A compressed line of water blasted out of the dark alleyway, slicing through a wall like a hot knife through butter. "Ay the bloody ‘ell away fro’ me, ya damn ‘astards!" Cybercroc hissed out.


    The villain''s mechanical parts strained from the effort he was putting it through, and he shoulder-rammed himself through the wall he cut into, breaking through it and rolling across the broken street of Oleander. A growl tore through the air as something massive came charging out of the alleyway, chasing him down seconds later. Myth was out for blood, swinging out with his claws and ripping one of the villain’s robotic arms off.


    “‘ow dare ya, go n break ma stuff, ya think ya will, ‘ell no one does and goes and ‘reaks ma stuff but me-” Myth ignored the rambling cyborg and easily tore the hydro cannons off of Cybercroc’s shoulders, destroying the villain''s weapons. “Bloody ‘ell!”


    Cybercroc kicked up with his leg and smashed it into the jaw of Myth, but that barely caused the hero to flinch. Myth was already transformed into his lion mode, and the mad hero had been chasing his prey for over six hours, not once stopping. Most of Cybercroc’s body was torn and mauled, oil and blood gushing out of cracks in the metal or scales. The fighting, however, was finally starting to reach its end. Cybercroc had nothing left to give.


    Myth’s teeth locked around the robotic leg that smashed into his jaw, and his lion head jerked back and forth, allowing him to easily rip it off in a single motion. Waves of black oil coated the ground, and Cybercroc crashed to the ground, missing both an arm and a leg. The cyborg kept muttering out nonsense in his weird accent and attempted to crawl away, but he didn’t get very far before Myth struck once more.


    Claws dug into the villain’s back as Myth smashed his foot into the back of Cybercroc. Cybercroc let out another pained cry. It was the kind of noise a dying animal would make. Myth’s foot stabbed down, the monster''s toes digging into the robot''s metallic back. Then he suddenly shifted and changed. In an instant, Myth had become a mighty bull-like beast, and with his enhanced weight, he stomped his hoofed foot down into the villain’s back, snapping Cybercroc’s spine.


    Myth let out a snort of steam, and his eyes burned with fury. He spoke only a single word. “Yield.”


    Cybercroc struggled to lift his body. The street was filled with destroyed chunks of building, and rain poured down. The sky was black, making it hard to see, yet he could still make up the look of malice that was in the hero’s eyes.


    “Yield!” Myth yelled again in rage. “You attacked a hospital! One of the last hospitals! The only place people in this city could go for help during this time! All those supplies! Ruined! That building! Ruined! Those people that needed help! Dead! All because of you! Yield!”


    “Nah.” What was left of Cybercroc’s back forced itself open, and a massive barrel expanded out. It glowed and spun, and Myth braced himself as a massive compressed beam of water rammed into his gut. The bull monster was thrown high into the air and crashed down into the street hard, shattering more of the street. Cybercroc dug his remaining leg into the ground and used what was left of his destroyed arm and good arm to jump forward in an effort to escape.


    Myth stood back up, part of his costume tearing. Rain coated the bull’s fur, and he wiped some blood away from his snout. “Sub Enforcers. To me.” He hadn’t come alone.


    Wasps swirled around Cybercroc, and he felt them digging into parts of his body. The bugs were forcing their way into the metal and began to chew on the wires within him. He tried to activate his firewall but it failed. His site suddenly became filled with lines of code as someone began to rapidly hack his suit. A chibi form of Metal Ronin appeared in his vision. A He tried to claw at the wasps instead, but a silvery liquid metal pooled around him, and suddenly Cybercorc found himself totally bound and stuck in place. Then he felt a wave of intense pain as Oxide came down on him hard with a massive hammer. It smashed part of his skull open and shattered the computer in his brain, flooding his eyes with oil and blood. He jerked and screamed but couldn’t move due to the metal. A sword found its way to his throat, and he glared up at the hero Metal Ronin, who stood before him.


    Wasp Nest reformed his body, appearing on top of the cyborg, and he pressed his boot to the back of the villain’s head, forcing the crocodile to kneel. Oxide stood directly in front of him, holding her hammer up, ready to strike once more, and Metal Ronin kept his sword trained on the villain’s throat. All three heroes had a look in their eyes. The kind of look they didn’t used to have. They didn’t look like kids. They looked like soldiers.


