Red Masked Heroine

by Dee J. Stone

  I need to do this right or else everyone will die. The dead body of a man is at the corner, his blood spilling everywhere. It’s even getting on the man next to him, and the gunmen aren’t doing anything about that. There’s a woman next to him who’s crying uncontrollably. Maybe the guy’s wife or girlfriend. She, too, is getting covered in his blood.

  One of the gunmen holds his gun at her, ordering her to shut up or he’ll kill her next. She hugs her knees, rocking back and forth as tears splash down her face.

  As I peer deeper inside, I try to determine if I can take down all three gunmen at once. I’ve never dealt with multiple gunmen before. I can’t think too much into this because the more time I waste the higher the chance is for someone to get killed. But I need to watch what I’m doing or else people will die, too.

  Taking out the two gunmen seems to be the best option, then quickly knocking out the leader. I’ll also have to smash their guns to bits. I lift my hands and wave them around. Two gunmen are knocked to the floor. Their leader hides behind a wall. I can’t see him. A gunshot is heard. Oh, man. He killed someone.

  I need to get inside.

  I hold my palm up. My hand is shaking so hard and sweat drips down my face and all over my body.

  Focus, Nick, I picture Maddie telling me. You can do this.

  I crack the window open and rush inside. I flick my hand at the last gunmen and he’s thrown to the other end of the room. Then I shatter his gun.

  I’m about to turn to the hostages and tell them they’re okay, when something knocks into me and I tumble to the floor. Something’s tied around me. A net. I’m not longer invisible.

  I thrash around, but the net has some sort of electricity because it shocks me, so hard I lose feeling all over.

  This was a trap. They were expecting me.

  “Look who’s here. I knew you’d drop by.”

  Who said that? The gunmen are still on the floor, not dead but unconscious.

  A figure steps closer to me. Like the other gunmen, he’s got a mask on. There was a fourth gunman who was hiding. Waiting for me?

  I try to break free from the net, but it shoots more electricity at me.

  Electricity. Shocking me. This is very similar to the bindings I had when I was captured by the secret organization. Are these gunmen involved with them?

  Did Maddie’s mom know about it and that’s why she looked so sad yesterday?

  The hostages are all scared and panicked because I’m captured like this. I want to tell them everything is going to be okay, but I can’t do that. This net seems to nullify my powers, not to mention it keeps shocking me. It’s so hard and strong that it feels like my limbs are being ripped apart. I want to shout, but I’m not going to give this idiot the satisfaction.

  “Who are you?” My voice is weak and I can hardly keep my head up. “And what do you want from me?”

  The gunman doesn’t say anything as he stands over me, like he’s trying to make me feel small and unimportant. Gritting my teeth, I yank at the net, but that only makes me weaker.

  The guy heads over to the woman whose husband or boyfriend he killed and pulls her by the hair. “You see that? Your hero isn’t much of a hero, is he? He’s limited. And because he hurt my friends, you’re all going to pay for it.”

  The woman whimpers while the others cry out in fear.

  Growling, I tear at the net again, but that only makes my head slump and my vison get spotty.

  “Careful, you’re going to really hurt yourself,” the gunman says with mock concern. “And we don’t want the poor little superhero to get hurt, do we?”

  “Please.” My voice is so weak I can barely hear it. “Let them go. This is between you and me.”

  The man waves his gun around. “Someone needs to pay for my hurt friends.” He aims the gun at the woman and shoots. She falls limply to the floor.

  “No!”

  He kicks her body into her husband’s. “Okay, who’s next?”

  “Please,” I beg. “Let them go.”

  He chuckles. “That’s not how this works.” He drops at my side and grabs the net, causing it to electrify me even more and I cry out. My body’s got serious burn marks now, but they won’t heal.

  The net doesn’t seem to be hurting him, probably because it only affects the person inside.

  The gunman gets up and starts shooting the other hostages.

