30.10.2148

44 years later

It was the last day of October. The weather was freezing that night, it had been unstoppably raining for a few days and now there were puddles everywhere. The rain wasn't as bad as yesterday, but a few drops were still falling here and there.

Despite the bad weather, a curious crowd was slowly gathering together, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. They couldn't wait until tomorrow, they had to know right now. They were pushing each other to see better.

"Do you know what's happening?"

"Someone tell me what the fuck is going on!"

"I heard that there's officer Bart Holloway tied to that stage, someone captured him!"

"For god's sake, why isn't anyone helping him?!"

"Do something!"

A gun fired three times in a row and the chattering stopped instantly, as if the streets suddenly got emptied and everyone vanished in thin air. The sound of the weapon scared them but it was nothing compared to seeing the shooter himself.

People started whispering, they hugged each other, pushed one another, someone screamed, someone ran away, and some even started to pray but they all together stepped back and cleared a way for him.

It was Daniel Harmon.

And his people beside him.

At first sight, he was just a guy. Tall, with dark blond hair and cold blue, greenish eyes.

Right now he was wearing an oversized green jacket, grey shirt, blue, baggy jeans, and black boots with a silver lining.

Nothing unordinary with him until you'd squint your eyes, raise on your toes and see a pulse rifle hanging on his shoulder.

Daniel was someone who could easily have been a mass favorite, after all, good looks have always played a huge role in how a person was perceived but not even that face could save him from the consequences of his actions.

And he didn’t want to be saved either.

Daniel was known as the devil himself if you'd believe the rumors, though he found it funny they painted him as one.

Come on!

Had he ever stolen anything?

Or dealt drugs?

Or destroyed a historical site?

Maybe set fire to several facilities?

Or kidnapped someone?

Or sold someone?

Or killed someone?

Maybe his own father?

Yes, he had, and not just once or twice, but his reputation was still biased.

If you listened to the TV reporters then you’d find out that he was bringing sorrow and sadness wherever he'd go, some even claimed that they could see dark shadows following him, but that was just bullshit, shadows are dark and everyone had them.

But most importantly, what scared them the most was that Daniel was defective.

And not the kind you'd deal with easily.

He was immortal.

Nothing in the world could harm him, his body would heal itself eventually no matter how serious the damage was. You could chop off his head and it would somehow grow back, rip out his heart and the new one would replace it.

Even Cooper's laboratory and his guards couldn't catch him, he was probably the only person left in Frankia who wasn't afraid of Charles Cooper.

Daniel looked over at the frightened people and barely controlled himself to not smirk. He took one step forward and the crowd immediately split in half, just to let him walk.

Two people parted from his shadow, one was his cousin Jashesh, and the other was his best friend Zackary Sato, both of them were following Daniel- Jashesh by jumping on one leg, which was ruining their scary entrance, and Zack with an uptight frown sewed on his face, making him look like he was more anxious than anyone else there.

Daniel lit up his lighter and took forever to light the cigarette, just to make the situation even more unbearable, knowing every second was torture to these motherfuckers.

Someone was stubbornly piercing his forehead with his stare, so he smiled at them and didn’t break eye contact until everyone in that area put their heads down.

Maybe for the first time in his life, he wasn't the one who started the drama, he could say it wasn’t his fault and actually mean it.

None of this wouldn’t have been happening if officer Bart Holloway hadn’t killed three of his crew members. They didn’t deserve it, they weren’t anything like Daniel, but because they were close, they had to get punished for it.

Marcus, Pince, and Selene were shot in an ice cream parlor, out of nowhere, without a reason, just because they were known as Harmon’s friends.

And as if that wasn't enough, Holloway dared to go on National TV and call himself a hero for taking their lives. Also, he made fun of Daniel for not being able to save them, which stung him the most.

He wasn't even there, how would he save them? Did he look like a fucking superman?

To be honest, their early passing had no impact on Daniel, even though two of them were his friends and Selene was more than a friend. The fact that he would never see them again wasn't bothering him at all.

But he got humiliated by someone who wasn’t even as important as an ant. His pride was shattered, it was a huge slap in the face.

There was nothing he couldn’t do, everyone knew that and he wasn’t gonna let them think otherwise.

That's why he captured Officer Bart Holloway, invaded his home, and took all of his belongings, including his wife and three kids.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Daniel passed the crowd that was split in half like the red sea and went up on a stage, where Holloways stood on their knees, their hands were tied behind their back and they were all blindfolded.

Bart, a man with a buzzed head, broken nose, and big beard.

His wife, a woman with bright red hair and a swollen eye.

Two musty teenage boys and one girl, a bit older than Daniel, who looked exactly like her father.

People were slowly pushing forward but nobody dared to go up onto a stage and help their favorite hero.

Police would come soon, but that wasn't gonna create a problem, Daniel knew it would happen, so he and his guys wrapped wires around the stage. One touch of Zack would be enough to activate them and electrocute anyone. He was also a defective, and he was very good at electrocution.

The puddles were also in their favor, they could electrify their enemies through water, that's why Daniel chose the rainy day for today's little act.