    Some of the only protectors of Oleander left after the Beast attack.


    “I hacked his systems, so he shouldn’t be able to do anything.” Metal Ronin stated in a cold tone.


    “That’s good.” Wasp Nest pressed his boot down harder. “I remember this guy being tricky from what Snowdawn told me.”


    Oxide flinched a bit at the mention of the dead hero, and maybe out of sadness or anger she went to swing her weapon out once more. Her blow was suddenly stopped though as Myth appeared behind her and grabbed the weapon. “Why not?” She hissed. “This guy is a killer. A monster. He was created by the Emperor and only knows how to kill! He should be put down! His life isn’t more important than all the heroes we lost!”


    Myth ignored the girl’s rambling and stared down at Cybercroc. “Looks like you guys really managed to capture him.” A new voice called out.


    “No thanks to you.” Myth grunted. “You just remained on the sidelines and watched me do all the work.”


    “I’m the newest member of your team. It’s my job to watch and learn before I try to perform any combos with you guys!” A new figure came crash landing on the battlefield of the ruined street, standing next to Myth. He had come from the skies, and a pair of long red wings pulled their way into his back. He was young, being only seventeen, and had messy, orangish-red hair. A long red dragon tail stabbed out of his rear end, and he wore a simple black tracksuit, not bothering with a mask. Horns jutted out of the top of his head, and he opened his mouth, letting out a few flakes of fire. “Now that I’ve seen what you guys can do, I’m really looking forward to working with you all.” Drake, young sibling to Wyvern, announced.


    Cybercroc’s eyes glared up at all the different heroes that stood over him. “Spineless runts-”


    Drake’s tail grew and slapped through the air at fast speeds, ramming into Cybercroc’s face and snapping the villain’s snout, finally knocking him out.


    Myth slowly shrunk back down to his form. His eyes had heavy bags under them, and his hair had grown a lot longer and became tangled due to not taking any care of it. His clothes were stained, and he looked exhausted, as did the others, but he forced his body to move, crouching down and staring at the unconscious body of Cybercroc. "Good work, everyone." Wasp Nest, Metal Ronin, and Oxide all gave a sluggish nod of their heads. “We stopped him.”


    "Think we can take a break now?" Metal Ronin asked sheepishly. The boy collapsed onto his butt and stopped hacking Cybercroc’s systems. “I’m totally pooped. How many hours have we been at this now?”


    “Nineteen.” Wasp Nest groaned and also collapsed onto his back out of exhaustion. “It’s just one thing after the other. Oleander was never the best place to live, but this is crazy.”


    “It’s all these damn villains.” Oxide sighed. “So many new and old ones just keep attacking. Over and over again. They’re raiding all the supplies and doing whatever the hell they want.”


    “Why won’t the other heroes help us?” Metal Ronin asked. “I mean, we really need it.”


    “They’re all tied up.” Myth grunted. “Oleander isn’t the only city going through a crisis. Practically every villain group got a moral boost due to all the heroes we lost. Every city is dealing with its share of crime. Sadly, the other heroes just care about their home cities more than they do Oleander right now.”


    "Who cares?" Drake said, throwing his hands behind his head. He stalked forward and stood next to his new boss as the two of them looked down at Cybercroc’s body. "We don’t need their help. You guys got me now after all. I’m more than enough to deal with monster freaks like these guys.” He stated kicking the downed villain.


    "You''re a monster too, aren''t you?" Oxide asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Oh yeah, I guess I am," Drake said sheepishly. "My sis and I are good monsters, though."


    "There''s no such thing as good or evil monsters." Myth grunted out, slowly reaching out to grab the Wet Bandit leader by the head. His fingers dug into the scales, and he lifted himself and Cybercroc up, allowing him to stare into the villain’s unconscious eyes. "The only sort of monster that exists are those that can control their urges and those that can''t." He stared deep into the monster’s eyes before finally letting go, causing Cybercroc to too harshly drop to the ground head first. “He couldn’t control his urges, so we hunted him. It’s that simple.”


    "You know it''s good to have you back, Myth, but are you sure you''re really alright with everything?" Wasp Nest questioned.


    "I''m fine. I''ve had over a month to settle my emotions."


