Vigilante | ✔

Part II: Sidekicks

In retrospect, unmasking a vigilante known for taking down groups of criminals bare-handed, might not have been Eli's brightest idea. But then, they do say hindsight is 20/20.

For a while, Eli expected for something to happen. Of course something would happen, after all, you couldn't unmask a vigilante without there being any consequences. The problem was, he didn't know what to expect.

Maybe that was why he had become so paranoid (not that he would admit it).

There were many things that Eli expected as a result of having ripped off Vigilante's mask and exposing his not-so-secret identity. One of them, for example, was being wiped off the face of the Earth by a vengeful masked man. At the very least, he expected a threat or some blackmail. So, what actually happened was more surprising.

Or rather, it was the lack of anything happening that shocked Eli so much — because that was exactly what had occurred. Matthew had glared at him and then left and Eli had hurried home. He might have looked over his shoulder a couple of times, but it wasn't him being paranoid, he told himself. Of course not.

He was relieved to get home, and made sure to lock his door and windows; though he wasn't really sure how much good that would do him if Matthew decided to kill him in his sleep. He had to admit, as well as his plan had worked, he really should have thought things through a bit more. As it happened, he woke up safe and sound in his bed the next morning, got dressed, had some slightly burnt toast and coffee for breakfast, and then went to his morning classes. It wasn't until he had to go to work that he realized he'd probably see Matthew at the shop and to be honest. He wasn't really looking forward to that. Fortunately for him, Matthew didn't show up that day.

In fact, he didn't show up for days after the night of Eli's brilliant plan. Vigilante, on the other hand, made plenty of appearances. He was all over the news, even when he didn't stop any robbers or save people from burning buildings, the media couldn't stop talking about him. Eli supposed it was all very good for the ratings. He tried not to watch the news too often, not that he had much time to do so anyway.

It was about two weeks later — maybe more — when Eli saw Matthew again. It wasn't quite in the way he'd thought it would be.

School had been exhausting that day – Eli had to question the merits of a pop quiz – and work was only slightly better. Michael, at the very least, did his best to help him. Together, they were able to deal with the crowds that swarmed the shop. It was a relief for Eli, when he was finally able to get home.

He wasted no time in getting washed up and changed into more comfortable clothes, before heating up some leftover soup for dinner. There was a gameshow playing on the television. It wasn't the best choice, but it wasn't bad either and Eli got a bit into it once he was seated on the couch with his food. He was on the third consecutive game show – they were surprisingly addictive once you started watching – when he heard some odd noise from somewhere in his small apartment.

It wasn't a loud sound, or anything threatening, really. It was just a small 'click' that would have gone unnoticed if the t.v. hadn't suddenly switched to a commercial. The short transition between the show and the commercial quiet enough that Eli caught the sound. But then, he recalled one of his neighbors commenting on the break-ins that had been all too common as of late in that area.

That was really all it took for Eli's overworked mind to imagine all sorts of scenarios. After that, it wasn't long before he was cautiously getting up from the couch and slowly making his way to his bedroom. He moved as quietly as possible, picking up the first thing he could reach on his way there, not even bothering to look at what the object was.