  I want to beg more, but I can’t move my mouth. Everything around me aches and I can hardly keep my eyes open. Could I die? I’m not invincible, so I’m pretty sure these are my last few minutes on Earth.

  Suddenly a loud boom is heard as one of the walls blows up, sending chunks of debris all over the room. The gunman is knocked to the floor, his gun flying out of his hands.

  Debris is on top of me, but the net seems to be keeping me safe. Well, for a little while. I’m still minutes away from death.

  Something red and orange flies into the bank. It’s a figure engulfed in flames.

  Maddie?

  She flicks her hand, shooting fire at the gunman who is reaching for his gun. She waves her hands more, killing all the gunmen who didn’t die by that blast. Everything she touches burns. I bet the place is going to explode soon.

  I’m hidden under the debris and I’m worried Maddie won’t find me. She flies from one end of the room to the other. I want to yell to her, but I can’t. My vision is getting very blurry now.

  Just when I’m about to give up hope, I feel her grab the net and burn it. As soon as it’s off me, I start to heal.

  “Maddie?”

  She’s still engulfed in flames, and as soon as she reaches for me, I burn and pass out.

  The only words I hear are, “Nick? I’m sorry…I can’t control it…”

  Chapter Twelve

  My eyes open and I find myself in a forest. I’ve got no clue where I am. My entire body aches, like I was thrown into a meat grinder.

  Someone puts his hand on my arm and helps me sit up. It’s Maddie, dressed in her red uniform and mask.

  The events of what happened come to me. The bank robbery, the hostages, how I was captured in a net that seemed to negate my powers. Maddie saved me.

  I rub my forehead and puff out my cheeks. All those people died. Because of me. Because I wasn’t careful and didn’t search the building. I should have anticipated there would be more gunmen.

  “Nick.” Maddie pulls off her mask and her black hair falls down her back. “Are you okay?”

  Her uniform has no burn marks or holes in it, probably because of all that armor. I check my arms and lift my shirt. No burn marks, either. I’ve completely healed.

  She grabs my chin, forcing me to look into her eyes. “Nick, are you okay?”

  Yeah, I’m physically okay. Why did those people have to die? Why couldn’t I handle it better?

  “Say something. You’re really scaring me.”

  I stare into the distance. “They died. All of them.”

  Maddie wraps her arms around me. She normally doesn’t hug, but this is anything but normal. Tears come to my eyes as I think about all those dead bodies.

  “I’m sorry.” Maddie’s voice is low. “I should have come sooner.”

  I draw back. She’s got tears in her eyes, too.

  She presses her knees to her chest “I killed those men.”

  “You had no choice.”

  She turns to me. “I couldn’t control it. It…took over. I could have burned you while I was saving you.”

  I shut my eyes. Don’t want to talk about this. I don’t even want to think. They’re all dead.

  Her hand is on my arm again. “Talk to me.”

  I pull free. “What do you want me to say? Those innocent people died because of me. They were depending on me to save them and I just got them all killed.”

  “I’m sorry,” she says.

  “Apologizing won’t bring them back.”

  “Nick, it hurts me. It kills me. But you can’t let it consume you.”


  I shake my head. “I’ll never get over this.”

  “Neither will I. You think it was easy for me to see all those dead bodies?” She swallows. “To see you helpless like that?”

  I’m quiet, just staring at the tree a few feet away. I don’t know where we are and I don’t even care. I wish I could escape my head for a bit. I can’t…I can’t handle this.

  Maddie scoots closer to me and rests her head on my chest. I play with her hair, my throat all tied up.

  “It shouldn’t have happened that way,” I say in a monotone.

  She doesn’t say anything.

  A few minutes of silence pass. I keep replaying the events over and over in my head. Why did those people have to die? Why couldn’t I save them all? This is the second time something like this happened. First with that little girl who froze to death in that school freezer and now all these people.

  I’m not cut out for this. Can’t handle it. When I tell that to Maddie, she lifts her head and looks into my eyes. “Yes, you are.”

