by Pozel, Derek
Garrett could not keep his midnight blue eyes off the swarms of costumed women mingling throughout the cramped establishment. He watched a few catholic schoolgirls walk by in their white knee high stockings, short plaid skirts and revealing white blouses. A few sexy little devils managed to find their way from the underworld tonight to catch his attention. Garrett chuckled when he saw the costumes the men wore, stupid fun was the name of the game for the men’s costumes. The Assembly heroes stood out the most to him. Those were the ones which got underneath his skin. Everyone loves a hero. No one loves the man who hunts them.
Garrett wore a plain loose brown monk’s robe to hide his identity. He left the hood up, his dark blue eyes peered out the peak of the cowl. His nervous fingers toyed with the thick cord rope bound around his waist. Garrett struggled to not lose himself to the crowd and get distracted.
Denise and Ethan stood next to each other and had to scream to each other to have a conversation.
“I’m still glad you went with the naughty nurse,” Garrett said. “You look great. I still can’t believe we talked Ethan into dressing as a doctor, white coat and everything.”
She wore a tight baby blue dress which barely came down to the middle of her thighs. Red fishnet stockings swam down her toned legs into white high heels. Bright crimson lipstick on to her full lips gave her a touch of sultry when she pouted at Ethan. Her sandy blond hair hung loosely in slight curls which swayed when she spoke.
“I think it was mostly your doing,” Denise said.
“You’re right, it was. She looks great, right Ethan?” Garrett said.
Ethan turned away from Garrett and whispered something into Denise’s ear. Garrett could not make it out, he could tell it was a compliment by how she blushed.
“Whatever he said, I agree,” Garrett said.
“Thanks you guys. Now, let’s get drinks,” Denise leaned over the bar to flag down a bartender. “First rounds on the doctor.”
“Of course, the drinks are on me tonight Denise,” Ethan said. “You got us the tickets to get in here. We can’t thank you enough.”
Ethan tilted his head closer to Garrett so Denise could not hear. “Please, don’t do anything stupid. Remember, Denise is here.”
Garrett clenched his jaw and did not answer.
“Are you guys excited to see a real life superhero?” Denise said while she handed the guys there drinks. “I’m not going to lie, I kind of am.”
“I think I’m more excited about the hot women walking around?” Garrett said. “You see the hot blond schoolgirl in the corner there eyeing me?” Garrett pointed with his chin to the far corner of the bar away from them.
Denise laughed out loud when she glanced at the young blond girl giggle to her friends. “She looks way to young for you and her costume doesn’t leave much to the imagination. If she bends over in that skirt she’s going to show her business to everyone.” She took a sip of her drink, her eyes fluttered while she watched Ethan. “And I think she’s looking at Ethan, not you.”
“She could play doctor or help me break my vow of celibacy,” Garrett raised a eyebrow and smirked. “It’s a tough choice, but I think she’d go with the monk. Monk trumps doctor when it comes to schoolgirls.” Garrett nudged Ethan’s back with his shoulder, a smile underneath his hood. “And I think Ethan has someone else on his mind.”
“You like trying to put me on the spot don’t you?” Ethan stepped away and stood in between Denise and Garrett. “Denise is right. She was looking at me.”
“I told you Garrett,” Denise said.
“I hate the both of you right now,” Garrett sank further down against the counter. “I think you’re both wrong.”
“Who else is on Ethan’s mind, Garrett?” Denise asked.
Garrett’s eyes darted from her face to Ethan’s and saw the icy glare. It told him to shut his mouth. He wanted to say something and put an end to this flirtation phase and decided it was not his place.
“This is my cue to leave. I’m going to hit the bathroom,” Garrett put down his untouched drink and heaved himself off the bar. “Watch my drink. Be good!” he said and gave his friends the sign of the cross before he moved away from them.
Garrett pushed himself through the packed dance floor and which made his trek to the bathroom way to difficult. He passed through the small open foyer which connected the two sides of the night club. He double checked the front door and saw there were still only two well muscled bouncers at the door. He followed the wall on his left and turned down the dimly lit hallway to the bathroom. He stepped to one of the two heavy wooden doors against the wall ahead, which had a private sign posted on the door.
