Chapter 85: I Want Them Dead!

"I'm not supposed to show you these, but I managed to take this at the crime scene; they're pretty graphic, so I'd recommend not to look at it." Said George, sitting at the table opposite Hana and Tut, who both looked worse for wear as he grabbed an envelope from his breast pocket before placing it on the table.

Despite Mr. Stacy's warning, when the envelope was placed on the table, Mom didn't hesitate and snatched it before ripping it open, causing several photos to fall out while she grabbed it. I've seen many more graphic things in the past week, yet seeing my Dad's corpse just lying there lifelessly was difficult to put into words. The thought of someone I loved dying had never crossed my mind; I mean, how could it? I'm a Kryptonian underneath a yellow star; I can fly around the earth in a matter of a few seconds, I could throw mountains into orbit, I could tank a nuclear explosion, I could hear nearly a quarter of the planet, I can see a persons DNA, I could detect the faintest of smells from the other side of the New York.

I could do all of that and then some, yet, for some reason, I still couldn't save my Dad from dying; why was that? Grabbing one of the fallen photos from the ground, I held it up with my trembling hand as I looked at my Dad lying in an alley with a burning hole right through where his heart was supposed to be. My Dad had died, but he didn't simply die; no, he was killed, and from what I can tell, it was from a Mutant, no less.

I was sad, and it had taken everything for me not to cry right now, yet I was also furious, furious at the fact that my Dad had been killed. I know my Dad best; he was like a large, loveable teddy bear. Even when provoked, Dad would prefer to de-escalate the situation, so I know for a fact Dad wasn't at fault; the one who started the confrontation was the mutant, not Dad.

"Pharaoh." Said Jean softly in a slightly pained and worried voice, wiping her tears as she rested her hand on Tut's shoulder, prompting him to look at her with saddened eyes.

Glancing around, I noticed Sara, Pete, and Gwen were also giving me similar looks as Jean, while Mrs. Grey, Mrs. Stacy, and Aunt May were consoling Mom, who was continuously wiping her tears, a sight that made me nearly tear up again; like any son, I never liked seeing my Mom sad, especially if it was at the death of a loved one. Looking back at my friends, I appreciated each one of their concerned faces, yet I couldn't really reply to them yet; I was still finding it hard to accept Dad had died.

"I've spoken with the Manhattan police department and investigation team; they've found some clues on the suspect, yet from what I last heard, they suddenly went dry, almost as if he or she disappeared. However, you can rest assured I will not allow such a dangerous murderer to roam the streets of New York; we'll quickly have him behind bars-" Stated George solemnly with a hardened expression as he looked at the photos of his good friend James, gnashing his teeth, though before he could finish speaking, someone slammed their fist onto the table.

Hearing Mr. Stacy's words, I knew he meant well, but when he said "behind bars", I could not control myself anymore, and in a fit of anger, I clenched my fist, crumbling the photo within my hand before slamming my fist onto the table, thankfully, I still had half a mind to cover not only the table but also the whole house in my aura, so nothing was damaged, well at least directly damage; I could feel the entire house tremble as a few pictures dropped from the walls, while only Sara, Jean, and Mom noticed what happened.

"I appreciate what you're doing, Mr. Stacy." Said Tut as he took a second to somewhat compose himself before speaking, the anger in his voice all too apparent while he looked at George, who nodded.

"You don't need to, Pharaoh; as a police officer, apprehending people like this is my duty; I'm just doing my job; besides, James was a good friend of mind; I can't just let his killer walk the streets of New York f-" Said George seriously as he looked at Tut, who eyes suddenly squinted as he gnashed his teeth, cutting off George.

"However, I don't want him or her simply behind bars, Mr. Stacy; I want them dead!" Stated Tut angrily, finding it difficult to control himself and not lash out in fury while Mr. Stacy slightly frowned but didn't comment, knowing he wasn't in his right mind.

I know Mr. Stacy was a police officer and was opposed to killing, but seeing him just ignore my words filled me with unbridled fury; I would be out there searching for my Dad's killer myself, yet the only thing stopping me was Mom. While I would be out there searching for the killer by myself for who knows how long, she'd be forced to deal with Dad's death by herself; I couldn't do that to her, especially when knowing Dad would be pissed at me if he was still alive.

