Chapter 34

Four Years Later

 

The adrenaline pumped like a freight train through my veins. My feet kicked up little pebbles as I ran through the muggy streets. Flying would get me caught for sure. This way they wouldn’t expect my arrival. The dark building in the downtown area seemed to suffocate me as I ran. The muggy sewers spewed off steam in the middle of the streets. Cars honked at each other with their bright lights lighting the way for them. No one seemed to notice me running through the streets. My illuminated eyes lit the way for me, much like the cars.

Eventually, I came up to the large massacre where I was heading. People were running past me as fast as they could, trying to get away, until they realized that it was me running past them. They stopped and started running back with me. They took shelter into the alleys off the street so that they were safe but could still see. I ran straight for the culprits. They stood in the middle of the street terrorizing as many people as they could catch. About twenty people lay wounded on the ground all around the two men. Spaghetti and Meatball, they’re possibly the most ridiculous villains in all of Miami. News and radio stations constantly run segments on how stupid their names are. Some even had contests where people would call in with better names. The duo never seemed to take them on.

Spaghetti, the leader of the duo, had been around for many years. He wasn’t always known as Spaghetti. He started out as a villain sidekick and was known as stretch. He was a sidekick for the late Villain Detonator, a human bomb. Stretch was used mostly to grab the pieces up that were left so that detonator could regenerate himself. When Detonator passed at the age of forty by the hands of Larsen Oreson, Stretch was left on his own. Larsen completely lost the respect of the whole world. He wasn’t able to make a comeback in about three years. Stretch went on trying to reap havoc on the city all by himself. That was until he met meatball. Meatball really embraces his whole name. He’s a short stout little man who is basically a human meatball. Although his powers are more of a giant boulder it goes well with Spaghetti and his very stretchable powers.      

Meatball rolled on the ground chasing after different pedestrians. Fear rose in their eyes as meatball grew closer and closer to them. Spaghetti reached his long arms out and grabbed different women, he loved when they screamed. I didn’t allow that. The minute he grabbed a small blonde I jumped for him. It was nice not to have the whip of a cape. About a year ago I got rid of it and changed my whole suit, now I looked more like a ninja than an actual Hero.

                Why’d I get rid of the cape? It always gave away where I was and choked me as I tried to get anywhere. I traded it in for a tight fitting Hero suit with dark grey lines running through the whole thing. It was a lot darker than the original Hero suits that everyone was used to. The Oresons always had to look flashy. For the first few years Rylan and I portrayed the same image. When we knew that Miami was ours we decided to actually make it ours and get everyone used to new Heroes. With the tight black suit I wore boots and tight gloves. The two accessories helped protect against my fire powers that I had finally absorbed and learned. I wore a black mask that had holes for my eyes and tied around the head cover, and still no one knew who I was. Everyone got a little confused after the costume change, but they soon realized that I was the same as before and I was here to stay.

                My arms wrapped around Spaghetti and he stretched further and further as I flew with him. The young blonde screamed when Spaghetti couldn’t hold on any longer. She screeched past me as she flew in his hand. My hand outstretched and I caught her as she passed. I let go of Spaghetti and he flung back into the wall behind him sending him through a tiny hole all the way to the other side of the building on the next street.

The blue eyed girl looked up at me and she had thankfulness in her eyes, but it wasn’t over yet. I listened carefully and could hear the strange squishing noise coming fast behind us. She stepped away but I grabbed her and pulled her into my chest. She smiled as if I was flirting with her, but I jumped and flipped backwards just as Meatball rolled underneath us. The blonde girl clawed into my chest with her long acrylic nails. As my feet touched the ground she didn’t let go. Her leg wrapped around mine. “You have to let go of me.” I said to her and she just looked up at me. I knew she would need my help.

                I looked to my right where there was a group of people calling her over. “Brandy, come over here.” They screamed and I looked at them. Meatball had gotten Spaghetti up and sucked all back together. I only had seconds before they returned, so I took the time to bring brandy to her group of friends. I ran with her in my arms as fast as I could. I put her shaking frame into the arms of a nice man protecting the girls in the alley. She didn’t let go of my arm.

                “You have to let go of me or you’re going to kill all of these people.” The second the sentence was finished she let go but I dropped to my knee. My heart burst into flames. It wasn’t caused by meatball or Spaghetti. I actually knew exactly what it was. On this very night Rylan was performing a very complex surgery on not just any patient. No this patient meant much more. This patient was�"my father.

About two years ago my father was diagnosed with brain cancer. Rylan took on his case full time. We even had him move in with us so that we could take care of him in his deteriorating state. So for  about two years now Rylan was at the hospital constantly researching and looking for ways to keep my father alive, and I was home taking care of the slowly decaying man. The chemo had taken a lot out of him and I ended up making up for his lack. Like helping him eat or changing his clothes. Everyday’s simple tasks that we all take for granted. It also ate me up inside no matter how many powers I absorbed I couldn’t take it away. Believe me�"I tried. Rylan couldn’t do anything either. We soon learned that powers have nothing against the forces of nature. So day by day I watched my father slowly slip away.

                Rylan today was in a long process of brain surgery with him trying to chop out all the pieces of the tumors lining his brain. I did anything I could to keep my mind off of this, and Spaghetti and Meatball weren’t making it too easy. I knew when I dropped to my knees exactly what happened. Rylan had lost him, but I knew that he wouldn’t give up. They both would keep fighting and I needed to also.

                A stretched hand wrapped around my fallen torso and I was whipped back. My neck strained against the sudden movement and I watched the people in front of me slowly disappear. My body turned upwards and I watched the sky above me. Everything moved in slow motion in my eyes as I used my powers, but the buildings were coming at me fast. My eyes closed and I prepared for the impact.

