Chapter 20 #2
I stood, slow, building up the heat in my core.
There were few times I’d experienced true heat before—the VIA loved to test my endurance, see how far I could push my limit.
At seven-hundred degrees, my skin would turn red, and start to blister.
Seven-fifty, and my muscles would start to take on damage.
Eight hundred was my limit; only a few extremely talented Variants would be able to manage the damage.
Anything over that, and I’d succumb to the burnout.
The watch on my wrist started to melt; the last numbers it showed were six-hundred-and-ninety, in bright red.
This is fine.
I was close, but I didn’t have a choice, did I? This guy was dangerous, and I had no doubt that he could have killed me already if he wasn’t having so much fun. I didn’t want to think of what he’d do to the other Heroes, to Nightmyre, to Alex.
That was the trigger, the moment my flames turned cerulean, and my lungs started to char. It was a pain I’d experienced before; I could handle it. The difference this time was that I wouldn’t stop it. Not until he was dead, and by that time, I would be too.
Was Joon okay with it, too? When he burned? When he died?
Even though my skin singed, starting to reveal the muscle underneath, and my insides boiled, I stood firm. I wanted to cry, scream, claw at my insides. But I fixated on him, raising an arm that burned with blue flames. They whipped around me, spinning, swirling in a small tornado.
“What’s the range on,” he waved a hand in the air, “all this? Are we talking feet or blocks?”
“We’ll have to find out.” My voice didn’t come out strong; it was a hoarse whisper, like my vocal chords had started to burn away, too.
He grinned. “Sounds fun—let’s play.”
Flames surged; my suit burned away to reveal blackened skin; and Glitch bent his knees in preparation.
Right when I felt it, when I was sure I’d reached my absolute limit, a wall of water surged between us.
For a moment, I flickered, jerking away like drowning was the worst that could happen right now.
I could see him through the strange wall, his body shifting with the massive wave—were there any Heroes in Nightmyre that could use water, like this?
I wasn’t sure, but the temperature started to die down as we both stood in confusion.
Glitch turned to the side, and his body went rigid.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to focus as I followed his gaze.
That’s when I saw her—Alex, with her arms spread wide, those horns lighting up a blue that mimicked my fire, and tears streaming down her face. Why was she crying?
“Clever,” Glitch murmured, his eyes scanning her. “Good girl.”
An illusion.
The water rippled, and the edges faded, as if it wasn’t sure where the mass should end. Glitch turned back to me, that smile a touch less insane as he waved.
“Looks like playtime is over, so consider this a warning. Splinter isn’t done yet. I’ll be seeing you real soon.”
The water collapsed, disappearing into nothing, and he was gone.
Silence echoed in the street, and the roar of my flames was the only thing left.
Everything was empty—small fires scattered on the ground, bursting from trash cans, litter on the streets, and the occasional spray of blood.
Bodies had fallen, and the helicopters overhead started to circle wider, likely searching for what was left of Splinter.
I can stop now.
Tendons and bone showed through my palms, flesh split and charred, and I was still burning. My knees hit the ground, but I didn’t try to fight it, or pat it away. This was something I couldn’t stop, couldn’t control. I’d gone too far.
It wasn’t even painful anymore. Had my nerves been burned away already?
“Over here!” Reed called, and the sound reminded me that I still had ears.
That’s good, right?
Smoke poured from my mouth, and my lungs squeezed, shriveled, as I began to choke. Alex ran for me, and I wanted to shake my head, wanted to scream at her to stay back.
Stay away.
My shoulders hit the ground next, and my head rested on asphalt. She didn’t stop, didn’t even slow down until she got close enough to feel the heat.
“Make it stop!” she screeched.
I wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or Reed.
I can’t.
“Damnit, Reed! Now!”
Her voice was fading, and I wanted to let go. But we weren’t sure what would happen if I did—the VIA couldn’t decide if my burnout would snuff out the flames, or create a supernova. She was too close to gamble with it, and I managed to raise a hand, telling her to stay back.
Alex didn’t fucking listen, or maybe she didn’t understand, because she inched forward. Her hair shifted, the ends starting to burn away as she grimaced and her face turned red.
Stop.
“I’m here.” Her voice was strained, and it made my gut sink. “I’m right here, Leo. You can stop now—please. You’ll die.”
Something started to cool off inside me. It wasn’t the thought of death, or even the fact that she was too close, and it scared the shit out of me. Alex refused to walk away.
Why won’t you run?
Blue turned to orange, and the fire around me began to simmer, pulling back toward me.
“Good.” She crouched down and started to scoot closer. “Keep going. Don’t worry—you won’t burn me. I promise.”
I blinked, which meant my eyelids were still intact. That must have been a good sign, at least. But I couldn’t speak, couldn’t do a damn thing but lay there, with my hand still reaching out. I wasn’t telling her to stay away anymore. Alex had flipped a switch inside of me, like an emergency brake.
I won’t burn you.
The closer she got, the more my flames retreated, and that gave me hope.
“Get me a healer, now!” Reed was shouting, cursing, causing a scene.
I wanted to rest. I wanted to sleep. I wanted Alex.
She reached out, and I didn’t notice that the fire had gone out completely until she wrapped her hand around mine. Her skin was unharmed, not a mark to be seen. It seemed wrong to be holding mine—black flesh, crimson underneath, and bits of bone peeking through.
“Damnit, Leo,” she breathed, before draping herself over me. “What did you do? Why did you do that?”
I couldn’t feel her, and I think that was the worst part. My body wouldn’t move, wouldn’t react. All I could do was lie there, gasping, and staring at the street as Alex began to sob.
“Don’t you dare fucking die on me,” she choked out. “No one else is allowed to die on me.”
Shit. I made her cry.
By the time the red and blue lights lit up the street, my vision was fading, and everything turned black.