~The Mud Bog, Bunnell


Insect Wings.

Mosquitoes dashed into the air. Frogs leaped for cover. An extraordinary creature hurtled into the vast swamp and remained still. The ground stood motionless as a winged Feature of a Creature stalked overhead.

........................
~FPC High School

Sigh. Hallway smells like feet (+every other disgusting thing that happens in a bathroom) as usual. Probably cause they removed the doors of the restrooms and left the gym wide open. (Whose idea was that? Why don’t they clean?)

Ugh. Coffee incoming from around the corner, Two blonde lacrosse players talking with excessive loudness. Season isn’t till next year and they already have their gear ready, Haha. Cafeteria’s still the same, Hey! It’s 7:40…why is the breakfast line not open? I don’t even like this food why am I complaining.

“Yo, Ben!”...No…is that? “Check out the fresh meat!”

As I strolled out of the ‘Dining Hall’ this tall, goliath of a teenager grinned at me with his cavern-sized mouth. It was Jordan.

“Haha. I don’t think that name is usable anymore, look at them.” I gestured to the 9th graders walking about gaping and confused, “Welcome back dude! I didn’t hear that you were coming back.” He quit Band…he left the state actually. He was probably going to quit anyway. We hoped. Well
hoped.

“Hah!” He shifted his feet and looked past me, “I didn’t want to leave…I-I-I just had some family stuff…” Yeah. Hmph. Right before FBA he left. And it wasn’t unusual for him to skip out on that stuff. It was VERY usual.

“Oh, well, I hope everything’s okay now that you’re back.” He smiles again.

“Yeah, I’m gonna go talk to Mr. Mordan to see if there’s still a spot for me on the field.” I doubt that…

“Okay. Well, Good seeing—“

“I’m heading to the band room right now to ask, come with me.” No.

“Well. Er, I uh…He’s probably not there, you know? He goes to the middle school during first period, remember?” Good excuse.

“Yeah I do…He’s probably here though; It’s the first day of school.” Uuggghh. Just say no, just say no.

“Okay…let’s go see...”

............................................
~Downtown, Orlando

A wild assortment of faces lined the conference table. Some grouchy, some grouchier, But all were vile…mostly.

“Morning everyone.” A blonde adult-looking girl stood in front of a blank projector screen, “I’m glad you’re all on time for
meeting.” They eyed the youngest member at the table, Stewart Clay, son of the CEO and founder of the corporation.

He looked up from his upholstered seat, “What?!” He shouted angrily, “You think it was my idea to force myself to come to these things??”

The other Shareholders nodded in agreement.

“What is the point of this meeting?” Asked a tan man. Sweat rolled from his greasy buzz cut, he held his shaky palms…but he kept his cool.

“It’s Ironic that you ask.” Snorted a grimacing woman, “You haven’t turned in your monthly report. Your business has been making a noticeable decline.”

“It’s those kids, Viper!” He threw his arms up defensively, “The majority of customers AND dealers are @^#$ kids, and everyone knows it. The state’s been cracking down on this hard, hurting my profit and my sellers. These Kids are getting smar—“.”

“Listen Colton, you either make up your dues or deal with Clay. And I’m sure you already know how that’ll end.” Her snake-like eyes pierced his bestial heart. His cold blood boiled.

………………………...
~FPC High School

Jameal looked to his left and to his right. Unsure if his gym class was meeting in the gymnasium or the classrooms next door. He made a safe bet and headed for the gym just as he caught something moving in the corner of his eye.

A fellow student grabbed Jameals’ attention from behind a low brick wall across from the right side of the gym. With only a few seconds before the warning bell rang, he jogged over.

He recognized the boy calling him over, “Aye, Da’Keem!” He called with exaggerated gusto, “Whatchu doing back here? Ain’t you gonna be late?”

Da’Keem sucked his teeth, “Ah, Who cares?!” He slapped his palms together, “It’s the first day; we can just say we was lost.” He turned around and walked towards the condemned part of the 100 building.

Jameal looked behind him, “So what’s up? Whatchu need?”

Da’Keem smirked, “It’s not what I need.” He pried open the wooden door and crept inside, “It’s what you need.” A dim lamp cut out a circle of darkness and replaced it with light.