“I’m hungry,” Jashesh whined out of nowhere.

Usually, he was full of energy, he was the kinda guy who could shoot people with one hand, hold his plushie octopus in another, tell some crazy story from his childhood, and maybe even dance while he was at it but no, now he had to have that tired look and empty stomach when Daniel needed him to stay still.

He widened his eyes at Jashesh and put his finger on his lips, hoping Jashesh would understand what that sign meant since they were using that a lot around him.

Daniel was ready. He coughed, looked over the frightened mass of people, and straightened his posture, making himself taller than he already was.

"Yesterday, three of my friends were killed,” He purposefully chose a tone that sounded sad but also strict. He wasn’t yelling but every damn person could hear him talking.

“And for what?" He stared at the people, who stood the closest and made a long pause to unease them. "For being different!” he continued.

"They weren't murderers, they weren't criminals! How was it fair to shoot them? When officers kill defectives, people like us, it's fine, but when I kill them in response, it's not?" His eye twitched. "Okay," he said calmly. "let it be then," Daniel took out the gun and aimed it at Bart's youngest kid as he grinned contentedly.

People started screaming and crying, they swore, called him names, screamed as if that could save anyone, cursing the day Daniel was born but Harmon's one bellow was enough to shut them up for good.

All of Holloways’ mouths were taped but their mumbling was still clear to Daniel, he could still see the tears coming down their cheeks, and he could feel their fear, no matter how much they tried to brave.

The fog thickened around them. The adrenaline rose in his body, he needed to run, jump from the highest building, or kill this entire family and fill his ears with a terrified crowd’s yells.

“Daniel, he looks nice, don’t do that,” Jashesh snuck up on him and almost made him drop the gun. His mouth was smeared with hot red Cheetos, so were his fingers.

Jashesh ruined their whole look, damn!

“Get back!” Daniel whispered to him. “Zack!”

“Jashesh!” Zack’s eyes lit up. “Next to me, now! I don’t wanna hear another wo- Jashesh!”

And as soon as Jashesh went back to Zack, Daniel decided to lower his weapon and shook his head, as if it had gotten too hard for him to pull the trigger.

Everyone sighed in relief. The kid was safe.

"Jashesh, take that blindfold off Bart, I think it's bothering him," Daniel wanted the officer to experience everything, why did he have to imagine the things he was about to hear? He had two eyes with perfect vision!

"Enjoy," He whispered as he threw a little knife at Bart and poked his eye. Now he had one eye with perfect vision. Bart groaned under the tape and shook his head in pain. The knife dropped out of his eye and the blood pumped out of the orbit, staining the whole stage as well Bart’s uniform.

He barely managed to raise his chin and looked at Daniel but his pitiful face couldn’t change his mind. Daniel slightly smirked and put the gun on the boy’s head. The kid was shaking so hard, Daniel’s hand started vibrating.

Bart shook his head, begging Daniel to stop but he had already made a decision. He pulled the trigger without looking away, enjoying every second that caused Bart pain.

He should’ve never killed his friends. Others should’ve known that too. What if some fucker decided that they could kill his sister? Or Jashesh? Or Zack?

This would be a tough lesson for the whole country.

Mrs. Holloway dropped to the floor at the sound of the gunshot and hit her head on the ground repeatedly. Bart was frozen on his knees, he couldn’t even cry anymore.

“You monster!” Someone bellowed him from the crowd but Daniel didn’t mind it. That was the exact reaction he sought from tonight.

It was the middle child's turn now. Daniel cracked his fingers, then his neck and then shot him in the face without a delay, slicing half of his jaw down.

The more he killed, the bigger his smile grew. Jashesh was giggling quietly and Zack had his "I've seen this for hundred times" expression on and every time someone yelled or screamed, he rolled his eyes.

Daniel fixed his gun at the oldest child and glanced at Bart. He was completely red, one cheek was soaked with tears and another with blood.

"Jash, take that tape off of him, I think he's trying to communicate-"

Jashesh took off the band so harshly, that it ripped off Bart's mustache, then he tapped on the officer's head, probably trying to comfort him but it didn’t mean much to the guy after losing an eye and two kids.

"Please... I get it, I get it! I understand it now, please, please don't kill them! Please, Harmon! Kill me! Kill me! I am not a hero,” Bart cried out as he was trying to convince Daniel to leave the rest of his family alone. “I shouldn't have touched your friends! They were important to you... I know... please, forgive me!"

Daniel squatted next to the whiny Officer and analyzed his face with narrowed eyes.

Everyone stopped breathing.

Even Zack thought that Daniel could've changed his mind.

Jashesh didn't think anything, his mind was wandering around somewhere else.

"Let's keep it between us,” Daniel whispered. “To be honest?" He leaned closer to him. "They weren't important to me at all." He shared his secret with Bart and as soon as he saw the realization on the officer’s face, he raised his hand one more time and killed lady Holloway.

The watchers thought they were doing something by bawling their eyes out, so they continued it, even adding more insult words now like that’d hurt Daniel.

