Sighing as I once again find myself in the repetitive airport, I scratch the back of my head as I stand in front of a concession stand filled with snacks. But how will one eat while dead? Something to think about later.
Approaching the man at the stand, his eyes widen in fear, a reaction I've grown accustomed to. It's amusing how humans tremble at the sight of a creature like me, a monkey with the ability to speak and reason. But their fear is inconsequential, as I couldn't care less.
"Oi. Can you give me some meat and offal? I'm pretty broke now, so I'm asking you to give it to me at the house if that's okay with you." I lean over the counter to emphasize that I'm not asking and am more or less demanding.
Before the man can respond, I hear a loud ping that resonates with my soul. My body blurs as I move at a speed that is all too familiar to me. Heading towards where the pinging noise originates from.
After blurring past two familiar peopleāan albino and a black-haired dudeāI keep pushing my speed to its current limit, around Mach 3 or so.Ā
Finding where the pinging noise comes from takes me only a short time. In front of me is a tunnel, its walls pulsating with an otherworldly glow, and on the other side is a blinding light that seems to beckon. I usually wouldn't bother exploring as it isn't my niche much, but now I'm hooked on whatever this light is.
My body moves before I can form a coherent thought. My speed immediately peaks as I zoom down the endless hallway of light.
Each passing moment seems agonizingly slower than the previous. Like that blue-eyed guy's technique, my body gets slower the closer I get. Extremely tricky.Ā
Instead of succumbing to the despair, raising up my gut against my own will, I feel my body 'melt' as I push past whatever barrier was attempting to stop me. My consciousness is waning, and my body seems to fade as I frown in confusion, my mind racing to figure out where I am.
The last thing I see is a man in a hat with a white mustache and an umbrella. a look of all-encompassing casualness, something I will never match. I sigh as my vision darkens completely.
****
Groaning as I sit up, I scratch my head in confusion. I grab a nearby rat that is sniffing me and crush it in the palms of my hands in one motion. Sitting up, I stretch a bit before noticing the worm on my shoulder.Ā
My eyes can't help but widen as I stare at the familiar face of my disgusting companion; patting myself, I note a few things. My muscles are still very well there, but I'm slimmer. My body feels more 'youthful' and packed with power I never had before.
A grin finds its way to me as I dust off my clothing,Ā
"Well, things just got interesting." I can't help but feel excitement. Wherever I am is entirely foreign. That means I'm not banned from the majority of the casinos here; more gambling!
Noticing passerbyes stare at me, I frown as I see it thundering. My instincts, which I've learned to trust over the years, tell me this isn't natural. This rain has a certain intensity to it. My clothes and hair get soaked, but I ignore it.
A funny-looking man with brown skin walks up to me with his hands clasped together. "Hey man, can you tell me about your workout routine? Your fucking yolked!" I tilt my head at his question. The only ones to ever appreciate my physique were my wives and the many women I've had fun with.
"Just eat healthily and work out regularly, I guess." That's the best advice I can give someone. My physique came naturally with my heavenly restriction. I worked, but not as much as a non-heavenly-restricted person would have to forĀ
The women passing by stare at me with hunger and longing but also look wary. They look around vigilantly and clutch their possessions as if someone could rob them.Ā
Not that it is of my concern. It's just a quick observation; shaking my head slowly, I turn back to the brown-skinned man,Ā
"Do you know where a casino is? And can you spare me some yen?" the man looks at me, confused as I sigh.
"What's the yen? Is that some foreign cash? Were you in America, dude? The most I got is 50 dollars." The man explains rapidly, and my eyes widen slightly before I notice that this whole time, I was speaking English.Ā
How did I end up in the U.S.? No matter. Smiling slightly, I turn to my brown-skinned friend. "Can you give me half of the money you have? I'm in the dumps now; can you tell me where we are now?"Ā
"No biggie, big dawg. We are in Gotham City, the crime center of America." His voice is grim as a black van drives at the edge of the street to the left of us. The people on the street run as I tilt my head and look at the worm. I forgot he was even there. It seems like people here can't see spirits.
He passes me two pieces of green paper, and I accept them instantly. He runs around the corner in a hurry, giving me a nod as seven men exit the back of the van. They all wear black masks and hold weapons ranging from knives to crowbars.
"Eh, what a jap doing in good ol Gotham City. Shouldn't your folk be eating dogs in Chinatown?" the most prominent man in the group questions with a relatively deep voice.
I'm slow on the intake, but the realization that this man was attempting to be racist hits me fast as I sigh. Before a grin finds its way onto my face.Ā
"Are you perhaps threatening me with those 'weapons' of yours?" I almost laugh as the men seem to step back a bit at the deepness of my voice.
"Acting tough won't save you pussy. Were gonna skewer you just for that bravado of you-" I don't let the man finish. My body moved forward in an instant. I move at my former top speeds with ease, surprising me. My former maximum was Mach three, but I seem to be able to go past that while barely trying now.
I wasted no time slaughtering the seven men before they could blink, each one of them getting sliced like butter in the face of my soul-splitter katana. A bit overkill, but I wasn't feeling particularly merciful today.
After I dispatch the last masked man, I dig through their pockets, finding a good amount of green paper. Smiling at the roll of American currency I have, I walk off with a laugh. Ignore the weird bat-dressed man standing on the gargoyle behind me.
"What a weird guy!!" I laugh at my words as I dash away, my body travelingtraveling at speeds impossible for my former self.
****
(Unknown pov)
"Computer put in a new registry for a high unknown meta human threat level."Ā