  I gently push away from her. “You saw what happened.” I laugh sarcastically. “I bet people are having a field day on Nicole’s blog.”

  She places her hand on my chest. “Stop it. Just stop. You did the best you could. If you don’t quit all this self-loathing, you’re going to completely lose it.” She looks away. “I killed all those people. They were criminals and deserved to be punished, but I killed them. Taking someone’s life—no matter whose it is—sucks. It really, really sucks.”

  I can’t say I understand what she’s going through, since I never killed anyone. But I know what it’s like to cause someone to die.

  I bury my head in her hair. “I feel crappy.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Are we ever going to get over this?”

  She sighs. “I have no idea.”

  Quiet.

  “Thanks for saving me,” I tell her after a few minutes. “I owe you. Twice now.”

  “Don’t even think about it like that. We’re a team.”

  I squint at her. “How did you know to save me?” I didn’t have my mask on, so she couldn’t have heard through the communication device that I was in trouble.

  She’s quiet for a second or two. “You were taking too long to free the hostages and I knew something was wrong. I felt something was wrong. Like I knew something bad happened to you. I rushed over to the bank and saw that net over you.”

  “And no one saw you?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t know if they saw me. Everything is all over the news. Maybe they did.”

  I run my hand through my hair.

  “You were hurt and I brought us here.” She looks around. “No one followed us, so I guess they didn’t see us.”

  “They didn’t see a person on fire?”

  She shrugs. “When I’m engulfed in flames, I fly very fast and it’s hard to see me.”

  I didn’t know that about her power. Heck, I don’t know much about it. She doesn’t like to talk about it.

  We’re quiet again. I’m tempted to check the news, but I don’t have my phone with me. Maddie’s got hers, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to see the news right now. “Hey, Mads?”

  She looks up.

  “There’s something I’ve been thinking about. You know when I was captured by that organization? I was bound with these bindings that nullified my powers.”

  She nods.

  “The same thing happened with that net. That’s why I couldn’t get out.”

  Her eyes widen. “You’re saying those gunmen were the same people?”

  “Not sure. The people at that organization didn’t seem like the type to hold guns. Maybe they hired them.”

  Her eyes get even wider. “Maybe they robbed that bank to get you to come there so they could capture you.”

  I nod.

  Her face fills with worry and fear.

  “And if not for you, they probably would have captured me again and tried to force me to work for them.” I gasp as a thought hits me. “My family! Are they safe?”

  Maddie pulls out her phone. “I’ve been checking every few minutes, plus this would beep if someone was in trouble. If anyone is miles away from where they’re supposed to be, I’d get a notification.” She scans the phone. “See all these dots?”

  I bend closer and see four dots in one location.

  “That’s your house. Everyone is home.”

  “Matt should be in school.”

  “I guess kids were sent home.”

  I rub my forehead. “My parents must be freaking out. Wait a minute. Where’s your mom?”

  She peers at her phone. “At work.”

  Hmm. It doesn’t prove that she’s not involved in all this.

  “I’d better get home.”

  We stand.

  “Are you strong enough to fly?” she asks.

  I move my hands, arms, and legs around. “As good as new.”

  I take her hand, go invisible, and we fly home. After dropping Maddie off at her window, I enter my house. I expected the place to be in chaos, but not like this.

  Mom’s all over the place, calling people while trying to calm Kaylee—who’s yelling and banging her fists on the floor. Matt and Dad are on the phone, too. Dad’s shouting at Kaylee that she’s giving him a headache. Matt’s throwing a few punches at the wall.

  Is all this because of me? Because they don’t know what happened to me?

  Before I walk into the kitchen, I strain my ears to hear the TV. The reporters are talking about the events that happened and they’ve got no clue where the Blue Masked Hero is. It’s possible he was killed in the explosion.

  Mom has tears in her eyes. She looks like she’s going to break down into tiny pieces.

  I can’t take any of this, seeing my family all worried. I step into the room and make myself visible.