                My head smashed through the bricks, and I heard the group of people watching scream and gasp. Pain ripped through my spine as I felt it break in several different places. When my body finally stopped I laid motionless in the rubble. Water from the pipes sprayed down on me. I looked up to see the stars above me after the roof had collapsed in. As my body heated and I healed I thought a moment to where Rylan was. My mind couldn’t even fathom the panic he had inside of him, and I knew that he was doing it for me. A slight smile crossed my face and I picked myself up.

Silver streaked after me as I shot out of the building and crashed right into meat ball completely smashing him into the ground, he had no idea it was coming. Soon I heard the sirens pick up. It wouldn’t be long now. So I just finished with some hand on hand combat with the both of them until the police finally arrived. The cuffs were slapped on them and I ran off just as usual. We never talked to news crews. We never posed for pictures. We weren’t in it for the fame or the money. We wanted to help people and that was all.

                As I ran I dressed. It only took me about five minutes to reach the hospital. Veronica still worked for the police office in rebuilding the city. She never suspected me at all, and she got paid a fair load. That was compared to her father’s recent bankrupt income.  I ran in through the double doors and walked straight through to the post op rooms. No one noticed my entrance. All eyes were down the hall and I saw exactly what they were looking at.

                Rylan had collapsed on the floor in sobs. He grabbed at his stomach and punched at the floor. In my almost five years of knowing him, I never once saw him cry. I didn’t know what to do, and I don’t think anyone else did either. Even though I was completely mortified at what I’d find lying on that floor I continued forward. If Rylan couldn’t control his emotions, how could I? He wasn’t expecting to see me there at all. He hadn’t told me what happened. My knees bent and I was on the floor next to him. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Rylan,” I said quietly. He didn’t look at me he just sunk into my arms. I shifted my knees and sat flat on the floor. I leaned back against the wall and supported his weak body. His hands clawed into my biceps and into my back, but I didn’t feel the pain. The only pain I felt was radiating off of his body into mine.

                “I’m so sorry,” He sobbed into my chest. “I tried everything. I’ve looked up every little thing in the computer. I know how to beat this. It shouldn’t be so hard. I’m sorry Shi, I’m sorry.”

                I pulled him away from my chest and looked into his puffy bloodshot eyes, bags hung under them and he looked completely exhausted. “Rylan you have done more than anyone could ask for. Don’t even think you could’ve done more. Life happen it’s okay, Sweetheart. It’s okay.”

                His head sunk onto my shoulder and he sobbed into my neck. Everyone looked on. It was if the strongest man in the world had finally found his breaking point. Really�"that’s exactly what was happening. They weren’t far off in their accusations.

                I can’t remember how long we were there on that floor it felt like hours but I’m sure that wasn’t the case. I sent all the love I could into him and eventually he found the strength to get up. He led me into the room where they were keeping my father’s body. It was a lot nicer seeing him than my mother. Rylan sat in a chair and sunk his head into his hands. I walked over to the cold grey figure lying in the bed. They had already bandaged his head so there were no open wounds. I took my father’s hand into my own, it was cold and stiff. It was about the same the last time I saw him. He actually didn’t look too different. We all knew he would eventually pass. I was prepared. Rylan obviously wasn’t. The back of my hand cooled as it ran across his face. “Hey dad,” I said quietly. Rylan snorted a sob behind me. I ignored it and kept my eyes on my father. “I’m glad you finally found your way back. I hope you’re up there with mom�"happy again.” A tear rolled out of my eye. I couldn’t deny the sadness of losing a parent, but this one was easier. I had grown to love my father over his last few years and I realized that the only thing he wanted was to see my mother again. I had my closure. It was okay to let him go. “I’ll make sure everyone gets what they need.” My head lowered and I pressed my lips into his loose cheek. My lips froze against his icy skin.

“Good bye.” I said again and stood up. I wiped away at my eyes making the tears go away before I turned around to face Rylan. I looked at my dad one last time and turned to see the love of my life falling apart. My knees bent and I looked up at Rylan, “Let’s go home.”

                It was weird actually having him home. He wanted to eat before he went to bed so I walked up the stairs to our bedroom. My father took over my old room, but I spent most of the time down there with him sleeping on the couch. It was my first time in about three months that I slept in the same bed as Rylan. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. I slept well for a few hours until I rolled over and stuck out my arm hoping to latch onto Rylan when I found I was alone. I sat up and saw that he hadn’t come up to bed. I immediately thought the worst. The clock shone brightly when I turned it on. It was three in the morning.

                I flew out of the room and down the stairs. I opened the garage to see all the cars sitting in there. I walked out to the kitchen to see nothing. Down the hall I saw a strange glow coming from the office. Slowly I walked down the hall fearing what I’d find. I reached the door, took a deep breath, and pushed myself through. A smile crossed my face as the scene unfolded. Books were spread out across the computer table and the laptop was open. Rylan lay passed out on the keyboard of the laptop.  Each of the different resources opened were studies on surgeries that Rylan could’ve performed. He cared too much.

                My hands quietly and slowly shut all the books and replaced them to the spots on their shelves. The cord unplugged easily from the wall and I slid the laptop out from underneath Rylan’s emotionless face. My hand stroked the back of his head and I leaned him back into my shoulder, I pulled his knees up and cradled him against my chest. Over the past few years I had been working out and I outgrew my body. I wasn’t the thin frail Collin that people once knew. I was now Shiloh, this strong man of a man that could kill you just by looking at you.

Rylan curled easily into my arms as I carried him up the stairs to our bedroom without waking him. I coiled my arms around his torso and pulled him into me. As I closed my eyes I felt his heat run into me once more and I felt my body finally relaxing.