CH #9 - Inadequacy

STEVE

Bugs... A bunch of vermin and ten thousand other disgusting things, and I have no idea how many I've incinerated...! If there are already thirty piles of ash lying around, I wouldn't consider myself surprised!

These things seem to be coming from somewhere I don't care to know... I'm not the least bit curious to find out...! The only thing that gives me any comfort is that it seems to be ending anyway. I don't wanna have to spend the rest of the day wiping out pests...!

In fact, it's not like I have the energy for it... Using this skill is more tiring than running the entire length of Oak Street ten times in a row!

... Ah, looks like another one is coming. Time to put an end to yet another one of these walking nightmare piles!

"I don't even feel like having nightmares about you tonight...!" I fire the fire projectile I prepared. "If it's to have a bad dream, let it be regret for what I did to the library over there...!"

There is no more reason to try and hide it. I destroyed the entire library and people have every right to judge me for that. According to Ryan, luckily it looks like I didn't kill anyone, but...

"This whole problem isn't over yet, and the whole place is still burning… May I be fucking damned…! I can control the flames for a while, but as soon as they leave my body-"

I can't deal with flames that are no longer a part of me. From the moment the fire attaches itself to some object and starts to depend on it instead of the command of my skill, it is as if I lose authority over the flame. Also, these new flames are capable of actually hurting me, something that doesn't normally happen when I create them.

The most I can do now is clear the way for the authorities to get in... Ryan told me to try my best at being secretive, and now I understand why. People would definitely find it strange to see a guy breathing out fire as if seeing it were normal.

But it's full of people beyond the gates... I saw it for a little while and then I hid, but there were dozens of cops, the town's firefighting department and several desperate families.

And in this scenario, the last thing I want to see is my mom's face... I don't know if I could look her in the eye and pretend I'm just another victim of all this.

... Yeah... I wouldn't make it past the first five seconds of such a lie.

I wipe the tears off my face. For a moment the thought of Stella came to me. She certainly wouldn't be proud of me right now; I'm not myself... but something has to be done, and as wrong as it seems to say, I'm the only one who can really help.

For now, my job will be to open the way for the real heroes to pass. Knowing I don't deserve to be here, I can only hold my head up and watch the result of my mistakes while I promise myself never to do anything like this again.

I will use these flames for good. They will be a light for justice and nothing more – the justice of someone who tries his best to compare himself to one of the great heroes who really deserves credit for it.

... Heh... "Hero", isn't it? He said he doesn't want to be one... In his view, heroes are pathetic and sacrifice themselves for idiotic causes, and for these reasons they end up dying in even stupider ways, failing to fulfill any of their true dreams because they get so caught up in the pathetic ideology of putting their existences as tools for the protection and growth of those who depend on them.

"Ryan, even though you told me that..."

One more of those disgusting things... All to spoil the most epic moment I'm having in the whole day... And which by the way isn't even about me...!

"Just see if you die and let me complete the super cool sentence that I was ready to bring to the world with the voice of a poet, damn...!"

I launch another fireball, which this time generates a moderate explosion that reduces the pile of insects and other beings to almost nothing. Good thing this town doesn't have helicopters, as anyone seeing that would be troublesome for me...!

Well, as I was saying before these things decided to interrupt me...! Ryan said all those things, and even expressed with a certain anger the fact that he didn't want to be called a Hero, but...

I look up at the school's first-floor windows. From time to time, I can see glass breaking and the sounds of what seems to be quite a struggle coming from there.

"…How can you say you don't want to be called a 'Hero' when being one is just what you're doing right now, you idiot…?!"

That location is the same place where the deafening noise we both heard came from. I'm sure he's the one there, fighting whoever they are, for the sake of something or someone, while masking it as his own selfish way of listening to his inner morals...!

"...Isn't that right, Ryan?!"

