It was another dreary and boring night for young 21 year old Jake Scott. His job as a convenience store employee once again incited hundreds of yawns from him that night as no customers appeared from those old rusty doors. He was taking the night shift, something he wouldn't normally do, but he needed silence to think and his apartment didn't have that. That was true especially because of his roommate Zack Miller, whose constant rants about random things ranging from lame video games he hasn't even played to why he bought pink underwear despite no one asking him why really meant well and we're entertaining at times but not now. Jake needed to think
It was something that got him on the edge for a while now. Zack got a promotion at his job in the Empire Chronicles, the biggest news station in Empire City and maybe even the country and that got Jake thinking.
Zack was going places while Jake was staying right where he was.
Jake got his job as a convenience store employee only 2 years ago because he couldn't get into college. He failed his entrance exam twice with the same scores of 45 out of 50, the passing score and this denied him the chance to further his education. That eventually landed him here working minimum wage in a cruddy store and living in a run down apartment in the shady part of town.
Not the life he imagined for himself but then again what life did he imagine for himself? Jake went through his past, his high school, middle school and elementary school days and never quite pinpointed a time he knew what to do with his life. He always procrastinated and told himself, "It'll come to me eventually" when his dreams never came and now look at him. It became clear his parents gave up on him half way through high school when he showed no signs of getting better. Not that they cared, especially since he had a more talented younger sister, Stella, who did have a dream and did show signs of getting better.
Why? Why was he a talentless loser? Why did he have no ambitions? Why did he lag behind in life? Why? Why? Why?
"We're closing early today Jake" his boss said, coming out of the break room of the store. "Uh w..why boss?" Jake stammered as he usually does. Ah.. did I forget to mention his timid and docile nature? Sorry about that!
"Ol'Marge is preparing a special dinner for me and I gotta close early. Head home kid. Nights around this part of town can get dangerous fast."
Jake heeded the old man's words and bolted out of the store as fast as he could. Walking through the dark crime infested streets of Empire City at night can sometimes be a death sentence. Luckily Jake was taught that lesson with words when he rented his room from his landlord so he knew he needed to avoid dark alleys and this was especially true since he was scared of the dark. Terrified even.Sadly, a nearby stranger in a dark alley was about to taught the lesson with a knife.
It seems this stranger tried to take a shortcut through the alley and now one of Empire City's less fortunate citizens was about to educate him on his mistake.
"Empty yo pockets now befo' I empty em for ya! After I empty to gut that is, well if ya don't comply!"
"Please I..I don't have any money!! Sp..spare me! I'm begging you!"
"Oh thats rich! I know all about you business types especially the fuckers in Miltron labs!, lying under yo teeth and all that! Just give me all you have and I'll be on my merry way! "
"Please here, just leave me alone." The man says as he gives the thug all his money
"Actually I can't risk you calling the cops on me so uh.. I think you know what I gotta do!"
"What?! NOOO!!"
Jake watched the scene in terror and tried his best to look away but he couldn't. Why did he keep watching? Why did he want to interfere? He was no hero. He was just a talentless loser. Yet, an urge awakened in him. An urge to save this man despite knowing he had no chance. Am urge to be a hero.
And so he did, rushing into the scene as the two men where struggling.
"Hey what the hell are you doing ya..."the thug said as Jake gave him a punch right to his jaw. However, the attack did nothing except enrage him even further. Pushing the stranger aside he directed his knife to Jake and was itching closer
"L..look im sorry I.. I didn't mean too.."
But before Jake could finish his sentence he felt something sharp pierce his gut.
"Aakk! W..wait!"Jake mumbled starting to lose consciousness from blood loss
"Ha! Ya fool! One thing I hate is stupid powerless idiots pretending to be heroes when they're not supposed to! We already had enough of those already."
As Jake was fading the thug approached him again to finish the job but soon he got knocked out with a powerful smack to the head by the stranger who bashed him on the head with a large brick he found.
