Zircon City

Earth

Night

The moon loomed over the black city as another day had come to its close. The lightless area was like a dystopian land. Only the light of the moon and stars above offered any visibility. The roads were empty. No cars were allowed at these times. Most people were indoors too. Most.

Joe crept past several buildings, stalking through an alley, trying his utmost to remain noiseless, his pale hands tucked within his shirt. He could feel it trembling. The cold metal blade he had tucked in his pocket felt like ice. If he made a single sound… He heard men run past. Flashlights beamed past him.

"Where the fuck is that kid?" One of them growled. Joe held his breath. "He was here!"

"Can you see him here?" Another snapped. "No? Then keep looking!" Joe backtracked slowly, praying nothing was behind him. But it was in vain as his foot slid and he slipped to the ground, landing on his bottom. He held in his outburst and remained still. Not to keep silent this time. This time because he saw something that absolutely stunned him. A red and white glow in the darkness. Within that glow was someone Joe had never seen before. A girl.

His eyes widened as they rested upon her attractive form. She was sitting on the roof of a dark building, one leg over the other, leaning her back against a chimney, radiating her glowing presence, gazing down at him with a regal air. Joe continued to stare, trying to see as much of her as possible.

He gazed at her face, the honey-bronze tone of her smooth skin. Her glossy chocolate brown curls of hair extended down her back, nearing her waist. Her sparkly amber eyes looked back at him. And her body… Joe forced himself not to go there. He needed to get away before he was found. He got to his feet and continued to creep away, aware of the girl's eyes following him. A terrifying thought flashed through his mind. What if she was working with them? He looked back at her, but she hadn't moved.

Her eyes suddenly darted towards the entrance to the alleyway Joe was in. They had appeared red for a split second. A moment later, two men dressed in all black, carrying flashlights in one hand and handguns in the other walked in. Both beams of light landed on him. Joe guessed his instincts had been right for once. The two men had their guns trained at his head.

"Knife out!" one of them yelled. Joe stuck his hands into his pocket and took the blade out, his hands shaking. "Drop it!" He released it and it fell to the ground with a metallic clatter. Joe chanced a glance back at the roof, but the girl was gone. He looked back at the men, who were now closing in on him. "Now, we want back what you took from us, boy. White's been waiting for that for a while, you know."

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"I'm not giving you anything," Joe snapped. The other man drew back his hand into a fist, punching Joe and knocking him to the ground. Pain rocketed over his face as he felt blood slide from his nose and mouth. He staggered back up, wiping the blood. "I don't care what your leader wants!"

"We'll just take it off your corpse then!" The first man pulled the trigger and Joe heard a loud boom. However, the gunshot never hit him. The man who had fired the gun slumped to the ground, unconscious. His head was bleeding. In a flash of shock, Joe realised the gun had exploded on itself.

"What the fuck?" The other man stared at his own gun. The end of the barrel was red, and the metal had been melted to the point the barrel had closed. Joe took his chance, running forward and sinking his fist into the guy's stomach. He doubled over, hollering with rage. At that moment, Joe felt a horrendous agony within his own stomach. It felt as if someone had pierced him with a spear coated in hellfire. He collapsed to the ground, writhing.

"No…I can't die here…" Clutching his stomach, he crawled through the alleyway. A searing pain hit his back and he screamed in pain, and fell back to the ground. The man over him was holding his knife…only the blade had completely melted. Joe stood back up again, teetering on his feet. The man rushed towards Joe again. Joe struck the man in his face, but his punch barely fazed the man and earned him a punch in the gut that knocked him off his feet. He clambered back up, only to be kicked back down. He looked at the starry night sky. At least he would have a beautiful view to die under. But there was one thing more beautiful he wished he could die under. That glowing girl. Maybe he had dreamed of her and was going mad. He could see a dark boot raised into the air, poised over his head. It swung down. Joe closed his eyes, waiting for the hit.

But it didn't come. He opened them, and his heartbeat raced. Crouching over him was the glowing girl from before. Joe's breath quickened. She looked even more comely up close. She wore a bright red open blazer dress on her curvaceous body with a yellow skirt and crop top underneath which held a majestic bust beneath it. Her broad but smooth thighs were complimented by knee length yellow stockings on her legs and heeled red sandals. She smiled down at him, sending waves of radiance through him despite his pain.

"I take it you're alright, since you're occupied staring at my body," she remarked.

"Shit! I'm sorry!" Joe said quickly, sitting up and ruffling his brown hair in embarrassment. The girl's smile only widened.

"No worries, you're forgiven," she replied. Joe only now noticed his attacker was on the ground.

"Did you do this?" He asked. The girl nodded.

"I can't let those villains get away with hurting my next Yatoga."

"Your what?"

"I'm talking about you!" The girl sighed dramatically. "Us Yatoga are those who hunt evil and put them to justice! You're going to be the newest one!"

"So, you're like heroes?"

"Well, I'd say we're more vigilantes. We do our work on our own terms."

"So why do you want me? I'm no one special…and we just met!"

"It'll all come naturally," The girl assured.

"What will?"

"There he is!" Joe jumped in shock as he heard the yell. Men closed in around them both. There were around a hundred of them. Reinforcements must have been called.

"That woman's with him too," someone noted. "That must have been why they sent us all."

"Stay right there, Joe," The girl ordered. Joe's eyes widened in shock.

"How do you know my-"

"Get 'em!" The men charged forward. The girl stood still, but they all collapsed to the ground, choking on what seemed to be air.

"W-what did you do?" Joe gasped. "Who are you?"

"I just heated up the air around their heads. Doing that takes away their oxygen so they can't breathe at the moment." Joe looked at the nearest man. He was writhing around like a bug. He looked back at the girl, who was smiling again. "As for who I am, the name's Cheeta! Nice to meet you!"