A/N: Well, it's finally here! A new chapter at last! Took long enough didn't it?
Anyway, enjoy!
I followed behind Misaka as closely as I was able to. Not long after we fled the mall, the people from inside were quickly shuffling out in droves, judging from the sudden screams I heard behind me.
This shit? The kind of shit that's happening right now? It's completely insane!
No, really. I mean it! What are the fucking odds of this happening? When did the planets align and create this cosmic event of what-the-fuckery?
I could accept the first terrorist attack. I could accept almost being beaten to a pulp by those thugs. Hell, in a twisted sort of way, I could accept Kuroko showing up and making me out to be a bad guy. But this? Another terrorist attack? And within the same day no less?
No! Absolutely not! I refused to accept that my life was thrown into danger for the THIRD time today! Just….. Just cut me some slack already! Jeez!
Anyway, putting my misgivings aside, having to run for my life once again was not doing me any favors, especially since I haven't fully recovered from my nonstop shopping spree from earlier. And of course, having to carry all my stuff didn't help either. It wasn't long before I slowed to a stop to catch my breath, crouching down as I did so.
"M-Misa… Misaka!" I attempted to shout between breaths. "Wait!"
Misaka came to a stop and turned toward me. With the sounds of people screaming and sirens blaring, it's a miracle that she managed to hear me.
"Slater? What the hell are you doing?" Misaka spoke in a stern tone as she approached me. "We need to keep moving!"
"Easier- *cough* *cough* -said than done!" I answered in a fit of coughs.
"Jeez!" Misaka facepalmed. "We haven't even been running for very long and you're tired already? You're really out of shape!"
"Tell me… something… I don't know!" I sarcastically replied between breaths. Feeling some of my strength return, I quickly stood upright once again.
"In any case, we've got a long way to go until we reach safety. You should probably ditch that backpack, or else you're not gonna get very far." Misaka stated.
Wait, what? Ditch my stuff? Are you serious?
"Hell no!" I replied with a hint of indignation in my voice. "I spent a lot of money on this shit! This will come in handy-"
"Don't be an idiot!" Misaka yelled as she grabbed me by the shirt, causing me to 'eep!' in response. "Your life is more important right now! Do you want to die?!" Wordlessly, I shook my head.
"Then ditch the backpack." Misaka spoke more calmly. "The stuff you bought are just things. Things can be replaced, but a human life cannot." She loosened her grip and let me go.
For a moment, I was silent, looking into Misaka's eyes. She retained a quiet, yet fierce look. Despite her initial anger, I could easily tell how serious and determined Misaka was in trying to protect me. And here I was, choosing to be selfish while I'm running for my life! Damn it… just….. damn it! Swallowing my shame, I took off my backpack and lowered it to the ground, where I opened it up and put my hands inside.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Misaka asked me as if I started going crazy.
"I'm just taking a few things is all." I replied as I continued to rummage through my stuff. "Don't worry, if I only take the bare minimum, then it'll be fine right?"
Misaka just stared at me with her mouth gaping. She tried to find the words to say something, most likely to tell me that I was being completely foolish, but she quickly stopped herself. She took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Fine!" She said at last. "Just the bare minimum should be okay. But don't go blaming me if you wind up in the morgue!" She turned away from me just as I finished pulling out some of my stuff. "Come on! Let's go!"
"Right." I replied as I followed after Misaka again, leaving behind my backpack on the sidewalk.
It sucks that it had to come to this, but at least I'm not walking away empty-handed. I managed to grab my bat, my cap, my Swiss army knife, and my language guide. It's a fair compromise if I'm being honest. As for my cellphone and wallet, they were tucked away in my pocket along with the rest of my money; thank goodness for that. If I ever see Shuna again, I'll have to apologize for ditching the clothes she made for me. And the manga, well, I'm sure Rimuru won't give me grief over it.
And so I was back to running. Again. God I hate running so much!