“What I need?” Cold hard cash (and his Mama) was the first thing on his mind, “As long as it’s green...and made of paper...”

Da’Keem raised his brow. Ben always understood his jokes.

“We talking green all right, but not just cash, mang. Dat
. We’re low on quality movers and I hand picked you for this job. You a real, fam.”

Jameal froze as sudden memories of his mama flashed within him. Countless hugs. Countless teachings. Countless awkward cheek kisses. His mama would not approve of this...

“H-how much do I get?” But his Mama
need the money.

“You get most of the profits, my man… Just 50% of how much you make goes to my source, Y’know? We all gotta eat.”

“Yeah I know. Tryna help my mama pay them bills.” Jameal smiled as Da’Keem pulled out his phone and walked out towards the door. Jameal followed suit.

“Ok. I’ma let the other Homies know that you good for it, then we can get to business and set you up.” Da’Keem looked around as he stepped out the door. No security guards in sight.

“AIght, bro. I’ll see you wh...” Jameal closed his mouth as Da’Keem turned away from him. He contemplated his decision, smiled and laughed. “I’mma be stacking, bro!”

Jameal skip stepped through the grass, stopped next to the door, rumpled his shirt to give himself a rustled look and rushed inside.

Unbeknownst to him; Janice Shaw, In the midst of her first TA assignment, stood and watched him with wariness as he split paths with Da’Keem.

.............
~The Mud Bog, Bunnell

Gator Skin.

Reptilian scales ejected into the air as the large, dull Creature took blow after blow from the smaller, colorful human. The colorful human shouted with each attack in the spirit of making them more effective, but the Creature knew better. The Creature was stronger than The Human...AND smarter. The Creature decided to just play with his prey.

Cold.

Icy heat pierced the Creature’s torso causing him to scream in agony...then fury. The Creature's roar took The Human by surprise and caused him to jump backwards. The Human was open to attack and had angered the Creature so he swatted him away and sunk into the mud to heal. The Creature released a low, scattered breathing sound resembling laughter as the Human smashed into a wheeled human machine.

A different color spread on The Human.

................................
~WOLF News HQ, Orlando

“What else is there about The Vigilante?!”

“Any new footage up on our Social Media accounts? Someone check Twitter!”

“What’s today’s main story?”

“The Vigilante!”

“That’s a bird...”

“Wings...blue and purple...what is he? A Garuda?”

“That’s dumb; it’s obviously a Boobrie.”

Taliyah Sorrel sighed as she sat at her desk and opened her laptop. Are her colleagues really tying mythology into this?

Are they really going this nuts over some...some vigilante?

What’s worse is that their “Star (fluff piece) reporter” is tasked with reporting anything and everything regarding the topic. Well...More work for him.

“What’s worse is that all the stories are fluff pieces.” She grumbled to herself, wondering why she opted to stay in Florida.

“Hey, Tally!” exclaimed Star (fluff piece) reporter Dave Jacim, “Whew! Getting really steamed in here because of that vigilante stuff, ain’t it?” He placed the stapler in his hand down onto another desk.

She eyed him and politely smiled, “Well, I’m not much a fan of cold weather.”

“Oh...well then, you shouldn’t have a problem with where we’re going.” He grinned.

“We?”

“Yes. We. I know you’re tired of the soft stories. I know how it feels, trust me.” Dave said sincerely.

“Well who doesn’t love writing about an exciting, unique, inspirational, 15 foot gator in Florida.” Taliyah smiled back.

“Oh, it’s something much more interesting.” Dave waited for Taliyah to grab her stuff and lead her to the roofs Helipad.

“We’re going in the helicopter??” Taliyah probed.

“Yup.”

“...Where’re we going?”

“Lake Mary. They found something pretty fascinating in regards to that thing with the “Vigilante”.

“Oh...”

..........................
Later, Local WOLF News Building, Lake Mary, Florida

Dave waved to the pilot as he lifted into the air, “We have two hours till he comes back from his fly around. So, let’s get us a story update.”

