Page 55 of The Not So Super Hero
“Must have come in before.”Bailey shrugged.Darcie nodded before returning to work.
Much like the days before, Zane arrived after he finished work.Bailey smiled the instant he saw Zane, flushing when Darcie winked at him because of it.He ignored her, pretending not to be totally ecstatic at seeing Zane at the counter.However, Zane didn’t seem all that pleased to see Bailey.
Zane inspected the cafe.His eyes swept through the room, observing every detail.His shoulders tensed and his jaw set abnormally tight.There was an air about the cafe that put Zane’s teeth on edge.The hair on the back of his neck stood up.He removed his headphones to hang around his neck.Something felt wrong.
“Are you ok?”Bailey asked.
“Fine,” Zane lied, ordering his usual, then taking his usual booth, too.
Bailey scowled, not at all pleased with Zane pulling his typical bullshit of keeping things to himself.He made Zane’s order—twice since he kind of slipped on his shoelaces and spilled the first one.To prove how out of it Zane was, he didn’t even laugh.Bailey didn’t want him to laugh, but clearly it meant something was up!He normally always at least chuckled.
“You’re acting weird,” Bailey pointed out after giving Zane his order.
“What makes you say that?”Zane took a bite of his blueberry muffin, which Bailey found odd for him to eat.It seemed like a snack for nice people or something.
“I tripped earlier, and you didn’t snicker.”
He did now, though.
Bailey rolled his eyes.“You came in and looked around the shop like you expected there to be a ghost.”
“Maybe there is one.”
Bailey would have argued, but another customer came in.Pointing accusingly at Zane, he said sternly, “We’re not done talking.”
Zane waved him off, uncaring of whether Bailey tried to interrogate him more.It wasn’t like he was going to tell Bailey the truth.What would the boy say or how would he feel if he knew?Zane scowled at the thought.With Rebirth back, Zane never felt safe, so he wasn’t surprised to find himself constantly worried over Bailey’s safety either.So Zane’s paranoia remained, his eyes never seeming to sit still for very long.Bailey found it troubling, but Zane played it off like it was nothing.That wasn’t shocking, but it was incredibly annoying.Bailey would have lectured Zane about it except the man left before Bailey’s shift ended.When asked why, Zane responded in a monotone voice, “Because you’re being annoying.”
Bailey would have jumped over the counter to punch Zane in the face, but his hand slipped on some coffee on said counter.Those who witnessed the catastrophe laughed, some groaning after Bailey’s chin hit off the edge.The poor boy yelped, his glasses flew off across the room and he fell behind the counter with a moan.
“Nice one,” Zane commented, retrieving Bailey’s glasses to set on the counter.The boy hadn’t recovered yet, so Zane took that as his chance to leave, laughing a bit to himself as he did.
Zane’s eyes squinted the moment he stepped outside.He threw his headphones on before acquiring a headache, then walked towards the bus stop.He hadn’t gotten himself another vehicle yet, though from what Chris said, he would be reimbursed for the damages and could afford another one.They needed to hurry because Zane hated buses.Too many people, too much noise and...
Zane stopped.His blood ran cold.His gut churned.Peering over his left shoulder, he took in the surrounding area.A normal day, mildly chilling.Students walked to class.People drove through the streets.Construction hummed in the distance.Nothing strange or out of the ordinary, and yet his mind reeled.
The bus pulled up to the stop.Passengers piled on.The bus pulled away.Zane remained in place under the shadow of the bus stop.With slow steps, he moved in the opposite direction of his home.That lingering sensation of someone being nearby.Eyes watching, continued to follow him through the streets and alleys that he rarely ever took.
The city faded into the distance, taking most of the noise with it.Zane came upon the silence of abandoned buildings.Open and barren lots, warehouses where most sound came from the crunching of broken glass or shattered asphalt beneath his shoes.Wind whistled through rusted fences and caught grocery bags to tumble down the streets.It wasn’t until Zane couldn’t sense anything other than himself and those following him that he came to a halt.
Removing his headphones, Zane wrapped the cord around his phone, although it didn’t matter what he did.His phone and headphones were likely to be shattered at the end of this battle.Snatching the hair tie from his wrist, Zane pulled his hair back into a tight ponytail.The cool air nipped at his ears.
“For claiming not to care about others, you sure picked a spot far from the city to fight,” came a familiar voice.Zane’s stomach twisted in the most sickening of ways.His teeth clenched.His eyes closed, his mind repeating over and over,don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.
It took all of Zane’s courage to face the man that plagued his nightmares.“I didn’t expect to see you so soon, Law.”
Standing in the barren lot was one of the many people Zane wished to never see again; Law Raiffel.A mad man in every sense of the word.His insanity was his genius, and he used that to his advantage, helping to create Rebirth with others who were thankfully only a fraction of immorally fucked as he was.Even Law’s appearance gave off the feeling of madness, with nothing about it seeming quite right.Wild black hair, bright hazel eyes, scars ranging from small to large littering his form from the experiments he did on himself.There was a constant twitch in his hands and a permanent smile on his face that was anything but friendly.
“I couldn’t stay away from you for long.You’re my favorite, after all.”Law laughed like that was something to be proud of.“You sure have grown.Hopefully, your abilities have as well.I’d love to put them to the test.”
Zane growled.His shadow elongated, stretching across the barren lot.Law clapped excitedly, like a child on Christmas, even hopping from one foot to the other.
“That’s it, that’s it!Let me see, Zane.I have so much to do and so little time,” Law said, snickering.
He wasn’t alone though, because Law wasn’t a Mutant.While one could argue his genius was a mutation, all tests pointed to nothing.He created what he needed to protect himself, weapons, technology.It was what he thrived at.So long as he had his mind, he was safe.That didn’t stop him from bringing along those who could help him when needed.
To Zane’s right and left appeared some unfamiliar faces that he guessed to be new recruits.One was dressed from head to toe in black.His hair shielded his face save for his left eye, which locked on Zane.The other was a girl dressed like a doll, her hair up in a ponytail, cheeks dusted pink and dress pure white.Zane wondered how long the two would last with Law around, how long he would keep them alive before he got bored with them.As much as Zane didn’t wish to play into Law’s plans, he had little choice.
Law outstretched his arms as if he were at the start of a play, backing away step by step with his gaze locked on Zane.“Oz, Khalia, let’s begin!"