-x-
So after about 10 or so minutes of near-nonstop running, we finally made it to a safe place. At least I hope so. With my legs feeling stiff and sore as they are, I don't think I could go another step further. One thing's for sure though: I got more than enough of my cardio for the day.
Jokes aside, I'd say our situation has improved some, what with us being as far away from the crime scene as possible. We found ourselves sitting on a bench in front of a convenience store. I was slouching with my arms and legs spread out as far as I could make them, and as for Misaka, she got up and started stretching. She didn't even look all that tired too. I guess she'd have to be in pretty good shape in order to fight efficiently. It made me feel envious if I'm being honest. If running for my life doesn't motivate me to exercise more, I don't know what will.
Regardless, I wasn't in the best of moods at the moment. I thought back to what happened earlier. What the hell was I thinking? I've always been very protective when it came to my stuff. It didn't matter how major or minor it was, I was afraid of losing them or someone stealing them. I guess you can say that it's a bit of an OCD sort of thing, but still though, I let that habit dictate my actions in the heat of the moment. All I could do was grit my teeth at how stupid I acted.
Damn it! I need to distract myself with something.
On a whim, I turned my head in the direction that we ran from, looking off into the distance. I can barely see it, but the smoke was still billowing in the distance. I hope nobody got caught up in that explosion, but who am I to say for sure? All I could do was breathe a sigh of relief. I was just glad to be alive, even if it felt like a stroke of dumb luck that I managed to get out of danger three times today, and barely at that.
As for the stuff I brought with me, thankfully I still had them. My bat came with a strap that slung over my shoulder, so that managed to stay in place. The language guide was in my back pocket, my wallet and cell phone were in the left, my coins in the right, and my cap? Self-explanatory. I may have been carrying a lighter load than before, but it didn't help much with running. Oh well. No one said this compromise would make things easier.
"Hey Slater," Misaka suddenly spoke up as she continued to stretch. I turned my head toward her. "How you holding up?"
"Oh me?" I replied as I started to crack my hands. "Aside from the fact that I nearly ran myself to death, I'd say I'm holding up alright." I made to crack my neck next and-
*CRACK*
"Ow! Oh! Ohhhhhhhhhh!" I winced in pain. "Ok. That hurt."
"Be careful." Misaka chided. "Don't want you to wind up in even worse shape." She then looked off in the distance and saw the smoke. "Man, there's never a dull moment in this city, is there?"
"Y-Y-Yeah, I guess there isn't." I replied with a nervous chuckle.
Jeez! Talk about nonchalant. Is this what happens when you deal with this shit on a regular basis? If this happened to me, I wouldn't be able to take the constant stress and crack under pressure. The mere thought sent chills down my spine.
"You okay?" Misaka asked.
"Y-Yeah, yeah." I hastily replied. "I'm fine. It's just that wanton terrorism isn't really my definition of fun and excitement."
"You and I both." Misaka replied with a sigh as she sat back down.
"Hopefully no one will get hurt." I commented as I twiddled my thumbs.
"It'll all work out." Misaka waved my concerns away. "Kuroko's got this covered. Despite how she usually acts, her abilities are the real deal."
"Y-Yeah, you're right." I agreed. Hopefully the situation will be resolved shortly.
'Beepbeepbeepbeep!' 'Beepbeepbeepbeep!'
And just like that, a sound suddenly went off, causing me to flinch. It wasn't just any old sound though, it was someone's ringtone. I didn't feel any rumbling from my pocket, so it wasn't my phone. So that means that-
"Oh, sorry Slater," Misaka stood up from her seat. "Just who can this…" She pulled out her phone from her pocket, opening it up and putting it to her ear.
"Hello?" Misaka began. "Kuroko? What's up? Why are you- Wait, what? What do you mean- Okay. Gotcha. Thanks for the warning." She ended the call and closed her phone, putting it back in her pocket. That… didn't sound good.
