There is always a lot of mess after the heroes win. I am one of the people who has to clean it up cause I'm not gifted like them. My name is Elias Vance. I am a paramedic. My job is to help people when they are hurt. But sometimes, I am not fast enough. Today was one of those days.
The alarm ring early in the morning. A big problem is happening downtown. A big monster, no, it's made up of crystals, no it's body is stone. Every people there caught a glance of it but they all had different opinions about how it looks like, but, the hero Aegis was there to fight it. Everyone else had to run away. But not me. I go toward the problem. That is my job.
I drove the ambulance to the street where the fight is happening. It was scary. Buildings were Collapsing. Cars were being destroyed. Pieces of crystal were everywhere like glass. And high up in the sky, Aegis punched the monster. Each punch was very loud. Like thunder.
I saw people watching from far away. They were safe behind a big barrier. They cheered and clapped for Aegis. They liked the show. They did not see the mess down here. They did not see the people who were hurt.
My partner Maria saw something. She yelled my name. "Elias! Over here! A man is hurt!"
I grabbed the big medical bag and ran to her. The man was a delivery driver. His name was Leo. A big piece of crystal was on his leg. But that was not the bad part. A piece of concrete from a building fell on his chest. He was trying to breathe, but it was hard. He was bleeding a lot.
I kneeled next to him. I opened my bag. I took out cloth to push on his wound. The red blood soaked the white cloth immediately. I pushed harder. Leo looked at me. His eyes were wide open with fear.
"Please," he said. His voice was very quiet. "Help me."
"I am trying," I said. But I knew it was not enough. The blood would not stop. I was losing him.
"My little girl," he whispered. "Her name is Lily. Tell her I love her."
I nodded. "I will tell her. You will tell her yourself. Just stay awake. Look at me."
But his eyes started to close. He was very pale. He was leaving.
Above us, the fight got louder. Aegis gave a big shout. There was a bright flash of light. The crystal monster exploded into a thousand tiny pieces. It was over. The hero won. The people behind the barrier cheered very loud. The sound was like a wave.
The loud noise made Leo's body jump. His eyes opened wide for one second. And then, he was gone. He stopped breathing. He was dead.
I sat back. I felt tired and sad. My hands were covered in his blood. I failed. I could not save him. The hero won his fight, but I lost mine. I just sat there on the dirty street. The cheers of the crowd felt very far away.
Then, something strange happened.
I felt very cold. It was a weird cold. It was not from the air. It was a cold that came from inside me. The world became quiet. I could not hear the crowd anymore. All I could hear was my own heart beating.
I looked down at Leo.
His hand twitched.
I stared. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Dead people do not move.
But then his head turned. Slowly. It turned toward me. His eyes were open, but they were empty. Or they were empty a second ago. Now, a tiny green light appeared in each one. It was a sick, pale green light. Like old moss.
His mouth opened. It was hard for him. It was like his jaw was stiff. A sound came out. It was not a voice. It was a dry, scratchy sound. Like stones rubbing together.
"...Spire..." the dead man said.
The word hung in the air. I felt my blood turn to ice. This was not possible. This was not happening. I was too tired. I was seeing things. I was hearing things.
"Hey! You!"
A new voice. Young and loud. It broke the spell.
I looked up. Standing a few feet away was Kinetix. He is the sidekick to Aegis. He wears a silver and blue suit. He landed without me hearing him. He looked angry.
"What are you doing?" he asked. He walked closer. Then he saw my bloody hands. He saw the dead man on the ground. He saw the faint green light in the dead man's eyes. His face changed. The anger disappeared. Now he looked shocked and scared.
He jumped back. He held up his hands. Energy started to glow around his fingers. It was blue electricity. It made a cracking sound.
"You..." he said. His voice was shaky. "You're not helping him."
"I am a paramedic," I said. My own voice sounded weak.
"No!" he said, louder. "You are one of them! A bad guy! You are using a power on him! You are doing something to the dead!"
The green light in Leo's eyes faded away. Now he just looked like a dead man again. There was no proof of what happened.
But Kinetix saw it. He believed it.
I looked from the dead man to the young hero. His hands were glowing with power. He thought I was a villain. My life was normal ten minutes ago. Now it was over.
I was in big trouble.