I prepare another couple of flaming projectiles... My energy is running low and this is bad... This is very bad! If I don't eat anything, I might end up falling around like the first time I tried to use this power. I spent three hours feeling like I could die just by creating three little fireballs.

These things are being concentrated here, it seems... There are several of them around the school, but they're all coming this way, almost as if they have some sort of collective conscience or something...!

I'd love to be able to say that I'm going to burn them all down, but... This tiredness... This is getting too much… Way too… out of… hand.

… … ...

"Huh? Have they... stopped...?"

But how so?! You... don't you want to come after me anymore? Until two seconds ago everyone was trying to get me like a hungry dog chasing a piece of pizza!

"What the fuck is this?! Did they explode?!" If I could look at my own countenance upon seeing this, I would definitely laugh at my pathetic face.

And so... It's over...? I did not understand...! Really! I didn't understand a thing that happened here! Shouldn't they be trying to kill me like I'm a rat in a rich people's house?!

So what do you mean all twelve masses that gathered next to me just stopped and... Exploded all over the place into flying things?! And now they're dispersing?! Hey...! Wait! I'm not done with you! I didn't finish you off yet...!

... CRACK…!

And that was more glass breaking, I think... If the noises are still happening, that can only mean he's fine... Or at least that's what I hope.

The point is, I can't go help. At any moment they should realize it's safe to go inside now. For now, the best thing is to look for a place to hide.

***

"I might be playing the funny guy... But I'd better get this guy down before he downs me...!" Dodging a sonic projectile, Ryan leapt to the side.

"STOP RUNNING, YOU BASTARD...!" Jacob refused to give up; his eyes obscured by the hatred of losing two of his fingers to one of Ryan's pranks. "I'M GONNA TURN YOU TO MINCEMEAT FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME...!"

"Well, if that's the case, I really shouldn't stop swerving…! After all, who wants to become a bunch of twisted flesh?! Don't you have common sense, man?"

Ryan's affronts only seemed to make the situation worse, causing more and more outbursts of fury in the other boy, who, with a right hand now endowed with only three fingers, was trying to land blows in succession, luckily not realizing the intention behind either of them.

Jacob couldn't even bring himself to describe the feeling of not being able to feel his right hand anymore because of the chill from that explosion. The moment he touched the fire extinguisher, all he remembered was feeling extreme pain, and then there was nothing left.

Discriminatory tact, feeling of pressure... not even the presence of the hand was felt! It was as if that explosion had been able to destroy every single one of its nerve endings. The mere fact that he was moving his arm came from an inhuman amount of effort.

"FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME... I WILL MAKE SURE TO RIP OFF EACH ONE OF YOUR ARMS AND LEGS AND THEN SKIN OUT THAT FACE OF YOURS...!"

Ryan jumped once more, rolling over to his left in the hallway. The Savoia feared that at some point he might get it right, and he didn't want to bet on his luck, as it used to be pretty bad.

"I have to finish this guy off quickly, but I can't get close. He's a ranged attack user, and I'm a melee fighter in a way. This is the worst combination that could happen." Ryan reflected in silent thought, calculating his chances. "I approach, and he blasts me in a sea of ​​blood with that energy power that shattered those windows before."

The floor was littered with glass fragments and pieces of the structure. Seeing that, Ryan realized he could no longer afford to keep playing with the enemy, running his patience down. The Savoia had to put an end to that, and ASAP.

"The problem is 'how'. I doubt trying the cylinder thing will work once more, and outside of that, there isn't much I can try. Anything I throw at him will be destroyed on the spot, and it's not like I can do much when it comes to damage options, too. I also can't afford to get hit."

Ryan's thoughts seemed to take on a voice of their own amidst all that tumult of screams and hatred on the part of his enemy. The boy needed to think of something, but he didn't have the opportunity to do so.

"There is only one thing I can actually try now... And it's not running, as even that would kill me. I doubt I can run faster than he can shoot these energy waves."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU MUTTERING TO YOURSELF, BITCH?!"

