Carcass 1.8.1

Hours passed by as Jay rampaged within the crashing waves caused by the thunderstorm overhead. Numerous times he challenged the monsters that lurked in the waters, each time emerging victorious. His scales could not be breached, his fangs were unblockable, his strength was bone-shattering. As Jay consumed the corpses of his prey, he could feel himself growing stronger.

He could perceive the way his scales increased in density and hardness, how his sinuous muscles coiled with added power, his senses expanded in both clarity and range. He was a king under the sea, ruler of everything that touched the tears from above.

Jay eventually returned to the rocky shore, but he did not emerge as the same scrawny boy. Muscle filled out his slim form, and inches were added to his height. His body was a predator, constructed for acts of violence. His frame burned with heat like the heart of an inferno. His eyes had darkened, and his pupils expanded until they took up the majority of the iris. The circular shape had been stretched, pinched at the top and bottom.

Jay blinked, and a strange film vanished under his eyelid, his eyes returned to their normal sea-green hue, no different than before. Perhaps a more vibrant color.

As he stepped up onto the gravel beach, the storm slowly dispersed. The heavy rain and booming thunder gradually began to fade, giving way to the calm stillness of the afternoon sky. A golden sun crested the horizon, revealing a breathtaking sunset painted across the waters. The distant rumble of the thunder faded away and the intermittent flashes of lightning became scarce. The air felt refreshed, almost purified, like the waters had washed away the filth of the city and cleansed the streets.

A man clad in black robes and darkness waited for Jay on the concrete sidewalk. A small plastic suitcase was on the ground by his side.

Shadow Man.

Jay stretched and felt the vigor in his body swell to the surface. He felt robust like he was ready to swim across the Atlantic without stopping. He briefly wondered if he should try, the call of the ocean was less but it still sang to him with its inviting siren song.

“Nice swim? It seems that did more than dip your toes in the water.” Shadow Man’s lips were pursed, and his tone had a rough edge. He gestured towards Jay’s new height and muscle. Jay ran a hand down his skin, admiring the sudden change. It was as if his body had suddenly gained the nutrients it had desired.

“It was,” Jay responded, his face blank. The last remnants of rain splattered against his skin but turned into a fine mist upon contact. It wasn’t long before his body was clean and dry, albeit without clothes. He strode to the bush he had stored them under and slipped the tattered garments over his shoulders. He fingered around for the wad of cash and felt a surge of relief to see it still there. Wet but still intact.

“How’d you find me?” The young man asked, idle curiosity mixed with the knowledge that he couldn’t be hurt. Jay felt invincible, unstoppable, unkillable.

What did he have to fear when he had slain giants that could barely fit into Lumen Field? The football stadium turned Central Patheon Headquarters had been damaged during the beast waves. It had been built bigger and better than before, with the help of Techno technology, and superpowers with the ability of enhanced strength.

Jay felt a strange sort of peace wash over him. He felt like everything was going to be okay.

Shadow Man shifted from one foot to another, his shadowy gaze avoiding eye contact with the younger male.

“Madok has got eyes all over this part of the city, not hard to notice the waves you were causing out there. Or the blood.” The power pointed a black finger toward the crimson water. Tendrils of red snaked out and licked at the stones. The previous fresh air was soon overpowered by the metallic taste and sharp smell of copper.

Jay had gone deep into the exposed waters and had tracked his victims back with him.

“Ah,” Jay shrugged his shoulders. It hadn’t been a thought-out plan on his part. He had followed his instincts and listened to the whispers in his head.

“Yeah, you’re lucky Central is distracted with Portland. The messages we’re getting back from Smog while she’s on loan show they’ve realized you’ve joined us. They aren’t too happy with The Drowned.” He let out a grim chuckle.

“On loan?” Jay questioned. He wasn’t sure what the term meant in the context.

How do you loan a cowl of her caliber? He furrowed his brows.

“Think of it like she and a couple others are selling their services to Portland on behalf of New Seattle, or more specifically, whatever faction they come from in New Seattle. Portland gets some help with their monster wave and we get buying rights to their next pearl harvest.”

“But you said Smog was working with Central, I thought capes and cowls didn’t operate together?”

