3. Memento Mori (Patreon)

Levi hurried into Jet Engine’s bedroom. Ignoring the ruffled bedsheets, he went straight to the closet. He threw open the doors and perused Jet Engine’s clothes, picking out a few nondescript t-shirts and jeans. A backpack sat in the bottom of the closet. He upended it, tipping old notebooks and a few plastic bags full of strange powders and pills out on the floor. Methodically, he stuffed the bag full of clothes.

“He did drugs?” Fira asked, startled.

“Most low-grade supers are on some sort of performance enhancer. It’s hard to regulate crushing up monster parts and snorting them. And Alpha doesn’t care, so.” He glanced over his shoulder at Fira, then nodded at the closet. “Grab yourself a change of clothes, too. And a hat. A few hats, honestly.”

Fira gave the closet an uncertain look, then steeled herself. She stepped forward, sliding the shirts left and right. Grabbing a shirt off the hook, she cut her eyes at Levi. “Who are you?”

“Leviathan Smith. Already told you. Wait, hold on.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet, then flicked through the cards inside. “Not that one, not that one…”

“You already told me that wasn’t your name. And it’s not what I’m asking. Who are you? Why—how did you kill Jet Engine? And that lady on the phone—”

Levi quirked a brow, sliding his wallet back into his pocket. “It’s pretty easy to kill supers, as long as you catch them off-guard. Last thing you wanna do is have some kind of flashy, big attack and announce your presence. No, no. Invade their personal space. Catch them off-guard. Launch a sneak attack. At that point, they’re almost ordinary people—the low-grade ones, anyways. It’ll give you enough of an advantage that it’s about fifty-fifty from there.”

“Fifty-fifty?” Fira muttered.

“It’s good enough for me. Not ideal for everyone. I’ll explain the rest of it later… the walls have ears,” Levi warned gravely, tapping his.

“Right.”

He nodded at her. “Put a hat on. The rest we'll change into later.”

Finished with the closet, he went to Jet Engine’s night stand. Ignoring the lotion atop it, he went through the drawers and came away with a few loose bills and a credit card.

Fira frowned. “Won't they be able to track that?”

“Sure, and I feel a little bad for whoever picks it up off the street once I'm done with it. But only a little.”

“What? Didn't you kill Jet Engine because he killed civilians?”

“Well, yeah, but a good person will turn this card in. Someone who picks it up and decides to commit credit card fraud, that's on their head.”

She squinted at him. “Are you serious?”

Levi shrugged distractedly, bustling past her. “I just killed a man. You're expecting a lot from me.”

“Hypocrite.”

“Yeah, and?”

Taking one last pass of the apartment, Levi nodded at Fira and tugged the brim of his hat. “Hats on. Let's go.”

Jamming the baseball cap on her head, Fira nodded back.

Levi pressed his ear to the door, then peeked out the peephole. No one stood outside or walked by. He slipped out, holding the door open just enough for Fira to follow him out. She stepped out, and he let the door fall shut.

Down the hall to the staircase. Fira breathed quickly, her chest heaving, face turning red from her pounding pulse.

Levi glanced her. “Hey. Calm down. Chill. Everything’s okay.”

Fira shook her head. “It’s not. I—”

“Yeah, I know, but… Everything. Is. Okay. Got it?” He caught her shoulder, forcing her to stop on the stairs. He stepped down a stair and looked up to meet her eyes, blocking the way forward. Lifting a hand to his chest, he mimed a slow breath.

Fira breathed deep, then let it out slowly. She nodded. “Yeah. Got it.”

Levi chuckled. “For how cool you were acting, you’re just a normal kid under it all, huh?” He stepped out of the way and walked on, heading down the stairs.

“I’m twenty-one. Older than you,” Fira said, frowning.

“How old am I?” Levi asked, glancing back at her with a mischievous look on his face.

“Eighteen. Maybe nineteen.”

He snorted and said nothing. After a beat, he glanced over his shoulder and tossed her a nod. “Coming up on the lobby. Remember everything I taught you.”

Fira stared at him. “What did you teach me?”

“The first rule of hiding: Don’t act like you’re hiding.”

“You never said that.”

Levi raised his brows, startled. “Said it? I showed it.” He shook his head at her. “So much for actions speaking louder than words.”

Crossing her arms, Fira rolled her eyes.

He nudged her as he bounced down the last few stairs. “There we go. Keep that relaxed, exasperated energy. Lobby’s right on the other side of that door.”

Fira stiffened. “Right there—?”

Before she could finish asking, metal click-clicked as Levi pushed open the fire door.

Nostrils flaring, Fira followed him out.

The receptionist glanced up. She nodded at Levi.

Levi nodded back. He headed to the door. Fira followed him, casting a quick glance at the desk.

“Wait.”

Fira stiffened, freezing in place. Ahead of her, Levi glanced back, quirking a brow. “What?”

The receptionist pointed at Fira. “Who’s she?”

Levi chuckled. He retreated toward the desk and leaned in. “You know how these supers are. Poor girl got lost on her walk of shame, if you get what I mean. I gave her a hand and showed her the stairs.”

Snorting, the receptionist shook her head. “If you think that’s a walk of shame, you should see half the shit I see here on the weekends.”

“Sheesh, girl. Listen, you and me, we should hang out. I think we’ve got a lot in common.” With a wink, Levi slid her a piece of paper with a phone number on it.

The receptionist giggled. “You think a delivery boy like you has a shot?”

Levi clicked his tongue. Pushing away from the desk, he waggled his finger at her. “I don’t think. I know.”

Giving him a look, the receptionist picked up the slip and tucked it into her purse.

With a last playful wave, Levi gestured for Fira to leave and followed her out.

Outside, Fira gave him a look. “Did you seriously give that woman your number?”

“Hell yeah. Did you see her?” Levi whistled.

“After—”

Levi glanced at her. “What’s the last thing you’d expect someone in my position to do? If they ask her who did it, she might suspect that creepy delivery guy who came in and left real fast, right around the right time. But the flirty delivery boy? No way. Completely harmless. Totally off the list.”

She frowned. “But you left evidence.”

“Oh, the number? If she calls it, she can order some of the city’s best pizza.”

Fira stared at him.

Levi frowned back. “What? Did you really think I was tryna get it wet at a crime scene? How stupid do you think I am?”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure if you’re an idiot or a genius.”

“I prefer crazy, like a fox.”

“Yeah, you would.”

They walked down the road. Around the corner, Levi shrugged. “Well, I act like it’s a sure shot, but at the end of the day, it’s a gamble. It might work, it might not. But I think it’s worth rolling the dice.”

“Oh,” Fira muttered. She looked around them. “Where are we going?”

Levi shook his finger. “Just follow me. You’ll find out.”

Pressing her lips together, Fira glanced over her shoulder. She cast her gaze over the vastness of the city, then looked away, following Levi instead. I already tried doing it myself. Better to try following a local than to strike off on my own and get caught again.

Besides, if he tries to cross me… Fire glittered in her eyes and curled over the palm of her hand for a moment, then vanished.

“You coming?” Levi asked.

“Coming,” Fira replied, hurrying after him.