Another attack from Jacob and Ryan was kicked out of his thinking like a boxer gets taken out of the ring after an accurate jab to the nose.

"Damn it…! I need to put some real focus here…!" He thought. "This guy is dead set for killing me, and I don't even know the reason for all that madness…! Wait… That's it…!"

Attentive when it came to the next movement of his enemy, Ryan realized a possible way to get him distracted, even if for some seconds. Any time is enough time when it comes to building some plan.

"Hey…! Before, you said I ruined something, didn't you…?! You said you wanted to kill me because I frustrated your attempt at something, right?!" Ryan took a bold move, posing mightily in face of Jacob. "What is it?! What did I disturb?"

Jacob's glare was noticed to grow much wider in that instant. The reminder that Abigail could no longer be there got his full attention in that instant. He couldn't afford to let the girl of his dreams escape – not after coming so far and letting her know of every single aspect about his love for the entirety of her person.

Not taking in the possibility of that being Ryan's plan all along, Jacob turned back and noticed that, indeed, the purple-haired, ocean-eyed girl was longer there.

"No…" Jacob muttered to himself.

The boy kneeled, grasping his head in what Ryan could only describe as an ungodly amount of desperation.

"No… I couldn't have… I couldn't have let her escape… She had to be mine… She had to be mine…!"

He started scratching at his own face, ripping pieces of flesh away like layers of painting from several years worth of monthly recoloring. Soon, Jacob had more red than the beige gleam of Caucasian skin covering his whole body.

His left fingers dug deeper, scarring both face and neck, while the remaining three in the right hand somehow found strength to rip away bunches of his hair, pulling it like it wasn't even affixed in the first place.

"Abigail… My Abigail… MY ABIGAIL…! MINE, MINE, MINE! SHE IS MINE…! MINE!"

Nails ruptured through the tendrils of red flesh, revealing that growing hole in the right cheek. He seemed unnerved, as someone who couldn't win a massive lottery prize due to missing a single number.

"MY ABIGAIL! WHY DID YOU RUN?! WHY WHY WHY?! WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY?!!?"

And as if it couldn't get any worse, the guy then proceeded to start biting his left hand, causing even more blood to ooze out and stain his already red clothing and pants.

It was madness, and that man… that thing had a mind now long lost. Ryan was terrified of what he saw, but even so, there was something he had to do. He couldn't allow that madness to keep going.

"I can't allow this opportunity to be lost. I will put your mind out of its misery."

Ryan's serious voice took him once more out of thinking about the gorgeous girl of his dreams. Turning back in a desperate move, Jacob screamed, making that absurdly loud explosion yet again spread all around the hallway.

The gas, thick as clouds, took over the hallway as it did before. Surprised by the explosion, freezing in place due to his vision suddenly growing paler and the frost licking his eyes, Jacob couldn't notice Ryan's planned approach.

"This is where I…" Ryan Savoia was heard speaking.

A dark-skinned, but visibly wounded hand of long fingers erupted from the white freezing cloud, touching his forehead in a swift movement. Its fingers pressed against the skin, pushing it down, clinging to it.

It was a weak pain, but one able to add to what already existed in a factor of amplification. The sufferings combined, and Jacob's entire nervous system sank again into despair, sending back signals to his brain that had already been ignored for some time.

And then, he was pushed down in the speed of a coming storm. Jacob's body crashed against the floor, his back getting to know the pain of acceleration against a hardest surface. The moment the pain hit him, Ryan was no longer touching his face.

Ryan wasted no time in applying a move that heavily promised to be effective. The boy knew that his chances of causing significant damage to Jacob were naturally small, given the disparity in their fighting styles, so he bet on the best thing he could do.

"Tell me... How does it feel to skydive your way down a flight of stairs? Or should I say… Flight 'off' stairs?" The youngest among the Savoia decided to mock Jacob's fallen figure… all while in hopes that he wouldn't get up again.