"What's the matter?" I asked in concern.
"Slater, we might have a problem." Misaka looked at me with a more serious face. "That was Kuroko. She says that some of the goons she and Anti-Skill were fighting managed to slip away in the crossfire."
"Slip away?" I asked. "Did she say how many?"
"Apparently there were ten of them." Misaka answered. "Eight of them were captured, so that just leaves two unaccounted for."
"But why would she call you about that?" I asked in confusion.
"Because-" Misaka flashed me a stern look. "-there's a chance that they're probably heading this way."
"Wait what?!" I bolted up from my seat. "They're heading this way?!"
"Unfortunately, that might be the case." Misaka replied plain and simply.
I started to break out in a cold sweat. You've gotta be kidding me! It's bad enough that some of the terrorists would escape, but of all the places that they could flee to, why does it have to be here? Seriously! What the fuck?!
Wait, hold on. Misaka said that they might be coming down this street; she didn't say that it was definitely gonna happen. So we should still be in the clear. I started taking deep breaths to calm myself down. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in-
*SKREET!*
A sudden screech interrupted my mantra, as well as assaulting my eardrums. Ow!
The sound came from down the street. With every second that passed, it continued to grow louder. It didn't take a genius to know that a car was speeding our way, and sure enough, it wasn't long before the car came into view. It was a black armored van. The engine was roaring, and the tires were ripping through the asphalt. Certain trouble was barreling toward us at high speeds.
Motherfucker!
"Stay back Slater." Misaka took a defensive stance. "I'll handle this!"
"Wha-" I stepped back a bit. "What are you-"
Before I could finish that sentence, I eyed Misaka's hand, which went into her pocket and pulled out something. Looking closer, I- Wait is that a coin?
Oh shit….. OH SHIT! She's gonna do it!
Not being one to miss a beat, I quickly put distance between myself and Misaka, making to hide behind a parked car that was a little further down the street. Granted, I wasn't too far away from her, but I was far enough to be out of the crossfire.
What followed was probably one of the most unbelievable things that I've ever seen in my life.
It didn't take Misaka long before she flipped the coin into the air. Simultaneously, sparks of electricity began to emanate from her right hand. The van was quickly closing the distance. It almost looked like as if Misaka wasn't going to attack in time. The tension was so immense I wanted to cover my eyes, but I forced myself to continue watching. However, not long after flipping in in the air, the coin fell back down toward her hand, and in a brilliant flash of light, a beam of energy shot out of Misaka's hand almost instantly.
The railgun whirred through the air; the force cutting through the air and carving its way through the asphalt, spreading small chunks of debris in all directions. Before I even had the chance to blink, it hit the front wheels of the van, destroying them completely. The van was launched into the air, flying straight above me. Finally, it made landfall with the road, tumbling a few more feet before careening into a nearby building. The van was totaled, becoming a smoking wreck of twisted and contorted metal.
"Holy. Shit." I uttered under my breath. I looked back at Misaka, then at the crash site. My mouth was agape and my mind was blown. I just couldn't believe what I just saw. Misaka Mikoto – 3rd ranked Level 5 esper – just unleashed her patented Railgun attack, and I got to see it in person. That. Was. FUCKING COOL! I mean, I've never seen a railgun fire in real life; just in games and TV. But let me tell ya, Misaka's railgun makes the one from Quake seem like a peashooter in comparison. With how powerful that attack was, it was easy to say that Misaka fucking earned that reputation of hers.
*tap tap*
A sudden tapping on my shoulder causes me to flinch and let out an "eep!", turning around almost instantly. It was Misaka, who looked at me with a smile.
"And that takes care of that." She said reassuringly.
"Those guys-" I pointed toward the wrecked vehicle. "-aren't dead, are they?"
"Nah, of course not!" Misaka waved away my concerns. "They'll be just fine."
