Sean felt a terrible itch. Every inch of his being was alight with the same intense desire to dig at his flesh for a release from the feeling, He thrashed his elbows side to side and kicked his legs outwards. It felt like he was stuck in syrup, and he could do nothing but squirm.
Vestiges of terror sent a tingle up his spine. The thick liquid sloshed around as he thrashed harder and harder. Suddenly, something gave.
He was thrown into a rushing river that shocked him with its freezing grip. His legs kicked against the water until he broke through to the surface. He gasped for air as he wiped the water off of his face.
The first thing to hit him was the putrid air that filled his nose.
“Ugh!” It was nearly overpowering as he cleared his vision. The black pavement and flickering lights were nowhere to be seen.
“Is this a fucking tunnel?” The walls and roof were lit by a string of LEDs, showing off the concrete nature of the long tube he found himself in.
He swam out of the flowing water and pulled himself onto the concrete path. The hard rock scraped at his tender flesh. His teeth chattered as the water dripped from his body.
“Fuck, it’s cold.”
He looked side to side while shaking his hair of the excess moisture.
“I’m in a sewer? What happened?” He wrapped his arms around his bare chest and stood up. Filth dripped from his arms as he moved.
“Ugh.” He felt bile begin to rise in his throat before biting it back. “I just…I need to move.”
He shuffled forward, following the rough wall when a noise caught his ear.
“Was that a car horn?”
He picked up the pace when the first hint of natural light cut through the dreary white LEDs.
A set of metal rungs led straight to the surface with only a manhole separating him from familiar ground. His hands and feet went to work carrying him up and out of the dank tunnel.
He pushed against the lid with his free hand only for it to barely budge against his assault. His shoulder slammed against the chilly metal and lifted it out of the rim. The cold steel latter carried him into the concrete jungle.
The cool early fall air sapped the remaining heat from his skin, drawing his attention to a glaring problem the absurdity of the situation had distracted him from. He looked down and stared at his swinging member with an incredulous expression.
“Ugh, fuck your mother, filthy peace of shit! Get out of here!” The rough voice shocked him out of his confusion.
He turned to the source and saw a short man covering a child’s eyes. His hands flew to his crotch, shielding it from any further exposure.
“I’m, I don’t, I’m sorry!” He turned and ran to the nearest alley.
“Oh lord, his ass! He’s covered in shit!”
Sean’s face grew a beet red before managing to take the first corner to get out of view.
“Oh, thank god.” He let his head fall against the brick building to his back. His breath was ragged from the sudden sprinting.
“Ayo, nice dick. You a streaker?” His heart dropped.
He opened his eyes and looked across the alley. A young Asian man sat across from him with his phone out and facing towards the spectacle.
“Nooo!” He ran away from the guy, pumping his feet against the cold asphalt in a bid for a hint of modesty.
“Yoooooo!” He could almost hear the smile plastered on the person's face as he screamed towards his retreating figure.
He finally quit running once he fully checked his surroundings for any more unplanned attendees. His heart was even beating faster than when he had the run in with the peacekeeper. The combination of confusion and embarrassment working double duty.
“What the hell is going on? I thought…I died.” He looked to his hands, turning them other in disbelief before feeling where he had been shot.
Not a single blemish was anywhere to be found.
“Is….is my ability time travel? The serum worked!” He felt like jumping in the air if it wasn’t for the biting cold on his wet toes. “Shit, I really need some clothes.”
An idea sparked in his mind as he rummaged through a few quality trashcans. His years of homelessness had served him well in finding anything of value. A dirty pair of ripped shorts and a woman’s jacket covered him up enough to make him seem normal amongst the cities rampant homeless population. He found a pair of mismatched shoes and made his way towards his old faithful spot.
The public washhouse was a staple of his youth when he was forced out of the community shelters, and it would come in handy in cleaning off the stench that clung onto him from the sewers. He made his way out of the alley and recognized the street name immediately.
Xing crossing. A prominent road controlled by a gang under the Chinese villain John Shen.
He needed to get out of there right now. Sean rushed down the sidewalk, avoiding the grizzled old women and shouting teenagers skipping school. An electronics storefront caught his attention briefly, slowing his pace to a crawl.
The very same alley he was murdered in was blocked by police tape lining the ends played on repeat with mandarin subtitles scrolling underneath, obscuring the English text showcasing the headline.
“Mind hopper cleaned from the streets. What’s that bullshit? Normal Watch officer killed in duty too.” He glanced side to side, checking for any overly curious onlookers.
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‘I guess I didn’t travel through time. That means I definitely died, but I was reborn?’
He couldn’t make sense of it. He had heard of villains that could split into multiple people or heroes that could heal any wound as long as the person's heart still beat, but nothing that was happening to him made sense.
‘I need to find an ability reader.’
He finally made it out of the villain's territory and ran through the mental map of the city to find the quickest route.
‘First, I need that shower.’
The journey was pleasantly uneventful with only a handful of sneers along the way and shouts of disgust.
“Sean! I hardly recognized you. Your skin looks a lot clearer. It’s great to see-oh my god. What is that fuckin smell? Oh lord, and those clothes are horrible.”
Kelly covered her nose with her pristine hands to hold the stench from encroaching. She was just shorter than him and only a year older. If its wasn’t for his drug problem and homelessness, he might have made a move on her a long time ago, but it was too late. They lived in separate worlds. Now she was just the kind lady at the front desk.
“Hey, it was a traumatic night. I just need a shower and then I’ll work on the clothes.” He didn’t let the complaints get to him as he turned from the counter and towards the communal area.