Taliyah and Dave were welcomed by their chauffeur as they stepped off the helipad and into an old, rusty, news van. Age-old dirt stained the bottoms and the rims were overcome with rust.

Taliyah glanced at Dave and stepped inside, “Well...” She looked around the interior, “This is quite the story.”

“Ohoo, just wait till we get there.” Dave, noticing her sarcasm, chuckled.

A couple minutes passed before Taliyah decides to get more information out of Dave.

“So, everything we know about this guy has been made public already?” Taliyah grabbed her wrist.

“Uhh, yeah. Everything we know plus a number of scattered calls over the past two years.”

“All over Central Florida, right?”

“From what we can tell, some of the calls ended abruptly. Some of them were actually perps that were caught.”

Why would a criminal call 911? She thought to herself, who is this guy?

“But whoever this guy is, he’s doing some dangerous work. Could probably help the cops Ahaha.”

“If you ask me,” started the Driver, “whoever this guy is, he's the one that sounds dangerous; out every night attacking and frightening people...I mean, that's what the Police are for!” Taliyah chuckled.

“WOAH!” The two reporters crashed into the seats in front of them as the van’s front tires popped like gunshots.

Before they could react, men and women in tactical suits hurried over with pistols in hand.

“Identify yourselves!” Taliyah and Dave threw their hands into
the air immediately. The Driver simply stared in shock.

“It’s a news van probably just some reporters looking for more info.”

“What kinds of reporters don’t know how to read!” Taliyah could see the scary woman gesturing to the multiple Keep Out/Police Investigation signs at the entrance of the lakeside neighborhood.

What was our driver doing? Taliyah wondered for a second before the men and woman outside quickly stood down. A young woman, no older than herself, ran over with an older gentleman watching from the background.

“Do NOT fire!” She shouted to the heavens, “I swear to God, if any of them are hurt it’s on your heads.” She stepped over the tire spikes and helped the reporters out of the van. She ordered her subordinates to assist the driver and proceeded to walk the reporters onto the premises.

“I’m sorry about all that. We weren’t expecting anyone else showing up before we were finished. We even sent the families living here to Disney..”

The two reporters stood in silence.

“I’m Merrisa Jones; In charge of this investigation. What can I do for you?” She straightened the cuffs of her coat. She hasn’t had any sleep judging by her droopy eyes.

Dave shook her hand, “Dave Jacim and my assistant; Tally.” He averted his eyes to avoid Taliyah’s glare. “We’re just getting some extra vocals for the story. A friend in forensics was willing to help us out a little.” Dave said smoothly. Taliyah eyed him suspiciously.

“Good luck. Everything the media knows so far, we know so far. Watch where you step.” Jones left them as a gray haired gentleman in his early 40s waved them over to his equipment.

“How’s it going, Simon?” Dave asked nonchalantly as he and Taliyah followed him into a tent.

“You didn’t drag me out here just for some small talk did you?” Taliyah grumbled under her breath.

“I didn’t call you all the way out here just for some small talk.” Simon turned around and winked at the mildly irate Taliyah Sorrel.

He continued, “Those guys outside you’re about to ask about? No idea; some government hounds that won’t stop sniffing in on these cases. Funny how there is
any mention of them on the news.”

“And that girl is really in charge?” Dave questioned.

“Yea. She has eyes almost everywhere. Hands on almost everything; from blood samples in the water to Witness statements and tests. Even the samples of ice they keep to themselves! They use us like tissue paper!”

“None of this has been reported either...” Taliyah said as she gazed at the lab equipment around them.

“Exactly. That’s why I have this...!” He reached into his pocket pulled out a sealed Ziplock bag. Within it contained a piece of Blue and white cloth speckled with blood. Intricate, snowflake-like designs littered one side of the cloth while the other lay bare.

“Holy $@%^.”

”...Is that...?”

“Physical proof? Indeed.” He pushed it into Dave’s palm, “And I’m trusting you to make something of it--!”

Unexpectedly, the tent flaps flew open like a hurricane. Two male agents ran inside and grabbed Simon and Dave, but left Taliyah to herself.

“Hey!” Dave struggled before quickly bumping into Taliyah’s side.

“You two are coming with us!”