Sheesh! I know that Misaka has never - and I feel the need to empathize this - EVER killed anyone in a fight, but look at this shit! That van took the full force of that railgun AND crashed into a building at a high speed. I wouldn't be surprised if those guys died on impact or something. Still though, given the nature of the setting, they're probably alright, albeit banged up. Misaka may love a good fight, but even at her angriest, she would never take someone's life. That's not her style.
"Oh-uh, right. Okay." I awkwardly replied. I looked back at the wreckage and the occupants stumbled out the back door of the van. I'm surprised that they're still conscious, but regardless, they definitely had the 'tough guy' look down to a tee. The guy on the left was burly and had spiky red hair. The one on the right had long, messy blue hair and was lanky as hell. The man with spiky hair – I'll call him Spike – slowly regained his bearings.
"Shit!" he cursed. "Just what in the hell-" He stopped himself mid-sentence, looking all around before locking eyes in our direction. I looked back at Misaka, who was walking toward the two of them.
"So, you're still awake huh?" Misaka boasted. "Color me impressed!" I looked at Spike, who went from confused to surprised in almost no time flat.
"You!" He pointed at Misaka. "It can't be! You're….. You're her! The Railgun of Tokiwadai! Misaka Mikoto!"
"What?!" the beanpole man – I'll call him Lanky - uttered in shock as tried to stand up. "Bro, is that really her?!" I couldn't really see it very well from here, but that guy must've looked like a deer in headlights.
"Yeah, I'm her. What of it?" Misaka stated. Her gaze was sharp and piercing. The two guys visibly flinched, but it wasn't long before Spike glared back at her and clicked his tongue in disgust.
"Bro!" Lanky grabbed onto Spike's sleeve. "We need to get out of here! We're no match for-"
*BAM*
"Get off of me you idiot!" Spike headbutted Lanky, causing him to fall on his ass. He then reached down and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him toward his face.
"You don't know a god damn thing do ya?" Spike chastised his cowardly friend….. henchman? Acquaintance? I couldn't tell. "If we run now, we'll never get our chance to clobber that Railgun!"
"B-b-b-but-" Lanky protested. "-how are we gonna BEE-HEE-HEE-HEET-"
Spike shook him violently.
"Don't worry about that!" Spike replied. "If we beat Railgun here and now, we'll be at the top of the food chain! Everyone will learn to fear us!" He let go Lanky, who awkwardly stumbled and fell on his ass.
This whole time, me and Misaka just stood there watching this spectacle unfold. By this point, a crowd of people gathered around, though obviously keeping their distance due to the danger. They looked fearful and a tad on edge. Me and Misaka briefly looked at each other in befuddlement before looking back at the two goofballs.
Yeah, I'm calling them goofballs. Despite their intimidating appearance, I was starting to find it hard to take them seriously. Who fucking announces their plans out in the open for all to see and hear?! Ever hear of the element of surprise? Obviously they didn't. Between that and their assumption that they can take down one of the most powerful espers in the city, these goofballs had the collective brainpower of a pea.
"Yo Railgun!" Spike spoke up with renewed confidence. "You think you're so tough? Come on! Let's fight to see who's the strongest!" He sported a wide grin.
"Y-Y-Yeah! F-F-F-Fear us!" Lanky tried to intimidate. His legs were shaking and everything.
"Seriously?" Me and Misaka said in unison. I rolled my eyes in annoyance. She pinched the bridge of her nose before letting out a sigh.
"I guess we're doing this now." Misaka said, completely unamused.
"It would appear so." I flatly stated. "You gonna kick these guys' asses?"
"Pretty much." Misaka replied while stretching her arms and legs. "It's gonna take a while for Judgement and Anti-Skill to get here, and besides, I could use a good distraction."
"Y-Yeah, good point." I reluctantly agreed. "Just be careful alright?"
