Chapter 3: First Ride.

10+ advanced chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.

-0-

(General P.O.V)

Anger. Fury. Wrath.

However you want to call it, the emotion of [Rage] was personified by/in the Red Lantern corp.

At this moment, a Red Lantern ring was streaking through outerspace, leaving a trail of red fire behind as it crossed Sectors, covering thousands of light years each passing second.

Up until it reached Sector 2814.

Entering the Solar System, it's speed decreased, but the trajectory remained the same.

It was headed for Earth.

The call came from here. A soul filled with smoldering hate and a cold fury was waiting. The ring was eager to see how such a soul would use it.

Just as it cleared the asteroid space around the fourth planet, the Specter suddenly appeared in it's path.

The ring tried to divert it's course and fly around the Spirit of God's Vengeance, only for the latter to wave a hand, smacking the Red ring away with an invisible force.

The ring was sent flying off to the very ends of the universe at a speed that could only be termed as, God's Velocity.

It would take some time before it returned to it's intended host.

For now, the Specter would not allow Michael Hawthorn any more power. What he had was already terrifying enough. Anymore and there was a risk of breaking the balance.

The soul of Jim Corrigan snickered within the Specter.

'Risk? It's already broken. You just don't know it yet.'

That man's eyes had been filled with the resolve to see things through. There was no way to stop what was coming.

-0-

Speaking of,

It was the third day Michael was in the hospital. Third day since he lost everything. And he was already sick of sitting around while his family's murderer roamed free.

Despite that, he felt that his current situation was useful.

His injuries would be his perfect Alibi for when he brought the chaos to the city. No one would suspect a man with broken limbs to be responsible for the havoc he was planning to unleash.

'Joker will die screaming.' For the billionth instance, his anger was sated by this promise. His hatred- by the thought of what he would do to the Clown.

"Goodnight Mr. Hawthorn. A nurse will come by at 4 am to check up on you. If you need anything, press on the buzzer."

The night duty nurse told him as she left.

Michael didn't respond.

To the hospital staff, he seemed moody, always staring out through the window.

His current focus however, was on:

(Ghost Rider Template: 10% Progress)

The strange panel hanging before his eyes. It was meant to show how much of the Ghost Rider's ability he could access.

There was no additional description or explanation but, 10% had to be pretty powerful, no?

The tests he had contucted the previous night when alone gave him some answers, but left him with more questions.

For instance, he could easily tap into the well of fiery power bundled within his soul. All he had to do was remember his hatred. Negative emotions seemed to be the trigger to call out the Ghost Rider.

Breathing out slowly, he did exactly that, stretching his good hand out and focusing on the patient's gown he was wearing.

With a thought, the cloth caught on fire, the entire sleeve burning off along with the flesh of his hand.

Now his forearm was a long sturdy piece of bone skeleton covered in smokey yellow flames.

The fire didn't hurt and moving the wrist was easy even without the presence of tendons, his fingers dancing in the air.

He turned his attention to his broken hand, held close to the chest.

The cast around the forearm disappeared into flames, burned into seemingly dark ash that fell into his shadow...leaving behind another burning bone. 

Next his entire body caught on glorious fire, flaring out into the bed and turning it into molten slag. The whole room instantly started burning.

And in the middle of it all, 'It' rose to 'It's' feet, no longer in a white patient's gown but now dressed in all leather, chains wrapped around the shoulders, chest, arms and legs.

From the metal studded boots to the top of it's burning skull, the entity was 7 feet tall, adding to the terrifying presence given off by the dark yellow flames shrouding it's skull, and the bottomless empty eye sockets that promised doom to all who looked inside. 

No more Michael Hawthorn, this was The Ghost Rider.

"THE JUDGEMENT OF THE DAMNED BEGINS TONIGHT."

The Rider's voice was a bone-chilling rasp, deep and hollow like the whisper of death itself.

Walking toward the Window, an opening was created as the walls, metal and glass melted under the Rider's intense flames.

The room was on the fourth floor, facing the Hospital's back entrance and parking lot.

Without hesitation, the Rider jumped and landed on the pavement with a thud, leaving sizable footprints and cracks on the concrete.

Stalking forward, he stopped by a scooter, skull tilting to the side in question.

"PUNY."

He moved on to a stretcher, running a glove-covered hand across its metal frame.

"USELESS."

That only left a row of ambulances.

The Rider chose one in the middle, running a burning hand across its white surface.

"PERFECT."

at least for now.

Instantly, the vehicle morphed into a monstrous, hellfire-covered creation.

Larger in size than a typical ambulance, it looked like a blend between a monster truck and a van.