    "What happened with Cinder and Snowdawn isn''t-"


    "Call the Hero Branch and tell them we caught Cybercroc." Myth said, cutting his teammate off. "See what they want us to do with him."


    So much had changed in just two months... Oleander was barely being held together and needed heroes now more than ever. The people who were stuck in the city found themselves constantly in danger from the influx of crime that was happening around them now. Oleander barely had any protection, and despite the destroyed land, many villains thought this would be the perfect time to make it their new home. Most were likely banking on the city becoming the same state as other abandoned ones, and they could turn the place into their base or drug dens. Others wanted to raid the place and take whatever valuable loot it had left. More still just wanted to cause chaos. Most of the old threats were gone. There were whispers of Zoo, but that was it. It seemed like the Bad Timers and the Wandering Coin were truly gone.


    Demonica still hadn’t been seen ever since the battle with the Emperor. Her state of being remained a mystery. Unlike the leader of the Wet Bandits that they now held.


    Cybercroc had seemingly grown fed up with everything and had gone on a mindless rampage. It was as if he had simply given up and wanted to cause as much destruction as he could. He had gone to a shelter that was keeping several children and their parents safe that hadn''t been able to get out of Oleander in time, and he had flooded with every person still inside. By the time the Sub Enforcers had arrived on the scene, he had flooded three blocks and ruined much of Battery''s cleanup effort, even tearing away parts of the bridge.


    That rage had fueled Myth and caused him to chase Cybercroc down. And he did it all with the help of his new team.


    "Have you tried talking to Battery at all? I heard he became the newest Enforcer member." Oxide spoke up. "Now that you''re the head of the Sub Enforcers, I''m sure the two of you have a lot of talking to do since you''ll have to work together to save this city."


    "I haven''t seen him." Myth spat out. "Not since he ditched my team. And I doubt we can save this city. We''re just waiting for it to fall apart at this rate."


    He should have been happy. He finally got the thing he wanted most. He lived up to the promise he had made with Red Iron and became the leader of the Sub Enforcers. After the Beast''s attack, Money Tree had taken the death of BB hard. Those two had always been close. Money Tree simply gave up and couldn''t be a hero anymore and left. He didn''t know where his friend went, and he really didn''t care. Not right now, at least.


    He had other things he needed to focus on… Now it was his turn to be the leader of the Sub Enforcers. Despite how grand of a title it was, it had been a sour way to earn it.


    The Hero Branch barely considered it and just threw it at him. They didn''t care anymore. They had other, more important matters and didn''t expect Oleander to last. Now, it was his job to take care of and use Wasp Nest, Oxide, and Metal Ronin, as well as the newest member of their team.


    "Can we hurry this up? I want to go check on my sister." Drake said, folding his arms. His wings were already jutting out of his back once more as he got ready to fly off. He wasn''t going to be a permanent member. He was mainly just here because he wanted to keep an eye on Battery; he still didn''t trust the zombie, and also because Boy Genius had asked him to fill out the Oleander Sub Enforcers in case the Murder Games did happen. Also, he thought Myth was pretty cool.


    "Yeah, let''s get this over with." Metal Ronin reached up to touch his helmet. "This is Sub Enforcer member Metal Ronin, reporting in for-"


    All at once, it happened...


    Cybercroc’s body threw itself at Drake, hissing and clawing out with what was left of his hand. If he was going to die, he decided he’d take at least one hero with him. Unfortunately for Cybercroc though, Myth had been expecting something like this to happen. Drake''s eye went wide as the hand soared toward his face, but before it could reach him, Myth struck out. The man''s arm changed and twisted, taking on the shape of a lion as he only transformed part of his body and used it to rip Cybercroc’s head off his body with a single tug.


    The villain’s body crashed to the floor as Drake barely sidestepped it, and before anyone could move, Myth''s arm changed again, becoming large and covered in thick scales. It squeezed down and crushed the head of Cybercroc, splattering bits of metal and skull everywhere.


    Silence…


    Not a single hero said a word. They all just stared at either Myth or the corpse of Cybercroc in pure silence. A second later, however, and the noise was broken when a series of drones flew down to see what the heroes were up to.


    Lazily, Myth slapped his arm through the air as it reverted back to normal, and he turned away from the others as bits of Cybercroc flew off of his palm. "Let the Hero Branch know Cybercroc is dead, Metal Ronin. Our mission is done. Report back to our base."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    And with that, Myth walked away.


