"Say that name again."
Henrick demands, looming over the much shorter man. The silence that follows is heavy, shock and fear settling upon the watching survivors. David carefully places a hand on Henrick's shoulder, careful to not agitate the soldier.
"Calm down. It might not even be the same person. You're scaring everyone." the priest says, gripping firmly but not painfully. Selene slinks into a corner, careful not to catch Henrick's eye as she tries to erase her presence.
Jacob lets out a nervous cough, his hands trembling at how quick Henrick appeared in front of him. Jen rushes to her brother's side, eyes wide in shock. "I couldn't even react..." she whispers, her heartbeat racing at the implications.
A smile tugs at the corner of Alex's lips as he takes in the worried frown on the soldier's face. He locks eyes with the speedster, uncaring of the fear in her eyes, and gives her a knowing look. Jen simply frowns at Alex, unsure if he's making the right play.
Henrick clenches his jaw in frustration as David's words strike true, his hands crackle with electricity as he looks around. Terrified faces stare back, mother's shielding their children and father's stepping forward with makeshift weapons.
"Look, let's just calm down, alright? You may not want to protect these people, but that's the right play right now." Alex says, stepping forward and staring into the soldier's eyes. "Help me and I'll help you see Eric, and maybe he'll bring Elly."
The priest flinches at the mention of Elly and stares worriedly at Henrick, ready to intervene if necessary. Henrick, to his credit, merely smiles and closes the distance between him and Alex. "That better be a guarantee." he says, almost conversationally, and places a hand on the fire user's shoulder.
Words are left unsaid, but the message is clear, making Alex audibly gulp in the silence that follows. "I can't promise anything." Alex says hesitantly, sweat starting to form on his brow as Henrick remains silent. Jacob and Jen step forward, muscles coiled in preparation.
"...good. If you made a guarantee then I'd be out that elevator," Henrick says as he lets go. "is there any space for my group?" Jen nods and leads them to a fairly large office, her brother Jacob making his way towards a woman with glowing blue hair and water particles floating around her. Dominic slinks off to his own spot, still casting venomous glares at Henrick's retreating form.
In the office, Selene and David choose their own corners as Jen looks at Henrick with a grateful look. "Thanks. For saving Kevin. He's a gentle and kind kid, who was forced into this life of killing." says the speedster with a melancholic look in her eyes.
"That was his Grandma that died earlier." Henrick looks at Kevin from the doorway of his new office, understanding and sympathy evident on his face.
The boy, no older than 12, shakily makes his way to a room with a downcast expression. He notices Henrick's gaze and tries to give him a thankful nod, but the pain is fresh and his eyes tell what he's really feeling.
Jen catches the look and, after giving one last grateful smile to Henrick, appears next to Kevin in a burst of speed. Their conversation is hushed, but the content becomes obvious when the little boy's shoulders start trembling after the speedster gives him a hug.
Selene curls up in her corner, her body still sore from the attack by Henrick. Father David notices her discomfort and hesitates, unsure if he should offer his aid. The soldier frowns, hesitation also warring on his face. In the end, he chooses to lay down and close his eyes, ignoring Selene completely.
The priest lets out a sigh, equal parts relief and measured frustration. Frustration at both of his companions. "You know. I think you forgot why we went to that thrift shop." Henrick's eyes open at David's words, a brow raising in confusion. "What do you mean? We have extra clothes."
David just laughs and points at Henrick's feet, an amused look on his face. "Shoes. You forgot shoes my elctric friend." he says, laying out the extra clothes on the floor to act as bedding.
The soldier looks at his feet, wiggling his toes in his own amusement, as he lays out his extra clothes too. "Hahaha damn, you're right." Selene chuckles at the exchange as well and, for a while, the apocalypse is forgotten amidst this tiny scene.
"Let's get some rest. We'll never know when those things will attack again." a voice says softly, passing through the entire office floor. Henrick steps outside and sees that Alex is ushering everyone to their spots.
The chuckles die down, and the office floor becomes deathly silent. Father David kneels and prays, muttering words of faith as Selene does her best to recover and sleep. Henrick, however, finds sleep to be elusive, even with Leo curled up next to him.