“Hmm, in New Seattle they don’t, excluding beast waves. Working in other cities is a different sort of strange that I won’t try to explain since I don’t understand it myself. Madok says that people will put a lot aside in the face of profit.”

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“So you send them to Portland so you can buy…pearls?” Jay felt like he was missing a few connections to the whole story. It only opened up more questions.

“Those pearls are what keeps power in the city, each one has enough juice to power the grid for months at a time!” Shadow Man let out an obnoxious loud sigh.

“What do Smog and Central get out of it? I can’t imagine they’d willingly put their life on the line for someone else’s benefit.”

“You’d be right kid, Smog is getting paid a hefty sum from Madok to do this so he can buy a few of these pearls. Whatever capes Central sends has some agreement, but they keep their contracts under wraps when they can.” The robed man raised his hands in the air.

“Now enough Levy, you can ask Madok all your burning questions when you talk to him next. I’m just here to drop this off. Still have some of the day left to use,” He lowered his wrist to his face, and a small pink watch was uncovered from the shadows. Small cartoonish figures of a white cat were printed on its surface. Jay narrowed his eyes, his superhuman vision immediately making out the time despite the distance between them.

7:41

It would be dark soon.

Shadow Man reached down and picked up the suitcase by his feet. He handed it to Jay. The gray plastic cover was hard to the touch, although Jay knew he could have torn inside if needed.

“Your clothes, wear them on gang business. With the way your power works, you’d be mindful about taking them off before you shift. Although I think Madok ordered another dozen that he’s keeping as a backup for the inevitable.” Shadow Man eyed the bits of flesh and guts that had floated to the surface of the waves. The darkness that surrounded him shifted back and forth, almost eager to leave the area.

“Why didn’t you leave them in my room?” Jay raised an eyebrow. Shadow Man only continued to grin and didn’t respond.

Jay set the suitcase against the sidewalk and opened up the zipper. He reached down and pulled out a dark blue sweatshirt that had been placed on top of the rest of the clothes. He held it up against the sun, arms outstretched.

The back was stitched in the emblem of the Drowned. A human skull flecked with drops of water upright in a small puddle. A small fish swam through one of the sockets, cracks covered the jaw and cranium. Seaweed sprouted out of a gap in the back of the head.

Jay had seen the logo before, only gang members were allowed to wear the image on their clothes and skin. Made the patrols that roamed the street easy to differentiate between the average citizen.

Although, this wasn’t made for the common member of the Drowned.

In addition to the gang insignia, a coiling serpent slithered its way across the thick material. Venomous green and gray scales could be individually marked from one another, lined with a golden string that made them pop against the hazardous colors. The body of the Leviathan made its way across the sweatshirt, the tail began near the Drowned crest on the back and ended with the opened mouth on the front. Drops of green poison dripped from the bared fangs and a single amber-slitted eye stared back at Jay.

“So, how do you like it? Jules, our stylist, made it. She started the moment the go-ahead was given. She spent most of the night and this morning finishing it up. She thought you’d enjoy something more personalized since you don’t get a proper outfit and all. On account of you destroying it when you shift.” He sounded almost empathetic, like the idea of not having a costume was a tragedy.

Jay thought costumes and outfits were for powers that stared in movies, those useless capes that feasted on the adoration of helpless fans. He despised them. He purposely forgot that Smog and the other cowls wore their own costumes.

He fell instantly in love with the sweatshirt in front of him.

“It’s perfect,” Jay whispered as he rubbed the material under his fingers. He took off his tattered gray hoody, one he had worn for years, and tossed it on the ground. He fumbled the clothing over his head and adjusted it.

It was soft to the touch, with a plush fleece lining that made it feel like a warm hug. Its oversized fit draped comfortably over his body, providing a sense of coziness. The fabric had a gentle stretch that allowed for easy movement, while the ribbed cuffs and hem kept the warmth in. The hood was roomy, with a drawstring that could cinched tight. It smelled new. Something he had forgotten the scent of.

“Jules will be glad to hear that. She makes all the gang clothes and loved the challenge of designing one for our newest member.” The man clad in shadows clapped his hands and pointed to the suitcase.

