I sat down on the couch next to Zeke while having a drink of water. My sweaty uncut, messy black hair was getting in the way of my blue eyes and my black T-shirt with a skull on it and jeans were sticking to my skin.
"This water tastes like old bitter tea." I said to him
"Hey it's wet and not poisoned be grateful." Cole said to me and I nodded knowing he was right
"Whatchya guys thinking about kid." Zeke asked me.
"About how the only thing I can remember before the blast is my name William, and another name, Emily."
He patted me on the shoulder, I looked away one of the things I hated was sympathy.
"Hey Cole enough of this touchy feely crap let's watch the boobtube."
"We can't batteries are dead." I told him.
Zeke looked at Cole. "You mind putting on the freak show?"
"Sure least it's good for something" Cole said quietly he started zapping them.
"Lay into them man, woohoo boobtube's working." Zeke said happily as black and white cartoons started playing.
"Weird feels like I have more power." Cole said
"Me to actually. My adrenaline is still going."
Zeke's eyebrows raised "Try attacking those dummies over there." I got up and powered up my solar form which makes my whole body look like is smoldering ash. I love that I am able to absorb sunlight and when I'm in my solar form, I get super strength, agility, durability, stamina and invulnerability. But my solar form can only last if I have enough absorbed energy from the sun. I started punching and kicking the dummies in ways that would make people think I just jumped out of a Bruce Lee movie.
"Whoa kid easy, where did you learn to fight like that?" Cole asked me as stopped and started panting letting the sunlight give me more energy.
I shrugged "I have no clue, but I feel like I know it like the back of my hand like I've been doing that stuff my whole life."
"Whoa hey look at that." " Zeke exclaimed, pointing upward. A huge green air plane flew over us, flying really low. "Flyin so low I thought it was gonna crash into us." Just then the TV flickered and turned into that black gray baseball field, then turned to a man who had a red and black backdrop. "Hey it's the TV jacker, I love this guy."
"Heard they just dropped some food off at archer, as if it will do any good, they keep acting like their helping, saying that more is coming. There not the ones livin in this hell hole! Well better head over to archer before the reapers show up. Voice of survival out" The man on the t.v informed us.
"Told you they'd drop food."
"Yeah right man, you think they care about us? This is a PR stunt."
"For once Zeke is right."
"Exact-Hey!" Me and Cole laughed.
"C'mon lets get going. Im going to take the express elevator."
"Aww, you guys get all of the fun," Zeke complained. Cole jumped off the roof, and landed with a thud. I followed suit in my solar form and landed broke a small bit of the ground as I landed. Zeke raced out the door and stopped to catch his breath.
"Whoa that was fun wish I could do something like that running down those stairs, that sucks donkey balls. Hey Cole, Will before we head over to archer I need to go pick up a six shooter." He started running and we followed.
"Hey that was bad-ass the second you touch it the electricity in hand cooks off the gun powder, and the whole thing goes KABAM, ha look on your face was priceless."
I laughed in agreement "You gotta admit it was pretty funny."
"Damn thing near blew my hand off."
"Which is why you won't be touching the next one, traded this guy one of my homemade batteries for it."
"Wait the ones that explode when you use them?" I asked with a shudder remembering trying to use one for the TV, nearly made me fly 2 feet back, almost fell off the roof.
"Hell he don't know that. Come on, guy told me that the gun was going to be left in a parking lot a few blocks from here."
We kept running.
"Hey guys you know what I miss? Pizza, a big sloppy slice dripping with grease and pepperoni, and payday having a big fat wad of bills in your pocket."
"I would settle of hot water." Cole said
"Yeah well I just want my memories" I added with a sad look as we kept running
Zeke saw the look on my face. "Hey Will did me or Cole tell you about the time we were coming home from Duffy's and I had to take a leak? And that bike was yelling at me to put up my hands?"
Cole let out a bark of a laugh. "You pissed all over him."
"Hey he told me to put up my hands, while he's jumbling around I jump back in and take off. Awesome"
"Yeah until we ran into a wall of cops." Cole added with a smile on his face
I was laughing even harder at that. I loved hanging around Cole, Zeke and Trish. All for different reasons, Cole because he had powers as well so I knew he would have my back. Zeke because he could cheer me up and make me laugh whenever I was down. Trish because she reminded me of an older sister, she was kind and would always give me shit when I got hurt in a fight or with messing around with my powers.
"Hey Will you even listening?" Cole yelled and I stopped spacing out.
"Sorry what did you say?"
"I said awesome until we ran into a wall of cops."
Zeke laughed "Too bad we won't be that again until someone invents a car that doesn't explode when I sit in it."
The three of us got to the parking lot and there are a row of cars parked.
"Aw man he said he would leave it under a car, figured there be only one."
I cracked my knuckles "Want me to be a human Jack?"
Cole put his arm in front of me. "Stand back I got this"
Putting his hand out and pushing me back. He looked at one of the cars, and flung his hands forward at one of the cars. A large, blue, swirling electric mass flew forward, knocking the car away five feet. It then proceeded to explode.
"COOL," I exclaimed as Cole did it to a second, the third car. Then under it was a six-shooter. Zeke ran over and picked it up, exclaiming "Hellacious! Hell I didn't know you could do that."
"Me too, there was this surge..."
"Woah, you don't look so hot."