  “Nick!” Kaylee leaps into my arms. She hugs me so tight I’m losing circulation in my neck. “Mommy and Daddy said something happened to you. I’m so happy you’re okay!”

  I pat her back. “Nothing is going to happen to me. Don’t worry.”

  Kaylee’s pulled from my arms and the next second, Mom’s got her arms around me. “Nick,” she whispers against my cheek. “Oh, Nick.”

  Dad claps me on the back, telling me how glad and relieved he is that I’m well and that I’m home. Matt fist bumps me.

  Mom doesn’t let me go. Seems like she never will. She just squeezes me tighter and tighter like she wants me to burst.

  “Mom,” I say. “I can use some air.”

  She’s not listening to me.

  “Mom…”

  “Mommy, you’re killing him.”

  Dad gently pries Mom’s arms off me. “Honey, give the boy some breathing space.”

  Mom dabs a tissue to her eyes. “I’m just so happy he’s okay. The news…the news…” She shakes her head as more tears come to her eyes.

  We’re all just standing there, watching our mom cry. Matt looks at me. I look at him and then at Dad.

  “Never again,” Mom says, dabbing her eyes some more. She then pins them on me. “I don’t want to see you doing anything like that again. Nick, I ban you from being the Blue Masked Hero.”

  “What? Mom—”

  She wags her finger at me. “No what, if, or buts. Nicholas McGuire, you are not allowed to be a superhero.” She clutches her chest, breathing heavily.

  I get that she was worried. It sucks that I scared them and I don’t want to ever do it again. But to stop being the Blue Masked Hero? Forever? That’s like taking out an essential organ from my body. Like my heart or liver. I can’t live without those and I can’t live without being Blue.

  “Mom, please.”

  Dad pats my arm. “I agree with your mother, Nick. If we see you being the hero, you will be grounded for life.”

  I beg with my eyes for him to please reconsider. “I’ll be careful next time.”

  Dad looks at Mom, like asking her what she thinks of it. S
he throws down her tissue. “This is not up for negotiation. Nick is not allowed to be the Blue Masked Hero. End of discussion. Nick, you are to go to school and come straight home. You are to spend your evenings at home, working on your homework or spending time with your family. Do you understand me?”

  I kick the floor. “This sucks.”

  “I don’t care if it sucks. You don’t owe the world anything. It was fine before the Blue Masked Hero came to be. Cops, firemen, safety officers, everyone did what they were supposed to do and the world survived. They will survive without you, too.”

  But it’s different now. That’s what I want to say. I want to tell them that there may be crazy evil scientists or whatever they are after me. After the world, maybe. It’s not safe. Especially not now.

  But of course I can’t tell them that. It’ll freak them out even more. Plus they might go to the cops with that information, and who knows what would happen? No, I need to keep this to myself.

  “Go to your room, Nick,” Mom says.

  Pleading with my eyes one more time doesn’t seem to do any good. Both parents are adamant about not letting me be the Blue Masked Hero.

  Kaylee slides her hand in mine. “I’ll come with you. Wanna play?”

  Despite how crappy I feel, I smile. Kaylee always knows how to make me feel better. “Sure.” I scoop her in my arms.

  “For a short while,” Mom says. “Nick, you’re grounded for disobeying me.”

  I freeze at the door and turn to her. “What?”

  “You went to that bank after I specifically told you I didn’t want you being a hero.”

  My hold on Kaylee loosens. I quickly hold her tight. “Those people needed me.”

  She crosses her arms over her chest. “Like I said, the world survived without the Blue Masked Hero.”

  I nod once, then climb the stairs to my room. I kind of want to be left alone, but Kaylee wants to keep me company.

  I plop her on the bed, then lie down and fold my arms underneath my head. This sucks, really really sucks. I know the world survived without me. Sure I’m not needed, but I’m wanted. People feel safe knowing there’s someone watching over them.

  What the heck am I going to do now? Homework, homework, homework?