“Thank you for understanding, Clayton,” Alexia said, her voice warm with a hint of relief.

He shrugged, his lips curving into a smirk. “Ah, don’t sweat it. Thanks to you, starting today, I can live my life with a lot less stress. Honestly, it’s a win-win situation for both of us.”

“Yeah, you’re absolutely right!” Alexia chuckled, the tension between them finally lifting. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she added, “Do you think the government will pay for my car? I can’t have you driving me around every day. Thanks for the ride, by the way.”

He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “To be honest, I don’t know. Considering the damage to the city probably cost billions to fix, I don’t think cars are their top priority right now. You should probably call your insurance company.”

“Bummer,” She muttered, her tone light despite the situation. “I think I’ll just buy a new one.”

He raised a brow, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “Just like that, huh?”

She flashed a grin. “Why not? Might as well get something good out of all this chaos.”

“Well, you still need to call your insurance company regardless,” He reminded her as they cruised through the quiet streets.

“Yeah, yeah…” She waved him off, leaning back in her seat, clearly uninterested in the mundane details of paperwork.

A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of her house. The hum of the engine died down, leaving only the sound of the night settling in around them.

Just as Clayton was about to leave, Alexia hesitated. “Clayton, before you go... Do you think Ryland had enemies?”

He turned to her, his face unreadable for a moment before he nodded, his voice steady. “One hundred percent. We both saw the files, Alexia. We know who she truly was.”

She felt a slight chill crawl up her spine. “Are you trying to scare me?”

He shook his head, his expression softening. “No, it’s just the reality of it. But don’t worry. Nothing’s gonna happen to you. Ryland had problems with heroes, and believe me, heroes would never intentionally hurt civilians. Not under Sunstriker’s watch.”

She studied his face for a moment, searching for reassurance. “You think so?”

“I know so,” he said, his voice carrying a quiet certainty.

Alexia’s lips curled into a small smile. “Thanks, Clayton. See you in the morning.”

“Bright and early,” Clayton replied with a nod, watching as she slipped out of the car and disappeared inside.

Once inside, Alexia let out a deep breath and immediately began her nightly routine. She flicked on some random instrumental jazz music, the smooth, calming notes reverberating through the house, filling every corner. It served as the soundtrack of her evening, a constant presence that kept her thoughts from spiraling too far.

She slipped into her room, peeling off her clothes and stepping into the bathroom. The hot water of her bath soon enveloped her, steam rising and swirling in the dim light. This was her sanctuary, her personal meditation, where the noise of the world quieted and her mind could finally rest. The warmth of the water melted her tension away, and for a moment, she allowed herself to wonder,

“I wonder if everything is going to be alright? Can I finally get my dream life?”

Her mind drifted as she sank deeper into her thoughts, the hum of the jazz mingling with the soft slosh of the water. But just as she was slipping into that meditative state, something shifted.

A sharp ring, then a roar of sound. Her head jerked up. The familiar hum of her super hearing activated suddenly, and much stronger than ever before. The noise exploded inside her head, her senses going into overdrive. She could hear everything—voices from her neighbors, the rapid thrum of their heartbeats, footsteps miles away, down to the faintest crawl of insects moving along the ground.

The overload was unbearable. She clutched her ears, trying to muffle the cacophony, but nothing worked. Sweat broke out across her forehead as the sounds came faster, louder, each one distinct yet jumbled, creating an overwhelming dissonance. She gritted her teeth, her breaths coming out in ragged gasps. She tried, desperately, to deactivate the power, but it wouldn’t stop. It was like a floodgate had opened, and nothing she did could close it.

Her heartbeat pounded in her chest, louder than ever, the panic creeping in. This wasn’t like before—she had always been in control. But now, her own abilities seemed to rebel against her; She can hear the world.

Alexia struggled to stand, her vision swimming as the world spun in her ears. Her legs wobbled, and before she could steady herself, she slipped. Her head slammed against the edge of the sink with a sickening thud. Blood dripped down her temple, but she barely registered it, drowned out by the deafening chaos in her mind—the roar of the planet, every sound amplified to an unbearable volume.

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Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to grab onto the sink, her fingers trembling as she tried to pull herself up. The ceramic shattered under her grip, crumbling to dust in her hands. She collapsed again, her face smacking against the cold tile floor. A sharp pain shot through her nose, and warm blood oozed across her skin, painting her face a deep crimson. But still, she didn’t give up.

In the back of her mind, one thought drove her: the headphones. The noise canceling feature could drown out the noise, could numb the overwhelming sounds tearing at her skull. That hope was all she had.

With gritted teeth, she began to crawl. Her nails dug into the tile, crushing the smooth surface as she clawed her way forward. Her body moved on instinct, each desperate inch leaving behind a ragged, beastly trail of blood.

Then, the door loomed in front of her, a solid barrier. She didn’t have time for obstacles. Her fist swung up, and with a raw, guttural growl, she punched through it, splintering the wood like it was paper. The jagged edges scraped her skin, leaving behind fresh gashes as she crawled through the wreckage of the door, her bleeding limbs dragging behind her as she pushed through the layers of pain.