"Don't worry about me Slater. Just stay back, okay?" I nodded. She flashed a smile at me, before looking back at those two goofballs, who were still standing there. How chivalrous of them to stand there and wait for Misaka to get ready. You'd think they would've used this moment to attack us while we were distracted, or at the very least, run for their miserable lives, but I guess common sense just doesn't register to them.
"What's the hold up!" Spike spoke up, pointing at Misaka. "You gonna fight? Or are you gonna talk to your boyfriend all day?"
I was taken aback and started tensing up after hearing those words, but I shook my head and slapped my face to take my mind off of that. Really now Slater? This is SO not the time to get distracted by that.
"That should be my line!" Misaka replied as she slowly approached the two. Either she ignored the 'boyfriend' part, or she heard it, but chose not to let his words get to her. Sparks and jolts of electricity danced around her body. "If you're quite done with the tough guy act, I'd like to get this over with!" She cracked her knuckles.
"Now that's what I like to hear!" Spike replied as he cracked his neck. "Let's see what you're made of!"
And the two of them stood across from each other; ready to duke it out. That was my cue to run for cover. At roughly the same time, the small crowd of people quickly dispersed; not wanting to get caught up in this mess. I quickly found another parked car to hide behind. It was far enough to stay clear from the fight, but not far enough for me not to see what was about to ensue.
Save for some wind, the immediate area grew eerily quiet. Misaka and Spike were still standing across from each other like two cowboys in a standoff. Lanky was just standing there shaking like a leaf. I was starting to break out in a sweat. Just when I thought it couldn't get any more tense, the sudden noise of a bird flapping its wings caught me off guard.
And it was that single, solitary sound that signaled the start of the fight, almost like someone hit an imaginary bell.
The two combatants made their move.
-x-
Spike threw the first punch, or more specifically, used his esper powers.
Flames spontaneously ignited in his hands; a wicked grin adorned his face just as quickly. Putting himself in a throwing position, one hand joined with the other, causing both flames to merge into a bigger one. Like a baseball pitcher, he threw the fireball at Misaka. It seemed similar to how Mario threw his fireballs, except this was flying completely straight.
Misaka swiftly dodged the incoming ball of fiery death, deftly sidestepping to the left while the fireball hit the wall behind her. Readying herself, she prepared for a counterattack. Raising her right arm, the electricity Misaka built up coalesced into her hand, and almost immediately, she discharged a powerful bolt towards Spike and his cohort. Spikey and Lanky quickly dodged out of the way. At least Spike made a decent attempt to dodge; Lanky, not so much. He just barely avoided the bolt by accidently tripping over his feet, making his face one with the concrete.
Upon seeing this, Spike walked over and kicked Lanky in the gut, taking the air out of him.
"You idiot!" Spike loudly chastised. "Don't just stand there and watch! Use your Cryokinesis and help me!"
"Y-Y-Y-Yes sir!" Lanky quickly stood to his feet. With much reluctance, he joined the fight. I looked over at Misaka, who was still taking up a fighting stance, but she appeared to have an almost bored look on her face. If she wanted to, she could bring an end to this fight in an instant, but despite the power gap between her and the two goofballs, I guess she likes to give the weaker opponents a fair shot at her before defeating them.
I turned back to Lanky, who had a large chunk of ice in his hand. So the two of them use pyrokinesis and cryokinesis respectively, huh? What are the odds?
"T-T-T-Take this!" Lanky tried and failed at sounding threatening again before making to throw the frozen cluster. To my surprise, it flew pretty fast before splintering off into smaller projectiles.
"Misaka! Look out!" I called out from behind my cover. I'm not sure if she can hear me, or if she's trying her best to block out any outside noise.
Regardless, Misaka made quick, precise dodges; avoiding every single projectile. More electricity danced around her, and in no time at all, she started charging up for another attack.
"Get a load of this!" Spike called out. I looked over at his hand, which once again formed a ball of fire. Not only that, but it was bigger than the last one! With no time to waste, Spike threw the big ass fireball at Misaka. It was so big that I swear I could feel the heat from all the way over here.
