"Mmm, Nia? What happened?" came a soft feminine voice from behind me. It was the blonde headed girl.
"I don't know. I think the power is out."
"Yeah but..that light from you is what made it go out."
"Are you sure about that miss um…?"
"Beatrice. My friends call me Bee though. Over there is Aria." She points at the redhead girl who's slowly pulling herself up. "I guess you've met Adrien and Nue."
I opened my mouth to speak but we all heard a thundering crash and saw a streak of orange flickering lights and smoke come from the other side of the far wall. There was a fire happening. I heard screams for help along with whoops and hollers.
I grit my teeth. "Looters. Of course it's Looters."
"What do you care for? The fire dept and cops are on their way here anyway, probably." Aria said, making her way over.
"It's dangerous outside. We should just stay here until the power comes back on." Bee mumbled while shuffling her shoes.
But I couldn't do that. Those screams I heard reminded me of my younger self, watching my mother's unconscious body get dragged away.
Never again.
If I was going to disobey and be stupid then I might as well go full force with it. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a face mask. I liked to wear them during the cold weather but I have a feeling that I was about to get very hot very fast.
"Listen. You two stay here and keep the boys safe while I go help anyone who needs help."
"You can't be serious! You're really willing to throw your life away for some strangers armed with what? Karate knowledge? Newsflash Nia, people have guns. Those looters probably have guns." Aria plainly stated, she sounded highly annoyed but also worried.
"At least take a weapon from the wall over there." Bee quietly added. She was trembling with fear.
I rolled my neck and shoulders. I hopped from one foot to the other, warming myself up for what was to come."I don't use weapons. If they use guns then I'll get out of the way until they run out of bullets. Look, all I know is that there's someone out there that needs help and the authorities aren't here yet. Every second we wait for them is another person robbed, stabbed, killed or horribly burned. You heard those cries for help just like I did. Stay here, wait for the looters or robbers if you want but I'm taking the fight outside."
With that I started walking towards the door. I tried to turn the knob and open it but I ended up crushing it in my grip, ripping it from its hinges in the process. I looked at the solid steel door in my hand suddenly as light as a softball, confused as hell.
"Um…yall see this right? I'm not hallucinating that I just ripped a door off its hinges like it was nothing?" I mumbled incredulously as the outside air hit my face,much warmer than before.
Bee moved closer to me and examined the door first hand. She looked from the door to me and back again before pointing a finger at me and giggling like the schoolgirl she probably was.
"Oh.My.GOD! You're a friggin superhero! I knew it. You're so cool. Can I have your autograph or like, a couple selfi-" she was talking a mile a minute.
"-Whoa, whoa slow down I highly doubt I'm a superhero. This door was probably just really really old."
"Yes mhm mhm but ANYWAY! You're a total superhero now! It all makes sense, how you're so good at fighting even though you're a tiny thing like me-"
"Hey now, let's not be so judgemental about outer ap-" Aria rolled her eyes at me as I tried to interrupt Bee to no avail.
"-How you're willing to rush headlong into danger even though it's probably gonna get you killed…I just wanna say, I totally support you ten thousand percent!" Bee raised her hands for a double high five and the next thing we all knew, there was a loud rushing sound like a fire hydrant had gone off. Something sailed over my head.The floor behind me was now covered in some kind of quick hardening liquid.
I blinked and turned to Bee who looked just as shocked as Aria and I did.
"What…what the hell is that stuff?" I inquired and kicked it with my shoe to which Aria quickly yanked my body back by my arm.
"Are you insane?! What am I saying? Of course you are. Just because you're really strong and Bee can shoot out weird hardening liqu-" Aria stopped talking and her eyes widened in alarm, mine too, as we watched Bee lean down and lick the unknown substance on the floor.
"Mmm, it's honey! You guys, I can shoot honey from my hands! It's not really hard per say, like candy, it's more spongy and bouncy. Oh man….I'M a superhero now! Dude! Can you believe this? This is the best day of my life."
Aria held her hand up in Bee's face. "Stop. No one is a superhero. Something is obviously wrong with all of us and it looks like it has something to do with that weird energy that passed through her…from you!"
Aria turned towards me, an accusing finger pointed in my face while she started pushing me towards a wall away from the now doorless opening.