    ***


    "Are you sure you guys have got everything handled?" Drake asked.


    "Yeah, we should be fine. Go check up on your sister. How''s she doing, by the way?" Rowan asked.


    Due to the state Oleander was in, there weren''t really a lot of buildings left standing. By some miracle, the Hero Branch tower hadn''t been fully destroyed and was still standing, though half of it had been sliced off. The other half was also tilting awkwardly and highly unstable, but they couldn''t be picky in times like this. Drake looked up at the mostly destroyed tower, his eyes tracing all the chunks that were missing. He had trouble picturing how Oleander used to look compared to how it looks now.


    "Wyvern hasn''t been doing good," Drake admitted. The teen’s shoulders slumped down a bit, and his tail stopped wagging. "Her memories have been getting to her lately." He and his sister were monsters. They weren''t created by the Emperor, though. Instead, they were born into the world as monsters, being children of the horror known as Fairy Queen. That woman had a lot of children with a lot of different Supers, doing her best to create the perfect weapon for her master. Her affair with King Drago had resulted in dozens of dragonic-themed Supers. "She fears she could be running out of time." Drake finally said. Despite not having been a human that was converted into a monster, they still suffered from the same effects all monsters did. They were all gradually breaking and shattering apart mentally. The insanity that plagued Polaron, Demonica, Mars King, and others was with them as well. A constant voice that demanded blood.


    "Bad Wolf was still able to be a hero despite everything," Rowan stated. "I''m sure it''ll be hard, but you guys can find some way to manage. Don''t give up, okay." He reached out, punching Drake in the shoulder. "We need young heroes more than ever. Soon, it''ll be our turn to take over the job. Besides, you got freaking dragon powers; you guys are way too cool! I want you guys on the side of good for another ten years at least!”


    Drake gave a faint smile and nodded his head. His wings expanded out, and he quickly lifted off the ground. "I''ll be back sometime in the morning. If there''s an emergency, just call for me, and I''ll come sooner. I can fly as fast as a jet, so it won’t take me long to show up! Take care, Metal Ronin!" Drake blasted off at his top speed, heading to Nightshade so he could check up on the state his sister was in.


    Rowan watched the powerful hero go and waved slightly. It was hard to believe someone as epic as Drake was actually on their team. Despite also being a kid like them, Drake had shown up and fought the Beast, actually doing something to it. He knew it wouldn''t last. Eventually, Drake would go back to his actual team, the Sun Eaters, which was led by his sister, but for the time being, it was nice to have such a powerhouse.


    Rowan stuffed his hands into his pockets and silently entered the tower. The lobby had been completely ransacked and destroyed, but the elevator was still working. He stepped into it and felt the scanner go up and down his body. They had gotten the help of Boy Genius to ensure this building still had some power left in it just so they could get back to their base.


    Speaking of the base, it wasn''t like it used to be. As the elevators opened and he was transported to another realm, Rowan saw the state of Money Tree''s manor. Pocket worlds like this were able to be changed a lot; in the past, Red Iron had made it look like some old castle. Money Tree, on the other hand, wanted an over-the-top manner. Myth hadn''t changed the manor. There was no time for him to make his own base. Despite that, though, it simply didn''t feel like it was Money Tree''s base anymore.


    Almost all of the food and furniture were gone. Several walls and floors of the manor had been torn apart as well. They had donated most of what they didn''t need or their extra supplies to the civilians. Sections of Oleander were slowly being turned into makeshift camping zones where people were staying out, and with all the petty crime going on or the supervillains hanging out, it was simply too dangerous for the people to go into run-down stores looking for food.


    Oxide and Wasp Nest weren''t in the realm. In the past, they would all go on a patrol and would swap in and out with team Pantheon. Now, though, there was always at least one of them out in the city trying to at least slow down the crime. The Giants didn''t help as much as most people thought. They were slow and clunky, focused mainly on cleaning up, and always showed up too late. Sure, if they actually fought the threat, it would be wiped out, but most villains learned quickly they could just leave when a Giant spotted them, and they''d be fine. As long as it wasn’t Battery chasing them, the villains could escape the slow-moving Giants.