Before the fireball could hit her, Misaka rolled out of the way and shot off another jolt of electricity. This time she scored a direct hit on the duo, whose bodies jerked erratically from the shock before slumping to the ground. Damn! That's gotta hurt!
"Well?" Misaka said as she started to crack her knuckles. "Have you had enough yet?"
I looked at the two goofballs, whose bodies were still twitching. After a moment, Spike slowly started to stand up, despite taking the full force of that attack. Sheesh! Just how tough is this guy? He should be unconscious, let alone defeated, by this point. Yet here he is, still itching for a fight. I don't know whether he's stupidly determined or just determinedly stupid.
"You-" He growled as he winced in pain. "Y-You bitch! You'll p-pay for that!"
"Aw come on!" Misaka said as electricity danced around her body once more. "Is that the best you got? I haven't even begun to warm up!" She smirked as she cracked her neck.
"My best? I'll show you my best!" Spike snarled. Misaka certainly knows how to hit em where it hurts. It makes me a little relieved that she isn't taking these guys seriously.
"L-L-Let me help too bro!" Lanky said as he struggled to stand back up. Can't believe he's still conscious as well. Despite his prior attitude, he doesn't know when to quit either. Spike turned to Lanky to say something.
"Hey, let's use 'that' attack!" Spike said with a wry grin. Lanky just about jumped after hearing that.
"What?!" Lanky uttered in surprise. "B-b-but bro, we haven't had time to-"
"Shut up will you?!" Spike yelled at Lanky, cutting him off mid-sentence. "We're never gonna win at this rate! If you don't start pulling your weight, I'm gonna burn your sorry ass!" With that kind of "convincing," it didn't take long for Lanky to give his answer.
"O-okay b-bro!" Lanky stuttered in reply. "L-Let's do 't-that' attack.'
"Now you're using your head." Spike replied. He turned back to face Misaka, who was still standing there waiting for them to make their next move. "Say your prayers Railgun! It's time you see just what we're capable of!" Flames once again ignited in his hands. Lanky, who was pretty much strongarmed into this plan of theirs, followed suit by forming another cluster of ice.
"Fine." Misaka said with a bored expression on her face. "Show me what you've got I guess." She waved them off.
"Oh we'll show you all right!" Spike threatened before turning to Lanky again. "Come on! Let's do this!"
"Y-Y-Yes bro!" Lanky hastily replied.
The ice in Lanky's hands started growing bigger than the one he threw previously. At the same time, Spike's flame grew bigger as well. After another moment, both projectiles were about as big, if not bigger, than their hands. Finally, they made to attack.
"Suck on this!" Spike yelled as he threw his oversized fireball at Misaka. Almost immediately afterwards, Lanky made to throw his-
"W-Whoa!" Lanky was thrown off balance by his ice, accidently falling on his ass. As he did so, he unintentionally launched his oversized cluster of ice away from Misaka and towards my direction and- WAIT WHAT?! My direction?!
"OH FUCK!" I yelled as I barely managed to get up and jump out of the way of the ice. The ice itself completely ripped a hole through the car and a nearby streetlight before colliding with a nearby building. I slowly sat myself up, clutching my chest and breathing heavily as I desperately tried to process what just happened.
"You clumsy idiot!" I looked over at Spike, who chastised Lanky for his screw-up. I could've sworn I heard a yelp of pain coming from the latter but that didn't matter right now. "You fired in the wrong direction!"
"S-S-Sorry bro!" Lanky stammered in reply.
Seriously?! I was ALMOST FUCKING DIED because of one guy's clumsiness? Are you fucking kidding me?
"Slater!" Misaka yelled. I slowly stood back up and was looking in her direction. "What the hell are you doing?!"
'Almost getting fucking torn into ribbons by fucking flying shrapnel!' I wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out of my mouth. I couldn't. All I could do was try to make words, but fail miserably. I was completely tongue tied.
