CHASING

Finn never takes mystical things seriously. Magic or superpowers are never scientifically proven to exist. All of them are just a product of human imagination. However, recent events in the past few days are starting to shake his belief. It's not just the fact that some energy was shot from his palms, now Finn finds that there's another human who can also produce something from their bodies—diamond-like particles.

Finn feels a lot of strangeness. First, all this madness is happening right after the meteor strike at that old building. Second, he and the man in the news this morning are victims of that accident. Third, in the CCTV footage, the man also seems surprised by the diamonds emerging from his skin, just as surprised as Finn when the explosion happens in his hands. Could it be that the meteor strike is doing something to their bodies? Or is it all just a coincidence?

"Hey, Jobless Man. What keeps you up so late?" Alex greets when he comes out of his room and finds Finn sitting contemplatively on the sofa.

"Nothing, I just can't sleep."

"Are you gonna take some fresh air, like the other night?" Alex opens the kitchen cabinet and grabs two beer bottles. The blond man then walks into the living room and sits on the sofa next to Finn, handing one bottle to him. Then he suddenly says, "Oh, now I remember. I heard that someone vandalized the property in the nearest park the other night. That isn't you, is it? I mean, you just lost your apartment and belongings, you could be frustrated and do something crazy."

"It could be me." Finn replies to Alex's joke with a small laugh. That's the only response he can give. He's still unsure about how to act towards Alex. The man seems like a good person, except for the fact that he dared to kiss a woman who already had a boyfriend, and he allowed that woman's boyfriend to stay in his apartment. Just thinking about it makes Finn angry. He's pushed to bring up this issue. "How long have you known Lily?"

Alex throws a side-eye. "I don't know, two years? We're in the Computer Network class together."

"You guys seem pretty close." Finn keeps asking but maintains his tone.

"You know what." Alex smiles slyly. "I'll be honest with you. We're both men, so I know exactly what you're thinking. She is my ex, okay? We were dating for a few months. But don't worry, it's already over. We're just friends now."

Finn responds with a flat look. If he hadn't witnessed Alex and Lily being affectionate, he might have believed that explanation. One thing about Finn, he's good at controlling his emotions. So, he won't let out his emotions right now. Plus, he slightly appreciates Alex for being honest that he and Lily are exes.

"By the way, have you seen that news?" Alex changes the topic.

"What news?"

"About the superpowered guy. He can produce diamonds from his hand. Shit, Man, that's dope! You can ask him for some diamonds so you won't be poor anymore." He then laughs heartily, showing his white, neat row of teeth.

"You really believe that? It could be edited. Photoshop is common these days," Finn tests, although he believes it himself.

"You're right, it's probably just media trickery. But if it's real, I'll go find that guy and ask him to demonstrate some tricks in front of me."

Finn realizes how enthusiastic Alex is about the topic of superpowers. Is he a fan of superhero stuff? What if he knows that something strange is happening to Finn too? Can Finn tell this man in front of him about the events in the park yesterday night?

No, that's not a good idea.

"Shit, it's almost one o'clock. I have a morning class tomorrow. Imma sleep now, Man. If you need more beer, just grab it from the cabinet."

"Okay."

Alex goes back into his room, leaving Finn alone there. Finn continues to sip his beer slowly because he still hasn't thought about sleeping. Some time later, Alex reappears from his bedroom.

"Lily just sent me a message. She said Burger King at 298 Smokey Park Hwy needs waiters. Come there tomorrow to apply!"

*****

Following Lily's recommendation last night, this morning Finn decides to go to 298 Smokey Park Hwy. He has no experience as a waiter. Since graduating from school, he has only worked in one place, a logistics factory. The job is fine until misfortune strikes on that day. He accidentally drops a valuable item belonging to a famous collector, leading to his dismissal and a hefty fine.

"I almost forgot about that fine." Finn mumbles to himself.

The man is wearing a white shirt he borrowed from Alex, which surprisingly fits him well. After thinking about it, there are some physical similarities between both of them. Blonde hair, blue eyes, almost six feet tall. Even Alex's shoes fit Finn well. Honestly, Finn is embarrassed to have to borrow all these things from Alex, but he has to look presentable to increase his chances of getting the job.

However, as usual, misfortune always comes to him like metal to a magnet. The distance between Alex's apartment and Smokey Park Hwy is quite far. Lily and Alex can't take him there because the location is the opposite direction of their campus. As a result, Finn has to take the bus. Fortunately, this time he wakes up on time, so he doesn't miss the bus as he usually does. When he arrives at the destination stop, Finn still has to walk a few meters to reach the Burger King.

Finn has just arrived in the parking lot when his gaze suddenly meets a pair of eyes covered by a black sunglasses. Those eyes belong to a man in his sixties. The man has a slim figure dressed in a branded gray suit. His left hand holds a cane, while the other is used to suck on a cigar. It's the Collector! Standing on his left and right are two much larger figures.

"It's him." the old man points his cigarette-clenched fingers at Finn. "Get him!"

