Page 55 of The Not So Super Hero

Eventually, Leona kicked the door in with an aggravated scream.

The TV and its stand screeched across the room to hit the opposing wall.

The door fell off its hinges. She stepped into the room, wild-eyed and furious.

She hadn’t the time to see him, so he kicked her in the face.

Leona stumbled, screaming about a potentially broken nose.

Bailey jumped through the doorway, narrowly missing the snakes crowded around the door.

He dashed for the exit. The halls were completely clear, meaning he had to outrun her.

Over the sirens, gunshots rang. The building rattled.

Dust fell from the ceiling and coated his glasses in a thin film.

His shoulder clipped a corner, miscalculating the turn.

He fell to the floor, freezing at the sound of an annoyed hiss that didn’t resemble a human.

Gazing over his shoulder, he caught sight of Leona at the end of the hall.

She held out her hands, snakes forming at her fingertips once more, although they remained attached like they were another part of her arm.

Each one reached Bailey, wrapping around both his arms, legs, then his neck.

They dragged him back, kicking and punching, then threw him against the wall.

He tried to scream, but the one at his throat constricted so tightly that the noise came out as a pathetic squeak.

His arms and legs tingled. The world faded to black, all sounds lessening into a muted silence, then nothing.

Zane skidded to a halt in front of the apartment, where the door hung on its hinges.

His heart plummeted, stomach knotted into a mess of guilt-ridden anxiety.

He sprinted inside, hoping beyond hope Bailey would be there, hiding behind the couch or hidden in a closet.

But Bailey’s bedroom door was broken too.

Claw marks tore at the walls and the floor had been burned. He was gone.

Bailey was gone.

The world spun. Zane’s legs almost gave out.

He pressed his head to the wall, nails digging into the wallpaper.

The fear of who had taken Bailey, who would eventually see him, and knowing what Rebirth was willing to do to anyone, made Zane release a terrified cry that rippled through the apartment.

He tore at his hair, screaming, shadows twisting in the apartment like unforgiving waves.

No, no, no, no, no, was the only word running through Zane’s frantic mind. The darkness of the apartment grew, tinting the world black. The shadows swayed, encasing Zane in wisps of smoke. His skin grayed, veins turning black beneath his skin.

“Zane?” Nate called, struggling to catch his breath. “Calm down, they couldn’t have gotten very far. If we split up, I’m sure we’ll find Bailey before they leave.”

But Zane knew that would not happen. The claw marks, the burns, Leona had been sent after Bailey. She knew him. She was clearly following him before they went into hiding. Not to mention she hated Zane, only adding to her reasons for wanting to hurt someone close to him.

“She certainly doesn’t care if we know it’s her or not,” Nate said, noticing exactly what Zane did.

“They came through the East Wing, right?” he inquired.

If Leona already had Bailey, then she was on her way out. Those that were left behind were nothing more than pawns used to get in to accomplish their real mission, which was likely Bailey’s capture.

“Yeah,” Nate answered, moving towards the door. “But if I were her, I’d head for a different wing. There are armed guards and officers all over the East Wing. It’s a battleground. She’d be spotted right away.”

“How the hell did they even get in?” he growled, following Nate. He trusted Nate would find the next escape route for Leona. After all, they knew her. If anyone was going to catch up with her, it was them.

“Knowing them, they sent in a spy. I wish I could say I’m surprised it worked, but Rebirth always has something up their sleeves.”

Zane was pissed more so at himself for honestly believing for a second that they were safe.

Perhaps it was normal. Most would believe being in a hidden underground facility filled to the brim with heroes and officers was safe.

However, Zane should have known better, and if he had, Bailey wouldn’t have been in this mess.

His hands clenched. Anger coursed through his veins, accompanied by guilt and fear. All he could do was hope Bailey survived until he found him. And hope he still stuck around after what Rebirth was likely going to do to him, and how Zane would retaliate when they dared to harm Bailey?

Zane’s thoughts were put on hold when he was suddenly slammed into from the side.

Groaning, he hit the wall that cracked upon impact.

Nate had enough time to turn around to inspect what had happened before a fist dug into his gut.

The attack sent him heavenward, hitting the ceiling, then slamming against the floor.

The beast looming over them was a man with muscles the size of Zane’s head.

He looked like a wrestler jacked up on too much steroids.

