500

The Reckoning (#shake)

Bravery and fear. Pretty much the same thing. They're both all about odds. The better your odds, the braver you are.

My odds don't look so hot. There's 10 of them. One of me. Each is armed with at least one 9MM along with brass knuckles, knives or various weapons of choice. They're all mountains of men; guys who don't even need to pull a trigger. Just look at one of these guys and most people start peeing uncontrollably. Odds are hopeless. Fear follows. Enter despair.

Me? I'm half their size. I'm unarmed. Outnumbered. Outgunned. Yet, I'm grinning behind my mask. See, I've got bravery on my side. They recognize me and they're consumed by fear. I'm the Reckoning. The odds have shifted. They know they don't have a chance.

They're trembling. One brave soul reaches for his gun. Even pulls the trigger. Shaky hands don't make for accurate shots. I could easily avoid a barrage of bullets fired by expert marksmen. This guy is just insulting.

The windowsill is still shining with glass shards from when I made my dramatic entrance, but I'm no longer there. I leap right into the middle of the group like I'm flying. My reputation precedes me. They know I'm not like the rest of the superfolk in this town.  Most superheroes believe in mercy. The thunder of this guy's cracking jaw echoes through his head as my fist makes contact. Don't think he'll ever try something so stupid. Don't think he'll be able to.

"It's Da Reckoning!" one of the thugs cries out. It's always nice to be recognized. If he doesn't do anything stupid, I might let him pass with non life threatening injuries.

But no. He pulls out his gun. He wants to be a hero. A hero among thieves and killers. Funny. In a blink of any eye, I'm standing on top of him, pummeling him into dreamland. His teeth clink all over the floor before he thuds to the ground.

There's eight left. They're shaking more than the San Andreas fault. None of them want a fight they can't win. They drop their guns and fall to the floor. Most beg me not to hurt them.

Stupid move. I go for them first.

Minutes later, I'm glaring at one of the fallen thugs through my mask. Don't know why I chose him. He's younger than the others. Maybe I feel sorry for him. Probably not.

"Take out your phone and call the cops," I growl. "Then wait."

"Y-y-yes sir, Mr. Reckoning, sir."

His trembling fingers dance across the keypad like a drunken ballerina. It's gonna take him a while to dial 911. He will, though. Eventually.

Silently I jump through the shattered window and am gone. I have no idea exactly what these punks were guilty of. Don't really care. They provided me with something to do tonight and some exercise before I go to bed.

I jump from rooftop to rooftop, on my way home. Tomorrow night it'll all start over again. I can't wait.