It's massive front tyres were studded with sharp spikes, and the siren lights converted into Air Horns that spewed out fire akin to flamethrowers.

The Rider jumped inside his Hell Ride and the monster vehicle roared to life, flames flaring out through the Air horns, pushing the other vehicles away.

Pulling out of the hospital, the Hell Ride left molten tracks in its wake, speeding down the road in search of Sinners to punish.

-0-

A few blocks away from the hospital, a police scanner crackled to life inside a patrol car, 

"All units, we've got a gang war heating up between Two-Face's crew and the Penguin's Mob in East End."

One of the cops within the car, rolled his eyes, muttering, 

"Guess we'll have to skip checking out that fire reported from the hospital."

"Probably just a prank call anyway."

His partner said, reversing the vehicle and heading towards East End, sirens flashing.

As they drove, one cop grumbled, "Crime's so rampant lately, we're forced to pick up extra shifts just to keep up."

The other one sighed, 

"Yeah, and it's not safe for anyone anymore, including us. The Joker could just stroll into your home one night and wipe out your family. People are terrified. Even Batman's losing his grip. Maybe it's time to pack up and leave this hellhole."

Before his partner could respond, the first cop glanced at the side mirror and squinted, spotting a ball of fire quickly catching up to them. 

"What is that?"

"What's what?"

his partner, on the wheel asked.

The first cop shook his head in disbelief, unsure of what his eyes were seeing, 

"Its...a vehicle? Looks like Optimus Prime had a fling with a monster truck and this is their love child on fire."

His partner burst out laughing,

"Seriously? That's some weird ass shit."

His tone was skeptical. 

The humor was short-lived however when the monstrous vehicle appeared on the side, scaring the crap out of both of them. 

"What the fuck??"

The driver yelped. 

The Ghost Rider opened its jaw at the two, 

"THE END OF YOUR NIGHTMARES HAS ARRIVED."

Voooom! 

The cops were left in stunned silence as the Hell Ride threw their patrol car aside with a force that seemed to defy physics.

Then it zoomed through Gotham's streets at breakneck speeds, doing the same to any car in its path. 

A man walking his dog on the sidewalk, heard the deafening blare of heavy metal coming from his back and turned around.

Just in time to see the Hell Ride roar down the street with burning tyres, before coming to a sudden stop at a red light. 

The man froze in fear at the sight of a burning skeleton behind the wheel. 

His dog started barking at the monstrous vehicle, causing the Ghost Rider to turn its empty gaze toward them. 

Dropping its jaw, the Rider let out a thunderous roar that made the dog yelp and cower behind its owner.

The lights turned green, and the Hell Ride sped off, following the sounds of distant gunshots.

The man lowered his phone after taking a picture, his hand shaking. Later he would post it and garner much attention as it went viral on social media. 

-0-

The situation at East End had changed.

When the cops arrived at the site of the Gang war, the Penguin mob had already withdrawn, leaving Two-Face's gang to face off against the police. 

The cops had formed a barricade around the street, boxing in the Two-Face crew in a nearby warehouse. 

Detective Gordon, standing behind the police barricade, addressed them through a megaphone, 

"Listen up! We can work this out. Just put down your weapons!"

One of the gang members hiding behind a crate sneered, shouting back, 

"Suck my d*ck, Copper! We ain't scared of you or the Bat no more!" 

He then opened fire on the police. 

Gordon ducked behind the cop cars with a sigh, glancing at Harvey, 

"We can't move in with all those weapons in the warehouse. And we can't go around either. This is turning into a headache."

"Not our day partner."

Harvey grunted. 

If only Batman was here. But he was busy looking for Joker after the Clown's last stunt. 

Inside the warehouse, a gang member hefted an RPG missile launcher onto his shoulder and aimed it at the police.

Gordon's eyes widened as he saw the missile being prepared. 

"RPG! Move!"

The cops scrambled away from their cars just as the RPG was launched.

At that moment, the Hell Ride burst through the police barricade at high speeds, colliding headfirst with the missile and causing a massive explosion.

The shockwave threw everyone off their feet.

As the dust settled, a gang member close to the entrance of the warehouse, staggered to his feet, coughing due to the smoke. 

He couldn't see clearly, nearly jumping as a door slammed from his front. 

Steady steps sounded out, a form cloaked in fire stepping through the dust and approaching the goon. 

The Gang Member was stunned silly at the sight of what emerged. 

Before he could react, he was lifted up by the collar.

And With a fiery glare, the Ghost Rider growled, "YOUR RECKONING HAS ARRIVED."