It could be noticed from his tone – Ryan was hesitant, unsettled at what he just saw. The man down the flight of stairs was no longer something feasible. Holes allowed for him to see the inside of Jacob's mouth, which leaked blood restlessly. The whole left side of his face severely lacked skin cover, revealing red, pulsating muscle tissue that twitched, dripping wet in that deathly crimson.

And in this case, throwing him down the stairs was the best move. Ryan was counting on the damage done by the entire fall to stop this madman. That brief moment of bodily contact had to be as effective as possible.

"I love you... I love you, Abigail..."

Jacob was revealed to still be in good condition, lifting himself up with some speed, actively ignoring the pain as if it didn't even exist. Ryan could see from his bloodshot eyes that it hadn't lessened his urge to attack by even a little. It was as if Jacob was managing to stave off the pain with what seemed like sheer force of will.

"You are... You are mine, my Abigail... Mine... Mine... All mine..." Almost muttering, the student in the red jacket touched the region of his head. It was clear to see that, even with a short time having passed, a huge swelling was forming in the left lateral region.

Jacob looked at Ryan with an intensity never seen before. His eyes gleamed with a different kind of murderous intent. No... That wasn't anger anymore, since not even that the owner of that look could feel anymore.

Jacob smiled at him, showing his teeth. A line of saliva oozed out, mixing with the blood generated by the now toothless spaces in front of his mouth and the massive wounds that covered the face.

An icy sensation raced down Ryan's spine, reaching all the way to his toes. Noise was brought to silence. With that gaze glowing bluish – like he was in an ocean and looking towards the sky – he was forced to notice.

That one was no longer a person, for it behaved like an animal. Jacob was reduced to a wild beast, with not even his sick desire to rip Ryan's body apart being able to stop him.

A copiously uncomfortable silence cut through the space for what was only a few seconds. It was just enough time for Ryan to take the maneuver of throwing himself as far away from that flight of stairs as possible.

BANG ... And a huge explosion took over. For a second, it was as if the Savoia's soul had been extracted from its body and placed in a box submerged in several cubic meters of water.

Jacob leapt up in a burst of regained disposition. Without much time to look back and forgetting the urge to do so, Ryan sought for a temporarily safer place, hiding in the hallway that continued to the left.

Jacob was very different. Making his way, it was as if nothing else mattered, and his only mission now boiled down to killing Ryan Savoia. The effect of whatever that was all about only seemed to have boosted the previous murderous impetus.

"I can only keep running now...!" Ryan thought, considering the fact that something had happened to his enemy to make him that way.

It was like that wasn't the same Jacob as before. A new, darker spirit had taken over the boy's body, which trembled like a robot chasing prey it was programmed to capture.

He thought about opening one of the doors and searching one of the classrooms for something that might help, but that proved unnecessary...

... After all, what was now left of Jacob's consciousness had just caught up with him.

"Damn it...!"

Ryan leapt into the room, dodging a blast of sound that consumed the entire hallway. The intense vibration was felt inside, being powerful enough to make him lose his balance for a couple of seconds.

The sound of the running footsteps of that true predator ran like a flash, deafening all its surroundings and making every meager object tremble. A mere couple of seconds more, and the door had been reduced to mere pieces of itself.

A couple more seconds… And Ryan would no longer be there to tell the story.

All that the Savoia — clearly fearful for his life — was able to visualize amid the sawdust that floated thickly in the air... were those eyes blue like sapphires, but which somehow managed to be more menacing than the glow of the blood red.

His teeth — at least the ones that were left — dribbled red like they were springs joining in a larger river, with pieces of themselves still affixed to his mouth cavity. The escaping air was saturated with that red, which floated for a few seconds after puffs, in a noxious aerosol.

The purest desire for murder was what was seen in those empty lenses, opaque as the vision of a being trapped eternally in a block of ice located at the bottom of the ocean.

