Page 119 of The Not So Super Hero
The house remained relatively quiet.Zane hesitated to enter.The silence raised red flags.Those flags soared when he discovered Antoine wasn’t hiding.He appeared rather comfortable sitting in the living room.A trap.Why else would Antoine get caught?He had to know they were coming.That only meant something bad was going to happen, not that it wasn’t happening already.
“I’m so happy to see you,” said Antoine.
Zane didn’t respond.He was taking in his surroundings, wondering what foul trick Antoine had up his sleeve.
“How’s Bailey doing?”
Fire raged in Zane’s eyes.All it did was make Antoine chuckle.
“I must admit, Chris did a much better job hiding him this time around.It took us so long to find him.”
Zane couldn’t breathe.Antoine was an excellent liar.He couldn’t determine if he was spewing bullshit.
“Don’t try messing with me,” he spat.“I’m here to end this.”
Antoine pursed his lips before letting out a heavy sigh.He didn’t move for a moment, simply sat there with a furrowed brow.Zane contemplated making a move, but he still felt hesitant, like he had to wait for something else to happen.Antoine naturally put people on edge.
“It’s such a pity things have turned out this way,” Antoine said, pushing himself to stand.He dusted off his clothes like he felt the senator’s home had dirtied him.“If I knew you’d be such a hassle to deal with, I would have kept your mother alive, maybe try to give you a sibling or two.They might have been easier to deal with.”
Fuck waiting.
Zane threw a dark wave at Antoine.He dodged with lightning speed.The blast broke through the walls.The wood splintered.The house creaked and shook.In a blink, Antoine’s fist bruised Zane’s gut.The pressure sent him straight out the front door.He tumbled down the porch steps onto the ground.He would have said Antoine stole a mutation earlier, but when the earth crumbled, he got a sneaking suspicion something had changed.
Zane narrowly avoided what would have been a painful kick to the face.Antoine’s foot cracked into the ground.The dirt rose around Antoine’s food like a connected limb.Zane formed a shield that protected him from another kick.
“What do you think?”Antoine asked from outside.“Notice anything different about me?”
“You’re more annoying than usual.”
Antoine snorted, though Zane noticed something different.Antoine had never stolen two mutations at once.Considering the work Law had been delving into, it wasn’t all that surprising.Zane was given a mutation.Others had it taken away.Why couldn’t Law morph Antoine’s mutation to handle more, or even keep it?
Antoine laughed.“The next time I get my hands on you, it’ll be all I need.”
CHAPTER 36
BloodtrickledoutofZane’s nose from the force he had to create to prevent the shield from cracking.His options were limited.With Antoine’s speed, one opening could spell the end.
Zane did not know if Antoine had more secrets up his sleeves, either.Who was to say he hadn’t stolen more than two mutations?Stepping out of the barrier was inevitable, but a choice he didn’t wish to make.A crack had formed to his left.The crack expanded, then a slim piece dissipated.Dirt and dust trickled in through the opening.Then a familiar blue gaze peered within.
“Time’s up,” Antoine said, prior to a string of abrupt attacks against the weakened point of Zane’s barrier.Each hit held the same force as the next; over and over until Zane had to take his chances.
Zane’s shield disappeared.He retreated, narrowly escaping Antoine’s hand reaching for his throat.Antoine moved faster than Zane could blink.Antoine’s hand grasped Zane’s wrist.Before Zane’s arm went completely numb, he warped a blade around his free hand and brought it down.Antoine released him and leaped back into the tree line.
Day faded into night.Shadows cut across the estate.Normally, Zane grew more confident at night.His power surged from endless shadows, but he wasn’t keen on fighting Antoine.If he got his hands on Zane, his power would amplify too.
A tree ripped from the ground flew at Zane.He shattered the tree with a shadowy blast.Antoine appeared from the dust.He lurched towards Zane.He landed a kick against Antoine’s chest.The earth shook again.He dashed away from the sinking ground.The dirt clung to him, thick as tar.
His slowed movements would have resulted in getting caught if not for a fiery tunnel of flames that shot above his head.Antoine barely dodged the flames.Natalia appeared at Zane’s side.
“If it isn’t the mighty Scorch.How’s your brother?”Antoine called.
Natalia lit up like she was doused in gasoline and ran at Antoine in a fiery blaze.
“Don’t let him touch you!I think he can keep mutations now!”Zane shouted.Not that Natalia had to worry.She was the last person someone would touch, burning hotter than a bonfire.
Even with two mutants on his tail, Antoine was a pain.His earth mutation made the smallest of movements difficult.A wall erupted.Trees tumbled in every direction.Chunks of boulders flew.Zane had a barrier up more times than not.Antoine’s speed too.One second, Natalia had him cornered and the next he was at Zane’s throat again.
Judging by the ice shooting into the sky behind the estate, Nate was otherwise preoccupied or he would help.Not to mention, Zane preferred if Natalia wasn’t there purely out of fear of what Antoine would do.Antoine wouldn’t kill Zane until he got what he wanted.However, Natalia meant nothing to him.