"All of this weird shit traces back to you. What are you? Did you plan this? Are you some sort of alien? I swear to god if something happens to me I will NEVER forgive you-" She swung her arms down at me as a glowing black blade in the shape of a feather flew from her heading straight towards me. Thankfully I moved the door in the way at the last second and it stopped the projectile just enough so that only the tip poked through the other side,right at me.
Aria gasped, seeing what she had done."Oh god! I'm so sorry! Are you okay Nia?" she frantically came around behind me and checked all over my body by unnecessarily frisking me.
"He-Hey! Stop that! I'm fine. Don't you think I would have said Ow or Ouch if I was hurt?" I shooed Aria away from me and put the door down. Looking between the both of them I sighed and started pointing towards each of us, starting with me.
"So. Super strength. Honey summoning? Feather blades. I'd say we're less defenseless than before, don't you think?"
"....You still intend to go out there, don't you." It wasn't a question that Aria posed, she already knew my response to that. She sighed, a look of disgust and reluctance on her face. Bee looked between the two of us and then moved towards my side, a hopeful expression on her face.
"Yeah, I'm going. Come with me or don't." I didn't wait for Aria to answer,already stepping outside into what looked like a warzone already.
There were cars broken into and or on fire. Buildings with broken windows,people looting from novelty shops and big box chain electronic stores. Next to the gym there was an apartment on fire and a young woman on the third floor holding a swaddled infant in her hands, she was crying out for help. I could see a group of three people in ski masks running around and hitting things with bats mindlessly.
There was a hand on my shoulder and another on my wrist. Aria and Bee both looked at me with fear and it looked like they had absolutely no idea what to do. It was a scary situation so it's to be expected.
"Bee."
"Y-yes?"
"See that woman up there?I need you to go up the fire escape and start using your honey to try and put out the fire. It shot out as a liquid and then started hardening up right? So it might not be real honey. Can you do that?"
I held up the wrist she was holding onto and extracted her from me, giving her a look of encouragement and a nod. She can do this. I watched her go up the fire escape like a woman on a mission. Any stray fires she shot at with her honey and it immediately went out.
"Looks like your theory about her power was right. There's some greedy people over there." Aria said, pointing towards the Best Buy that was getting robbed right now. She swung down her arm again and the glowing black feathery blade came out. She wielded it like a sword.
I smirked at her."You look like you're ready to use that thing. I know you said we're not superheroes but please try not to drop any bodies yeah? We're helping, not murdering." Aria rolled her eyes at me but nodded her confirmation. I watched her dash off and she was faster than I expected her to be.
That left three bozos with bats to me. I cracked my neck and hid behind a nearby wall trying to listen in on their conversation.
"Ayyyooo take this Mr.Anderson! That'll teach you to give me a failing grade you dumb fucker!" The sound of something made of glass being smashed could be heard.
"Dude, he failed me too. Guys a total schmuck and I heard his wife's leaving him for a hot insta-model." A feminine voice chimed in.
"Serves that SOB right. I hope she cucked him-"
"WHAT IN THE DEVIL IS GOING ON OUT HERE?!" a mature male voice said. The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard and I couldn't help it, I had to get a peek around the corner and see what I was walking into.
There was a heavyset man in a bathrobe with glasses on his nose, he seemed enraged at the three who had just vandalized his car from the looks of it. They pointed their bats at him.
"There he is, the fat loser makes an appearance-" the one who had called Mr. Anderson dumb suddenly stopped talking as the teacher pulled a handgun out of his pocket and cocked it. "You shitty kids need to get off my property NOW!" He threatened them but they all just laughed and held their bats out towards him tauntingly, not fearing his gun or him at all.It didnt help that his hand was trembling.
Great, now I have to step in and save these idiots.
I'm not sure how strong I am now so I'd better try to do this with as little force as I can.
I rushed over towards the group ,ducking behind car after car so I wouldn't be spotted. I grabbed a handful of rocks and laid down flat under a car so I still had vision of their legs.
I'm not the best shot but here's hoping I can be accurate for once.
I flicked one rock at the feminine sounding one, good thing I decided to use as little force as possible because the impact from it knocked her ankle bone out of place and to the side. Ouch. That sent the other two on high alert, now more afraid of what they couldn't see versus the man who still held a seemingly loaded gun.
Just how stupid or bold were these guys?