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His head shook side-to-side, slow, deliberate. I couldn’t think of any other superpowered people that preferred a monochrome suit. The lack of words or movement was almost as eerie as not being able to read his expression. Behind him, four other figures appeared from the shadows. It was the group that had been terrorizing the city for the last few weeks.
“I’ll be—”
As a wall of cool covered my skin, I didn't have a smart-ass comment. I looked down, expecting to see a mist or cloud brushing against my hands, but nothing in the station moved. The temperature dropped, causing a shiver. My heart raced, and I could barely keep my breathing under control.
“What’s happening?”
“Fear.” The raspy voice fit the featureless face.
I had gone into the subway and nobody knew where I was. When this brightly dressed villain killed me, my body wouldn’t be found until the next day when the commuters returned. Bernard could see my location, but he was probably busy. No, he didn’t care enough to break away from his precious Centurions to save somebody as insignificant as me.
“I can taste your fear.”
Was that his power? To induce fear? It was hard to concentrate when the overwhelming sadness of a funeral with no attendees crossed my mind. Mi mamá wouldn’t leave Mexico City to bury her only son. It’d be proof that nobody in life cared about me. What a way to start my eternal afterlife.
Dead before I could get EO naked. Not that it would happen. As much as I liked the guy, I was being used to patch up something in his relationship. No matter how hard he and Stonewall tried to convince me, I’d just be a third wheel in their relationship. Used. In their twisted game, I understood neither of them cared for me.
“I’m alone,” I whispered.
“Yes,” the man in white hissed.
What was the point? My love life was in shambles, and with Scarlet selling the bar, I had nothing. I didn’t want to continue this slow spiral to oblivion. With the sound of the subway train heading toward the station, I made a decision. I wouldn’t be alone anymore. I simply wouldn’t be.
The cold had penetrated my skin. My temperature had dropped, forcing me to hug myself. But even the man’s powers didn’t compare to the cold dark hole growing inside my heart. I couldn’t focus on anything other than the overwhelming sense of sadness causing tears to stream down my face.
“It’s the only answer.”
The man in white was right. I didn’t have the will to endure this any longer. I raced toward the ledge. There was no hesitation as I hopped down, landing on the wooden slats connecting the rails. I squared off against the light at the end of the tunnel. The loneliness would only last a few more seconds and then I’d be done with it.
Shouting erupted from the platform. I could barely see over the ledge, but it was enough to see a woman in purple leather holding a long, slender staff. I’d met Hellcat at the Alley more than once, and her tenacity was legendary. Even without powers, the heroes respected her. I wish I had garnered even a fraction of the admiration she received.
She brought down the staff on the man in white. He blocked her strike, but she was already spinning about, the heel of her foot knocking his face to the side. One-on-one, she might have stood a chance. But with the man’s cronies nearby, the powerless vigilante would be hard pressed to walk away unscathed.
The ground rumbled as the train approached. My time was coming to an end. It’d only be a matter of seconds before the pain vanished. It’d be a second of pain, and then I’d be free.
“EO, I need an evac.”
Hellcat lunged from the ledge. Her arm snaked around my chest, and in a feat of martial arts, she swung around, standing behind me. Three seconds and I’d be gone, and unfortunately, so would Hellcat.
“EO, now!”
The air vibrated as the train sped into the station. The light grew until it was blinding. Screeching filled the air, causing more tiles to shower from the station ceiling. The conductor attempted to save my life, but it was too late.
The nothing swallowed us both.
11
I screamed.
I threw my hands in front of me, expecting the train to smash me into tiny bits. There was no light in the space. Turning my head mid-scream, I could feel something soft touching my cheek. I patted the surrounding space, surprised to find soft fabric instead of the cold hard steel of the train.
The last thing I remembered was standing on the platform. No, I had gotten onto the tracks, wanting to stop the pain. The pain? My brain was a jumble of thoughts, from the breakfast crew to my funeral. What had happened on that platform?
The man in white.
It came rushing in. The Nocturnals appeared on the platform, and before I knew it, I was hurling myself in front of a subway car. I remembered the people on the skyscraper throwing themselves to their death. It all made sense now. The man in white did something. Did he have some ability to draw out his victim’s worse fears?
Leaning back, I rested a hand on my chest, to the steady pounding of my heart.
