Hey guy, I know its been a while since I posted but hopefully this will make up for lost time. I might be a bit rusty so sorry in advance.
Chapter 4
Some time off
Gunshots, sirens, and glass breaking, could all be heard off in the distance in the city. They were all to far for me to do anything about it. I took a deep breath through my nose and slowly let it out as I ran my right hand through my new haircut. It was called the undercut or something along that line.
As I looked over the city from buildings roof I swung my leg side to side slighty as it was hanging off the ledge. My other leg was being used as a arm rest. I felt the breeze run over me as I took another bit of my sandwich.
Down on the street below me, I saw a car going as fast as it possibly could with three cop cars chasing after it. I shook my head and took a sip of my drink. It was only noon and already the crime was at full swing.
"The shite I get myself into." I spoke under my breath. "One of these days someone's gonna get a lucky shot on me." I let a laugh and shook my head at that thought. Getting killed by a helping Oliver Queens team. I foreshore thought getting shanked would be the way I go but then again, i'm not in prison anymore.
I let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of my nose. I could feel the drowsiness creeping up on me. For the past few weeks i've been running around playing vigilante. And let me tell you something it is not for the people who love sleep.
Besides getting shot at, almost stabbed, burned, drowning, it has its ups too.
2 weeks ago
I was on my way back to my place after a long night of a couple of drug labs and a few thugs who thought they were all that by stealing from women.
On the way back the way back I could smell a strong scent of smoke and I coupd hear sirens not to far away. And sure enough, as soon as I turned the corner there was a brick building where its top floor was on fire.
Smoke was pouring into the air through the windows at the top of building. Even though I was a distance away I could feel the heat like bonfire. At street level level there were some people who were crying and some are video as it happens.
The firefighters were trying there hardest to put out the fire but nothing was working. As I got closer to it the heat got more intense almost to an unbearable level and I was just on the ground. As I moved towards the crowd I could hear a women calling for somebody but it was drowned out by the sirens.
I stood in for a few moments before somebody grabbed my shoulder and turned me towards them. It was a young girl maybe around my age or a little older or younger. She had dark brown hair that was a little stringy from the stress of this whole situation.
"Have you seen my son? He's about to my waist and he has brown hair that is cut short. Please tell me you've seen him? Please!" She looked at me with pleading eyes and I could tell she was on the verge of tears. I shook my head and she had that look that destroyed me. She burst into tears and fell to knees, she covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her cries but I could still here them over the sirens.
I kneeled down beside her and put my hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll look around for him. What's his name?" She looked at me and I saw a ping of hope in her eyes.
"His name is Jackson, and thankyou." I just nodded and got up. I started asking around but they shook there head and said no. Finally after went through the whole crowd I went to one of the firefighters. "I sorry to bother you but have you seen a young bot with brown hair?" I saw the look in his eye and it said all I needed to know. He shook his head slowly and he gave me a sorrowful look and went back to help the other firefighters.
I let out a sigh and felt my shoulders slump. If nobody has seen hin then there was only place he could be and I really didn't want to think about that. I dreaded what I had to tell the mother. To lose a child like that must be crushing.
I moved my way throught the crowd trying to get back the poor women. Halfway through the crowd I heard yelling coming from the middle of the crowd and I could hear very faintly someone yelling back from the building. I started to quickly make my way towards the yelling person and as I got closer I couod tell it wa ls the mother and the person who was screaming was a kid on the top floor but faintly.
"Jackson sweetie! Can you hear me?!" I heard the mother yell. There was a few seconds of silence before I heard the kid yell "Mommy!"
The mother had a look of panic and relief. I looked over the fiefighters and it was clear that they weren't going to get there in time. "Well if I die, I did something heroic." I said under breath. I silenty removed myself from crowd going to the alley a few buildings over. I made sure that no ome was near as I put on my suit. I didn' t my bow so I left it along with my quiver.
The building that was on fire was on fire isn't that hard to find since all I had to do was follow the sirens.
I carefully and sneakfully make my way around to back as to not be seen by anybody. The fire escape was pulled down so my lucj had changed a little. I put my hand on the metal and imstanly felt the scorching heat the metal and pulled my hand away. 'Well not going that way.'
