A GIRL! GET HER AND SHOOT THE FAMILY OR THAT SUPERHERO!"
As soon as the robbers regained their senses, they narrowed their eyes and chased me like a lion hunting for the goose. Two men pursued me around, while the other stayed at the backlines. When the guy from the rear pulled the trigger, Minjun absorbed it and parried the 6man. My roommate disarmed the robber and kicked his ass, even with that injury. However, he was catching his breath. He fell to the ground and placed his hand on his chest.
While that happened, the two continued tracking me until the end of time. Even though I tried taking shortcuts and quick turns, those men followed my scent. They're wolves, alright!
I didn't know where to go. Nobody gave me the map or the place I had been running to. There were also no signs or landmarks that I was familiar with, despite my eyes wandering around. Within a few seconds, I finally faced a panel. A dead turn. And when I swivelled around, the pair of criminals were already there at my fore.
There were still no signs of cops. It was just the three of us, with those robbers cornering me like a dog.
"I still hear no cops on the streets. Let's just kill this girl and steal that camera."
"Okay, boss."
Those criminals were quick to think and wished to kill me to end this madness. I couldn't plead for my life. The words never came out of my mouth, even though I desperately tried. It was then I realised that my body became paralysed from fear, evident from my shivering legs. Since I was about to die, I closed my eyes and wished my mom the best. When I die, I had promised myself to haunt Minjun. It would be my goal as a ghoul.
The ravaging sounds of gunshots resounded the place, which came from the thugs. I knew it was the end for me. I didn't have any powers besides using my feet as a stand and extension for my phone. Besides that, I was vulnerable, unlike Minjun, who had superpowers. But even so, I admired him. Even though I dragged myself into his mess, I still saw him doing heroic things. He must have saved the family when I sprinted away from that place.
We were the same. The only thing different between him and me was that Minjun had powers, and I didn't. Will I have the strength to do the same if I received that gift?
After a few seconds, the bullet never hit me. I prepared myself for the worst. It didn't happen. Instead, Minjun was the last man standing, while the three ruffians kissed the floor. The one was in his hand, which he grabbed towards this place.