Standing up in anger, prompting me to become the center of attention, I walked out of the dining room while ignoring my friends' calls before heading upstairs.

"I'm going to my room." Declared Pharaoh in a curt manner as he walked up the stairs, though not before slamming his fist against the wall, right beside the spot where James had previously created a hole in the wall.

"Pharaoh." Muttered Hana sadly as she wiped her tears and prepared to follow after Tut, though George stood up and blocked her path before she could.

"I think you should give Pharaoh some time alone, Hana; he just found out his Father has been killed this morning; any boy his age would be furious. I think he just needs some time alone to sort out what's going through his mind; trust me, I've seen this happen plenty of times in my career, far more than I can count." Stated George softly as he placed his hands on Hana's shoulders, slightly calming her down, but she still looked at the stairs in concern.

"George is probably right, Hana; he just needs some time to process everything in a quiet space." Said Elaine lightly as she walked up from behind Hana, who nodded hesitantly before turning back around and returning to her seat.

"Besides, I think it would be best for the young ones to go and console him." Remarked Benjamin lightly, glancing at Sara, Gwen, Peter, and Jean, only to frown slightly when he noticed both Sara and Jean were nowhere to be seen.

"Hmm, where did the two Grey girls go?" Asked Benjamin curiously as he looked around before glancing at the kitchen, prompting John and Elaine to both look as well.

"What are you two doing? This isn't our house, you know that." Said John with a slight frown as he saw both Jean and Sara unceremoniously opening the fridge and cabinets.

"We were making food for Pharaoh; he hasn't eaten anything today; I'm sure he's probably hungry." Said Sara from the kitchen as she glanced at her parents, while Jean did the same before the two continued preparing sandwiches for Pharaoh, causing Benjamin to smile faintly.

"Heh, looks like your two girls will be quite the dutiful wife." Remarked Benjamin, prompting every woman, including Gwen, to glare at him while John and George remained silent.

"Sorry about that; I sometimes forget what year it is; back in the '70s, a housewife was the norm. It is not like there is anything wrong with a housewife; everyone has to play their role in the team." Added Benjamin with a cough, covering up his previous mistake, though seeing the woman's glare intensify, he just closed his mouth and stopped talking, a powerful skill he's learned from being married to May for a few decades.

___

___

Slamming my door closed, I threw the crumpled-up photo against the wall before taking off my shoes and laying in bed; like this, for the next several minutes, I silently lay there while hiding beneath my covers. However, this silence was eventually broken when I heard a few knocks at my door, and since I knew it wasn't Mom, I decided to ignore it, hoping the duo would eventually go away, though that unfortunately didn't happen.

"Pharaoh, Sara, and I made some lunch for you, two sandwiches." Said Jean softly from the other side of the door while she and Sara held a plate, though there was no response.

"It's your favorite pastrami sandwich." Added Jean with a smile, yet just like before, there was no response, causing her to sigh as she looked at Sara.

"Pharaoh, are you really going to keep me out?" Asked Sara as she knocked on the door, though, unlike Jean, where nothing was spoken, Tut actually responded.

"Go away." Replied Pharaoh quietly, though the two sisters promptly ignored his words.

"We'll go away, though only after you've let us in to give you these sandwiches." Remarked Sara as she pressed harder, though Tut didn't speak this time and stayed silent.

"Should we just leave them outside his room?" Asked Jean softly as she looked at Sara, who vehemently shook her head before sighing.

"Haa, no, though I really hope he opens the door after this. Pharaoh, if you don't open the door, I'll tell Jean about the incident when we were in the parking garage." Replied Sara as she quietly whispered to herself before speaking once more toward the door; Jean's interest was piqued by the incident she was referring to.

___

___

Rest in peace, James; can I get some prayers for my dawg James? He was a real one, and the world had lost him. Shout out, my nigga James!🙏🏾 You'll be deeply missed. I hope he's he's having a good afterlife with Lily up in heaven.

Ps. If you wish to support Hana and Pharaoh through this struggle, just send the power stones; all donations will go straight to them.