Finn doesn't hear those words, but he sees the two big men running towards him. So without thinking, Finn quickly runs away. Panic rushes over him in an instant. His heart starts beating erratically. He takes the first right turn he can find. He realizes he won't be able to escape from those two big guys if he stays within their line of sight. A problem Finn has been experiencing recently is the difficulty of controlling his breath. Just like when he chased the tall man in the old building yesterday, he has only run for a short time, but his lungs seem to stop working.

"STOP!" the man with the crewcut shouts.

Of course, Finn won't obey his command. However, his body reacts differently. His strength is completely drained. His steps become slower, weaker, and finally he stops altogether, panting while holding both knees. Like a hungry lion, the two of The Collector's henchmen manage to catch the helpless Finn.

"Come with us."

"It's over for you, Kid. Mr. Harrington hates it the most when someone doesn't pay their debts." The big-nosed man grabs Finn's shoulder and pushes him roughly.

"Please, don't, I will pay my debt. I'm going to apply for a job at the place you guys just visited." Finn explains his good intentions.

"You disappeared for over a week. If we release you now, you'll definitely leave and disappear forever."

"No, no, I promise I won't. I didn't run away. I had an accident and was in a coma for 5 days. Do you remember the meteor that fell and hit a group of people? I was one of the victims!"

The two men laugh loudly. "You can't even run 10 meters, Kid. If there's a meteor that hits you, you'll die even before the meteor touches you."

Finn panics. There's no point in talking to these two henchmen, it's impossible for them to let him go. He has to fight and break free on his own.

Both of his shoulders and arms are tightly held, so the only action he can take is to attack with the lower part of his body. With some makeshift effort, Finn lifts his right leg and immediately steps on the bald man's foot to his right. The man cries out in pain. Realizing the grip on his right shoulder is released, Finn slams his right elbow into the same man, then aims a punch at the other man. The punch isn't hard, given Finn's limited strength. But it's enough to free him completely from them.

Finn moves his legs as hard as he can to run. His steps are stumbling, almost tripping several times. But he manages to get out of that alley. His mind quickly makes the decision to run to the bus stop he had passed earlier. Finn is relieved when he sees from a distance that there are people waiting at the bus stop. The two thugs won't catch him in front of a crowd.

However, Finn's thought turns out to be wrong. The two men run right behind him, and just like before, they are much faster than Finn. The big-nosed man leaps with full force, pouncing on Finn perfectly. Both of them fall to the ground. Not stopping at that, the man then strikes Finn's face. The pain in his cheekbone can't be avoided. The punches keep coming, taking turns to hit the left and right side of his face. Finn tries to look up, hoping the people at the bus stop are witnessing this brutal torture. This time, Finn's suspicion is correct, they do see him. But he thing is, they don't help at all. They point their cell phone cameras to record him.

Finn stumbles. His breath gets stuck in his throat. His heart is completely shattered when he finds out that no one cares about him. Punch after punch still lands on his face. The bruised eye can barely open.

Am I gonna die here?

The pain spreads from his face to his neck, chest, and simultaneously throughout his body. The body that has been weak suddenly starts to spasm. Finn shivers violently. His lips moan brokenly. Then suddenly, his body stops moving, and his mouth stops making a sound.

Silence.

A moment later, the white light appears. However, unlike before when it only covered his palm, this bright light now radiates from his entire body.

"Get away from that man!" The guy with the crewcut, who had been standing there watching, is now trying to pull his friend off of Finn's chest. He senses that something is seriously wrong. His instinct tells him to leave and stay away from the helpless man lying there. His friend, the big-nosed guy, eventually realizes it too. He quickly gets up from his position.

They intend to run from there. However, it's too late, just as they took a few steps, the light enveloping Finn's body suddenly spreads. The three men are no longer visible as they are completely covered by the intensely blinding light. At the same time, a deafening explosion rings out.

BOOM

The people near the location are extremely shocked, wondering what has just happened. A sudden commotion fills the air. One by one, the residents come out of their houses, and the workers in the nearby buildings also emerge. Those who have been waiting quietly at the bus stop begin to move toward the scene. They watch everything until the blinding light forces them to close their eyes. Consequently, their curiosity can no longer be contained.

Upon arriving there, they find three men lying unconscious. One on the sidewalk, while the other two have been thrown quite far into one of the house's yards. The one on the sidewalk is a young man with blond hair. His face is bruised and swollen, blood is flowing from the peeled skin on his cheek, and his nose has shifted due to numerous heavy blows. It is Finn. Despite his battered appearance, he is in much better condition than the other two men.

The man with short-cropped hair lies facing upwards. Pieces of cloth are scattered around him, his clothes are burnt to a crisp, as is most of his skin, which has blistered. His eyes are teary, not entirely closed, indicating he still has some level of consciousness. His mouth stutters in pain.

Then, the last figure, the man with the large nose who had beaten Finn mercilessly, is in the worst condition. He lies face down on the ground. His skin is also blistered but not as severely as the previous man. His face is deathly pale, and the worst part is his legs. Both of them are broken, with the bones protruding from open wounds.