2024 Story Collection

Her Anti-Villain

He opens his eyes but instantly closes them again to protect from the rain. He sits up, looking around. He's in a basketball court. He looks down and notices his soaked clothes.

Confusion turns rapidly into a need. A need to find something.

He tries to trace his steps, tries to think of how he got there and what he was searching for, what he must find.

He was looking for something. What was it? It was on the tip of his tongue. He reached into the depths of his mind for answers of any sort, but came up empty.

His memory was gone. He knew nothing but what was before him.

He stands up and looks around. He notices a flash of lights to his left and limps over to a busy side street, holding his arm, which seemed to be injured.

He also notices then that his suit was ripped and worn, likely from a fight he couldn't quite recall, but was nice enough that it still looked decent.

He walks up to the street and notices a tiny kitten trembling in the incoming traffic. He steps out into the street, unbothered by the cars flying by, their horns blaring at him, their voices yelling obscenities.

He bends down, gently scooping up the cat with his large hands. He places the tiny creature in the inside pocket of his suit jacket so it sits right against his heart.

His continues to limp his way through the street.

Once on the other side, he decides to take a path through a park but is yanked to the side by a man. On instinct, he draws his gun and shoots the man dead. The bullet hit right between the eyes.

"Hey!" another man yells. He turns to face the large man.

"Sorry, he just got in my way," he says, continuing on down the path through the park, searching for-

The man grabs him from behind and shoves him to the ground. He barely catches himself from crushing the cat, but fully dislocated his shoulder in the process. He doesn't show any of the pain. He is unflinching.

He turns back and faces the man once again. He pulls his gun and before the man can even lay a finger on the handgun stuffed in his waistband, he's shoot him twice-one bullet in each eye.

He holsters the gun and stands up. He makes sure the kitten is okay before he limps on. He can feel the small animal's heart beating against his chest as he walks.

He makes his way to an intersection where a dirt road meets a paved one. He notices an older lady in a wheelchair stuck in some gravel, so he walks up to her.

"Ma'am," he says, grabbing her attention. Her eyes look him over. She adjusts her glasses for a better look, but it appears the half inch thick lenses don't help too much judging by her squinting. "Do you need help getting out of the gravel and across the street?"

"Why, that would be wonderful."

He is careful to be gentle as he pushes the wheelchair through the gravel and back onto the pavement. He waits for the traffic to go by so they can cross.

"So, where are you headed, dressed up all sharp like?" she asks. She must be able to make out the suit but miss the wear on his clothes.

"I'm looking for something," he says. He can almost picture it in his mind's eye. It's a blurry silhouette, but every time he reaches out for it, it just gets farther away.

"Your the mysterious type I see," she comments with a light chuckle. "Well, you can't be all bad if you're helping an old bat like me."

She doesn't notice the blood of the men from earlier on his black suit, nor the guns tucked into the holsters and belt.

"Protect those weaker than you," he says the words under his breath. It was a something he'd known even now. It had been drilled into him by...by someone.

A large enough gap in traffic comes and they cross the road. Once on the other side, he stops and asks, "do you need anything else?"

"No, my home is just down the road. I should be fine." She takes his right hand in hers. It pulls on his shoulder in a horribly painful way, but he doesn't flinch. In fact, he does the opposite and smiles at her warmly. "Thank you, if I had anything to offer you-"

"Just being in your presence is welcome enough." He bends down and kisses her hand with a smile. "It is an honor to be of help to a woman such as yourself."

She giggles.

"You sure know how to make a girl blush." She says. "I should get going then. The storm looks like it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets any better. Don't stay out too long, you're liable to catch a cold," she warns with a kindness that makes him feel warm. He watches her as she rolls off down the road. He waves with a smile bore turning to face the other way.

The street seems familiar.

He follows the road, and after a while he comes to a house at the very end of the dirt road. It's a large mansion bumped up right against the woods. He steps up to the door and knocks.

He waits and after a moment she answers the door, the one he was looking for. The moment he sees her, he feels unprepared. He wished he had roses to give her, but she doesn't seem to mind.

"Oh my God, Henry!" she runs to him, her arms wide. She looks ready to jump, so he stops her, pushing her back gently. Where his fingers touch her shoulder, he feels sparks.

Her face flashes with anger, sadness, and disappointment.

"Why?" she asks, her voice cracking at the end.

To be continued...

January 31, 2024