A/N: Thank you so much to all of you have reviewed. I'm happy to hear that this story is satisfying. Your reviews help keep me in check and as a result keeps this story in check. If you see me slip, notify me, I can't say it enough. I don't have a beta reader so I have to re-read what I type by myself. Pain in the butt, but it's worth it. Anyway, enough of my useless chatter, on to chapter three.
Disclaimer: I don't own COTT. I only own Bruce and "the shadow", if you want to call it a character. And I don't own "A Wonderful World".
Hungry. It craved nourishment. It could taste the energy of the mortal city. It was the only food worth craving. The shadow slithered out of its hole as the delicious rays of moonlight crept over the forest floor. If it had a voice it would have sighed in sweet relief. The rays of moonlight were like water to a thirsty soul for this figure-less creature. Was it even a creature? It didn't know. All it knew was the honey-like taste of a mortal.
That was all it lived for. That was the reason why it had survived all these centuries. The shadow had discovered it had evolved slightly since it had arrived here. It had the ability to think and to remember. It remembered a great city somewhere near the ocean. The great city of Rome. And Ancient Greece, its homeland.
The shadow snaked its way closer to the city. It could sense the different types of mortals that lived within the gates. They were nothing like the ancient ones. Just how much time had past? It didn't care. It was hungry. Its feast was close. The shadow made its way into the city. The bright lights and noise confused it, but it didn't falter in its hunt. This city belonged to the shadow.
"Oh, come on! That's just not fair!"
"Looks like you're on dish duty, Herry."
Archie patted his strong friend on the shoulder and got to his feet.
"You cheated," Herry protested.
"A bet's a bet," Archie pointed out. "You said if I win you would do the dishes. I won. The dish cloth is all yours tonight, pal."
Odie couldn't help but laugh. It was normally the guys who got stuck cleaning up after supper. The girls got off easy somehow. Herry growled in annoyance. He had challenged Archie to a game of Mutant Mayhem VI to see who got stuck with dish duty. Which ended up being him. He should have known Archie was the unbeatable champion in the dorm. The only one who could even come close to beating him was (no surprise), Atlanta.
Archie made his way up to his room for his nightly stretches. His back had been giving him trouble for the past few days.
"That's what you get for holding on to metal when a crazy god of time shoots electricity down it," he told himself.
Archie walked into his room and closed the door with his foot. At first glance the room resembled that of a normal teenaged boy. Semi-clean (what teenager actually keeps his or her room perfectly clean?), at least you could see the floor. A bookcase stood up against the far left wall. A single bed sat under the window on the wall immediately facing the door. A bedside table sat on the left side of the bed. On the right side of the room sat a small desk used for homework and writing. A closet stood beside the desk. And inside that closet was the biggest, well hidden skeleton out of any in the dorm. Two months ago shone the spot light on Archie's family life. He had been exposed as the richest teenager at the Brownstone. Theresa was the second.
Archie had shoved that skeleton back into the closet where it belonged. That wasn't his life anymore. His life was here, with his friends and the immortals. He was a hero now, there was no time to dwell on the past. Archie pulled off his jacket and began to pull of his shirt when a knock came on the door. Archie pulled his shirt back on and opened the door. A very timid Theresa stood outside.
"Can...can I...talk to you?"
Archie stepped to the side and opened the door wider. Theresa walked in.
"What's wrong?" Archie asked.
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior towards you back at the school. I know it was just a vision and I shouldn't have over-reacted like that. I'm sorry," Theresa apologized.
"I don't really blame you for freaking out. I mean, if I was in your shoes and had a vision that freaky I wouldn't be able to trust anyone," Archie explained.
Theresa looked up at her friend. Archie smiled.
"Hey, don't worry about it. It's done and gone. Water under the bridge, right?"
"Funny hearing that from the hero who's afraid of water."
"Hey. I have my reasons. And, besides...it's not completely irrational," Archie explained, crossing his arms. Theresa chuckled and shook her head.
"Deny it all you want, Arch. We know the truth," she said.
With that final comment, she headed back out the door. Archie closed the door and sighed.
"Drama queen. Blowing everything out of proportion," he muttered.
The Warrior grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He was late in doing his stretches, but friends were more important. Archie walked over to his desk where he kept his iBlaster and iPod. He hit the "shuffle" button and waited for the music to start. Ironically, the first song was A Wonderful World. With a sigh, Archie pulled his left arm across his chest, wincing slightly as the scarred tissue pulled back in protest. He hummed along with the music.