    Besides himself, the only other hero in the manor was Myth, and he didn''t need to check up on his new team leader to know what Myth was doing.


    Day in and day out, Myth was either on patrol or locking himself in a bowling room they had. The room had been completely torn apart, as if some mad beast had rampaged through it. Myth would just sit in there silently. Maybe he was sleeping or getting some rest; none of them really knew, but once it was his time, he''d stand up and go back out on a patrol.


    That just left one other person that was still in the manor.


    "Hey, you made it back." Kyle looked up when he heard the door open. The boy was seated in a corner reading some comic book. "Did everything go well?"


    "Cybercroc is dead."


    "Oh? Should I know who that is?” Kyle sheepishly asked.


    Rowan slumped down next to his friend and dropped to the floor. His armor had already been pulled back into its container, so he was dressed like your average teenage boy. However, in the state the city was in now, there really was no such thing as average. He let out a low whistle, and a bark echoed through the manner as a small dog ran over and jumped into his lab. Rowan ran his fingers through the dog''s fur, feeling his nerves calm down. It felt like so long ago that he had begged Sky to save the puppy. Things really had changed a lot.


    "How are you holding up?" Rowan finally asked.


    “You don’t need to pretend to care.” Kyle snorted. “You’re not my bodyguard anymore, you know.”


    “I’m still your friend, jackass. Now how are you doing?”


    Kyle slowly closed his book and bowed his head. "Fine. I’m doing fine. Well, Myth kind of freaked me out a bit. I think he was tearing down another wall earlier."


    "At this rate, he''s going to tear this entire place down." Rowan winced.


    "Would that really be so bad?" Kyle hugged his legs and rested his head on them, staring down at the floor. "I mean, there are plenty of people that are suffering out in the streets, living in tents or whatever else they have; meanwhile, here I am in this place. I''m the son of a killer, yet my life is held at a higher value."


    "Of course it is. You''re my friend!" Rowan snorted, flicking Kyle on the head. "My job as a hero is to keep the people safe; my job as a friend is to make sure you''re well."


    "I just feel so useless," Kyle admitted.


    Rowan felt his smile fade, and he slouched down a bit and kept petting his dog. He knew the feeling well—one attack. A single blow from the Beast had downed him, causing him to miss the entire battle. He couldn''t be there for the others, as they fought with everything they had. He wasn''t there when Sera died. He never got to say his final words with Money Tree, who simply wandered away, leaving them all behind. He didn''t get to see Hope or Armin one last time, nor did he even thank Sky for saving his life. It was almost like some sort of cruel joke. And the worst part was he knew the others all felt the same, so he didn''t even have a right to complain.


    They were Supers. They were beings blessed with power, yet that was nothing in the face of true horror. Deep down, all of them knew that people like the four Lords, Lucifer, or Emperor would be above them all, but many still held out hope that they could help. That they could make a difference. That they could be the piece that changed everything. They weren''t, though. It had all come down to a battle of pure power. A battle that mere Supers couldn''t even hope to stand next to.


    The Beast had yet again shown them all just how truly weak humanity was.


    Rowan’s thoughts stopped when Kyle reached out and began to run his fingers through the dog’s fur. “He’s gotten a bit bigger, hasn’t he?”


    “Has he? He’s pretty small? I mean, he’s supposed to be a golden retriever or something, but he’s still so tiny.” Rowan chuckled. His dog had light brown fur and was way shorter than it should have been despite the amount of time that passed. He really wasn’t good with dog breeds, so he was just guessing what type it might have been. Sky said it was a mixed breed, but he couldn’t recall what the girl said.


    “I still can’t believe you named your dog Oppenheimer.” Kyle snickered.


    “You can just call him Mikoshi. That’s my last name.” Rowan shrugged.


    The two boys took turns petting the happy dog as they sat there in silence. “Thanks for letting me stay here.” Kyle said quietly.


    “Dude, duh. You’re a friend. How many times do I have to say it?”


    “I know… It’s just… So much has happened.”


    Rowan’s smile faded, and he stared at the ground in silence. Neither of them said a word. They just sat there, feeling the passage of time take hold. Finally, though, Rowan looked down at his watch.