Everything was fading to black as Jake saw and stranger approach him and soon he began to recognize him. It was his one and only friend back in high school, Max Jones
How funny, how embarrassingly funny that Max of all people would save him. As he was a talentless loser, Max was a talented winner. Throughout their their high school days, wherever Jake failed, Max succeeded. Max had dreams while Jake didn't. Max was the physical embodiment of what Jake failed to achieve . A good life. This was especially true when Jake noticed the Miltron labs crest on Max's shoulder, which showed he made it big and now works with the richest scientist in Empire City, Milten Smith.
Jake started laughing, cracking even, at the sight of Max.
What are you doing Jake? Max asked, sounding worried.
Isn't it obvious? I'm laughing!
At what?
Myself obviously! I was just thinking about how useless I am earlier and seeing you solidifes that! Look! I couldn't even save you from a common street thug and now I'm bleeding out! When I die my coffin's gonna be funny as hell! Here lies Jake the fool! The most talentless loser to ever exist! But just then Jake's self loathing rant stopped when something amazing happened.
Max touched Jake's wound and it was healed instantly. Jake was shocked. He then noticed the brick Max made started fusing into his hand and soon it disappears. Jake then knew what Max was.
"Ah you! You're a..." But Max covered Jake's mouth and told him something crazy
Well done Jake you passed!
Passed?
I was testing you this whole time! Then the thug got up and out of nowhere, he fused with Max, disappearing just like the brick. Jake was soon terrified at what was before him and started to back away in fear.
How about I give you the chance to be useful? He said. Reaching his hand towards Jake.
Jake was too shocked to move. Not only was Max successful, but he was also a Muman, a special breed of humans with strange abilities that flooded the world! And he was offering Jake the chance to turn his life around.
Jake thought for a while and asked "Why me? I'm like.. completely useless! "
Whoa now buddy, you do have a use!
W..what?
Yeah! You have a hero's heart!
"H..hero's heart?"
"Yes, you could have just done the sensible thing and abandoned the random " stranger" about it get robbed despite knowing you'd lose. You have the heart to be true bringer of justice and I can give you the body to do so, if you wish"
Jake thought about it. Me a hero?! He thought. He couldn't even rescue a cat from a tree, let alone fight criminals and save people! But he felt that mysterious urge again. The same urge he had to save Max. He felt he was wasting his life and Max is giving him a way to make his life meaningful.
I may be a talentless loser but I can still save those who have talents! Maybe that is my talent! Jake said and agreed to Max's proposal.
"Oh goodie! Now all you need to do is drink this!" Max then brought out a test tube containing a black liquid
W..what's this?
The way to becoming a hero. Drink it and find out.
Jake looked at Max and giving a somber smile, drank the liquid in one gulp but soon after, the liquid began to take effect.
And it hurt...
It really hurt ...
"What's g..ak! Going on?!...why d..does it hurt s..so much.. AAH!!"Jake asked Max and was soon horrified at what he saw. Max turned into a tall lanky monster covered head to toe in pure terrible darkness, a Shadow man. Jake was terrified and began to scream for help.
Max smiled from ear to ear with a maddening grin and began to cackle like a psychopath...
"FOOLISH BOY!! HERO'S HEART! WHAT A LOAD OF BULL! NOW YOUVE INGESTED THE BLOOD OF THE SHADOWBARON, RULER OF SHADOWS! NOW JUST LIKE THIS WORLD, FALL SO HE MAY RISE!!"
Jake tried to run but was soon frozen in place as his whole body began to get covered in the liquid which could only be described as pure darkness. It was enveloping him, causing extreme pain all over his body. He fell to the ground and began to cry.
He cried over the pain. Over losing his life. Most importantly he cried at how his desire to be a hero got him like this. That's when he realized, that urge. The urge that caused him all this wasn't from his desire to save people but rather....
It was his desire to get a damn use in his life.
Soon the darkness consumed him and everything faded to black....