It had already reached a level way above the personal, to the point where he couldn't even remember why he was doing it anymore – it wasn't like any motivation mattered, as it all mixed together, anyway.

And there, with the light bursting through, with nowhere left to run, the predator had cornered its prey, preparing to feast on its blood.

Jacob's demonic appearance was hidden by his dark hair, which continually cast a shadow over the boy's face whose eyes magically changed color after obtaining that power.

The blood that flowed infinitely looked more like black ink in that unlit environment, but soon revealed its true nature when touching the ground and being illuminated. The drops slipped from every spot on the left side of Egan's face, showing more of the monster that didn't seem to expect death.

"Abigail... Abigail... Abigail..."

Like a zombie, Jacob's smiling form swooped forward at impossible speed, and like a Berserker from Siberian myths, destroying everything in its path.

"I love you…I love you, my Abigail…! I'll... I'll have you just for me... Just for me....! My love... My love will not be ignored...!"

"This guy has completely lost his mind...!" Ryan exclaimed, dodging the fragments of wood generated by the intense explosion that destroyed several tables and chairs, sending more of them away.

He had to get away. In the midst of that ruin, everything was against the Savoia. Ryan looked around, wondering what he could use.

"We're going to be happy... We're going to be the happiest in the whole world...! My Abigail!" He hit the pile of tables and chairs Ryan was hiding under.

He lashed out, sending his bloody fist down towards the ground. The attack, while not hitting the second boy's body fully, was able to make him feel the true scale of it all.

Like a movie character thrown against the wall by a villain's telekinetic powers, Ryan was sent on a thrust of pure force against the wall, slamming his back against the surface.

***

RYAN

"And then, when I find you… When I finally find you, my Abigail… We will be… Together…"

Oh, damn it…! Not again! Not a second go of this fucking hell of pain…!

"… FOREVER…!"

Not this time…! I know this is detrimental as hell to my body, but it's my last shot…!

I ignore all the pain, same as before in the fight against Keith. I use my power to stop my brain from creating 'pain memories', effectively stopping it from processing the sensation I'm having right now as pain.             

Such a process is very dangerous, since the only thing that truly stops is the perception of pain, meaning any critical wound or broken rib is still there and causing damage… I can only pray for that not to be the case now. Considering how I'm forcing a possibly severe injury here, keeping a straight spine may be difficult for a couple days.

… But, for that…

"Abigail, run…!"

Good… Awesome…! He turned to look! There was no Abigail at all… It was just a lure, bait for him to take. Considering how letting this Abigail person escape generated this much distress and anger, I can only assume she must mean a lot.

"You fell for it… Fool…!"

It was enough time to find a piece of chalk on the floor. I fortunately crashed right next to the backboard, and the box full of chalk sticks fell thanks to his previous actions, so…

"I'm ending this…!"

The suppression of pain already made my powers active. For a split second, I could see my own eyes, glowing in purple, facing his directly, aiming at exactly one of them.

That's it. The right one. He only has three fingers in that hand and the other half had already been skinned out. Gotta balance the damage between the two sides.

My body executes the movement by itself. One extra aspect of my powers is this strange capacity quite unrelated to the other powers. Apparently, my mind can accurately calculate the movement my body has to execute in order to hit a set target.

It happens automatically, like the knee jerk reflex or some other involuntary response. My hands move without my consent, with me only tasked with setting the trigger for it to happen. I don't know the science — or if there really is any — behind it all, but somehow I always hit the target.

And in this case, it was no different, must I say.

"GAAAAAH!" Jacob immediately took steps back, losing control over his attack.

The loss of control once the chalk pierces his right eyes causes Jacob's prepared attack to burst, destroying a random location inside the classroom… Now is my chance.

Don't fail me now, my body…! Tell me, please, that I can still move my legs after that…!

