Super Jaded (9/23) (Patreon)

Chapter 9: Rampage

“Help! Please for the love of god, somebody help us!”

This was typically a chant reserved for my supersonic ears. As soon as that magic word was spoken, being ‘help’, my superhero instincts would kick in and I’d already be out the window and on my way to the rescue.

But who would come to my aid if it was me?

I kneeled next to the body of my fallen girlfriend, unsure of what to do. She was still breathing, but my stupid brain wasn’t confident in how long that would last. I was too frightened to do CPR. What if I lose control of my superstrength? What if my freeze-breath accidentally activates? There were too many factors and I was running out of time.

As much as I didn’t want to do this, it was time to go to the nearest hospital. The last thing I wanted to do now was be seen in public. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to control my anger anymore. But I had to do it—Fern needed me right now.

Flying as gently as I possibly could, I carried Fern down the street to the closest facility. I took extra care to make sure her head was well supported and that she was bundled up in her favorite blanket as it got cold above the city skyline.

I ran into the hospital lobby, to say I stuck out like a sore thumb would be an understatement. I was panting like a mad dog as my hyperventilating mind frantically searched for the nearest doctor. I was a god amongst these people, yet I was frightened, angry and unsure like any human.

“Someone! Please! Help my girlfriend!” I shouted out, tears pouring from my eyes. But everyone was frozen like a painting, just staring at me with shrunken pupils. I shouted again for help, and all the medical personnel in the area took a step back in fear.

Unsure as to why, my question was immediately answered when I glanced over to a TV hanging near the ceiling, displaying a 24 hour local news station. Credit where credit was due, they did their best to censor the splatter that was the mayor’s body, but it was still unmistakable what had happened. The street-view camera had panned up to capture me flying away from the scene.

I was now certain that no one would come help me. Why would they? I helped them every morning and night for ten years and now their trust all falls apart over the span of a day. Hypocritical fuckers.

But then, just as I was about to lose hope, an older man came bursting through the double doors, stretcher in hand. Unlike all the other doctors and nurses, this guy seemed eager to help Fern and me.

“Nina, hurry and help me get her in the stretcher, then follow me.”

I did as he said. With utmost haste he carted Fern to the nearest empty hospital bed with me in tow. All the while, everyone continued to watch in static silence as if they were judgemental statues of some kind.

“Alright, we’ve got her in the bed. Did you see the incident unfold?”

“No. W-when I got home, she was just… like this.”

“Alright, well then we’ll have to run a few tests, she may have internal bleeding. This could take a while.”

He continued to run down a series of diagnostics before ultimately it was determined that an MRI scan would need to be conducted alongside a contrast dye for clarity. It was a long and arduous process, but the doctor never left our side once, even as I pestered him with questions and clarifications like a paranoid girlfriend would.

Eventually, the truth was revealed. Fern had been stricken on the head and spine, suffering multiple fractures. It was a hard truth to swallow, and seeing the x-rays didn’t make it any easier. All I wanted to do at that very moment was rage against the world, but I couldn’t let Fern leave my sight… right?

As the minutes dragged on, I found a particular inquiry entering my head.

“Hey, Dr… uh…”

“Butz.”

“Right... Dr. Butz, I just have one more question.”

“Ask away, Ms. Nina.”

“W-why did you jump in to help me back there? I mean, you had seen what I had done to the mayor, same as anyone else. But you still chose to care for Fern.”

The doctor sighed, but it was not one of hesitation. A smile of reminiscing slowly grew on his face and a tear began to well up in his left eye.

“Because, my dear Nina, two years ago you saved my little girl from a house fire. Even though the firemen had all but given up and you were currently halfway across the city in a news conference, you dropped everything to be there for my loved one. It would be hypocritical of me not to extend the same olive branch of humanity towards you.”

What followed was something I honestly never thought I’d say to a human being ever again.

“Thank you.”

Dr. Butz nodded his head knowingly.

“I don’t know what your next course of action is, but I want to let you know that no matter what, Fern will be safe with me. I won’t let anyone else come into this room until she has made a full recovery.”

I hugged the doctor as tight as I could without injuring him. Maybe humanity had some glimmers of hope after all?

The tv blaring its usual obnoxious “news” story reminded me otherwise. While still hugging the doctor tightly, my eyes drifted upwards to the wall-mounted monitor in the room. He seemed to squirm uncomfortably in my unyielding grasp as my eyes narrowed in anger.

The news feed showed a barrage of interviews with seemingly random civilians, all expressing their distaste in my recent performance. While the complaints ranged from my humiliation of the chief of police to my killing of the mayor, I was still surprised at how many of them just had to add in that I was “sinful” or other annoying homophobic dogwhistles.