“They didn’t do anything! Let them--?” Simon motioned for Taliyah to stay quiet as they were walked out of the tent.

The agents brought them into a dusty trailer that smelled like a farm on the outside and Sunshine™ on the inside.

Within contained shabby furniture fit for speedy travel...and speedy escape. The restroom door swung open as the agents sat Dave and Simon on plastic folding chairs.

“Hello?” Merrisa Jones wiped her damp hands on her pants before stopping in front of them, “What happened?” she eyed the two curiously.

The agent on the left, blond hair, stammered as he gave his answer, “C-civilian was observed accepting...uh, unknown contents in a plastic bag from this local Forensic Scientist.”

The other agent chimed in, “On the premises.”

“Yes. We were unsure if they could be potentially hindering the investigation of the meta—!“ Merrisa raised her hand signaling for them to stop.

“Let’s see it then, before you hinder this operation.” She turned towards the Reporter and the CSI, “Disrupting a police investigation is against the law, Y’know.”

“Yeah, here.” Dave reached into his pants pocket. Simon glanced at him with panic in his eyes. Dave’s spirit remained calm. His fingers grasped the Bag in his right pocket and slowly wrestled it out.

Jones rolled her eyes back then glared at the agents. Dave held back a smile as he showcased a half eaten roast beef sandwich. Merrisa stared at the sandwich, then to the two agents, then back to the sandwich, and once more at the Agents.

“Let ‘em go.”

“But--!” The two suspects quietly exited despite the Agents’ shock.

“But nothing.” Merrisa turned her back to them, “The only thing you managed to do is remind me of my hunger...” She groaned as the Agents exited with their heads hanging low.

As Simon and Dave neared the tent lab, Simon exploded with inquiries and enquiries, “How’d you do that!? Where’s the cloth? You scared me half to death! I’m not trying to die young!” Simon paused to catch his breath.

Dave smirked and pointed towards a worried Taliyah pacing in front of the tent.

“Oh, thank god!” She exclaimed before Dave motioned for her to quiet down, “I was just about to get out of here!”

“You gave it to her?” Simon gawked as she patted the small bulge above her womanly bosom, “Amazing. They didn’t even notice.”

“Nope.” He winked at Taliyah, “You learn a few things in this line of work.”

Taliyah noticed the same two agents nearby keeping watch, “Nice meeting you Simon, but I think we better get going..”

Her companion picked up on her hint and agreed, “Until next time!”

Jones watched through her window as the reporters entered their repaired news van and drove off, “Donald and Blake.” She referred to the two agents over a mic, “Follow them. Inconspicuously.”

...........................
~FPC, The Band Room, earlier

“Aw, no.” I smiled while prying open the thick, red, metal doors of the building and walked inside.

“I am TURSDAY THE LION!”

“It’s Thursday*”

“We got the Shirts!”

“Just came from Dunkin”

“There goes the Alpha Club...”

“Why is there underwear lying next to the tubas...?”

“Where is my music!?”

“Who took my sticks?!!”

Same old smell of rust and emptied spit valves. Same old over lit cardboard box of a room. Same old brown haired couple sucking face in the instrument repair room. Same old eccentric voices bouncing off/fighting each other.

*Breaths in* I. Am. Home.

Each individual subsection in the Band stood grouped together like a flock of geese. The “Bro Squad” jesting on my right next to the tubas, the ”Alpha Club” to my left in Mr. Mordan’s office sipping on Coffee and using their hands to smother laughter. And to complete the Trilogy; The ”Blu-Tang Clan Trumpets” gathered at the far end of the Band room in between the locker room and Percussion Section.

I smile and wave at those in Mr. Mordan’s office, only a few wave back. I step over and mingle with the Bro Squad, which a few of my section members are a part of. I tend to not side with any specific faction.

“Hola, Francisco!” It’s Frankie, the self proclaimed leader, “How goes the Squad?”

“I do not approve of these nicknames.” He twitched his nose as he spoke.

The other members grew quiet before chanting variations of Frankie’s name, including but not limited to: Frank, Francine, Francesca, Francisco, Franklin, and Thursday The Lion.