"Cole, are you okay," I inquired.
"Drained all of a sudden, hold on a sec." He walked over to the wall which had a huge power thingy ( I'm not an electrician, I'm 18, uhhh I think) and leaned against it. Suddenly, electricity zapped from the unit to Cole's arms, and immediately he looked much better. He drained the entire thing, and looked at his hands.
"Did you see that?"
"Whoa you're a walking battery, must have to recharge whenever you fry off a bunch of juice."
I smirked "So if Cole's a battery, then I'm a solar roof, and Zeke's well….A Keg? Me and Cole laughed while Zeke aimed his new gun and pretended to fire off fake shots.
"Pow Pow" He said with a smile on his face
"Come on let's head over to archer square before someone takes all the brewskies." Zeke ran off ahead of us.
Cole caught up with me I was just about to ask how he was his cell rang. He put it on speaker it was Trish.
"Hey Babe."
"You hear they drop some food?"
"Yeah Zeke me and Will are heading there now."
"Hey Will how are you two feeling?" She asked me with a sound of concern
"It's weird our powers are all over the place, it used to be that I could barely lift an anvil, now me and Cole are frying and punching the crap on Zeke's roof and jumping off of buildings."
"What! You two jumped off a building what were you guys thinking?"
"Relax Trish Will and I are fine." Cole said while giving me a look that said "Traitor"
"Just take it easy both of you, after what happened to Amy I couldn't bear to lose both you and Will Cole, I love you and Will's like the younger brother I always wanted. See you guys at Archer Square."
We kept running until we got to the square. The food was on top of the statue it must have gotten stuck.
"Whew, I hate to say it but Cole or Will, only you two could live from a fall like that. Gotta climb up there and get that stuff free."
I looked at Cole. "You go up" I said "I'll keep an eye out for Reapers. Besides I'm better in close combat fights."
Cole started climbing like a monkey towards the food
"Whoa when did he learn to do this."
"Few years ago. He got into urban exploration." Zeke told me
"He's got to teach me that." I said with a determined smile on my face.
I was smiling licking my lips for the food that was about to touch my lips when we heard them. First it was the gunshots.
"REAPERS" People were yelling out. Then I saw them wearing their signature red hoodies with skulls on the hoods. I turned into my solar form and charged at them. Either punching or kicking at them, then I saw Cole leap off the edge of the statue and started firing at them, Zeke was helping out to as best he could.
"HELP SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME." I turned and saw a woman on the ground with a reaper about to have his way with her. I turned and saw that Zeke was getting surrounded. I could either help the woman, or help my friend. I knew the right choice. I jumped as hard as I could and tackled the reaper and started punching him in the face. I got up, he wasn't dead I could hear breathing. Just knocked out, I turned toward the woman.
"You alright?" I asked
"Thank you. Thank you. You saved my life," the young women exclaimed throwing her arms around me. I hugged her back, then peeled myself away from her.
"Gotta go!" I ran off again towards the plaza, to see Zeke surrounded by reapers. "Hell!" They took aim, but I was faster. I leapt toward one of them knocking him out then punched the other one in the gut.
"I had them," Zeke complained.
"Yeah, with an empty gun." I took his gun off the ground and handed them to him.
"Well, whatever. We are eating." Zeke ran over to one of the crates and started to pry it open. One look at Cole, and I could tell what he was thinking. This food could save us from starvation for weeks, but the others might starve. Cole lifted his hand and stared at the lightning dancing across his palm. He closed his fist, and watched as one man opened the package. Just then Trish ran up, a large smile plastered onto her face.
"You got the food for all of these people. They would have starved if it wasn't for you." She hugged all three of us.
"Hey just doing what we can, someone's gotta help these people."
"Aw come on, these guys dropped us canned prunes, now who in the holy mother of hell thinks that we will eat this stuff." I gagged as I looked at the tin can.
Zeke was about to agree when the TV flickered on. It was the TV Jacker again.
"Good news Empire City, I found the guy who was responsible for the blast, if anyone you cared is dead, this is the guy to blame if you know anything about him let me know. We got to make him pay.
FLASHBACK
I was sitting on a bench in the historic district, waiting for, uhhh someone. Cole, not that I knew it was him at the time, rode by on his bike. I noticed something about his bag. It was, well, glowing blue. I stopped him in the street, as it was rarely empty for a moment.
"Do, you know your bag is glowing." I said to him politely.
"Huh?" He looked at me, confused, then got a call.
"Open the package," said the voice, then it shut off. Cole, still confused, opened his bag and unwrapped the package. His eyes went wide, as in fact, it was glowing, almost pulsating blue light. Then my world went dark.
END FLASHBACK
I looked from Cole to Trish, who just stared at each other. Then Trish walked away, without a word. I followed her.
"Trish, come on you believe that guy."
"Cole killed my sister." Her voice was flat, no emotion.
"Cole wouldn't, you know that."
"How can I?" She turned towards me, her face the perfect picture of rage. "He murdered all those people. That asshole! I will never speak to him again." She turned to walk off, and did just that.
"Trish..." I turned around to find Zeke and Cole gone. My walkie talki phone chimed.
"Meet up at stapton bridge, north of town." Cole's voice sounded almost as monotone as Trish's. My mind full of worry, I ran towards the direction I was given. Knowing that either I would be killed or something would happen to the three of us that would change everything.
