Arik's face burned as tears welled in his eyes. He could feel his blood immediately rushing from his nose like a fountain into his hand. His nose was broken. Two firm hands gripped his shirt and tossed him from the doorway into the living room like a sack of potatoes. There was no time to think about what was going on, there was only time to defend and survive.
The bloodied resident stood up in a daze to look at his assailant, the punch to his nose still spinning the room around him. It was a rugged man, probably in his 40s. But not just any normal man. No, of course not. Arik's life had taken on the pattern lately of experiencing unexplainable things. This was no different. The man stood there in a jean aviator coat fastened, bedazzled, studded, and sewn with multiple decorations and patches. He wore nothing underneath but a couple of necklaces that sat on the chest of his physically intimidating physique that displayed multiple exotic tattoos. Ash blonde hair was combed back with the sides shaved off, paying tribute to his fair completion and punk aesthetic, while the scars littering his face did the same to his cold and aggressive face.
But the unexplainable thing: his metal hands. One reached up to take the cigarette from his mouth, the fingers softly scrapping together with every movement. He blew smoke through his tough scowl, then stretched his arms to his sides and smiled.
"What's wrong? You don't recognize me?"
Arik growled. 'That is definitely the voice of the bear costume from the expo. There's no mistaking that accent. But how did he get in here? And who is in the bear costume now?' He stood defensively.
He took another puff of the cigarette before flicking it across the room. "Sorry to snag one of your fags. But I really needed a drag."
"What do you want with me?" demanded a stern Arik.
The strange man turned back to a scowl and took his jacket off revealing the rest of his engineered appendages. His entire arms were robotic and brassy in color. While mostly covered in plates of muscle-mimicking metal, the inner part of the arms and joints revealed more intricate and delicate devices underneath. They were something straight out of a sci fi movie. Or perhaps steampunk was more appropriate.
He dropped his coat lightly on the kitchen counter. "Easy. I'm here to see what you got."
"What I've got?"
The man zipped from where he stood faster than Arik could react and charged with the same fist from before. Arik tried to dodge or run but he tripped over his own foot and caught the punch square in the gut. The force of the man's attack sent Arik flying back and rolling into the back wall. He gripped his stomach and hissed for air as the man walked toward him.
'This is bad. This is really bad. This guy is going to kill me if I don't think of something fast.'
Then it clicked.
If he could manage to jump through the window, he could simply fly away. That man can't punch him in the air, and then Arik could flee someone safer. His house was already too dangerous now. But all of that was already much easier said than done.
The black door that fogged parts of his mind appeared once again, reminding him of the fear he had recently developed. Arik hadn't flown since the incident the other day. In fact, he had sworn it off for at least another few weeks. What would happen if he had a heart attack here and now? Or if he fell out of the air again? It would end the same way that it did the first time he had jumped out of the window. Was that better than facing this guy?
The man kicked Arik in the ribs, followed by grabbing him by his collar and pulling him up from the ground.
"Yuh know this is a lot more fun when you fight back."
"Let go of me," whispered Arik through the blood and pain.
"Roger."
The mechanical man let go of Arik's clothes and twisted, releasing a blindsiding right hook that collided with Arik's cheek. A cloud of blood shot from his mouth and speckled the wall.
"I'll let you land one punch for free. C'mon," insisted the man, dropping his guard.
"I don't want to fight you."
That was the truth in more ways than one. While Arik was a respectable height and healthy body weight, the man before him was an inch or two taller and outweighed him in raw muscle by at least 30 pounds. Then of course there were the metal arms. The chances of winning a brawl against this dude were slim to none.
"Well I don't really give a royal fuck what you want. I've got a job to do—"He pointed at Arik, a grim expression slathered upon his face. "—and if you don't hit me right now then I'll kill you."
A pressure radiated from him that seemed to dim the light of the room around them, while the bear continued to stand rather motionless in the doorway. Arik didn't know what to make of these guys.
'Well I guess that settles it. No use thinking of a prolonged plan. I have to make this punch count then run for it.'
Arik stood straight, wiped blood from his lips, and suspired a breath of calm. The man waited in anticipation like a dog begging for its master to throw a stick. Eyes flashed as Arik charged forward and bellowed from the base of his chest, balling his fist as tight as possible. The first flung into the enemies face with a dull thud. It felt powerful. Arik felt powerful. He couldn't remember the last time he had hit someone with such intent, if ever.
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"You call that a punch?" The man's face hadn't even budged, and his grim expression persisted. It was as if Arik had missed. Nothing of the man looked any different besides one very peculiar thing. Glowing ruby red lines had appeared on his cheek bone where Arik had supposedly landed a punch.
Now was the time to run. Arik knew that. But something was happening here that beckoned his attention like a moth to flame, if only for a few moments longer.
"What are you?" Arik asked on the defense.
"Nope. I'm the one asking questions here."
Before he knew it, the man had dashed over to Arik's side in another burst of impossible speed. A cold hand clasped onto Arik's throat and the man flung him into a wall with ease. A cloud of blood flew from Arik's face as pain shot from his mouth once again.
"I'm sure you already know the answer to that one though."
A barrage of metallic fists sank into Arik's body at every angle. He barely had time to inhale let alone defend himself. While the pain was immense, he could tell the man was holding back his punches.
The emotions welling within were finally teetering, and Arik forced out a second punch through the beating he was taking. Another impossible burst of speed sent the man back, easily dodging the punch.
