Sighing, Zane’s shoulders dropped.What being in the sky hated him enough to make his life intertwine so frequently with Bailey’s?All he wanted was to pick up popcorn, pop, and pizza.With Zane being anti-social and Bailey being stubborn, they weren’t getting much of anywhere.Even if Zane continued to say no, he concluded Bailey would discover another way to be bothersome.He needed to get the kid out of his life, and fast, so he held out his hand.
“Uh, what?”Bailey asked.
“Give me five dollars,” Zane stated.“For the coffee you would have bought me.Give me the money and we’ll call it your thanks.”
“No…that…that’s not the point!”Bailey wondered if Zane had any friends, because who in the hell could put up with the guy?He was as antisocial as they came, while Bailey sure as hell wasn’t.He had every intention of explaining ‘the point’ to Zane, but he never got to it.
It happened suddenly and quickly.Zane pushed Bailey without warning.He fell to the floor, perplexed by Zane resting on top of him prior to a concussive blast that rattled the store.Bailey threw his hands over his ears that rang from the concussive noise.For a moment, the world itself shook and trembled.If Bailey wasn’t already on the ground, would have brought him to his knees.Then, suddenly, there was no sound at all.An intense wave of heat burst through the front windows and blew through the store.The windows shattered, shards of glass scattered across the quaking floor.Shelves flew off the walls, others tipped back and forth.Everything in the store was thrown about like paper, falling to the floor or bursting in the air.
Sound returned, but only as an intense ringing that made Bailey dizzy.Dust and debris rained from the ceiling, casting the world in a brown blur.Bailey searched for his glasses before realizing he hadn’t lost them.His vision was simply blurry from the pounding in his head, whatever hell rained down upon him, and the shock coursing through his veins.
Groaning, Bailey tried to get up.Then he remembered Zane had thrown himself on top of him.He stopped, glanced at Zane, who had his face practically cradled into Bailey’s neck.He was moving.At least that meant he was alive.Huffing, Zane pushed himself off Bailey.He wore a perplexing glare.
“W-What?”Bailey coughed, overwhelmed by the dust.
Zane sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world was resting upon his shoulders.He pushed himself onto his feet, then dusted off his close.Scowling, Zane spoke more to himself than Bailey, “Bad Luck Bailey indeed.”
Bailey flushed, getting up with every intention to tell Zane off until he glimpsed what was happening outside the store.People screamed.Tires screeched.Sirens pierced the air.Dozens of people ran by.A building across the street spit black smoke and billowing flames.Fire shot out of every window, engulfing the building and moments away from destroying another.Bailey couldn’t take his eyes off it.Fire and smoke.The outside world was utter chaos.Bailey’s legs shook so violently that he had to clutch Zane’s arm to keep steady.
Zane cocked a brow.He almost brushed off the hold, then noticed the fear in Bailey’s eyes.The time at the café, the burn scars on Bailey’s hands.It was no surprise he couldn’t move at the sight of the flames.Hell, he didn’t even appear to be breathing.Zane snapped.The distraction broke Bailey’s trance.His gaze shifted to Zane, and he took a deep breath.
“We need to leave,” Zane stated.He mentally cursed the universe for putting them in this situation.He couldn’t leave Bailey behind.The boy barely nodded at being spoken to.Grumbling, Zane grabbed Bailey’s shirt to tug him towards the exit.Bailey stumbled over his feet.Zane clutched his shoulder to keep him upright until they finally reached the crumbled street.
They had to get away as soon as possible.Zane suspected there was a villain nearby.If that were the case, they could end up getting quarantined depending on how much damage was done.From his quick look at the street, it wasn’t just the bank that was hit.Buildings burned to the left and right.The entire block, likely even a few, had been hit.Though sirens blared, they were distant.Zane wasn’t sure how long it would take for anyone to arrive.
The cause of the explosion was unknown.Zane’s eyes lingered on the bank.Likely an important target, if not the most important one of the attack.Before he pushed Bailey towards safety, a voice spoke from above that made escaping rather difficult; “Hello, hello down there!”
A girl stood atop the bank building along the edge where the flames had yet to reach.A smile spread across the girl’s face, cheerful as if she had won a game rather than blown up a block.Her short blue hair was easily recognizable even beneath her baseball cap.
Zane recognized her from the news; a villain that recently broke out of prison or received help in breaking out.He wasn’t paying enough attention to remember correctly.Regardless, a villain was trouble, and he had a bad luck charm attached to his side.He considered relocating to Alaska.Nothing too crazy happened in Alaska.
“My name’s Boomer!”She introduced herself with a flamboyant bow.“And I’m here to have some fun with you guys.”
With her smile still on, she focused her gaze on a trembling couple in the street corner.She snapped her fingers that caused a minor explosion directly at the couple’s feet.The two screamed and jumped back just as she snapped again and again, until they displayed a tortuous dance for her amusement.It wasn’t until the woman dropped to her knees in exhaustion and fear that Boomer finally stopped.
“Tired already?”Boomer frowned.“But we just started!”
Bailey slowly returned to his senses.He noted Zane inching them away from the scene.A street corner grew close.He assumed they would turn and run for it once they reached the corner.However, he didn’t like the idea of leaving others behind when it was clear Boomer would not let them leave with their lives.
Although his heart raced from the proximity of the fire, he finally had control of his trembling limbs.Much to Zane’s immense displeasure, Bailey chose to be stupid.He slipped from Zane’s grasp to run for the couple.The woman laid on the ground, practically hyperventilating while her partner shielded her.
Zane stood, gaping; a few feet away while he questioned how an idiot like Bailey had survived so long.The dumbass had literally thrown himself in front of trouble like it wasn’t even something that deserved thought.Zane, on the other hand, had no desire to die, nor was he interested in playing the hero.With Bailey’s distraction, Zane disappeared around the corner without any noticing.
Boomer stared wide-eyed at Bailey; the one who had the bravery, or stupidity, to put himself in harm’s way.Her smile turned from amused to impressed when she put her hands on her hips.
“And who might you be?”she asked, leaning forward.
“My name is Bailey,” Bailey replied with a tremor in his voice that nearly made it break.
He cleared his throat and stood his ground even when Boomer jumped from the building.She landed gracefully on the sidewalk, as if she didn’t fall over four stories before standing straight and actually skipped towards them.
Bailey wasn’t sure if he was breathing any longer.Boomer was so close that she could reach out and touch him.There was a brief moment where Bailey actually thought he saw his life flashing before his eyes.A second felt like an eternity; sweat formed on his brow.The very air in his lungs turned cold.
“I like you, Bailey,” Boomer said.“You’re fun.”
Bailey’s stomach knotted.Vomiting sounded like a good idea, but he doubted Boomer would appreciate that.If anything, she would probably kill him quicker.He wasn’t sure what Boomer had in store, but whatever it was, she put it on hold.
A car came hurtling down the street to ram Boomer’s side.Bailey slammed his eyes shut at the sound of glass shattering and Bommer screaming.It happened so fast.One moment, Boomer stood in front of him.The next, a car had shot her down the street.Bailey moved instinctually.He grabbed the couple-se arms and ran.He didn’t know who drove that car, but they likely didn’t survive.The impact of Boomer’s body against the windshield was likely more than enough damage, but her anger afterwards?That would be catastrophic.
