I reflexively backed away from the three flashing cop cars. My ears were still ringing too bad to make out anything being said. The cops all seemed on edge. They said something, but I couldn’t read their lips. I let out a sigh. I bolted towards the back of the gas station. Three of them ran after me, but even the fastest among them couldn’t match my speed. In a single motion I grabbed my bag and ran up the back of the building.
I laid down flat on my back, using the parapet as cover, hoping no one out saw me climb up there. For a long time the only thing I could hear was ringing and my own heartbeat. Eventually my hearing did return. I could hear the three police officers looking for me in the woods. I couldn’t hear at all what the ones at the front were doing. My hair was soaked with sweat. My hands shook, and I wasn’t sure if it was me or my suit malfunctioning. I climbed down the wall slowly and carefully enough not to draw attention to myself.
Taking off my suit in broad daylight at the back of a gas station was by far one of the most stressful moments in my entire life. The needles in the mask left my nose bleeding, no matter how much I rubbed it off. I put my sweatshirt that I stashed in my bag on and walked through the back door of the gas station. The inside of the store had been completely wrecked while I was outside. All of the windows were turned to shards.
One of the tables at the back had been turned over, another one was completely smashed against the ground. Ms. Carter was frantically explaining what happened to the police. The metal cabinets that held the candy and beef jerky were toppled down like dominoes. I walked over to where Emily, Danny, and Steve were standing a few feet away from Ms. Carter.
Amy Bates was in her wheelchair in the corner of the store, staring at me. The air conditioner in the gas station still functioned. The now cold sweat stuck my long hair to my forehead. It made me look like I’d just crawled out of some cesspit. My nose was still bleeding pretty bad.
“My mom is on her way. She said she would give us a ride home.” Emily said, her face pale.
Ms. Carter beckoned for us to come over. We walked over as a group, slowly and carefully. I made sure to stay at the back of the group and avoid notice of all the prying eyes that might wonder where I was during the attack.
“The police want to ask all of you a few questions, if that’s alright with you.” Ms. Carter told us.
We all looked between each other and nodded our heads. Amy’s eyes never stopped looking at me. Danny was giving both me and Amy quick glances.
“Who wants to go first?” She asked.
Steven volunteered himself immediately. An older police officer led Steven over to a booth in the back and sat down across from him. He had a notepad he scribbled in as Steven talked. Amy wheeled back to the corner with her backpack in her lap. The rest of us didn’t move an inch.
“You two want to explain to me what you were fighting about in the bathroom?” Emily whispered.
“Our escape plan.” I said quickly before Danny had a chance to give even a little bit of the truth.
“You were arguing about an escape plan?” Emily asked. I nodded my head. “In the boy’s bathroom?” She added. I nodded again. “During a supervillain attack?” Again, I nodded. Emily didn’t look very convinced.
“Is that really all that hard to believe?” I explained.
“I just want this day to be over.” Emily said while quickly burying her face in her hands.
Once the officer was done interrogating Steven I volunteered, just to get it over with. The older officer looked far too calm, given the situation. I grabbed one of the napkins off the table and stuck it up my bleeding nose. The officer gave me a strange look but didn’t comment on it.
“What’s your name?” He asked.
“Jacob.” I replied, bluntly.
“Last name?” He asked me.
“Don’t my parents have to be here for you to interrogate me?” I answered his question with a question. His fake smile faded.
“You’re not a suspect. I just need your statement.” He said with annoyance. When he realized I wasn’t going to give him my last name, he continued. “Where were you when the attack occurred?” He asked.
“I was in the boy’s bathroom with my friend Danny. We heard a loud boom and the building started to shake. My friend worried about me so he told me to run out the back door and try to get away. I got scared and ran back here when I heard sirens.” I explained.
“Did you see the attacker at all?”
“Nope.” I said. There was a moment of silence.
“… Did you see the person the news is calling Monkey Man?” He asked me. I tried to hold back my fear that he was on to me.
Can’t believe I’m still stuck with such a stupid name.
“Who?” I asked. The officer gave me a curious look.
“You can leave, tell the tall kid he’s next.” The officer said. His face didn’t show any suspicion, if there was any at all.
One by one he interrogated us. After it was all done Emily, Danny, and I hopped in Emily’s mother’s car. I’ve never driven in the back of a police car before, so it was really odd. Especially the weird metal bars separating the front and back seats. It gave me the weird sense that I’d end up here soon enough, if I didn’t stop what I was doing.
I sat by the window and watched the trees pass by as we made our way back to suburbia. Danny sat in the middle, taking up more space than both Emily and I. Emily sat at the other window, behind the driver seat. The daze I was in was interrupted by Emily’s mother speaking.
“So you two are Emily’s friends. Jacob and Danny, right?” She asked. We both nodded our heads.
