Nox stood over the headless corpse and watched the last of the golden light fade from the jock's body. The whole scene had been pretty entertaining to watch from the doorway. Big strong jock gets powers, beats up a bunch of monsters, powers run out, almost dies. It was a classic story, really.
"That was my kill," Ava said from behind him, sounding annoyed. "I was about to fry that thing."
He glanced back at her. "Too slow."
"I wasn't too slow. You just rushed in there like some kind of maniac."
"And now it's dead," he said, looking down at the corpse. "Problem solved."
A blue screen popped up in front of him.
[Alpha Dog Defeated!]
[EXP Gained: 500]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 4!]
[All stats increased by 1!]
[You have 5 unallocated stat points!]
'Five hundred experience from one monster. Not bad.' He mentally put three points into Strength and two into Agility, then dismissed the screen.
"Are you even listening to me?" Ava asked, her hands on her hips.
"Not really, no." He walked over to examine the other dead dogs scattered around the gym. Most of them had been killed by the jock before his power-up ran out. "Looks like someone had fun in here."
The jock, Jax, was still on the floor, breathing hard and looking like he had been hit by a truck. There was a girl unconscious near the wall who looked like she had also been in a fight. A few other students were hiding behind the bleachers, probably too scared to even come out yet.
"Hey," Nox called out to the jock. "You alive over there?"
The guy struggled to sit up, wincing with every movement. "Yeah. Barely."
"What was that golden light thing? Some kind of power?"
"I don't know." Jax looked at his own hands like he was expecting them to start glowing again. "Someone offered me a deal, and I took it."
"Someone?"
"A voice in my head. Said he would give me power if I served his interests."
Nox raised an eyebrow. "And you just said yes?"
"My friends were dying." His voice got harder. "I would have done anything to save them."
"How'd that work out for you?"
Jax looked around the gym at all the bodies and didn't answer.
"That's what I thought." Nox started walking toward the exit. "Come on, Ava. Let's find more things to kill."
"Wait," Jax called out, his voice weak but urgent. "Are you just going to leave us here?"
"Pretty much."
"There might be more of those things coming. We need help."
Nox stopped and turned around. "And what exactly do you bring to the table? Your golden power is gone, and you can barely stand up."
"I'm still strong. Stronger than a normal person."
"So is she." Nox pointed at the unconscious girl. "I saw her throwing stuff around with her mind before you powered up. At least that's useful."
"Diana," Jax said, looking over at the girl with a worried expression. "Is she okay?"
"How the fuck should I know? I'm not a doctor."
Ava walked over and knelt beside the girl, checking her pulse. "She's breathing. Probably just knocked out."
"See? She's fine." Nox started walking toward the exit again. "Good luck with whatever happens next."
"You're really just going to abandon us?"
The desperation in the jock's voice almost made him smile. This was the same kind of guy who had probably never even seen him before today, and now he was begging for help.
"Did you help me when Mark and his crew were beating the shit out of me every day?" Nox asked, his voice flat.
Jax looked confused. "I don't even know who you are."
"Exactly. You never bothered to learn my name, so why should I care what happens to you now?"
"Because people are dying!"
"People die every day. I'm just trying to make sure I'm not one of them."
He reached the gym doors and looked back one more time. Jax was trying to get to his feet to check on Diana, and the other students were starting to peek out from behind the bleachers.
"Wait," one of them called out. It was a girl with short blonde hair who looked like she had been crying for hours. "Please don't leave us here."
"Why not?"
"Because we'll die without your help."
He shrugged. "Probably."
Ava grabbed his arm. "Nox, we can't just leave them here."
"Watch me."
"Come on. That guy with the golden powers could be useful. And the girl with telekinesis, too."
"They're weak. His power ran out after five minutes, and the girl is unconscious. What good are they going to do?"
"Maybe they'll get stronger. Maybe their powers will come back."
He thought about that for a second. The system had said this was a dungeon with over a hundred monsters still alive. Having more people to fight might speed things up. And if they died along the way, at least they would be useful distractions.
'Yeah, pass.' He kept walking, pulling his arm free from Ava's grip.
Ava just stood there for a second, watching him go. Then she followed him out of the gym, her face a mask of pure anger.
"You know what? You're a fucking jerk," she said, her voice getting louder with each word. "A complete and total asshole who only cares about himself."
He kept walking, his pace steady, which just seemed to make her even angrier.
"I'm talking to you, you piece of shit!" she yelled, her hands starting to glow with that faint red fire. "These people are going to die, and you just don't give a damn because what, some kids were mean to you?"
That made him stop. He didn't turn around right away. The hallway was quiet except for the distant sound of something crashing. A part of his mind told him to just keep walking, that her opinion didn't matter. But another part, a newer, colder part, didn't like being challenged.
He turned slowly. The look on his face wasn't hurt or angry; it was empty, completely blank.
"What did you say?" he asked. His voice was quiet, way too quiet, and it was way scarier than if he had been yelling.
Ava was taken aback for a second by his sudden change, but her own anger pushed her forward. "You heard me. You think you're so much better than everyone now that you have powers, but you're not. You're just dangerous and useless."
He started walking towards her, his steps slow and deliberate. "Useless?"
The casual way he closed the distance set off alarm bells in her head, and she took a step back. "Yeah, useless. What happens when you run into something you can't handle by yourself? Who's going to help you then?"
He was right in front of her now. He was faster than she thought. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat, his fingers wrapping easily around her neck. He wasn't squeezing hard, not yet, but his grip was like iron. She couldn't have pulled away if she tried.
Her fiery aura sputtered and died, her eyes wide with shock and a sudden, real fear.
"You talk too much," he said, his voice a low whisper. The blankness in his eyes was gone, replaced by a cold, predatory light. "It's annoying."
He felt it then, a dark, quiet voice in the back of his mind whispering how easy it would be. Just a little pressure. He could snap her neck right here, no more talking, no more accusations, just silence. The thought was simple and clean and terrifyingly appealing.
He saw the genuine terror in her eyes, saw the way her body trembled in his grip. He saw the other students down the hall staring, their faces pale with horror. He decided it wasn't worth the trouble. Killing her here would just create more problems.
He released her so suddenly she stumbled backward, gasping for air, her hands flying to her throat.
"Stay out of my way," he said. His voice was completely flat.
Then he turned his back on her and walked away without another word, leaving her trembling in the ruined hallway.