“Your dad does!” Shouted Bryan, referring to a past ride home from a game.

“He would know.” Smirked Brady.

“No. Jordan would know.” There was a pause after Allan spoke...before a burst of laughter from everyone including Jordan.

“I do not approve of these jokes.” Groaned Jordan blandly.

They continued making fun of each other while I moved upwards to the Percussion section conversing nonchalantly while unpacking bass drums and various other Instruments.

“Wassup Y’all.” I opened cheerfully. I was met with various responses.

“Hey, Man!” Shouted a mirthful blonde haired teen.

Someone called him as I greeted back, “Yo, Ethan, can you grab the cymbals for me?”

He agreed with a smile as another Percussionist entered my line of sight; a black haired white kid with awkward posture was prying open one of the Drum cases, “Bella, what did you do to this thing?” He dropped back trying to open it.

“This type of labor was meant for my ancestors, not I.” A mildly stout, Hispanic girl named Vicky halfheartedly smiled as we laughed at her humor.

I swerved and slid in between the Xylophones and tiptoed over the dismantled Snare stands. A bulky, Native American kid silently lifted an empty case, hoisted it over his wide shoulders and placed it on the top shelf of the closet as if it weighed nothing more than a Flute.

“Joey!” We bumped knuckles, “How was tryouts? did you make the team?”

He nodded in silent agreement but I could tell he was euphoric on the inside. I sat back and observed the new leadership and the even newer Freshmen, around 60 fresh recruits this year. It’s gonna be a--

“Hey Big Bird!” What?! Who is tha--?

“Michael? Jacob?” What did he just call me? Damn that creepy smile he always makes.

“Big Bird?” Jacob laughed as they walked closer, “Where are you getting these names from?” Quick. Change the subject; Change the subject.

“Yeah. Hey...Where’s Jur--!” Before I finished my breath, terribly pitched key streaks of sound cracked the air. Jurgén’s smile could be seen all the way from the back of the room. His discord of noise was met with Moans of agony and annoyance.

“Whoops!” He cracked his fingers and threw his hands down unto the Grand Piano once more. The whole room’s pain suddenly evaporated and and was replaced with condensation of beautiful sound. His dark fingers pressed the keys with patience and precision which in turn unleashed a perfect piece of musical passion.

“He’s over there.” half-smiled Michael. I gave him a wary look before someone else caught my attention. A Puerto Rican, soccer player with cocoa hair effortlessly pried open the case that held the Gong. Her calf muscles flexed as she bent over and lifted the heavy metal upwards. She aimed her fiery gaze towards me.

“HEY! How about you stop staring and help.” She barked ‘friendly like’. Glad to see things haven’t changed too much.

“Yes sir, Bella sir!” I lightly, LIGHTLY, punched her arm and grabbed the bar to hang the Gong onto, “Don’t wanna forget this thing, right Jacob?”

“Shut up.” He grinned. Bella chuckled. Heh, Inside jokes.

We finished setting up the Gong in a quick minute when I picked up a barely audible noise, even with my abilities. Metallic clanks. Rusty metal scraping together. Water splashing. Lungs filling with air. Oh yes.

Bella furled her brow at the malicious leer plastered on my face, “What?”

“Listen.” She gave me a questioning look then gasped as over a dozen (mostly)shiny, brass instruments marched out of the Locker Room in sync.

“SPARTANS?” A tall, slender, dark haired teen shouted as he lead the Trombones into the front of the band room. He nodded at Jurgén who began jamming out a familiar tune on the Piano.

And, I kid you not, every. Single. Person in the room groaned as they started playing the (locally)infamous theme simply known as “Tuba Tank”.

Not nearly as loud as the triple quadruple whatever forte they were blasting, Bella turned towards me once more and gave me a “you better not” look. Fortunately for me, I know how to close my eyes. I leaped through the shouts and towards my compadres….one last time.


……………..
~The Mud Bog, Bunnell

Snake Eyes.

Another human machine came to a stop as the vehicle they were tailing was impacted by the colorful human. Two men in tactical suits jumped out of their vehicle, weapons in hand.

The Creature watched from beneath the mud. The black haired man ran to the other vehicle and helped the younger woman out of her car.