“I’ve heard a lot about you two. Jacob, you’re the one that took care of Emily when your school was attacked, right?”
“Yes ma’am.” I responded, politely.
“I’ll have to properly thank you someday for protecting my daughter.” She said while looking at me through the rear-view mirror. Her pale blonde hair was held back by a ponytail.
“No thank you needed. She probably protected me more than I protected her.” I said while glancing over at Emily. Her mother chuckled a little.
“You’re humble, too. I’m glad my daughter has such friends.” She said with humor. “Especially with all that’s been happening recently.” She added in a more serious tone.
“You mean the mutant attacks?” Danny asked.
“Mutant bloodbaths, is more like it.” She muttered.
“The city seems less and less safe each day. And I’m not sure this Markus Keller guy has any intention of making it better.” She added.
“Isn’t he trying to give the police new tech?” I asked.
“He’s trying to replace the whole force with his own high tech mercenaries.” She explained bitterly.
“Oh.” I replied.
“What do you think, Jacob? About the sudden outbreak of danger in the city?” She asked me. Danny gave me a look, but then went back to staring straight ahead.
“I think it’s odd how it all seemed to start with this monkey guy. Before him the city was completely normal.” I said. A pang of self loathing rang through my chest.
“I tend to agree with that assertion.” She replied, staring at me through the rear view mirror as she did. I leaned back in my seat and watched the trees pass me by. Danny was silent the rest of the trip, and every few minutes he’d awkwardly dart his eyes over to me and then away.
I waved goodbye at my friends as I was dropped off at my house. No one was home when I got there. I threw myself against my bed and chewed on the apple one bite at a time. I grabbed my headphones and turned on a song. I don’t even know what song it was, it could’ve been any song. It didn’t really matter to me anymore.
I started to drift away as I listened to the music. I imagined myself floating around my room, looking down at the top of my head as I drifted. I imagined myself floating higher, past the ceiling, past the attic. I imagined my perspective as I drifted higher and higher past the clouds. I imagined losing sight of my house, of my yard, even of my town as I kept drifting.
I imagined drifting into space. I watched as the world, that gigantic orb, slowly spun along. I looked around at the sun and its blinding light. I looked up towards the moon and its pale glow. I looked out into the eternal abyss of space. I stared into the very substance of the void and it stared back and when it did it shuddered in response to my emptiness.
I tried to apologize and found myself in my room. I was all alone in my empty room.
…
“Hey Jacob?” Danny asked from the back of my lab.
I was working on the suit. Checking the internal frame to make sure the shockwave hadn’t messed with it, and making sure that the audio sensors hadn’t been damaged.
“Yeah?” I responded after a moment.
“There’s something I’ve always wondered, but I didn’t think it’d be polite to ask.” He said, then paused to wait for me to give him permission.
Something about my cancer, right? That’s all anyone wants to talk about these days.
“Spit it out.” I urged him.
“Well all of your stuff has always been paid for. I know it’s from a private company… But why? What’s the deal with that?” He asked.
“Uhh…” I dropped what I was doing. I felt tempted to tell him the truth. About the person that was still haunting my nightmares. But I promised my parents I’d never speak his name again. “There was an accident when I was born. I don’t know the specifics, but it wasn’t really anyone’s fault. So we didn’t get any money from the hospital when it happened. But the incident caught the attention of an eccentric billionaire. I don’t know his name or anything about him beyond the fact that he promised to pay for all my medical bills for the rest of my life.” I explained. I tried to stay calm as I did. My breathing was a little ragged by the end.
“What kind of accident?” Danny asked.
“Back to the suit. Do you want to try it on?” I asked.
He looked like he didn’t want to drop the subject. He wheeled himself back over awkwardly to get a better look at the inside of the suit. I could see him eyeing it with curiosity.
“I thought about it, back at the gas station. But I’ve read your journal on the exoskeleton. Is it safe to do that to yourself so often?” He asked with concern.
“Safe is subjective. It’s not safe to ride a car, but people do that everyday. How is this any different?” I responded.
“You don’t have to stick needles under your eyeballs to drive a car.” He said dryly.
“The needles are very small. Plus you don’t have pain receptors under your eyes. It’s the nasal needles that hurt like a…” I looked over at him. “A female dog.” I said.
“Ha.” He responded dryly. “So what made you decide to be a superhero?” He asked.
“For fun.” I replied. He paused for a moment. I went back to fiddling with the suit.
“Is that it?” He asked. I looked back at him.
“Do I need more?” I asked, confused. Suddenly I got a text on my phone. Danny grabbed it from where I’d left it on the table and wheeled over and handed it to me. He had a grave look on his face.
“It’s from Amelia.” He said.
I hesitated a moment before opening it. My heart sank as I read the words.
The party is on Saturday. Show up or I tell everyone your secret.