There was door at the back of building so my only other option was to climb, and lucky for me the building looked to be an easy climb. I stepped on the seal and I could feel the heat on the bricks. They were hot but not as bad as the fire escape.
I began to make my way up towards the the second to the top floor. The top floor would be a really bad idea to go into just straight up so I'm gonna take the stairs up to the top floor.
I put my foot down on a little ac unit that was sticking out of the wall. The unit began to shake slitely before it gave away and fell. Breif moment of panic came over me as a fell for a second. I was able to grab onto a windkw seal and pull my self up.
I felt the heat of the fire right above me so I knew I was on the third floor. I broke the window with my elbow and made way inside. Once I was inside I realized that I was in a little girls room because there were stuffed dolls and batbie things every where. I walked through the girls room and out her door as quickly as I could trying to get to Jackson as fast as my legs would take me.
I jogged through the apartment and out the door where I picked up my pace a little. Once I was in the hallway I got a face full of smoke, and I immediately began coughing and I could feel the burn of the smoke in my lungs as I coughed.
I kept my head down low to avoid most of the smoke. Now instead of going fast like I wanted to, I was now going at normal walking speed to make sure I don't sufficate on the smoke. The door to the stair to the stairwell was open making it a bit easy to find. The stairwell was flooded with smoke and it was lmost impossible for me to see two feet in front of me.
It was hard to breath with all the smoke around me. I was basically crawling on my hands and knees just to get a decent breath from the smoke filled air. When I finally reached the top floor the heat nearly killed me. Fire engulfed everything that it touched and the air was extremely thick with smoke.
I could Jackson screaming, but only barely as the fire was all around me. The smoke was buring my eyes and lungs as I made my way down the fire engulfed hallway. "Mommy!" I heard the kid yell from behind the final door at the end of hallway. I tried to open the door but the handle was scorching hot. 'I really hope he isn't behind the door.' I took a step back and kicked open the door.
The roof gave out a groan and I knew I had to make this quick. The living room area that I was in was covered in fire and it spreading quickly. "Mommy!" The yell came from behind a door on the other side of the room. I quickly ran across the room to the door and kicked it open. When I got inside I saw the a 5 year-old kid cowering in the corner with his knees to my chest and his eyes red and puffy.
When he saw me he tried moving back further away and he looked at me with fear-filled eyes. I got down into his level and I slowly made my way over to him. I held out my hand for him to take it but all he did was look at it, then me. "You're not my Mommy." He stated.
"No I'm not but I can take you to her if you take my hand." He looked back at it and looked like he was going to reach for it but he pulled back. "I'm... I'm too scared to go out there. The fire will hurt me." I had to think and quick if I wanted to get us out of here alive.
I took a deep breath and let out. I took off my mask and turned of my voice changer. "Put on my mask. It will make you brave and the fire won't touch you." i held oyt my mask for him and a few seconds of him loking at it, he grabbed it and put it on. He grabbed my hand and pulled him to my chest and told him to hold on. He gripped on with all the strength he had.
I picked him and began to make my way back to the window that I came through. I walked out of the apartment, I crouched down and began to move quickly out of the burning floor. Halfway down the hallway I heard the same groaning behind before I heard the sound of the roof giving away. The child clutched me tighter as I made a quicker pace to get out.
"Alright hold your breath." I got a deep breath as my response. I made it to the stairwell and slowly made my way down the stairs careful not trip on anything. "Almost there little man." I said as I exited the stair well. "You can breathe now." I heard him let out his breath and take another one rapidly.
I heard a crash from the stairwell and the roof above began to groan. 'Oh shite.' smoke be damned, I started running to the room I came in. I ran into the arptment and the ceiling above us began to smoke. I was now sprinting to the window and trying my best to not trip on anything.
"Alright climb on my back." I told the child as I ran into the room. I put him down on the ground and turned around for him to jump on. I felt his weight jump on my me and I turned to the window. I put my hand on the window seal and slowly climbed out. "You ok back there?"
"Am I almost to Mommy?" I'll take that as a yes.
"Almost buddy, almost." I removed my hand from the seal and put my foot on seal below me. The building gave a rumble befor what sounded like an explosion came from the room I just got out of. I felt small hot peices of building came out and hit me in the head.