“Put your hands in the air!” The blonde one screamed at the boy in the costume, blood dripping from his shoulder and face. The Creature grinned as the human in the suit waved his arms frantically despite the blond haired man’s constant shouting.

“Aw, forget this--!” The Boy pushed past the man, aimed his hand at the Creature’s hiding place and let loose a gale of Ice and moved his arms back and forth in order to cover a majority of the Bog in ice. The Men and Woman stared in shock as the Boy’s powers were put on display. Life froze along with the mud.

After what seemed like an hour, A massive creature of some sort launched itself from the filth infused water. The boy in the costume recognized familiar body parts belonging to many local insects that crash into his face during low flying adventures. The radioactively impervious shell of a roach, the nimble and thin body of a mosquito, the wide, aerodynamic wings of a moth and the head of a…

“Snake?” The two men shot their weapons as this Feature of a Creature dove at them.

“Get out of the way.” The boy pushed the man aside and took off towards the Creature. They say man wasn’t meant to fly, the two men thought, but it was quite the sight to see two supernatural beings charging towards each other like two rams fighting for dominance.

……………………..
~Espanola, Florida

Colton Louis, a short man with a greasy, dirty blonde, buzz cut scowled as he slammed the door to a gray sedan with blacked out windows. He motioned his driver to wait in the car as he stomped towards the brick home.

Presiding within, plentiful Pushers pushed packages filled with white crystals kept clean and pristine in plastic baggies. Bags could be heard hitting the ground as the Man stepped inside and scowled at the Druggies lined up at their tables.

“Ya’ll are working hard, right?” He slowly stepped around the room while staring into the eyes of each thug he waltzed past.

“Ye-yes sir!” A few of them spit out a reply.

Louis chuckled as his left arm began to misshapen and grow. in a quick second, his arm had transformed into a gray, skinny, stick like appendage with razor sharp pincers at the end. The kids had gasped at the change and shouted when Louis rushed at the boss of the house and pinned him against the wall with his claw at his throat.

“Hey Jermaine.” He smiled. Sweat dripped from Jermaine’s brow, off his lip, and down his eyes, “Can you tell me why this house is the lowest in sells out of all of my houses?”

Jermaine whimpered, “I-I don’t know, man!” Louis paused for a moment and threw him to the ground. He walked over to the corner of the room where the dry erase board stood. A map was taped on the board with multiple arrows and stickers pointing to work locations in nearby towns. An area near Bunnell was marked with a red arrow larger than the others with exclamation marks.

With his normal hand, Louis pointed at the spot on the map, “I’m guessing this is part of the problem?”

The other teenagers continued working quietly, “Yeah, uh… that’s where it is. We losing sales around there da most…”

Louis sneered, “Gimme a list of the dealers in that area. I’ma take care of this.” He reached his pincer out towards Jermaine.

“Um.. Uh.” He stared nervously while he wrote down the names. It was a short list.

Louis snapped his pincers impatiently, “Come on. Hand it to me.” Jermaine Gulped as he lowered the paper into Louis’s grasp. He snatched it away from him. His arm returning to its natural state.

Louis scoffed and stepped towards the door, “Everybody get back to work!” As he walked to his car he paused and smelled the air.

“Sir?” Asked his driver who jerked when Louis looked his way.

“Go on to the house without me, James.” Louis loosened his collar as the Sedan drove off. He was on an empty, world worn street infiltrated by age old roots, “Been awhile since I did this…” By instinct, he looked both ways before backing up underneath some trees. Like a switch, the skin on his back and around his neck began to darken and grow smooth. His bones could be heard as they morphed into an unnatural structure. The cotton lining of his shirt ripped to shreds as four insect like wings extended from his upper back. The two bottoms wings were smaller; about the size of a baby dolphin’s fin, the exact opposite applied to the two upper wings in size.

Louis smirked as the wings began fluttering, slowly making its way to 500 beats per second. Dirt and grime took flight as the man did the same.

“HAHA, There we go!” Louis boasted as he zipped into the air. The common animal life nearby ran away in a flurry as this unnatural science experiment duplicated their livelihood. They feared coming into contact with such dangerous beings. Something they realized early on.