Garrett shuddered when he gripped the dirty bronze door handle and pushed it forward. It didn’t budge. He tried once more and again the door didn’t move. His well thought out plan to hunt Granite would fall through if he could not open the door. He felt his face flush and gritted his teeth when he pushed again.
“Damn it!” Garrett swore under his breath and attempted to pull at the door. It glided open and he chuckled to himself.
“I’m an idiot,” he stepped into the battleground he had selected from the numerous visits to the club. This was a out of the way bathroom for special guests only.
The tiny square bathroom was much smaller than Garrett remembered. Tan with shades of dark brown ceramic tile sprawled across the floor which climbed up the wall above Garrett’s eye level.
“It’s empty, thank God,” Garrett said and shuffled around the white pedestal sink. He stood in the middle of the bathroom, his feet bounced in place.
“At least it’s clean this time,” Garrett analyzed the bathroom and doubt began to enter his thoughts. He had reservations if this would be too small of an area to fight him. A thought nagged him if things got out of hand and his fight slipped out into the club. He could only hope Ethan would be able to keep Denise safe.
He stepped over to the black door of the stall and cracked open the door. He peeked inside and covered his noise. “Ugh, it stinks. At least it’s empty and it better stay this way or I am in trouble.”
With two backwards steps, he was in front of the sink again. He leaned over and rested his hands on the sink, lifting his head to examine the stranger in the mirror.
“Is this what you want?” Garrett asked the man in the mirror. The man in the mirror gave no answer and only showed the truth to those who asked. Dark rings found a home underneath his blue eyes, a black tangled mess of hair with a coarse unshaven face. He looked like a nervous wreck and felt like one.
The scared little boy he had been when Emma died appeared in the mirror with the doe eyed innocence only youth can bring. There were many different sides and faces to the same person. Tonight, it did not matter if he was a son and a friend. With his mask, he will cover those identities to become the enemy of the Assembly once again.
Garrett lifted up the brown monks robe to see the same navy blue shirt and jeans he wore when he took down Shadow Guard. He reached around the snug shirt to the small of his back to see if his mask and gloves were still pinned in place. Everything was ready, only the guest of honor was missing.
A sensation tingled up his spine and spread down to his limbs. “Feels like an Afflicted is here,” Garrett stole a peek to the door.
“You can’t turn back now,” Garrett said to the man in the mirror with a devilish smirk across his face. He pushed through the bathroom door back to the loud music, beautiful women and a superhero.
“Granite!” The crowd erupted into a frenzy when a little man dressed in a loose black suit jumped onto a large platform at the end of the bar. The man pumped his right fist to spur the crowd into on for their special guest.
“I’d like to thank everyone for coming out to celebrate Halloween with us,” The little man spoke into the microphone. “I’d also like to thank Granite and the Assembly for giving him the night off to spend it with you.” The announcer pointed to the people, which erupted into thunderous applaus
e.
Garrett stopped when he spotted Granite in the center of the dance floor, surrounded by a horde of women. He watched from the edge of the floor while Granite kissed cheeks, shook hands and posed for pictures.
Flashes from the strobe lights illuminated the chalky gray stone which covered Granite’s entire body. His body appeared to be cut from stone, like a Greek statue on display in a museum.
“Have a great night and remember to come back and tell your friends about us!” The announcer jumped from the stage to disappear into the crowd around Granite.
Garrett pushed his way through the swarming mass of people which appeared to multiply when he was in the bathroom. His eyes bounced back to Granite and his afflicted sense did not waver. When Garrett reached Ethan and Denise, he saw the worried expression plastered on Ethan’s face.
“Hey, took you long enough,” Denise said over the music and the screams of the women, who clawed to get a picture with Granite. “The guest of honor is here.”
“I heard,” Garrett said and set his jaw.
“Is this too much for you?” Denise slid her hand over his arm. “I didn’t think how difficult this would be for the both of you.”
“Its fine,” Ethan gave her a weak smile before he turned his attention back to Garrett. “We can handle it.”