I used my right hand to cover Jacksons head from the debris. He let out a wimper as some of it bounced off my hand. Once the last of it fell I began to climb back down the burning building. Once my foot touched the ground I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"You can let go now." Jackson dropped off my back and I turned around and crouched in front of him. "Your mommy is around the corner, but before I let you go I need you to promise that you will not tell anybody about me or what I look like. Can you do that for me?" He smiled and nodded his head yes. I smiled back and took off my mask. "Now go to your mommy. She's probably having a heart attack right now." I stood up as he took off into a sprint to find his mom.
Present
I turned off my music as I opened the door. I stepped into the elevator and my floor number. I rubbed my eyes and leaned against the elevator wall. I. Was. Tired.
The elevater dinged and it brought me out of my own world that involved sleep. Stepping off the elevator I saw Ms. Harrison locking her door.
Ms. Harrison is about 70 years-old and she wears lipstick that is just too pink for anybody. Her hair all grey and curly hair. There's a reason why she's not Mrs. Harrison and that's because she looks down on people who are poorer than her. Or just anything she disagree with, and I somehow managed to get onto all of her reasons why to look down on somebody.
"Oh it's you." I heard her say as I ulocked my door. 'Oh look it's an old hag who isn't married yet.'
"Good afternoon to you too Ms. Harrison." I say with a fake smile. I walk into my apartment and close the door with my foot with a solid *thud*.
I threw my jacket on the couch and went upstairs for some sleep. Sleep sounded good, almost better than having time off. Maybe tonight I'll take the night, it would be a nice little break from the vigilante business. Plus it would be a good time to check out that club Verdant I hear people talking about. But first a nap sounds fantastic.
*BEEP* *BE-*
I smacked my alarm off and raised my head from my pillow. I yawned and stretched my arms out giving my back and shoulders some solid pops.
Getting out of bed was no problem since my internal clock was set to wake me up at this time on a regular bases. A quick shower and looking for decent clothes later I'm standing in front of my mirror. I put on a pair of black jeans with a white T-shirt. Over all I say I looked decent enough to be at least looked at.
My brown leather jacket was hanging by my mouth while I was locking my door. I heard the door to my right open and I see Sandra come out of her place with someone yelling at her out from inside. She shut the door as the man was mid-scream. I dropped my jacket from my mouth and let hang around my arm so I could speak.
"Seth on another drunken rage spree?" I asked her. She nodded and I saw her pull her long sleeve on her arm down futher to cover the bruises on her forearm and wrist.
I had half the mind to go into her place and beat the living shit out of Seth but I respected her wishes, no matter how much I want to break'em.
Sandra is my neighor and has been for about a month. She's a student studying to be a doctor so she can help people. From the numerous amount of times she and I have run into each other I have gound out she is the right mix of brains and beauty.
She is aproximately 5'2 with red hair and with warmest pair of brown eyes that could melt anybodys heart if given the chance. She always wears beenies and thick black rimmed glasses with little freckles splotched over her face. I hace no idea how old she is but from what I could tell by the way she acted and looked, she was maybe around 18 or 19.
"Yeah, another night of him being mad for no reason. And him taking his anger out on me for no reason. But at least I have a place to sleep that isn't infested with bugs or mice." I shook my head. Just the thought of a man hitting a women for reason is enough to make my blood boil.
"Anyways you looked somewhat nice. Have a date?" She asked trying to change the subject. I knew she didn't want to talk about it and I knew it was a touchy subject so at this moment I decided to let it slide.
"No, I'm just going to that club Verdant I heard about." I saw a look of pleading in her eyes but it was quickly distinguish. I felt bad for the girl, she doesn't deserve to be put through, expecially at her age. "You wanna come with me?" She looked at me and bit her lip before looking down at her feet. "Sorry but I can't." I could her the sadness in her voice as she said that.
I just nodded my head understanding why she isn't coming. As I was passing her I put my hand on her shoulder "My door is open when you get sick of Seth." She didn't say anything, or at least I didn't hear anything.
After the sad scene, I made my way out of the lobby onto the city streets. I felt the chill of the night air so I put on my jacket and hailed a taxi. Star City has two seasons; cold, and colder, and right now it was cold.