Unfortunately, others had not

…………….
~WOLF News HQ, Orlando

“So what’s our next move?” Taliyah hadn’t felt like this in a long time. This rush, this excitement. It was addicting, “Who should write up the story? Are we gonna get Simon to make a statement on record? What about tho-”

Dave held his finger over his mouth, signaling her to be quiet, “Not yet.” He looked around the office through the glass walls of his own, “We just stole evidence from an active crime scene controlled by the government…it wouldn’t be a good idea for a cat burglar to put a neon sign on their back with the words ‘I just robbed you!’, right? Well, any bright colors in general.”

Taliyah slumped into a chair, “Yeah, you’re right.” she ran her hands through her shoulder length hair.
“We gotta keep this close to chest and wait awhile before writing the story, let alone getting it on air.” He turned around and leaned onto the window looking down on the streets below. He looked back quickly as Taliyah motioned to leave the room.

“So what are you uhh, working on now?” He asked, returning to his stammering self.

Taliyah smiled halfheartedly, “I got a gator to write about.” And walked out of the room.

……………….
~FPC, The Bus Loop

“Aye, man, watch out!” All these people rushing to the same place, ay-ay-ay. I stepped to the side as a curly haired dude pushed through the doors of the gym, and everyone around them, to get to the buses.

I took my time walking to the other side of the gym. Multiple athletes, boys and girls, pulled on their sneakers and rushed on to the court to play a game of after school basketball. A tall, awkward kid fell to the ground as a shorter guy grabbed the ball and dunked on him as everyone else laughed and shouted. They get so violent in this game, I swear I could play too but I’d probably break the backboard, haha.

I took my seat on the bus. Jameal was staring at his feet. His shoes were worn out, and judging from his breathing, He sounded worn out. I was quiet as the bus started up and chugged onto the road.

“What’s up witchu you?” He looked up and quickly tucked his phone away. I turned around to see his face; a mix of nervousness and excitement, “It’s only the first day and school already got you lookin’ like that?” We laughed.

“Nothing. Nothin.” He paused long enough to make me turn around, “I just...got something good coming in. Could help me...my family a lot.”

I haven’t seen his mom in a while, I should stop by sometime, “Sound like you ain’t sure.”

“Nah man, it’s legit stuff.” He looked back at his feet as the bus came to a stop.

“Cool. Tell your mom I said; Sup’.” The thugs in the back grumbled under their breath. Jameal stepped out the bus, no sign of his sis. Unexpectedly, Jameal turned away from the street that led to his house and walked into the woods. Where is he going? The bus began to move.

“This isn’t my bus!” I smiled nervously at the bus driver and jumped out the door before she pulled away.

I stood and waited for my bus to get there but my curiosity grew and grew as Jameal had yet to come out from the trees. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to check on what’s going on. Just as I turned in that direction my actual bus pulled up and let out the kids in this neighborhood. Good thing too, it stopped the incoming flock of cars, allowing me to pass.

I didn’t notice this at first, but, as I made my way across the street, Amaya was watching through the bus window.

I pushed through (thankfully) thornless bushes and speed stepped through the trees until I was stopped in my tracks by a huge spider web connecting from a tree branch to the ground. No spider in sight but I didn’t care. I blew softly, freezing the web in all its entirety. It looked pretty delicate and intricate in that state. Pretty...oh well. I broke the frozen web and continued on until I spotted Jameal and another thug talking about...not sure what due to the crushing of leaves underneath their feet. They turned their heads in my direction but I ducked behind vines/branches/bushes and an old wheelbarrow laying on its side. They were in a clearing next to an old shack, I was just at the outskirts of it. I started to question what I was still doing out here when the other kid hushed Jameal. A strange sound shot through the air. It was faint then disappeared. Then faint again and grew smaller until coming closer; from above I heard the sound, almost like laughing…

What is that?! Oh my god! I jumped out of my school clothes and took off in my second skin.

………………..

“What the #&$^ is that!?” Jameal screamed as a man-shaped figure with insect wings and seaweed green skin landed from above.