Garrett leaned past Ethan to get closer to Denise. “I’m not feeling too hot. There are too many people in this place.” He gripped Ethan’s arm to signal the plan was in motion and saw Ethan’s face go white like he had seen the ghost of his little sister.
“Ok, Garrett,” she said and scooted next to Ethan. “Ethan, are you sure you’re ok? We can leave.”
“No, I’ve never been this close to an Afflicted,” Ethan said into Denise’s ear. Garrett flipped the hood of his monk’s costume back over his head and turned to face the crowd.
“I know it must bring memories up for you,” Denise said. “I try not to think about it. I thought with Garrett’s interest in the Afflicted you guys were ok with it.” Denise wrapped her arm around Ethan’s waist and leaned her head against his chest. She tilted her head up and her red lips slightly parted.
“Don’t worry,” Ethan said, his eyes never left hers.
Garrett glanced to his friends underneath his hood and saw the moment they shared, he could not stop the smile on his face. Garrett gave Ethan a small nod and motioned his head towards Denise.
“Do it,” Garrett mouthed the words to his best friend.
Garrett took a deep breath and pushed Ethan so could wrap his strong arms around Denise to keep himself from falling.
Denise and Ethan stood surrounded by strangers in each other’s arms, their bodies drawn close. Ethan rested his head against hers and drew her tighter into his arms to have as much of her body against his.
Denise blushed and tilted her upper body away from his, and gazed into his gentle brown eyes. “About time.” She kissed Ethan’s lips and he pulled her even closer.
“Finally,” Garrett spun away on his heels. He was happy for them and he didn’t want to hide it. His afflicted power droned on, it never let him forget why he was here.
Denise pulled away from Ethan and ran her dainty hand across his jaw. She moved away from Ethan and winked at Garrett. Garrett grinned to show his approval and offered two thumbs up.
“I’ll find my own ride home,” Garrett whispered to Ethan the code phrase they planned when the hunt was about to begin.
Ethan’s toothy smile faded. “You sure?”
Garrett narrowed his eyes, his jaw muscles flexed. “I’m sure,” he said through his teeth.
“Denise, I’m sorry to cut this night short,” Garrett said. “But I’m not feeling too awesome. I’m going to get out of here. Thanks for the tickets though.” Garrett kept an eye on his prey.
“Are you sure you want to take off? We can leave too,” Denise said. “Ethan, want to go?”
“No, its ok, I’m going to catch a cab. You guys deserve a night away from me,” Garrett began to step away. “I’ll see you at home, don’t even worry about me.” Garrett offered his hand to Ethan and gave Denise a hug before he rushed off to the bathroom. He scanned the crowd and located his Granite by the circles of groupies around him.
Garrett noted the immense size of the two bouncers who stood near the door and thought they got bigger and meaner. He leaned against the wall in the hallway, watching the bouncers until he found the right time to make his move to the bathroom door. He saw his opportunity when a group of women entered the club, distracting the bouncers. He sprung off the wall and bounded down the hallway. His heart began to race with each step, a grin crept across his face.
Garrett jumped into the bathroom, pulling the door behind him.
“Hello?” he said and pulled the monk’s robe over his head. “Anyone in here?”
He walked into the only stall in the bathroom, rolled up the monk’s robe and laid it on the toilet tank. He twisted his shirt around to unpin his gloves and mask. His fingers fumbled with the safety pins. He paused, took a deep breath and tried again. This time he was successful. Garrett slipped his hands into the gloves, and then rolled the navy blue mask over his head. All that remained of the man underneath were the dark blue eyes.
“All right, I’m ready,” he whispered. When those words left his mouth, his afflicted sense disappeared and he no longer felt an Afflicted nearby.
Garrett’s veins turned ice cold and he rubbed his head. “What the hell. Did he leave?”
He continued to wait, tapping his foot and peeking through the gap between the stall door and the wall every so often. With his confidence deflated, he rested his forehead against the door.
“Maybe, this is for the best,” he pulled at his mask and sighed.
The drowned out music exploded into the bathroom and the door slammed shut a few seconds later. Garrett’s lips curved upward, his heart began to beat even faster.