The rage that burned in my soul reignited. What was done to Fern was a hate crime and the longer the culprit went unidentified, the more I wanted to destroy everything this pathetic civilization constructed.

I let go of the good doctor, trying my best to hide my burgeoning anger at the world. Without another word, I turned about-face and walked out the emergency room door.

The news was still live as I arrived, stretching the topic as thin as they possibly could just to milk it for all it was worth. I’d give them a scene to fucking milk for views.

I could hear them interviewing some evangelicals about the matter. As soon as I heard the word “god” come out of one of their mouths, I knew whatever they had to say wouldn’t be pretty.

“All I’m saying is, this is god’s way of punishing us for accepting the homosexual agenda. How many more people need to die before we realize that?”

“I could think of a few,” I responded, descending from the sky and scaring the hell out of everyone there. I landed right next to the man who was on the mic, looking him up and down.

The whole crowd fell silent.

“Now, listen here you primitive fuck-heads,” I grabbed the news microphone out of the reporter’s hand. All cameras fell on me. “Because of some asshole or assholes, my girlfriend is now in the hospital. Judging by the way you all talk about me, I’m beginning to suspect one of you knows something about that. So please, continue talking about your beliefs with such confidence.”

No one from the religious crowd spoke up. Instead, the reporter whose mic I had taken did.

“Ms. Etana, are you confirming your girlfriend, Fern Chang, is located in the Southwestern hospital at this very moment?”

“Yes, a—” I caught myself, but it was too late. My jaw dropped in disbelief and anger. Rage welled up within me, ready to burst at a moment’s notice. Why the fuck did she ask that!? What the fuck was the smarmy reporter’s deal!? Was she trying to get Fern killed!?

I was just barely able to conceal a rampage with a simple question.

“Tell me, is that building down there your news station’s headquarters?” I pointed to a towering, twenty-story skyscraper with the same logo on it as her microphone. I already knew the answer, but I just wanted to hear her say it.

“Y-yes, why?”

I didn’t even turn to face her. My vision remained on the building as my eyes began to glow red. The screams that ensued from the crowd as the building was demolished floor-by-floor by my heat vision were more delayed than what I had anticipated. It was as if the thought of me stooping this morally low was simply inconceivable to them before now.

But it didn’t matter what they thought. The fact of the matter was I destroyed a building full of shitty people that peddled lies about me in fifteen seconds flat.

I fucking hated that building.

In fact, there were a few other buildings in this city I despised.

Turning my head a mere 110 degrees to the right, I opened fire upon the mayor’s office. Sure, the mayor was dead, but it was almost a guarantee at this point that one of his bureaucratic lackie fucks would take over for him and just squeeze out the same shitty policies that Fern had always criticised him for when he was in office.

Two buildings reduced to ash and rubble in less than a minute. Were there even any survivors? Who cares.

But something else was on my mind. Something I did care about quite a bit. I flew up into the sky, above the top of even the tallest skyscraper, scanning the city blocks for a certain building.

My superior eyesight zeroed in on the target, although such an eyesore of a building would be pretty hard to miss even from the space station. The local evangelical church, the source of all the bullshit I’ve had to deal with.

Needless to say, it was quite cathartic tearing it to shreds.

But then, amidst the rampage, something caught my eye. Turning a sideways glance back to the hospital, I noticed a strange amount of governmental presence. Men in tuxedos and black shades created a perimeter around the building as black cars and helicopters drove to and from it.

That was strange. Why weren’t they attempting to help the people of the city? All those resources allocated to protect a building I wasn’t even going to destroy.

Wait.

Oh no.

Oh no no no.

I rushed back to the hospital at mach speed, the sound barrier—like every other kind of barrier—was no match for me. I landed in the street, creating a massive impact crater that kicked up chunks of concrete in every direction. The G-Men that weren’t instantly killed by the flying debris surrendered immediately, but I didn’t care. With their guns dropped and hands to the sky, my laser vision cut them down like a prized mower to overgrown, weed-infested grass.

The door had been barricaded, but I didn’t even need the door. I walked straight through the wall knowing that the slight three-foot detour would be a waste of my time. I stormed down the hall only to stop with caution at the emergency room that contained Fern.

My hand paused as it neared the handle. It seemed I always hesitated whenever there was a closed door with Fern behind it, but this time I was afraid of something else entirely.

I gently opened the door. My heart sank into the depraved depths.

Fern was missing from her bed, messy sheets implying a rushed capture. I looked over to the far left corner of the room and my heart somehow sank even further. There was Dr. Butz, slouched in a sitting position, a fresh bullet hole in-between his eyes that created a mosaic of blood behind him on the creased wall.

My entire body shook violently, my brain a storm of emotions I couldn’t even begin to process.

Three destroyed buildings wasn’t enough.

Not even fucking close.