The cab pulled up a short second later and I hopped in and told the man where I wanted to go. He knew exactly where it was, probably because he takes people to and from there every night. We arrived a short time later and I paid my fair for the ride and we parted ways.
The. Place. Was. Packed. That was my first impression of place when I first saw it. Then I took in the the whole scene. It was a large open front with music blasting out and more people walking into the club.
I've heard it was made from an old warehouse but... wow. It's pretty impressive. Unlike most nightclubs I've been to. There's no line with a big bouncer with a clipboard and asking for your name, and only letting the hot girls in.
'Ok Cameron quit stairing at the club. Pick up your jaw and talk to some girls. It's your night off .' I listened to the voice in my head and picked my jaw and walked to the entrance.
As I got closer the music got louder and the smell of alcohol became more and more apparent. A group of girls rushed past me with the one in front covering her mouth while the one behind holding her hair. The other two girls behind them seemed to be stumbling after them trying to keep of with them.
I just chuckled at the scene and move inside where it was a bit warmer tban outside. The floor was littered with people dancing. Well dancing is not the word to use for it, it was more grinding than anything.
Not knowing what to do I moved the bar which had a few people there. I got up to the bar and leaned on it, looking down the bar at the people who have seemed to have striked out on luck tonight.
"What can I getcha?" I looked in front of me and I saw a man around my age with a fohawk.
"Just a beer." I answered after a second of thinking. He nodded and reached under the and came back up with a beer. He popped off the top and handed me the drink. I put down a five and he took it and went onto the other customers at the bar.
I took a sip of the drink and turned towards the dance floor where I saw drunk, sober, and people in between grind against each other. I just laughed the scene in front of me as it unfolded.
To my left I heard a very drunk girl and a man having a conversation. I looked over and a clearly plastered blonde was leaning against the bar for support while the man was just as sober as me. They both had beer and while he was talking to the girl I saw him pour some kind of powder in the bottle and I knew I had to intervein.
I walk away from and took a wide birth around him and I was a few feet behind him and I started my act. I stumbled in the back him causing him to spill some of his drink in the girl.
He turned around and he looked pissed, but I didn't care. "Hey watch it!" I sneered at me. He set his drink down on the bar and he looked lke he was ready to fight me if I made the wrong move.
"Hey man sorry about that." I said with my best possible not accented voice. He ranted for a miute about how much of an idoit I was for stumbling into him and took the oppprtunity to switch the drinks.
"Watch yourself next time or I'll punch. Got it" I held my hands up in surrender and he turned his attention back to the girl. A few seconds later I saw him pick up the drugged drink and take a sip of it. I had to hold my smile in as I moved back to the place at the bar I was at earlier.
"Nice switch." I heard a voice to my right my say. I looked over and I saw brunette looking at me with a smile. "I saw the whole thing happen. I was about to go in myself but looks like you took care of it, but it already looks taken care of thanks to you." She gave a flirtatious smile and drank some of her martini.
"Well, what can I say. I don't see women getting taken advantage of." I said back in my regular accent. Her eyebrows lifted uo and she put her drink down. On the glass she left a mark of her lips from her bright red lipstick.
"Can also change his voice. How interesting." Her finger tracing the rim of glass as she spoke. "You are just full of suprises aren't you." I smirked and turned to her giving her my full attention. "You have no idea miss..." I left open for her to give me her name.
"Kyle. But you can call me Selina." I felt her brown looking at mine for an answer of my own. I could help but stare at hers as she looked into mine. "You gonna tell me your name?" She smiled.
"Where are my manners. My name is Cameron Scar." She lifted her eyebrow and looked at me questionaly. "Like the same one that was on tbe news?" I mentaly facepalmed myslef for my mistake of giving her my name. I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Yep." Was all I could come up with to answer her.
I opened my eyes and I saw her stairing at me with a puzzled look on her face. "I honestly forgot what my name was connected to." I'm not gonna lie at that moment I was a little freaked out about how she was not leaving. I mean it's kinda disconcerting that she not moving fron her spot.
I looked back at her and saw her hand playing with something around her neck. A little closer look at it and I saw it was a necklace with and a figure of a cat on it. Taking any chance I got I tried t change the subject.