“Please give her my thanks. I’ll wear it everywhere.” Jay hugged it closer to his chest.

“Uh, maybe not everywhere? Even if you’re no longer as skinny as yesterday, wearing gang clothes in a different territory is a good way to start a fight. Just keep it to missions, and maybe in our territory. Madok would be irked to hear from his eyes that you started causing unnecessary trouble.” Shadow Man informed Jay.

“I was joking. Anyways, speaking of informants, do I need to be worried about the one that you met?” Jay was momentarily shocked at how casually he had insinuated murdering someone. It had simply rolled off the tongue like he had been asking for the weather forecast.

“Nah, don’t need to worry about them. None of them even know you’re part of The Drowned yet, just a scrawny ass kid slipping into the water and then you arching out in the middle of the ocean. Had to deal with the call even if it wasn't you. We don't permit superhumans not part of our gang in our territory. The dude who gave Madok the information was a Believer of our gang anyways, almost cried tears of joy when he saw me. Those fanatics would rather chop off their balls than rat out one of their gods.” He tisked and rubbed the top of his hood.

“Believer?” Jay had heard the term used to describe those that worshiped the parahumans as divine beings. Divinities amongst mortals. The word was loosely painted on anyone who saw those with powers as greater than human beings, something more.

“Better ask Madok about that one too, he handles all that shit. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but I’ll admit it has its perks.” He shrugged again.

“In any case, I’m out. We’ll be in contact. Ah, I almost forgot,” a small item was tossed to Jay. The teenager, still somewhat used to his newfound reflexes, barely managed to catch it. He opened his hand to reveal a small flip phone.

“Use that if you need to contact me or Madok. Our numbers should already be in there. Catch ya later, kid.” Within a second the shadows swelled up from the ground and encased Shadow Man in inky swathes of darkness. He was gone just as fast.

It was strange to look at what happened instead of experiencing it. The man’s ability seemed extremely useful, even if his constant referral of Jay as ‘kid’ got on his nerves.

Jay shook his head and took off the gang-affiliated clothing and returned them back to the suitcase. He trundled along the desolate streets. He noticed that many of the downtown city's inhabitants were hidden away, still under whatever shelter that could be found in the wake of the recent storm.

The weather had left a faint mist in the air. The surroundings were hazy, as if covered by a veil of white smoke. The sun shone a pale yellow glow that barely reached the ground. The moisture in the air created a dampness that clung to everything, leaving the street feeling cold and damp.

As Jay traveled closer to his home, he could feel the buzz caused by his transformation slowly wear away. The feeling of invincibility and power was slowly deteriorating. He knew that the strength that he could call upon at any moment was there, but it left Jay slouching his shoulders and shifting wary eyes at every figure.

He hated the feeling of being weak.

It reminded him of his entire life. The way his peers would look at him with hatred, and how the bullies would see him as the perfect target. He was the Leviathan, a member of the Drowned, but he was also Jay, the social outcast that hadn’t had a proper friend since the start of high school.

Four years had gone by as Jay went through life in a daze. It almost felt like he hadn’t actually lived, only slid by, hoping to go unnoticed by those that would gladly take enjoyment in his suffering.

It hadn’t worked.

Brief flashes of Central Park surfaced unbidden from his mind. Jay grimaced as the sneering face of Jackson stepped on him from overhead. His techno-fashioned boots left a smear of filth upon Jay’s face.

Jay rubbed his face, willing the memory to leave. It remained in the back of his head, a constant reminder of what had started it all.

He wasn’t proud of what he had done, but he couldn’t help the satisfaction he felt every time he remembered what happened next. It made him wonder if there really was some divine justice in this world, or if his awakening had been Jay’s personal divine will. Why did he have these powers when millions didn’t? Was he made for a higher calling than those that hadn’t awakened?

Jay wasn’t sure of an answer, but the whispers spoke softly in his ear, urging him to take his rightful place.

Jay slapped his face, he was letting his intrusive thoughts get to him. Too much time spent reflecting always caused him to spiral.

He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the frail figure that lunged out from behind a wall. Gleaming dagger in hand.