Chapter 13 - Home

Warrior's hands shook as he clenched his fists, staring up at the house in front of him. It was a sizeable two-story house, set in one of the nicest areas of the suburbs. It was Warrior's home, the place he loved so much, yet right now, this was far from where he wanted to be.

The last thing he could remember was being in that underground complex, ready to be a hero for once.

Then, there was nothing.

He simply woke up outside his house, costume off and replaced with casual clothes, as if he were getting back from any other day at work.

"Shit, John must have used his powers to put me in some sort of trance, where I just went back home as usual," Warrior spoke to himself.

"If he can do that who knows what else he did," Warrior hissed through gritted teeth, "goddamn it!"

Warrior took a deep breath and centred himself, cooling his emotions. Unclenching his fists, he walked along the path through his front garden and to the front door, watching the sun set behind his house as he walked.

He opened the door and stepped inside the house. He was immediately greeted by the excited shout of "daddy!"

A three-foot-tall ball of energy ran into the room, his messy, blond hair flapping wildly as his head bobbed up and down. Seeing him, Warrior crouched down to pick his son up into his arms.

"Hey Ollie, you're quick today," said Warrior in a far more gentle voice than usual.

"I was waiting for you, daddy!" Ollie announced proudly.

"Aww, thank you, Ollie."

"Mummy said you would be home late today, but I knew you'd be here for me."

"Well, it was Elliot who told me he would be home late," said a woman in a stern, but happy voice, as if she had just been denied what she originally asked for, but was given something twice its value instead.

The woman was thirty years old and tall, standing just under six feet, with curly blonde hair that stopped just below her shoulder blades. She had bright green eyes and a curvy body, covered by just a thin t-shirt and denim shorts. She was Elliot's wife, Emily, and the beautiful love of his life.

"Some things happened and I was able to come home early," Elliot - which was Warrior's real name - replied, smiling.

"Life is full of surprises," Emily said, returning his smile.

"Dad?" Ollie asked, worriedly, "are you okay?"

Elliot was about to ask what he meant when he realised that his hands had started to shake again.

"I'm fine," said Elliot as he gently lowered Ollie back down.

He looked up at Emily and said, "I'm going to head to our room for a minute, I'll be back soon."

He lightly hugged her and then moved towards the stairs.

Emily simply nodded as she watched Elliot walk past her. Elliot continued up the stairs, looking at the family photos hung on the wall as he walked by.

There were pictures of him marrying Emily, then of Ollie when he was just a baby. There were pictures of when Ollie first walked and when he spoke his first word, which was mummy, but what mattered to Elliot was that he had been there when it happened.

He walked into his bedroom, which was filled with a massive king-sized bed, as well as a walk-in wardrobe on one wall and a large bookcase on the other, which had an entire shelf dedicated to baby books.

There was also an en suite bathroom, which Warrior walked into. It was a spacious bathroom, filled with a shower big enough to fit four people, and a bathtub bigger than it would ever really need to be, even with two people in it at once.

There was also the usual toilet and sink with a mirror above it. That was what Warrior came for. Looking into the reflection he stared at himself.

His black hair was perfectly combed to the side, not a strand out of place and his face was spotless. There wasn't a speck of dirt on it. His outside was flawless yet his inside was in turmoil.

'What was I thinking? Risking all of this! And for what, some kid I've never even met? Some abstract need for change? A selfish desire to be the hero?

I was completely helpless in there! If John didn't decide to just send me home I could've died, and even if they weren't able to kill me, I could've ended up a brainless slave! Shit, if he comes looking for me-'

Elliot's train of thought was stopped from further derailing by a warm and soft body pressing against his back.

"Bad day at work?" Emily asked gently.

"I did something very stupid in the heat of the moment. I almost got myself killed trying to be a hero."

"Isn't risking your life being a hero your job?"

"Haven't I told you, Emily? I'm no hero."

"You have," she said, gently spinning Elliot around to face her, "and I told you I'd support you no matter what. Whether you're just a guy with a place in the Last Stand, or if you're a hero risking his life."

"Does that not scare you, Emily? Being a hero means making enemies who wouldn't flinch at targeting you or Ollie."

"No, it doesn't scare me, Elliot. That's because I know you, and I know that you would never let anyone harm me or Ollie."

Warrior paused, unsure of what to say to that, so he simply said what he was thinking.

"I love you, Emily."

Smiling, Emily stood on her toes then leant in and gently kissed Elliot, before whispering in his ear in a sultry voice.

"I love you too, Elliot."

She clasped Elliot's hand in her own.

"Ollie is busy watching TV, which means we've got some time to ourselves," she said, whilst leading Elliot to the bed, a devious smile on her face.

***

Back in the underground complex, John and Void stood in the burning room. The nameless girl and the statue were both gone.

Using his powers, John created a telepathic link between him and Void.

'Was it wise to let her take the statue?' John heard Void's thoughts in his own head. The link worked like his brain received a text message of Void's thoughts and then narrated it for him.

"Don't worry," John replied, "it's better to just fall back on the backup plan than to anger the person she serves."

'You never mentioned a backup.'

"A wise man always has a plan B, Void."

'I see. What about Warrior, he was strong and resourceful, I probably would've had to destroy the complex fighting him or run away if you hadn't intervened.'

"Warrior may have fought against us today, but in the long term, we're on the same side. He may disagree with my means, but our ends are the same. Killing him will only harm this world."

'I see.'

John waited a few more seconds to see if Void had anything else to say, but he was silent. Being unable to talk with anyone other than John, Void was not much of a talker.

"Take us to our new home, Void."

Void grabbed John's arm with a gloved hand and they both disappeared without a trace, the room was left empty, bar the black flame that continued to burn brightly.