    "You should get some sleep," Rowan said, standing up slowly. He held his dog in his arms, tightly hugging it to his chest. "I''m going to bed, myself. I''ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow." He explained, heading off to what was left of his bedroom.


    "Yeah... I''ll go to sleep soon." Kyle watched his friend leave the room before he also stood up. He didn''t head for the bedrooms, though. Instead, he headed for the elevator. "I''ll sleep as soon as I''m done."


    The doors shut, and when they opened again, he found himself back in the ruins of the city he had started to call home. His father had taken him here in some attempt to keep him safe. Now, he had no idea where his father was or if the man was even still alive. His father had been held up in some Oleander prison awaiting trial when the Beast attack happened. His father might have been killed, or he might be wandering the streets, lost and alone. He didn''t know which one he was hoping for or if he even wanted to see his father again.


    He still went out, though.


    He made his way behind the building, where an alleyway held his supplies. Hidden behind a large dumpster he had to move out of the way was a black bag. Inside of it, he found his gear. A blue knife-proof jacket and thick gloves. The same supplies he had loaned to Hope when she first started out as Cinder. He placed the jacket on, slowly zipping it up and covering his head with the hood. Next, he put the gloves on before finishing the outfit with a simple black half-mask that he covered his face with.


    In the past, he had debated asking Rowan for a suit, but he had turned the idea down. Mental based users couldn''t make advanced tech for others that could last long. Their tech would always break down too quickly or run out of power if it wasn''t near the Super that built it. He didn''t need something like that, though. Whisper was basically just a normal human besides her invisibility. That didn''t stop her from going out and trying to help.


    He didn''t need to be a superhero. He just wanted to be a hero. Someone who could at least do something, even if that thing wasn’t that Super.


    He ducked through another alleyway and began to walk, keeping his head low. The streets were full of rumors that Zoo could be coming back. He didn''t believe them, though. Green Wolf wasn''t the type to lay low like this for very long. The rumor of his death had spread among the underground, and a few streamers had heard about it and made dozens of posts. If Green Wolf really was alive, he''d have gone out of his way to show himself off to the rest of the city and make sure it was filmed. Most people accepted the fact that he was dead and gone, and the new leader of Zoo was either Red Ape or White Lamb.


    Likely White Lamb since Red Ape was...


    Either way, the rumors of Zoo''s return weren''t anything he was too worried about. It was likely just a group of non-powered humans that were claiming to be members of Zoo to up their credit or rob people. The Sub Enforcers had heard the rumors as well and were trying to confirm whether they were true or not. That was how he wanted to help them. He just wanted to know. If he could find out, he could tell them, and they''d be able to deal with it. They were the real heroes, after all.


    It didn''t take him very long to find something that was going down.


    "Give us all your stuff!" A voice barked out.


    "Please! I have a daughter; she''s sick-"


    "I don''t remember asking! Now hand it all over!"


    Kyle pressed himself to the wall of the alleyway and poked his head around the corner. At the very end of it, he found what he was looking for. A family of three cowered in a corner—a mother, a father, and a young-looking girl. They had a makeshift tent set up and had likely been trying to tough out the area until they were saved by some heroes. The girl didn''t look to be in good condition, and she was flat on her back with a red face. They didn''t have many supplies, but they did have some boxes of food or medicine that had been air-dropped by the Hero Branch. The father stood in front of his wife and daughter with his arms out, pleading with the two men in front of him.


    If they were trying to make themselves look like members of Zoo, they didn''t do a good job. All Zoo members wore suits that showed off their color and a mask that showed off their animal. These guys, though, wore baggy jackets that covered most of their bodies up, and while they were wearing masks, they were just of a simple gray wolf. No way Green Wolf would ever allow anyone to wear the same mask as him. One of the men held a metal bat, while the other had a gun, which he had trained on the family of three.


    Their size, the way they spoke, and the way they were both shaking told Kyle everything he needed to know. They weren''t part of Zoo. They likely weren''t even from Oleander. They were small and sounded very young. Both of them were boys, likely around his age. If he had to guess, they were thrill seekers that came here and either got stuck or wanted to cause some chaos. Either way, it made him a bit sick.


    Kyle reached into his pocket and winced when he saw he didn''t have any connection. None of Boy Genius''s drones were above them, so this entire block was going through a blackout.


