Vess stared down at David's lifeless body, his breathing slow and steady as he tried to process the weight of what he'd just done. The faint buzz of the warehouse lights was the only sound in the room, adding to the eerie silence. For a moment, everything felt still.
Then, something strange happened.
His vision flickered—just for a split second. It was as if the room had warped, like a television screen losing its signal. His stomach churned, and he blinked rapidly, trying to clear his mind.
Then, he froze.
The body of David was gone.
The chair David had been tied to lay empty, and one of the thugs... was the one lying in a pool of blood. Vess's eyes widened as he realized the horrifying truth: he hadn't shot David at all.
"WHAT THE HELL?" Vess shouted, looking around frantically.
His men, who had been standing off to the side, were just as confused.
"Where the hell did he go?" one of the thugs asked nervously, aiming his gun into the dark corners of the warehouse.
Vess gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to let this freak get the best of him. "Find him!" he barked, his eyes flashing with anger. "Search the damn warehouse."
The thugs scattered, their footsteps echoing on the concrete floor. Vess stood still, fists clenched, waiting for something to happen. He could feel the burn in his chest—the rage building. He needed to find David. He needed to kill him.
Suddenly, the temperature in the room spiked, and Vess's body began to glow with fiery energy. His powers flared to life, his fire abilities making the air around him sizzle with heat. He wasn't going to let this slip away. Not now.
"Where are you, kid?" he muttered under his breath, scanning the shadows.
Then, without warning, David appeared.
The thug closest to him let out a panicked scream as David materialized from thin air, his figure flickering in and out like a mirage before he solidified into focus. A blood-soaked mask was perched on his face, and his eyes burned with a determined rage.
Before anyone could react, David launched into the group of thugs with deadly precision, his body moving like lightning. His hands, his feet, even his elbows were weapons as he dismantled the men one by one. His strikes were brutal, efficient—his every movement aimed at incapacitating, not killing… not yet.
He twisted a thug's arm behind his back and heard the sickening snap of bone. Another thug tried to raise his gun, but David's hand was already there, twisting the weapon out of his grip, slamming it into his skull. The thug crumpled to the ground, unconscious before he even hit the floor.
David didn't stop. He couldn't. He had been fighting for so long now, pushing through the fog in his head, his perspective powers dragging him further and further from sanity. His mind felt like it was swimming in a pool of static. His body screamed with exhaustion, but he couldn't afford to slow down. Not yet.
The last of the thugs tried to make a run for it, but David was already there—his foot connecting with his chest with a sickening crack. The man dropped to the floor with a ragged gasp, unable to fight back.
David's vision swam, his head pounding with an intensity he had never felt before. His body swayed, his breath shallow.
Only one person was left now: Vess.
Vess had backed up to the far wall, a wicked grin spreading across his face. He was angry now—furious. He was the one with the firepower. He was the one who would end this freak's life.
"Nice try, kid," Vess sneered, flames licking the edges of his body. "But now it's my turn."
Vess raised his hands, conjuring a massive fireball. He hurled it at David, the flames roaring as they shot toward him with devastating speed. David barely moved out of the way, the heat searing his skin as the fireball exploded into the concrete behind him. His legs were unsteady, and he stumbled back, his head spinning.
Vess charged forward, but David couldn't focus. His vision was too blurry. His perspective powers, the ones that allowed him to bend reality, were draining his life force. Every time he used them, his brain felt like it was shattering into pieces.
"Come on, you freak," Vess taunted, his voice crackling with fury. "Is that all you've got?"
David's knees buckled, but he forced himself to stand. He had to finish this. For Chloe. For her sister. For everyone who had been hurt by people like Vess.
David fought back, slower now, but with purpose. He dodged another fireball, rolling to the side, his body screaming in pain. He could barely keep his eyes open. The world tilted around him as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff, the ground ready to give way beneath him.
Vess took a swing, but David ducked under the attack, his body moving more by instinct than by thought. He landed a punch to Vess's midsection, then another to his jaw. The man staggered back, flames flickering wildly around his body.
David stumbled forward, putting every last ounce of strength into one final blow. His fist connected with Vess's chest, and Vess gasped for air.
With one final effort, David twisted the knife in Vess's ribs, ending the fight. Vess crumpled to the floor, his fiery aura sputtering out, leaving only smoke in the air.
David stood over him, panting, his body shaking uncontrollably. His head was pounding, the dizziness overwhelming him. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, and the world was blurring around him.
David turned to Chloe and her sister, who were still tied to their chairs, their eyes wide with fear and disbelief.
"I… I got them," David whispered, his voice barely audible. He took a step toward them.
But before he could reach them, his vision swam one last time. His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground, the world fading to black.