"Where's Daddy, Mommy?"
"God, save us."
"I'm so scared."
"I want to die..."
Henrick's eyes snap open, frustration welling up at his enhanced senses. Deciding that sleep isn't going to happen any time soon, he stands up and heads towards the office door, careful not to wake his already sleeping companions.
The floor is quiet, save for the sounds of occasional snores and murmurs. Henrick makes his way to the window and stares out onto the street in front of the Empire State Building. Packs of mutated monsters surround the carcass of the now named Goliath, picking off the flesh and attracting more variations of monsters.
Noting down the different types, Henrick summons electricity on his fingertips as he watches the scavenging creatures, anger and bloodlust overwhelming his senses at the sight of them.
Henrick whirls around and almost lunges at a figure walking up behind him, before he stops and sees Alex. "I guess you're still mad." says the fire user, holding his arms out defensively as the soldier turns back to the gathering creatures. "There's a lot of them down there. I'm not sure if this place is safe."
Alex just places a finger on his own lips and points a middle finger towards the monsters. "They seem to react the most to sounds. So long as we're quiet, we'll be safe." Henrick nods at the information and crosses his arms, contemplating the next course of action.
"Did you get anything on the radio? From authorities, the military?" Alex shakes his head at the question, a grimace settling on his face as he watches the scene below. "No. The only thing we've gotten are choppy transmissions from outside the city."
Henrick steps away from the window and sits on an office chair as Alex does the same. "Tell me about Eric." the soldier almost demands as Alex secretly clenches his fist in celebration, his face lighting up.
"Eric used to be the Chief of Security here. When this all went down, he was the first one to awaken his ability." An almost confused look appears on Alex's face as he explains. "His power is...confusing. He can fly for a limited time and is incredibly strong. He once sent a Goliath on its back after punching it."
The soldier frowns at the information as he leans forward, knees on his hands. "He has two abilities?" Alex slowly nods, his fingers steepled in anxiety as he gulps down a bottle of water.
"He only used to be super strong. He suddenly gained the ability to fly out of nowhere." Henrick clenches his fist, knowing that an aerial enemy would complicate a combat situation.
Alex visibly starts sweating as he carefully considers his next words. "The thing is...a little girl with the ability to fly went missing a day before he showed us his new ability..." The words awaken a fresh wave of anger inside Henrick, electricity flashes in his eyes as he stands up and steps towards Alex.
"Where is he?" The demand is compelling, almost forcing the fire user to answer on instinct. "Wait, wait! You can't rush up by yourself. He has 10 ability users on his side, it would be suicide!" Alex whispers loudly, literally holding Henrick back from marching to the elevator.
The commotion wakes up a few survivors and Father David exits the group's office space while rubbing his eyes. Selene follows shortly after, her eyes wide and assessing as she takes in the scene of Alex being dragged by her large companion.
David rushes over and holds Henrick in place, his grogginess disappearing as he flexes every ounce of muscle he has. "What's going on??" he whispers sharply. "I told him about Eric, that's all!!" Alex replies, straining to even slow Henrick down.
Even the combined might of both men can barely hold the soldier back as he almost shrugs them off. "That child killer's gonna die!" Henrick snarls, electricity threatening to strike Alex and David as Henrick reaches the elevator.
Selene leaps forward and adds her own considerable strength into the mix, successfully halting the soldier. Magical chains appear and lock down his limbs, but immediately start fracturing when he moves.
The priest shoots out a low intensity blast of concussive force that pushes Henrick back one step. Suprise and anger now intermingle on Henrick's face, raw power exuding from his frame as he tenses for combat.
Father David simply raises his hands in surrender, fear now on his face as he sees the rage in Henrick's eyes and the vicious snarl on his face. The soldier advances aggressively, eager to draw blood, when he suddenly stops.
David's eyes reflect his own image. Glancing towards the reflective windows, he sees it even more. Aggressive, hostile, almost...evil. He staggers back, almost as if physically hit, and looks to his trembling hands.
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the electricity dissipates as he takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Just...horrible memories." The apology almost echoes off the walls, allowing Father David to breathe out the mounting tension.
"Damn. You're scary when you want to be."
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END