Zack sighed, thinking he should have never considered Daniel sparing these guys. Bart thumped his head on the ground several times, but Daniel caught him with his hair and held his face up. He couldn’t have let him kill himself just yet.

"Please, make this stop, make this stop!" He wailed. "I can't- I can't take this anymore."

Suddenly, the sounds of sirens echoed at the end of the street, meaning that Policemen were getting close.

“We gotta go,” Zack whispered to him. “I left a pot on the gas, and even though I warned Ember, I know she won’t turn off, so-“

“Yeah,” Daniel looked at the time. He didn’t care that much about the soup Zack was making, but Ember had been alone all day, so he didn’t argue with Zack, they had to go back.

Lastly, Daniel quickly killed the daughter, winked at Bart, and jumped off the stage. Jashesh and Zack followed him, people instantly ran up to the dead bodies.

“This way!” Someone yelled into the radar.

Police cars went after them, cut their way, and took out weapons.

Did they learn nothing? What happened today should've been a lesson to them but no, they weren't smart enough to learn from others' experiences, they had to go through it themselves!

If a bullet would get close either to Jashesh or Zack, Daniel wouldn't be so merciful anymore.

He didn't care about himself, he wasn't even thinking of dodging the attacks. His shoulder, heart, and right hand were already shot. He even lost the index finger, but it didn't slow him down. Well, the pain was terrible, but the wounds would heal quickly and the skin would regenerate with small, almost invisible scars.

They ran up to their cars and jumped, didn't let anything slow them down even for a bit.

He took out one of his guns without looking back and shot one of the cops behind him. He felt extremely happy, the adrenaline was kicking his head and he couldn't do anything but laugh carelessly as if he wasn't wounded.

Jashesh also brought his weapons out and helped Daniel, mimicked Daniel's laugh, and flipped the policemen with both of his hands.

"This is amazing!" He screeched and put his hands up in the air.

“Pick up your weapons!” Daniel screamed at him when he realized Jashesh had put them all next to his feet as he continued waving at the police.

“Got it,” Zack jumped in and looked at the cop, that was aiming his gun at Jashesh. Soon enough, the lightning struck him and turned him into ashes.

“This is so cool!” Jashesh giggled happily

“Yeah, the best," Zack said sarcastically, squatted to catch a breath, and put his hand in the nearest puddle.

Electric waves hit everyone who was standing in the water. They wailed and fell but didn’t turn into dust as their friend did five seconds ago.

That bought them some time, three of them leaped through the narrow alley and finally got rid of the police.

They raced to the random car while laughing their asses off, except Zack of course. He was usually that gloomy, most of the time he didn't even have a reason to be so, but now his bloodstained shirt justified his frowned grin.

"Show me, I'll heal it!" Jashesh grabbed his wounded shoulder. Zack almost electrified him as he pushed Jashesh aside.

"Don't you even dare!" He panicked. "We'll get home and Ember will take care of me."

"Let's go." Daniel shattered the window. "Get in."

They jumped in some stranger's car, Daniel turned on the engine without a key and pressed the pedal as strongly as he could.

"Why are you driving like that? Didn't we get rid of the po-" they rolled over something, and jumped up and down. "I bit my tongue," Jashesh announced with bloody teeth.

Daniel took the sharp turn and now Jashesh hit his head.

"Slow down!" He complained.

"Zack is bleeding, dumbass," He reminded him quickly. "We have to get him to Ember."

He drove swiftly, so they got home sooner than they normally would. Their house (which wasn't really theirs, they just looked at it, said it was good enough, and started living there. Owners never came back for some reason.) was a huge, gothic victorian style building with more than enough rooms for all of them. There were four bedrooms, five bathrooms, two on the first floor and three on the second, one big living room with a fancy kitchen (Zack renovated it), a gigantic basement which was usually used by Jashesh, an attic, a garage big enough to fit three cars, a pool in the backyard and iron molded fence around it with complicated ornaments.

The building itself was dark-themed, Daniel made sure unexpected visitors got intimidated by the house. He didn't want any guests.

Jashesh and Daniel got Zack out of the car and brought him inside.

"Ember?" Daniel yelled and flicked the lights on. "Ember!"

The hall remained silent. She was probably sleeping.

"Ember!" Jashesh shouted too. "Wait, I'll check upstairs."

Daniel sat Zack down on the couch.

Where the hell was that girl?

He searched the first floor. Everything was there, her shoes, the bag she never left behind, even her favorite orange sunglasses!

"Ember!" He opened the basement door and looked there too.

"She's not home." Jashesh casually said when he came back.

"What do you mean she's not home?"

"It means that she is not home." He widened his eyes and handed Daniel a paper, probably some of his paintings.

"I told her to don't leave the house today.. she knew how dangerous it would be without us!"

Ember was just fifteen and she was just a normal girl, she didn't know how to use guns, she never got to learn it, and hated all kinds of weapons, even though Daniel tried to give one to her several times. "What the fuck is this?" He shouted at Jashesh when he kept nagging him with his paper.

"I found it on her bed," he answered innocently. "Look!"

We took your sister. 2:1.