Choose (A Choose Your Own Story Adventure)

11. Stay With Zander

Mia steps closer to Zander. Once again, Night Watch stares at her in shock. Zander smiles at her with delight.

Night Watch shakes his head. "I did not expect this."

"You can leave," Mia says, her arms crossed. "There's no need for saving here."

He tries to object, but Zander raises his hand and motions for the hero to leave. Night Watch sighs, turns around, and leaves. His shoulders are slumped and his head is lowered in defeat.

After everything Zander told Mia, she's happy to watch the hero walk away. It may only be once, but it's one less time that Night Watch gets to defeat Zander. One less victory for him.

"I can't believe you stayed," Zander says. He steps closer to her. Mia steps back.

"I stayed because I want answers." She points to the wall with the framed newspapers. She lets out a shaky breath, suddenly realizing how scared she is of his response. "Did you...were you the one that took her?"

Zander looks to where she's pointing. After a moment of looking puzzled, he finally relaxes. His expression grows soft. He again steps toward Mia.

"No," he replies quietly. "I don't know where she went, and I feel very sorry for Carson."

"Then why—"

"I have that because I helped him look for her." Zander smiles. Mia relaxes her tense muscles. He didn't do it. Zander isn't evil. That thought makes her very happy.

The two go back to the ground floor. Mia sits on the couch and Zander makes them coffee. She checks the time on her phone. She needs to go home soon. Mia doesn't know where she is, though, so hopefully Zander can take her back to the coffee shop. Is my car still there...? It better be.

Zander turns the TV back on and hands Mia a cup. She shows her gratitude with a smile. He turns on a random show. Though she has to go, it wouldn't hurt to watch a few more episodes before she leaves.

He turns the volume down low enough so that they can talk. Mia relaxes. She knows that she is safe and that there won't be any more excitement today. She just needs to make sure that she leaves before she gets too tired.

They talk about random things—hobbies, future aspirations, Mia's work, and so on. The last one reminds Mia about Zander's day job. "What's your day job? I mean, what do you do when you're not the Malice?"

Zander raises a brow. "You want to know?"

Mia nods. He suddenly grows very serious. His contrasting expression makes her nervous. He leans in so that he's close to her ear. Mia shudders.

"When I'm not the Malice," he mutters. "I am Mayhem." 

Mia doesn't understand what he meant. He causes mayhem? 

...No. He is Mayhem. One of the most feared villains in the nation. Mia slides further away from him. Mayhem is known for stealing expensive and valuable items, holding people hostage for money or objects, and destroying areas. He does all of this with the intent of targeting and destroying heroes.

Zander grabs Mia's hand. She jumps and moves away. "Look, I know that you're scared, but I don't do what I do just to be bad. Heroes think that they're all high and mighty when really, they're useless. Policemen and firefighters work far harder and yet don't get as much credit. I have to bring them to size, you know?"

Mia shakes her head. She doesn't know. Heroes wouldn't be needed if people like Zander weren't around. He causes chaos for no reason. People have gotten hurt and are traumatized because of him. He can't talk his way out of it this time.

"I-I need to go." Mia quickly stands up and heads for the door. Zander is up just as quickly and stands in front of the exit. Mia's breath hitches. Her heart stops.

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" he whispers. Mia can't speak. She just shakes her head frantically. Her hand touches the knob. If she opens it and slips under his arm, she could be free. But she doesn't know how to get home. Maybe she can call someone and hope they pick her up somewhere close by...

"Come to think of it." Zander takes a step towards Mia. She instinctively steps back, bringing her further away from the door. "I do need help with my next mission. Could you call out of work for, let's say, a week?"

Mia swallows a lump in her throat. She hides her shaking hands and nods her head. Helping him is the last thing she wants to do.

But how can she say no to a villain?

***

"I have called for a replacement substitute," Grace says. "I request that you exit the room immediately."

"What? Why? It was getting so interesting." You want to see what mission Zander plans to have Mia take part in. An evil sidekick, how awesome is that? You click on the keyboard to see if you have any new choices. When you click a button, the screen blares a loud noise and turns bright red. You look around, panicked. "What's happening?!"

"You no longer have permission to access the computer," the A.I. responds. "You have put Mia in far too much danger. I will ask you again to leave on your own or you will be forced to leave."

Long story short, you don't leave, and two large men are sent into the room. They hoist you up easily. You kick and squirm, but their strong grasps keep you up in the air all the way until the exit. There, they set you on the ground and closed the door. When you try to go back inside, they block your way. In defeat, you start heading to your car.

Your phone buzzes. It's your friend. "Hello?"

"Where have you been?!" she asks. "They have the greatest food here, you have to come taste the burgers!"

Your stomach growls. You have been in front of the computer all day. Who knew that the game would have taken so long? "I'd love to, but I kind of...can't get back in. I'll meet you at the car, though."

"What did you do? Never mind, tell me on the way home."

"Oh man, trust me, it was much more fun than a tour."

Congratulations! You just got the EVIL SIDEKICK ending! Go back to "1. Morning" in order to try again!

Ending: 9/18