    "Please, I''m begging you, just leave us-" The husband was cut off as the teen with the gun fired. The man dropped to the ground, screaming as he clutched at his bloody shoulder. His wife yelled out and grabbed him but wasn''t able to move as the boy in the wolf mask trained the gun on her.


    "Holy shit, the kick this thing has is crazy!" The boy exclaimed. "My ears are ringing, and my arm won''t stop shaking. Did you see that blood splatter, Dillon-"


    The boy turned just in time to see the fist that flew at his face. Kyle gritted his teeth and turned his body, putting his back into it the same way Hope always did when he watched her fights on the news. He slammed his hand directly into the plastic wolf mask the boy had, shattering it. His fist smashed into the teen''s nose, snapping it, and threw the boy back. The other one let out a startled cry and swung out with his bat. Kyle managed to raise his arm up just in time, using his wrist to block it. He nearly screamed out in pain when he felt his wrist snap, and a red-hot burning sensation exploded through his arm, but he managed to fight through it and kicked out with his leg.


    The false Zoo member stepped back just in time, avoiding the kick, and swung out with his bat as hard as he could, aiming for Kyle''s skull. Kyle barely had time to duck down and heard the bat smash into the wall of the alleyway next to him, shattering it. He rammed his full weight into the boy, tackling him and causing them both to fall to the ground. As soon as the teen hit the ground, he was forced to drop his bat and tried to smack up at Kyle''s face or grab his throat to choke him, but Kyle was faster. A taser slid out of his sleeve, which he grabbed with his good hand and jammed it down into the neck of the teen. He glared down at the boy with hate as he powered it on and watched as the boy screamed and spasmed.


    He waited until he was sure the kid was out cold before he turned the taser off and stood up. He grabbed at his wrist, wincing, and turned back to the family of three. "Are you guys okay-" He stopped when he saw that they were gone. They must have made a break for it when the fighting started. He felt a little worried due to the state the father and daughter were left in. "I need to find a spot to call Rowan and-"


    A gunshot rang throughout the alleyway. Kyle blinked and quickly turned to look back at the teen with the gun. His punch hadn''t knocked the boy out. The kid''s mask was shattered, and blood was gushing down his face from his broken nose and jaw, but the teen glared back at Kyle with pure hate. The boy was young—only about fourteen or fifteen. Then Kyle looked down at his stomach, watching as his blue jacket slowly became a nasty red.


    It wasn''t bulletproof.


    More gunshots rang out as the teen fired again and again, hitting Kyle in the stomach and causing Kyle to scream out and collapse. The boy fired until the gun was out of bullets, at which point he threw it as hard as he could directly into Kyle''s head. "This is what you get for ruining our fun!" The teen grabbed the bat out of his unconscious friend''s hand and marched over to Kyle, jamming it into Kyle''s gut and causing his screams to grow. Red was constantly gushing out of Kyle''s stomach, and his vision was starting to blur. His body felt both hot and cold at the same time, and he clutched at his gut as if that would somehow stop the small ocean that was escaping from him. "There aren''t any laws here! I don''t have to worry about parents or dipshit adults! I can stay up as late as I want and do what I want!" The boy screamed over Kyle''s wails. "I can-"


    More red filled the alleyway as the head of the teen suddenly rolled off his body. Kyle felt his eyes go wide as he watched the head hit the floor, followed seconds later by the body. "Next time you want to have ''fun,'' don''t steal someone else''s style." A familiar voice echoed around the alleyway. One that Kyle instantly recognized. A figure stepped out of the darkness. A young girl that was only about sixteen or seventeen years old wore a white buttoned-up shirt with a suit jacket over it and a skirt. In her hands, she gripped a sword, which she brought down directly onto the throat of the other boy, killing him instantly. Her face was covered by a cartoon green wolf mask, but he could tell just by the way she was speaking she had a smile on her face. "Oh? Are you still alive?"


    He felt his vision blur and go in and out as he gasped and gurgled on his own blood. The girl stood in front of him, now staring down at him. Slowly, he managed to say a single word. "H- Hope?"


    "Hope?" The girl reached up and removed the wolf mask. Her blue eyes stared down at him, and he felt his own eyes go wide as he took her appearance in. It was her. Hope Lauren. "Is that the name of this body? Neat."


    With that, Kyle felt himself fade into a black sea.