These bursts of mobility weren't just raw speed. Whenever he moved this way, it was like his entire body was sliding through space on sheer thought. It was reminiscent of Arik's flying method. As long as it was applied throughout his body, Arik's body moved in unison without the need of particular muscles.
This man was the same as Arik. He was a superhuman.
"That's what I like to see. Show me some fire, brat." A grin began to inch on the corner of his mouth.
Arik's mind was growing fuzzy with confusion, pain and fear. Escape still seemed to be his only option and now he had some distance from the man. He booked it for the window.
Another dash placed the man between Arik and the window.
The black door locked in Arik's mind began knocking with ferocity to be let open. There was no more ignoring the inevitable. He had to open it.
Arik immediately began floating off the ground mid-sprint and strafed to the left to dodge a hefty punch sent out by the other superhuman. It worked, and Arik's body zoomed past the man without a second to spare. But that victory was tainted with the nauseating fear and morbid images of his past death. Every moment in the air was another possibility of instant death, as irrational as it was.
"Oh no you don't," growled the man.
Hard hands grabbed at Arik's leg and yanked him out of the air as fast and easy as a man pulling a kite down. Arik crashed and rolled onto the ground. His leg was rushing with pain. Perhaps a dislocation?
"I already know that trick, Arik." The man knelt down and grabbed Arik's wavy black hair.
"How do you know my name?" Arik's voice was tired and muffled through spit and blood.
"Isn't it obvious? I've been watching you."
The memories of the expo played through his head like a video. The first time he had met the man. 'He was there just to watch me?' he thought in panicked wonder.
"Though the first time we met I was in Bug over there." He gestured toward the still bear in the doorway.
Arik began grasping at the metal man's hand to let go of his hair, grimacing in pain from every part of his body.
"I'll admit, you didn't really show me much. You just fly around a bunch and return to your boring normal human life."
"I like my normal human life."
"I'm sure you do." The man slammed Arik's face to the ground cheek first. "But that's no way for a deathless to live, now is it?"
A deathless. A word that Arik had legitimately never heard before in his life, yet the name had implications that couldn't be ignored.
"Matter of fact, let me show you one of my favorite spells."
The man gently put his free hand on the ground and the two of them began sinking into the carpet of Arik's apartment living room. The floor beneath them bent and stretched itself around while they dropped until an eight by eight cube of the flooring completely surrounded them. The only light source into the room was a pillar of faint light from a small ceiling hole leading back into the living room. It reminded Arik of being stuck at the bottom of a well.
The man aggressively let go of Arik's hair.
"Tada! I made a room inside your room. Pretty neat, huh?" The man looked quite pleased with himself.
"What do you want from me? Why do you use your powers like this?" Arik yelled in unamused rage.
The man looked offended. "I wouldn't have to make a dimensional cell if you didn't try to run aw— You know what. I'm just going to go back to torturing you."
The man's nonchalant attitude did nothing but infuriate Arik even greater, and a burst of energy propelled him through the air toward the man. Arik remembered that his flight speed was significantly greater than his running speed, so a full on tackle would be relatively devastating to an opponent.
"Try again."
Brassy knuckles bounced off of Arik's face once more and caused Arik to crash into the wall beside the man.
'His speed and strength are just too great. There is nothing I can do.'
Arik spent no time shuffling back to his feet to defend himself from a counter attack, but then realized he was incredibly dizzy and couldn't see straight anymore.
"There are only two outcomes to this, kid. I either beat you to death, or you show me your powers you're withholding."
"You think I have other powers?"
"You do."
"Sorry, I don't."
"Bullshit. I can sense it a mile away. Plus I saw you die a couple days ago during the soul seizure. Don't lie to me. It'll only make my punches harder."
The words were still completely foreign to Arik, but he knew exactly what the guy was talking about. That heart attack feeling he got over the forest on Sunday. This man was watching him then too. A soul seizure? That must have been what happened in the sky, whatever it was.
Tears began to roll down a teetering Arik's face, mixing with vibrant blood.
"Stop crying. I hate crying."
"I finally met someone who knows exactly what I'm going through. The powers, the death, all of it. But then he turns out to be some crazy power drunk serial killer. Why can't I just have a normal life? Why can't you just go away?"
A careful hand laid on Arik's shoulder and knocked him out of his emotional tangent.
"For what it's worth kid, I'm sorry. But like I said, I've got a job to do."
Arik's sulking demeanor turned to fury. "But what job? Why can't you just—"
Another blinding dash turned-to-push rocketed Arik into the wall behind him. With only one eye not swollen shut, he saw the man charging with an intense right punch aimed right for his head. His joints felt rusty and his body ached, but through some kind of divine intervention he was still able to respond.
Arik's defunct body fell to the ground in a crouch, narrowly dodging the terminal punch by hair strands. What came next didn't even feel like Arik's own actions, but rather those of someone piloting his near unconscious body.
A warmth erupted from Arik's head that was familiar yet unique. Within fractions of a second, it had burned its way through his chest and appendages before making home in his right arm that was currently tucked into the side of his chest. His right arm began to glow warm colors of orange and yellow and Arik instinctually decided to act on the energy imposed to him.
With every fiber of his being, Arik launched his arm at the man's exposed chest. Every inch that his fist drew closer, sparks flickered and flew from his arm like a destructive firework, and before the man could even pull an arm to defend his soft chest, Arik's fiery fist rocketed into the man's ribs, cracking them and sending him into the opposite wall as if he were made of rubber.
Blood erupted from the man's mouth and the room around them began to shift and bend rapidly, shooting them back up and into the living room. The dimensional room was banished.