"So i'm gonna guess you like cats?" She looked down at her necklace and she smirked. "Yeah I always have. Just how silent they could be and how quick they are always intrigued me." She looked down at it again and looked and smirked as if I was missing something. "What about you? Do you like cats?" She gave a look that I would guess got her way a many times befor but I wasn't falling for it. At least not yet.
"I like both cats and dogs." I answered honestly. "When I was younger my mom wanted a cat but my dad wanted a dog so they made a compromise and got both. And I swear to you, those to were like best friends."
She looked at me like I was talking crazy. "Oh really?"
"Oh really." I said back.
Me and Selina talked for little bit, or at least I think it was a little bit. All I know is that tbings seemed to be a lot more calm than when I first came here. Me and Selina had a few drinks but enough too make drunk, just enough to make us feel good.
She let out a yawn and I soon followed after. We both decide to call it a night and leave each other. On the way she came up close to me and I felt her dig into my jacket and give me kiss on the cheek. I knew what she did and knew what she was doing the whole night we were talking.
She was always looking at my jacket and my pockets when she thought I wasn't looking, even when I set my jacket down in the the chair I saw her give a quick glance at the inside of my jacket checking for pockets.
I grabbed her hand and softly pulled her back and to me. "Selina I know we just spent time talking but I would like my wallet back." She looked at me as if I was crazy but I just kept looking at he knowing what she did.
She let out a sigh and gave it back to me. But again I knew batter. "Money too." She gave me a playful smile and handed me back my money or some of it. "All of it." I said.
"You're no fun." She said as she handed me back the rest of my money. I put it back in my wallet but left a twenty out and gave it to her. "For a cab." I said as I walked away. I put my wallet in my right back pocket of my jeans and hailed a cab.
I got home around 2:30 in the morning and the lobby had some police officers in it, which is new. On the way in I did see some police cars parked outside but I thought it was just patrol or something. They saw me and one them walked towards me. "Excuse me Sir, are you Cameron Scar?"
"I am. Can you tell me what this is about ?" He looked at me then he nodded for me to follow him and his partner. We walked inside one of the elevators and the one I spoke to a second started to speak. "Do you know a Sandra Dean?"
"Yeah she moved with some arsehole a month back. We talk when we see each other in the hallway which is often. Why is she ok?" I felt my heart thumping in my chest waiting for an answer from the officer.
"She's fine. About an hour ago we got noise complant and when we got here we knocked on Sandra door and her boyfriend answered with some bruised some knuckles and we really can't go into detail but we found her on the living room floor pretty beat up. We called for back up and ambulance and here we are now."
I felt a little bit relieved when I heard when she was ok but that was quickly replaced with hate for that Seth arsehole. I took a deep breath to calm myself. I second later the elevator door opened and we stepped out where I saw two more officers talking to Sandra near her door.
"She didn't have anybody to call but she said to wait for you." He said as we walked towards Sandra.
As we gor closer I got a better look at her. Her face had a red welp on it and the left lenses were cracked. Her right was black and her eyes were red and puffy. She looked up and saw and I saw some of the stress on her shoulders.
When we walked up to her the police were still questioning her. When we got next to her the cops that were talking to her turned there attention towards me and pulled me aside to ask me some regular questions about Sandra and I.
After a few questions he seemed satified and I went over to Sandra. I kneeled down next to her to check on her and the same cop that pulled me aside ask her the same questions he ask me. This went on for about 10 mintues before I decided enough is enough.
"Officers I get that it's your job to do this but she's had a long night. I can take her from here." They looked at each other for second as if waiting to see if anyone objected but they didn't say anything. A few seconds later they bidded us goodnight and left us there.
I sat down next to Sandra on the floor and we just sat there in silence. She probably had a lot of things on her mind while I was trying to thinkof something to cheer her up a little. And I remember one thing that always cheered me up when I was sad or something bad happened... food. And I knew just the place to take her.
I stood and held out my hand to her. "Come on lets go." I said to her as she grabbed it and got up. "Where are we going?" She sniffled and rubbed her nose. I just smiled and kept walking.
I pressed the elevator button for lobby and looked at her. "I'm going to get the best damned panckaes you ever had. And after that we're grabbing your stuff and moving in with me." I said as the elevator doors closed.