“Compensating for something, are we?” Zane cackled, barely dodging the punch that demolished the wall. The stone resembled paper crumbling into dust. He didn’t want to think about what would have happened if there were his head the bastard had hit.

Zane retreated, conjuring a shield in time for All-Muscle-And-No-Brain to send a kick in his direction.

The powerful impact actually warped the shadow shield.

He had to reform the shield with every hit.

He summoned the shadows to circle his arms like a whip.

He cracked the whip over the shield so it wrapped around the beast’s neck.

The stranger gasped. His hands yanked at the whip, cutting off his airway. He tugged enough to force a breath.

Zane ripped his arm back, sending the mountain to the ground.

Ice encased the muscled man, swallowing him.

From beneath the ice, he struggled to free himself, shoving his hands against the ground to force himself forward.

Nate stood nearby, blood trickling from his lips.

He held out his hands, reforming the ice until it hardened and the beast beneath fell into a deep slumber.

“Well, that was a little disappointing,” Nate said with a chuckle. “Thought he’d be more of a challenge.”

Zane didn’t respond. He ran past Nate, continuing on a path to rescue Bailey.

They passed officers battling, although Zane never stuck around.

He had to find Bailey, but Leona wasn’t at the exit when they arrived.

Bodies laid strewn across the ground, some even unrecognizable.

Knowing Leona, she did purely for fun rather than necessity.

The stench of blood lingered, causing Zane to hold a hand up to his nose.

Nate averted his eyes, although Leona had made such a mess that there was nowhere safe to look.

There were no survivors and no sign of her.

Any vehicles that could have been used were torn to shreds or on fire, which meant she took one for herself and disappeared.

Zane made a move to follow Leona on foot before Nate swiftly grabbed him.

“What the hell are you doing?” Nate hissed, holding Zane’s arm so tight that he damn near cut off Zane’s circulation.

“Going after her,” he growled, ripping his arm away.

“Are you insane? You realize that’s what they want, right?” Nate gestured to the long tunnel that led out of the facility, that led out into the open, where an ambush could be waiting.

“If she’s waiting for me, then I’ll kill her once and for all.”

“That’s not it! They’re trying to separate us because they know you’ll run headfirst into their trap without backup. Even you will get overwhelmed, especially if Law and you know who is there.”

Zane cracked his neck to the side, burning up at the mere thought of it.

“And judging by this whole thing, I definitely know he’s there and waiting for you,” Nate added.

Zane’s blood curdled because Nate was right.

That didn’t change the pure agonizing panic eating away at him.

Bailey was gone. One way or the other, Rebirth would force them to follow.

There would be a trap, and the longer Bailey was with Rebirth, the more they were going to hurt him.

Rebirth didn’t give a damn about people, especially Bailey, who lacked any value to them.

If he had a worthwhile mutation, then, yes, Rebirth would keep him around until they tortured him into submission.

However, Bailey served a single purpose; forcing Zane into the open.

They would do whatever it took to make it happen.

“They’ll torture him, Nate,” Zane said, voice shaking so pathetically that his voice was almost unrecognizable. His lips quivered and eyes were incapable of keeping still.

“Bailey’s tougher than he looks,” Nate argued.

“He won’t be once they’re through with him.”

“If you keep thinking like that, you’ll go nuts.”

“What the hell else am I supposed to think?” Zane screamed. The room shook, darkening to blindness. The pure pressure in the room was enough to make one ill. Every piece of that pressure pulsated off him like a wave.

“They took Bailey for a reason. You know they’re going to reach out to us hoping to get to you. They’ll reveal his location, and we have to wait until that happens,” Nate mumbled.

Zane let out another ear-piercing scream. He kicked the remnants of a vehicle next to him, sending it flying across the room to slam against a wall.

“Come on. We need to regroup with Chris and Natalia. We’ll come up with a plan and we’ll get Bailey back, understand?” Nate pressed his hand against Zane’s shoulder, giving it a rough squeeze.

Zane hesitated, head hanging low and hands listless at his sides. His erratic breathing grew slow, steady, though anything but comforting. The room remained dark, the shadows beneath their feet consuming and relentless.

“I’ll kill them,” Zane hissed between his teeth. “I’ll kill them all.”

It was scary because Zane had never sounded so sure of himself before.