Alexia crawled to her bed, her body trembling, and her vision blurred, the headphones were in sight, her last hope. With a desperate burst of energy, she snatched them up, trembling fingers trying to put them on, but as soon as she did, they crumbled in her hands. The delicate wiring and plastic pieces fell apart, her one source of salvation destroyed.

Her heart sank. She lay there on the floor in the fetal position, her body curled tightly as if trying to protect herself from the invisible assault. The world around her continued to roar—waves of sound crashing against her mind, overwhelming every thought, every sense. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping, praying the noise would stop on its own, that somehow the unbearable volume would fade.

And then, through the cacophony, a new sound cut through like a sharp knife: the doorbell. Its piercing ring echoed in her skull, jarring her out of her spiraling despair. Her senses locked onto it, her instincts kicking into overdrive. In her current situation, her mind was primed for danger—nothing good ever came from an unexpected visitor in the dead of night.

Driven by pure instinct, she scrambled to her feet. With a feral intensity, she tore open the door to her bedroom and staggered into the hallway. Her body moved with an urgency, her muscles tensed, her mind in survival mode. She dashed to the kitchen and grabbed a knife, gripping it tightly in her blood-streaked hands.

She positioned herself by the front door, her breath heavy and shallow, her super hearing focusing intently on the movements outside. Her heightened senses picked up everything—three heartbeats, steady yet purposeful, and the soft sound of footsteps just beyond the door.

She crouched low, every muscle in her body coiled, ready to strike. Her grip on the knife tightened as she prepared to defend herself against whatever threat awaited her.

But then, the footsteps stopped. She heard the faint rustle of paper, and an envelope slipped through the door slit, landing softly on the floor. There was no knock, no further movement. Her breath caught in her throat as she waited for something—an attack, a confrontation—but nothing came. The three figures simply turned and walked away from her house, their footsteps fading into the night.

Alexia stood frozen, the knife still in her hand, staring at the envelope lying on the floor. The roar of her super hearing continued in the background, but for a brief moment, everything else seemed to still.

“What just happened? Did I lose control of myself?” Alexia’s thoughts raced as she stood there, staring at the now-quiet door. “Who are they? They just left?!”

She shook herself out of the daze and picked up the envelope, glancing around as if expecting someone to leap out of the shadows. The roar of the planet—once an overwhelming assault—was now a muffled hum in the background.

“The noise… under control? How did I do it?” She tried to grasp how the chaos in her head had dimmed.

“Focus… Yes, that must be it. Somehow, when I locked my mind on a single task the noise became bearable, manageable even” She could function through the storm that way.

Placing the envelope on the table, she turned and walked back to the kitchen, the knife still clutched in her hand. As she went to put it down, her eyes landed on the handle, now bent and crushed in her grip.

“Wait… the handle is crushed. Did I grip it too hard?… it can’t be… unless… I have super strength.”

Disbelief surged through her. She grabbed an apple from the kitchen island, holding it lightly at first. Then, with just a slight squeeze, the fruit collapsed in her palm, crushed to pulp with almost no effort.

“No way!”

Her breath caught in her throat. Everything clicked in her mind all at once—the heightened senses, the control slipping from her grasp, and now this new raw power. Her body was changing. She had more strength, more power than ever before.

Suddenly, her eyes fell to the blood covering her arms and chest, stark against her sun kissed skin. Panic flooded through her as she frantically examined herself, checking for any signs of injury. She felt along her arms, her chest, her legs—but nothing. No wounds, no cuts.

“I don’t see or feel any wounds,” Alexia muttered, still scanning her body in disbelief. “Maybe if I clean up, I’ll see it better.”

Without wasting time, she rushed to the bathroom, her mind buzzing. But as she moved, the reality of the destruction she had caused hit her like a freight train. The door to her bedroom was busted wide open, the wood splintered and broken. The trail of crimson blood smeared across the floor, leading to her wrecked bathroom. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw claw marks gouged deep into the tiles, her sink shattered in pieces.

“Oh man… it looks like a murder crime scene in here,” she groaned, shaking her head. “Whatever… I’ll take a shower first.”

Stepping into the warm stream of water, she scrubbed away the dried blood that coated her skin. Her muscles relaxed, the tension ebbing away for just a moment. But as the water washed over her, no wounds appeared, no source for the blood. She was completely unscathed.

“Great then, less problems to deal with,” she muttered, yawning. The warmth of the shower was starting to soothe her. “You know what, I’ll deal with all this later. I need some sleep.”

She toweled off and made her way back to her room, her body aching for rest. She collapsed onto the bed and closed her eyes, hoping for even a moment of peace. But the instant her mind began to calm, the noise roared back, louder than ever, like a storm raging inside her head. The sound of the planet surged into her consciousness—voices, heartbeats, footsteps, the hum of electricity, the wind rattling windows. Every sound, no matter how small, became unbearable again.

Her eyes flew open, and she shot upright, her heart racing. “Nope. I don’t want to deal with that,” she said, her voice shaky. She glanced around at the wreckage of her room. “I’m just going to clean everything. I’d rather do that than suffer through this.”

As she got up to start tidying, she muttered under her breath, “Is this what God feels every day, hearing everything all at once? It sucks.”