"Get the hell out of here you idiot! Do you want to die?!" Misaka yelled. I quickly stood upright, shook my head, and made to reply.
"B-B-But-" I stammered. "W-Where am I supposed to go? I don't w-want to get lost!"
"There's a family restaurant that's not too far from here!" Misaka called out. "If you take the street to the left, keep going a few blocks, then make a right, and you'll be there! It's called Joseph's! You can't miss it! Once I'm done here, I'll meet up with you later!"
"B-But-"
"Get out of here now!" Misaka cut me off as she dodged another attack. I opened my mouth again to say something, but I stopped myself, settling on replying with a nod. Misaka's absolutely right. I'd be better off staying out of the way. As much as I hate to leave her like this, I've got no other choice or say in the matter right now.
"Okay! I'll be waiting for you at that place!" I prepared myself to leave, but turned toward Misaka again. "Be careful!"
"I will!" Misaka replied. "Now get going!"
"R-Right!" I replied.
And just like that, I started running once again. I briefly stopped and looked back at Misaka again, who looked like she was preparing for another attack. I faced forward once again, running down the street past parked cars and streetlights and such.
Hopefully Misaka will be alright.
-x-
So after 10 minutes of running and trying to follow Misaka's directions to our meet-up point, I found myself waiting at Joseph's. What can I say? It's a nice-looking restaurant at the very least.
Not knowing what to do at the moment, I leaned back against a nearby wall to rest for a bit. I adjusted the sling around my shoulder to make sure it stayed on. Wouldn't want to lose that bat. Also, out of habit, I checked on the rest of my items to make sure they were still accounted for. I don't know, I get very irritated if even one of my belongings goes missing. Call it a peculiar quirk if you will.
I checked my surroundings to see what this part of the city was like. There were very few people walking around. One that stood out to me was someone who was just standing at the corner doing nothing but reading a newspaper. He was dressed in a pinstripe suit and a fedora hat, almost like a gangster or-
Wait, what?! A gangster?!
I rubbed my eyes and looked back at the person again. Pinstripe suit? Fedora? It couldn't be!
Suddenly, the man's head turned the right. Instinctively, I averted my gaze. He didn't see me, or at least I hope he didn't, but I caught a glimpse of his red-tinted sunglasses.
Oh shit! It's him! It's that guy who was with that cosmic asshole from before! It's not some guy who just happens to look like him. It's the real deal! It has to be! What's he doing here?! I doubt he's here on vacation.
I looked back at him. He crumpled up the newspaper he was reading and threw it in the trash, as if he were ready to-
Oh shit! He's leaving!
He began to walk down the crosswalk to the other side of the street. No way am I gonna let him get away! I immediately started following after him, starting with a fast walk before switching to a full-fledged run. I made it across the street, but just as I did so, he rounded a corner and turned onto another street. Come on Slater! Move it! I don't care if I drop dead from exhaustion; I want some answers and I want them now!
As soon as I turned the corner, he was already much further away at another corner on the other side of the street, even though he was practically walking away from me. Just how fast is this fucker? Not being one to miss a beat, I crossed the street and made my way to the next corner. As soon as I turned, I saw him walk into a nearby alley. Good! Now I've got him where I want him!
I ran up to the alley and made my turn. Alright you son of a bitch, it's high time you-
"Wait, what?!" I said in disbelief. "He's gone?"
Where the hell did he go? This alley has a dead end and he just up and vanishes off the face of the Earth? What the hell is-
*BZZZZT*
Oh no. Was that what I think it was?
*BZZZZT*
Oh shit! It is! It's the static again!
*BZZZZZZZTTTT*
Shit…. Can't….. keep myself… conscious. Going to… pass out.
*BZZZZZZZTTTTT*
I slumped to the ground; my body was completely engulfed in static.
Oh no. Not again.