Perks of having an Alter-ego. [POHAA]

Chapter-5b Time or Gravity?

I swung my coward eyes open, warm tears blurred my vision. I blinked repeatedly to fight them back.

Suddenly the elevator was not falling down anymore. Barb's pigtails were floating up waving gently. I shook my head, thinking that it's just a dream.

Barb poked her little index into blobs of brown liquid floating around us, as if they were defying gravity. I gasped and traced the blobs of brown liquid spilling from the takeaway coffee cups, drifting away from the couples' hands. Their faces mirrored the same shock which was evident on my face.

'Is it the time, that has paused? Is it the gravity that has ceased to exist?'

Thud!
The elevator shook with a metallic sound. I reflexively jerked, my lips trembled releasing a low whimper. Barb clenched her fingers even tighter clawing her nails into my skin.

'I want to live!'
That was the moment I realised for better or worse, I really didn't want to die.

An unusual sound appeared from above, I whipped my head up to see a hint of smoke spewing from a single red hole on the elevator ceiling. The sound grew louder and louder; a teal circular light flashed starting from that hole. Soon that particular ​part of ceiling was dismantled and uncapped.

"No!"
The other lady almost shrieked in panic at the sight of Neon-Blaze. She hugged the other guy and he squeezed his arms around her.

"Stay calm, I am here to help." Neon-blaze squatted at the hole and lent his hand towards me. My breath came out in small jets as I trembled. I shook my head, I didn't trust him yet.

Murderer! I gulped.

"Come on Lee, give me your hand." He urged ticking his fingers, gritting his teeth. I outstretched my arm, but they fell back limp into my lap as my heart didn't win over my brain yet, even if the decision seemed logical for the situation.
"Come on, there's not much time!" He yelped again.

By then the couple had gotten up deciding that they would give 'the villain' a chance. The man nodded to him, pressing his nerdy spectacles back in place. He let the lady be pulled out first and soon he was out of the elevator too.

There was that haunting silence as he flew away shifting the couple to a safer zone. My anxiety levels welled to the brim.
'What do I do? What do I do?'

He returned back and peeked into the hole again and yelled, "Barb, come on!"

She almost spread her arms out, but couldn't reach the ceiling of course. "No." I screamed as I pulled her hands back.

Neon clicked his tongue in frustration and jumped into the elevator, shaking the elevator with a thump. I sprung upright, flinching away from him. The coffee-blobs that were levitating until now, suddenly spilled on the floor. Then fell the cup followed by Barb's pink bag.

"No. No, not now." He shook his head as his fretful face scanned the surrounding. He yanked me by my arm towards him.

Weightless feeling caught my stomach and churned it as the elevator sped falling down, once again. He tightened his arms around me and Barb and broke the glass pane with his left elbow and shoulder, shattering it into pieces. Within a blink, we fell out of the falling cage of the dilapidated elevator.

When I opened my eyes, all three of us were floating in the mid air. Barb was safe in my arms and I was safe in his arms.

Clank!
What was left of the elevator, railed down and shattered on the floor.

My cheek was resting on his smooth leather shoulder, my tears washed its sheen away. Cold air swept my hair up as he floated downwards holding me in his arms, as light as the wisp of a feather. My fingers brushed along his nape, then shoulders and chest, as he landed me smoothly to the ground. I still clang to his body like a slug, not ready to let go. Perhaps, scared to let go.

"Are you okay?" He whispered into my ears. His warm breath tickled the nape of my neck. I let go of his shoulders and shifted my gaze to his face. It was worried, scared and proud, all at the same time. I nodded, shying away my eyes and stepped backwards. He looked into Barb's face and grazed his fingers on her cheeks, smiling.

"Thanks dude!" She said, flashing her toothless grin. She neither knew his name, nor his past. So, it made sense when she addressed him with 'dude'.

He chuckled and parted his lips, gesturing his hands to say something. By then, a beep of some kind interrupted him. He let out a low groan and touched his ear device. An abrupt broken robotic voice spoke in distress- "Dude come on! I'm alone."

He looked into the sky, White-hawk was fending himself against both Hell-fire and Black-ninja.
"Duty calls." He cocked his head and patted on my shoulders and flew away leaving a neon trail along his path.

Soon, Neon blaze was flying in the sky and was fighting against them. He glided towards Hell-fire and kicked on his torso, making him drift away to a fair distance.

Hell-fire staggered a little in mid air to find his balance and then leapt forward, shooting himself like a burning comet, mangling his face with anger. He rubbed his hands circling into each other.

I gasped as I knew what was going to come next. I took Barb's hand and bolted towards the parking lot, which apparently looked destroyed with burning flames and spewing ashes.
I frantically searched for our car, but I couldn't find it, or it might have ceased to exist becoming one with the fire, I assumed so.

I coughed holding my chest as my throat burned, my eyes felt scorched. All I saw was black of soot and ember of fire.
I pulled out my hanky and fastened it around Barb's nose. Although, she was already coughing, last thing I wanted was another abrupt attack to start in the middle of all this chaos.

I leaned holding my hips, as the disgusting burnt smell stung my nose, my chest throbbed as I coughed my heart out. Funny turns clouded my senses and I fell on my knees. Barb held my torso from limping onto the ground, face first.
"Lee, come on Lee. Don't do this to me, Please!" She cried, her voice was muffled due to the cloth. Pearls of tears rolled down her soot smudged cheeks.

"Barb." I coughed. "I am sorry."

The darkness overtook my eyes as I lost myself into its vastness, I hobbled to the floor. There was a jolt on my shoulder, a swat on my cheek. I felt it, but I couldn't react to it. I tried to open my eyes, but they were tired.
'I failed you Barb! I failed you mom!'
Warm tears wetted my cheeks,
'I failed the Universe, I failed everything, once again.'