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night.
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky,
Are also on the faces of people going by.
Archie quietly sang along with the next part of the verse.
I see friends shaking hands saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying, "I love you."
Archie released his arm and slowly bent down. The song ended and another song came on. He wasn't really paying any attention to the lyrics to figure out what was playing. It was probably one of the songs Atlanta had put on as a joke and he had never gotten around to taking it off. Archie stood up straight again. He lifted his arm over his head and bent it back.
"One...two...three..."
His concentration was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash. Archie ditched his work out and ran to the window. Two cars had collided with each other. It didn't look like anyone was hurt, but hero instints kicked in and Archie ran for the door, grabbing his shirt and jacket on the way.
He was half way down the stairs when Jay and Herry came running.
"What happened?" Jay asked.
"Car crash," Archie replied.
The three boys ran outside. The driver and passenger of the car that got T-boned were being lifted into an ambulance. Archie didn't give paramedics enough credit, they got there faster than usual.
"Hey, kids, stay back."
"That woman's trapped inside!" Archie yelled, pointing to the car responsible for the collision.
The woman was unconscious and was trapped between the seat and steering wheel.
"Get the jaws of life!" a police chief yelled.
Jay looked up at Herry. The Brawn nodded his understanding. He tapped the firefighter on the shoulder. The man turned around.
"I can get her out."
"Get real, kid. You're not strong enough to pull that mess apart."
"Just give him a chance," Jay pleaded.
The man sighed and then allowed Herry access. He ran over to the car and pulled open the door.
"We're going to get busted," Archie whispered to Jay.
"Hera will understand," Jay whispered back.
Herry made sure his body was covering the easily bent steering wheel. The woman fell forward into Herry's arms. She was pale and cold. Paramedics rushed over.
"You're pretty strong, son."
"I work out a lot," Herry replied, panting for breath.
"You must have the strength of Hercules, then."
Herry chuckled nervously. Of course, he knew it was a joke. It was just ironic someone who didn't know him should say he had Hercules' strength. The paramedics lifted the woman on to a stretcher.
"Let's get her out of here."
As the two medical officals wheeled the stretcher over to the ambulance, Herry made his way over to where Jay and Archie were. "Good job, Herry," Jay encouraged.
"Thanks. I hope no one saw that," Herry admitted.
"If they did they would just think you're the world's second strongest man," Archie said. Herry watched as the ambulance drove off.
"Something wrong?" Jay asked.
"I'm not sure. The woman didn't look well. She was far too pale and she was freezing cold," Herry explained.
Jay and Archie looked at each other.
"Don't worry about it, Herry. The doctors will take care of her," Jay assured.
"I hope so."
"Come on, let's go back inside. We can have a movie night if you want."
"I'll get the popcorn," Herry said. He ran back inside.
"That cheered him up," Archie commented.
When the Warrior and Leader walked through the door, everyone had already gathered in the living room. The smell of popcorn drifted in from the kitchen.
"So, what movie are we watching?" Archie asked.
Neil held up a movie case without taking his eyes off his mirror. Archie took the box and read the title.
"The Shadow?"
"It's a really creepy horror movie," Atlanta spoke up. "I've seen it, like, twenty times. It's awesome."
Archie and Jay looked at each other again.
"I was thinking more along the lines of a comedy," Jay confessed.
Odie flipped through the DVD collection. He slipped out another case.
"How about Evan Almighty?" he asked. That received cheers of approval.
"Me and Arch can always watch The Shadow later," Atlanta said.
Archie moaned as he made his way to the kitchen. Herry was dumping popcorn into a bowl. A number of empty chip bags littered the table.
"Hey, Archie. Can you bring the chips? My hands are already full with the popcorn and drinks," Herry explained.
"Sure thing."
Archie grabbed the two chip bowls and followed Herry back out to the living room. Odie had just started the movie. After placing the food and drinks on the coffee table, Herry and Archie sat down. Atlanta immediately snuggled into Archie to get more comfortable. He put his arm around her shoulder, ignoring the smiles from the others. So, he had fallen in love with Atlanta. Big deal. The movie started and everyone turned their attention to the TV. The previous events now lost in time.
A little short, I know. But, that's it for this chapter. Let me know what you think.
Another disclaimer: I don't own Evan Almighty. I don't know if The Shadow is an actual movie I just came up with it.