Garrett peeked through the gap again and saw the toned arm of the person who stood in front of the mirror. Garrett recognized the arm immediately. He could not help control the shiver when he got a close view of the man, the poster boy for the Assembly, in human form.
He pushed himself off the door, and waved his hands while he rolled his head. He clenched his jaw and stepped out of the stall.
Garrett saw Granite’s blond spiky hair, a stark contrast to his tanned toned form. Granite he showed it off his well-built arms with the black zippered sleeveless vest, which was open to reveal his muscled chest. Garrett watched Granite’s bright blue eyes in the reflection of the mirror.
“Hey, I know you. You’re that Assembly guy. Rock guy,” Garrett said. He crossed his arms across his chest and shifted his weight to his right leg. “It’s on the tip of my tongue.”
“The names Granite, buddy. Yeah, I’m one of those Assembly guys,” Granite said with a disgusted frown on his face.
Granite pivoted his head and looked Garrett up and down. “Who the hell are you supposed to be? A ninja?”
Granite turned his attention back to the mirror and smoothed out his eyebrows before Garrett could answer.
Garrett inhaled through his nose. “I’m an Afflicted. Can you guess which one?”
“No idea. I don’t recognize the poor excuse for a costume,” Granite glanced at Garrett through the mirror.
“I’m guessing you never heard of me,” Garrett shifted his body forward closer to Granite.
The superhero rolled his eyes.
“I’m the one who took down Shadow Guard,” Garrett swung his open right hand out and caught Granite on the left side of his head, slamming it into the mirror. Garrett gripped Granite’s over gelled hair and proceeded to introduce the side of his head to the mirror. Deep cuts ran thick with blood down Granite’s face, his body hunched forward from the unexpected attack.
Garrett seized Granite by the shoulders and flung him backwards across the tiny bathroom into the row of urinals behind them. Granite’s body met the cold ceramic with a loud
thud.
Garrett pounced on the dazed superhero, smashing his elbow into Granite’s face before the hero had a chance to react. Twin rivers of blood cascaded from Granite’s nose across his bare chest, soaking his vest. He hit him repeatedly with his elbow and swatted away the heroes hands when they clawed at him.
Garrett took a step back, his hands still balled into tight fists. He watched his prey while he was down and sent a ferocious jab his way to make sure he stayed down.
“That was easy.” Garrett’s afflicted sense come back to life. “Guess not.”
In the blink of an eye the visible parts of Granite’s body turned from tanned skin to a white ashy colored stone. Cracks developed and ran where veins should be, Granite’s bright blue eyes faded into pure white.
Granite’s head bounced on his unsteady neck to focus on his attacker. “What do you want from me? What did I ever do to you?” Granite asked, his voice weak and barely audible over the music in the club.
“You kind of had it coming,” Garrett said. “You’re vain, reckless and you sold yourself for money and fame.” Garrett advanced again and flicked Granite’s forehead with his index finger. The stone armor faded away into nothing with a single touch.
“What the,” Granite mumbled.
Garrett chuckled under his breath. “Your powers are broken I think.” He watched Granite try to raise his arms to defend himself. “And you’re sloppy, you let a stranger bum rush you in a nightclub bathroom. I almost feel sorry for you, almost.”
“Screw you,” Granite’s lips squeaked out the words.
Garrett rushed him, grabbed a hold of his vest, and smashed his body back against the tiled wall. He pressed his forearm against Granite’s throat, pinning him to the wall. He dug his forearm further into Granite’s throat when the superhero squirmed underneath him.
His eyes burned the frozen stare of horror on the hero’s bloody face into his mind. Garrett snapped awake when he saw Granite’s lips move. He wanted to hear his last words. He wanted to hear Granite beg.
“Why?” Granite said.
Garrett shifted forward and moved his head closer to Granite’s bloody ear. “Someone has to put the so called heroes like you in their place.” His lips curved into a smirk under his mask. He let go of Granite and saw his eyes roll up inside his head. The superhero’s body went slack and he crumpled to the bathroom floor.
