Supernerd! MARK

19 | the hell before heaven

"Hello, Yena."

The café that is so near suddenly seems so far away.

My vision is blocked by someone, a someone I don't recognise.

His midnight hair is greasy under the moonlight, his grin showing off a single yellow tooth that makes me take a step back in fear, finding myself back in the alley.

"W-Who are you?" I whisper weakly, and he cackles.

"Where's your little boyfriend?" He ignores my question as he tilts his head to the sky, squinting his eyes. He tuts. "A very sweet farewell, that was— almost made me tear up. Though, not very wise of him to leave you here all alone."

I swallow, trying not to let my tears which are already threatening to escape fall. "Who are you?" I ask again, my voice harsher this time, though it unmistakably quivers in fear.

The stranger cackles. "You don't need to know who I am. Though, you might have a hunch. A few weeks ago, was it? You made a police report— stupid move, by the way."

His cryptic response leaves me racking my brain for an answer, but in my panicked state I am unable to pinpoint who he is. My closest guess is that he must be related to the same drug dealer I ran in with Mark on two separate occasions a few weeks ago— it makes the most sense.

"The report you lodged wasn't what sent my member to jail. It was Spider-Man," he continues as he paces in front of me. "He's dedicated, I'd give him that. I guess he didn't want to risk it after you almost got killed. You know that he's been watching you?" He suddenly pauses, and I dare myself to stare at him despite my blurry vision. "From rooftops, traffic lights, everywhere! Always making sure you get home safe— how sweet," he fake-coos. "But what he doesn't know, is that I've been watching him."

At this point, I can feel my back against the bricked wall behind me, and with him standing so close in front of me I am able to make out the details of his poorly-done neck tattoo. The man cages me in, leaving me with no escape route.

I'm terrified.

"What do you want from me?" I ask again, though I'm not so sure I want to know the answer.

"Your boyfriend, of course," the man says simply, as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. "He's a stupid one, I tell ya. Flying around in a mask like some kind of coward— but he was willing to drop everything to save you that one night. Remember?"

He takes a step closer to me, and I shut my eyes. The lack of distance between us only labours my breaths even more, and suddenly I find it even more difficult to breathe. "And so I realised, this boy would travel to the end of the world so long as you're safe. And that's why I need your help, Yena." He grins at me. "Bring Spider-Man to me. So I can kill him."

"No," I say lowly, and I'm not given the time to react before I receive a swing to the face. My head spins, the pain searing from my right cheek all the way to behind my eyelids. I don't even realise that I had fallen to the ground, my palms taking the brunt of my fall.

"Wrong answer," he sings, and I let out a choked sob. I can't see anything, the ground nothing but a blur of grey. My scalp suddenly stings as I am harshly pulled back to my feet, and I bite my lip at the pain.

"If that motherfucker you call your boyfriend just knew how to mind his business, things wouldn't have to be this way." He spits, his fingers still wrapped tightly around my hair. "You know, he's the reason I got into trouble with my boss. What's his deal, huh? Meddling in adult business?"

I shut my eyes, though it doesn't do much in making the pain go away. My head is heavy as I feel myself start to lose consciousness, but I know that I have to stay awake if I want to stay alive.