“We had a few donations come in and no one else has had the opportunity to ransack them yet. I wouldn’t mind if you got first dibs. After you get rid of the smell I mean.”
He let a smile hit his lips as he thanked her and got to cleaning himself. The green and brown muck of the sewers fell from his body as he scrubbed away. His flesh was a tender red once he felt clean enough to stop.
A sigh escaped his lips for the first time since he awaken that morning The warm water had done wonders to his mood and nerves. A new thought hit his mind as she turned off the faucet.
‘I don’t…I don’t feel like I need the pills.’ He bit his lips in confusion.
It had been five years since he had been free of the craving. It was like clockwork. Every six hours, an intense desire would smash down his resistance to nothingness in the face of those little blue pills.
It had to of been far longer than normal and he couldn’t even feel an itch of the craving seeping in. In that moment, it felt like the weight of the world was off his shoulders.
“I’m free.” A face wide grin enveloped him.
He raised his arms over his head and stretched his body out. It was the loosest he had ever felt. He wrapped the towel around himself and snuck around the side.
“Hey, Kelly!” She turned to him with her ever-present smile.
“Oh great, that was a long shower for you. You look a lot better.” She motioned him over to the frosted glass door labeled employees only and opened it for him. He rushed inside, clutching the wet towel to his waist.
“Thank you sooo much.”
“Just get something you find comfortable. You looked like you needed it.” She turned from him and let the door close.
The cardboard box was full to the brim with all kinds of clothes. A fresh pair of socks, some slides, sweatpants, boxers, a t shirt, and a brand-new hoodie. He felt refreshed like never before.
He opened the door to the office and took a few confident steps forward.
“Oh my god, you look fantastic. You just needed some new clothes and now you look like you can rule the world.” He cracked a grin under her relentless compliments.
“Thank you again. It means more than you can know.” He let the conversation lapse into silence, unsure of what else to say to the saintess.
The door rang and she turned from him. He hesitated for just a moment before turning for the exit. The cool air hit his flushed skin, stinging slightly, but it did nothing to dampen his mood.
He already felt on top of the world
-
Ever since leaving the public washhouse he felt lighter than a feather. A new man.
The passerbys didn’t give him a second glance and the drug fiends were asking him for money for once. It was so completely foreign to him he was at a lost for words the first time it happened. Despite the changes, there was still a major problem. He didn’t have a place to stay or a dollar to his name.
He would need at least six-hundred dollars if he was going to get his ability read in the grey market. The Hero Union wasn’t a possibility and the black-market was cheaper, but a sure way to get kidnapped and chopped up.
He stopped at the corner of a street and noticed a large poster taped to the crosswalk post. It read ‘Bouncer’s wanted, four hundred a night, twelve zero one Priere Ave’.
The pay was ridiculous, but it was blatantly obvious why. Piere Avenue was know for dangers on every corner and drugs in every pocket.
Sean bit his lip, weighing the other chances he might have. ‘I don’t have a bank and I don’t have any ID. I guess that makes the decision quite easy for me.’
He turned down the street and made his way towards the club. The daylight hours made the journey much less nerve-wracking than normal and the other people walking around merely watched him pass with tough glares plastered to their faces.
The neon sign hanging above the club was dull under the bright sun while the velvet doors reflected the light. He took a deep breath and pushed his way through the entrance.
The club was dimly lit with red and white lights sparely layered across the ceiling.
A few feet ahead, a lone man sat on a bar stool facing towards the door. He was shorter than him but much stockier from his head to his toes. Despite the daylight sneaking past his figure, the guy didn’t even hazard a glance upwards.
“Um, excuse me.” The guy looked up from the book he was reading and stared straight into Sean’s soul.
“What do you want?”
He fought off the stutter that was about to leave his body and straightened his back.
His six-foot figure and baggy clothes did wonders for making him look larger than he actually was.
“I wanted to apply for the bouncer gig. I saw an ad for it and wanted to give it a try.”
The man's eyes roamed him up and down before squinting.
“Can you fight?”
He gulped slightly.
“I've been in fights a few times. Haven’t ran from one yet.” He lied through his teeth, the thoughts of fleeing from the cop days prior fresh on his mind.
“Alright, Devon?”
Before Sean could say anything, a taller white guy with tattoos covered with tattoos everywhere but his face peaked around the wall and beckoned at him with a single finger. He didn’t say a word to him as they made their way through a variety of doors only to stop in front of a glass partition.
A fat man sat in a massive throne, counting money in wads before throwing them into a large tub to the side. They stood in silence for a few moments, waiting for the man to look up.
“Hmmm, if he led you back here, that means you want to be a bouncer. I never thought I would find someone willing to replace the position after the last three guys, but I'm glad. What are you? Six one? Two hundred pounds? Blonde hair isn’t very intimidating. Nice dark eyes... Give me a glare.”
Sean was slightly bewildered. He stared blanking for a moment before managing what he thought was an intimidating scowl.
“Eh, Devon will teach you how to do that better. You could work.” He nodded his head, moving on to the next wad of cash while idly staring.
“Four hundred a night. A meal before you start if you want it. Six to four. No breaks. Start in...” He looked at his wrist. “Three hours. Sounds good?” Sean managed a hesitant nod when the fat guy spoke up. “Of course it sounds good. It's four hundred fucking bucks.”
Devon tapped his shoulder and led him out of the room only to be stopped at the door.
“I’m Louis Le Gros. Call me boss.”
“Okay...boss.” Louis looked at him and smiled, showing off a shiny gold grill.
“Try not to get stabbed your first night.”
The man laughed as Sean was led away.