Pulling out the last of remaining strength, I call for every single of my numb, rigid and exhausted muscles. Time to produce a last contraction, a last piece of energy… Please…!

My feet connect to the ground as I get up. My muscles are so exhausted… It feels like each arm and leg has a lead shackle attached to it… I grab a fallen chair. Now is the time.

Move, my right arm…! Pull it, lift it up… And strike this godforsaken piece of nightmare right in its goddamn face…!

***

Hidden in the shadow of the lockers in the parallel hallway, Abigail could only cry. Blasts, screams, vows of bringing death... It was a lot. It was way too much.

The clear tears didn't promise to stop. Even the girl herself couldn't believe a person could cry that much without drying out for good. It had been some time since she cried so intensely.

… But then, after a dry, almost unheard impact now lost to the time, it all came to an end.

She heard it – that she did. It was made clear to her desperate ears that something big happened back in that room.

"Damn… It… This bullshit…" 

Her heart skipped a beat after seeing his figure – not in a bad way, though – if anything, that was the best news she received in the whole day… No, make it the whole week!

"…It hurts like a motherfu-"

He was stopped, falling to the floor in a prostrated position – his whole body trembling as if in severe pain. From her hiding spot, the violet-haired girl could see he was about to pass out from the battle results.

She didn't understand it. She didn't understand what happened, Jacob's obsession or his strange power… but most of all, she didn't understand that guy.

She didn't, and it didn't matter. He helped her, and she needed to help him back. Questions could wait. Yes, they surely could.

And as Abigail Halsey gathered all her resolve to get up and assist him…

"Lira, look at that…!"

"Ryan… What happened to you?"

Another pair of voices invaded the hallways, causing the girl to hide once again and watch the scene unfold.

"Oh… Lira. And that one is…" Leaning against the wall, Ryan slowly got up, smiling slightly as his breathing was reduced to mere panting.

In pain, Ryan's tired mind tried to recognize that face, with no success at all. Being watched by him like that, Ann hesitated, getting the feeling that she was being scrutinized by him in some way.

"I'm... Ann." She spoke. "Ann Young."

"This is Ryan. He is an ally." Lira introduced Ryan and seemed to do the same, this time actually sizing up the boy's appearance. "I can only assume that you emerged victorious... It's nice to see that the outcome can vary at times."

"Well, if I'm on my two legs…" He spoke, in a barely audible, husky voice. "Going after Cast, huh? ... He... went to the abandoned sports court. I saw him heading in that direction."

Lira coldly considered Ryan's words, taking some time thinking about their meaning, and after what felt like fifteen seconds of pure silence, she summarized her usual behavior.

"I will go. Ann, take Ryan to the infirmary." She almost robotically commanded, facing the smoke erupting from the library fire. It could be seen that firefighters already tried to contain it. "Do not follow me. Help others and indicate the safe spots to the authorities. Under no circumstances other than an attack you must use your ability, and the same goes for Ryan."

"Lira, wait…!" Ann tried to protest.

"When you reach it, knock on the door like this…" Lira approached the wall, readying her hand.

[**_*] — Two light knocks, a louder one, and the fourth yet another light knock.

"What do you mean by that?!" Clearly confused by the indication, she questioned.

Lira then started walking away, not stopping to answer the other girl's desperate call. Without ceasing her march for even a mere step, the Suzuki left her last words to the two.

"Just follow the plan and do as I say."

... ... ...

"'Ability'? 'An attack'...?" Abigail's brain could poorly process the new ideas. "I… don't understand it…"

Just when she thought the day couldn't get more confusing, new concepts arrived, causing Abigail to question more and more of what she could see.

Right now, that Ann girl must be helping him, and that's a good thing! But, even seeing he was now safe…

That sensation of her heart being crushed? That Abigail knew well.

The girl grasped her chest region, grimacing at the fact she once again failed to help him. "Inadequacy" is how she tried to name it.