The Cost Of Vengeance

Levi stood at the top of the large rooftop, staring down at the destruction. He knows he shouldn’t be here, but he just can’t help it. This used to be a wonderful neighborhood. The kind where all the neighborhood kids played together, and people were happy. The kind where everyone knew each other. The kind where you could raise a family. All that changed after it happened. After that experiment went horribly wrong and sent out the energy blast.

When the energy blast was released, everyone had hope. They naively believed that people with special abilities would be a good thing. It would help the world, but as everyone learned, life isn’t a comic book. Good people received the powers, but so did the bad people. Unfortunately for humanity, the bad ones killed the few that were good. Power corrupts, he thought bitterly. Soon those super powered psychos took over the planet, and began their oppressive rule. The number of friends and family he had lost due to super powered psychos was far too many to count. This world had taken everything from him.

Levi is forced away from his thoughts at the sound of footsteps. He turns around, removing his gun from its holster. He sees the intruder, a ten-year-old girl with curly blonde hair. The girl looks frightened by Levi’s expression, and by the sight of his hand grasping the gun. Levi sighs, putting the gun back in its holster.

“I told Goggles to keep you at the base, didn’t I?” Levi says, Goggles never did listen, did he? Summer smiles brightly. He watches the girl closely; her innocent expression and sweet features were a stark contrast to the environment and world they live in. “I wanted to see you. You never come to the base anymore”. It was true, he had been intentionally keeping his distance. He tried to tell himself it wasn’t personal, but that wasn’t true. In truth, the girl had become too attached to him. It was dangerous for both of them.

Levi bends down to his knees, getting down on the girl’s level. He looks at her, meeting her crystal blue eyes. “It’s not safe out here. You need to get back to the base”, Levi says softly. Summer tilts her head a bit, looking at him with a pout. He sighs, this is exactly why he needs to keep his distance. This girl had him wrapped around her finger.

“I’ll take you back, alright?” Levi says with a smile. He extends his hand, smiling. The girl stops pouting for a moment. She takes his hand, her pout turning into a smile. She squeezes his hand tightly, causing Levi’s heart to clench tightly in his chest. It was clear to him that Summer viewed him as a father figure.

In truth, it was likely his fault. He should have left her alone that night he heard her crying. She had just lost her parents the week before, that reaction is to be expected. He should have just let her cry. He’s always had a soft spot for kids, so he didn’t. That was a mistake. The girl now feels attached to him. Cares about him. Bad things always happen to those who care for him.

Levi stops suddenly, causing Summer to look up at him with an alarmed expression. He feels the ground begin to shake. He knows that feeling like he knows his own hand. He grabs Summer, quickly jumping off the rooftop and hitting the ground. He looks up, seeing the rooftop above them torn in half. He’s here. Elementar. The man who killed his family. “Was it you?” Levi looks in the direction of the voice, seeing Elemenatar in the distance.

He knows the sight of the green overcoat and red hair all too well. He would never forget the sight of the man who murdered his family. He glares with all the hate and anger he possesses. No one knew his true identity, but Elemantar’s reputation was infamous. The energy blast had given him the power of all the elements, Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. This made Elementar the second most dangerous super on the planet, not to mention he was a psychopath who got a sick enjoyment out of murder.

“Tell me!! Did you kill Stormlight???”, Elementar screams in rage, directing a blast of fire at Levi and Summer. Levi grabs Summer, diving to the side to avoid the blast. Summer begins crying, terrified. He picks Summer up, running between buildings with all the speed he can muster. He finds a spot to hide in between the buildings. He puts a sniffling Summer down, pressing against his ear. “Daniel, where are you?” Levi says breathlessly. “Please tell me you’re nowhere near that big blast” Daniel says through the comm link. “I’m closer than I’d like to be”. Levi hears a sigh. “There’s only one super who can make those kind of earthquakes”. He’s getting closer, Levi glares at the blast of fire in the distance. “You need to come back to the base, Levi. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgement”. He glares into the distance. Emotion do not cloud his judgement; they enforce his judgement. He pulls out one of his pistols.

“Summer is with me. I need you to come get her” Levi says calmly. “Where are you?”. “Look for the fire”. Daniel scoffs and says, “We still have to find a way to keep Elementar from killing us”. “Leave that to me, you just get Summer out of here”, He says with a dark tone. He turns, looking down at his crying companion. He gets down to his knees, once again facing Summer’s eyeline. Levi smiles at her. “When I go right, you go left. Daniel isn’t far”, he states softly. Summer grabs his shirt, looking at him with teary eyes. “What about you?” Summer says through sobs. He ruffles her hair and smiles, “I’ll be right behind you”. It’s a lie, but a necessary one.

“I have eyes on both of you”, Daniel says through the comm. Levi winks at Summer, motioning for her to go to the left. She looks at him with her teary eyes and nods. He takes one last look at Summer, then turn to his left, leaving the shelter, and coming face-to-face with Elementar. Levi glares at him, aiming his pistol and firing a round of bullets. One bullet hits Elementar in the shoulder, causing him to scream in pain and send a blast of fire in Levi’s direction. Levi rolls out of the way, crouching behind an abandoned car. “You asked if I killed her”, he says with a mocking tone.

He takes out a golden bullet from his pocket. Goggles created these types of bullets. These bullets are specialized to permanently end supers. How did Goggles describe it? Oh yeah, “the components in these bullets don’t mesh well with their powers. It’s like a chemical reaction. Think of it as water and oil. Doesn’t mix. To them it feels like their insides are burning and being pulled apart at the same time”. Levi smiles.

“Yes, I did kill her. You don’t know me, but I know you. I had to watch helplessly as you killed my family right in front of me.” Levi says. As Elementar screams in rage and shoots his fire out into the distance, Levi loads the single gold bullet into his gun, closing his eyes. Levi takes out a heart locket from his pocket. He stares at it. This locket was given to him by his wife, three years before the world went to hell. That locket is his only memento from his past. The only thing he possesses to remind him of the man he used to be, and what he’s lost. Unlike his pain, the picture inside the locket had faded. Levi closes his eyes tightly and puts the locket back in his pocket.

Levi gets up, pointing the gun at his opponent. Levi glares at Elementar, feeling all the rage he has held in for so long. “I wasn’t aware you two were together” Levi says with venom, “but, I wish I had known. I could have made her death far more painful”. Elementar glares at him, pressing his hands to the ground. As the ground begins to crumble, Levi glares and pulls the trigger, praying his aim will be true.

.