“T-that’s the boss.” Da’Keem smiled nervously as Jameal was freaking out, “Louis.”

Louis stayed still for a moment, several grunts and groans could be heard as he slowly stood. He eyed Da’Keem.

“Louis--” Faster than they could react, Louis appeared in front of Da’Keem who was shaking slightly, “S-sir. I didn’t know you’d be coming this soon.”

“Uh huh.” Louis glanced at Jameal, “Why are you losing my money?”

Da’Keem stuttered.

“Spit out your words! I hate when y'all get all choked up for no reason.” Louis smacked Da’Keem ‘lightly’, knocking him off his feet.

“I know. I know. We just got too much product and not enough n**** to.. you know, distribute.” Louis took a moment to register everything Da’Keem stammered out. He crawled backwards towards Jameal, “That’s why I’ve been recruiting! See? Look, got a new guy right here, why I called you!”

Louis shifted his gaze to Jameal who took a step back. Da’Keem rolled away.

Coward.

Louis snorted and stomped towards Jameal who couldn’t speak let alone breath, “Who do you think you are?” Jameal jumped as he backed into the wall of the old shed, “Huh? Who. Are. You?!” Louis transformed his hand into a large, black crab claw and stuck it around Jameal’s neck.

“J-Jameal...” His response could barely be heard. He made the mistake of looking directly into Louis’s face as his eyes were as black as the shadows cast by the trees.

“This is the type of garbage you think you can bring into MY operations!? *%#@% #^$ #%$^@ like this!?” Jameal shut his eyes, he wondered if this was one of those moments where your life was supposed to flash before your eyes. He also wondered why he wasn’t gifted that luxury.

“AHHCK!” Jameal opened one eye as Louis went flying backwards. A young man in a blue and purple suit hovered above the ground. Glorious metal wings reflected the sun into his eyes, blocking the better parts of Jameal’s sight.

Snowbird dropped to the floor and looked around. Louis got to his feet.

“Sup’!” The costumed teen rubbed his fist while staring at Louis’s crab arm, “Um, normally I’m the one that barges in and introduces myself but let’s try this a different way. I'm adaptable.”

Louis realized who he was right away, “What the $^#@!” He dashed at Snowbird as he babbled and took a swing at him with his transformed arm. Snow leaned to the side, nearly getting slashed by the giant claw.

“Hey man. Not cool.” Snow swayed to the side and kicked Louis in the back, knocking him down, “I’m just trying toooo...conversate.”

Louis sat up and sighed, “Aight, you got me.” Snowbird stared in amazement as his arm transformed back to normal.

“Really? That’s a relief. Life for a growing adolescent is tough, ya know? Especially in this society; I got chores and stuff and school just started back up and I gotta find a way to wash this costume more often...yeegh.” Snowbird shuttered.

Louis looked disgusted, “You’re a &$%^$ idiot!?”

“I prefer lovable buffoo--” Snow stumbled backwards as Louis lunged forward and slammed his normal fist into his jaw. It only stunned him for a second.

Just as Snowbird regained his bearings, Louis’s arm transformed into a larger, scaley version of itself and shot upwards into Snow’s gut, lifting him off his feet. The young vigilante wheezed as his face met the blunt force of Louis's gator palm. His whole head fit in the grasp of Louis's hand.

“MMMPPHHMM!!” The partially transformed Louis slammed Snowbird into the ground. Crushing the semi-tall weeds that littered the area. The two teenagers at their backs confused the sound of Snow's wings crunching with his bones. Jameal and Da'Keem were unable to articulate their feelings of dismay.

In desperation and waning adrenaline, Snowbird continued to try and defend himself from Louis's barbaric fists. Blow after blow sent him into the dirt just a little bit deeper, He could feel his bones shake with every primal strike from his assailant.

“You little $@%#” As Louis's final punch came aiming for Snow's head he unleashed a burst of cold energy, stunning Louis, and quickly encased himself in a dense ball of ice.

“Goddamn it. I'mma kill you even slower now...” Louis began pounding on the somewhat round ball of ice, intent to pry the bird out of his egg. But to no avail, the cracks he made were quickly filled with more ice, “So that's how you keep @$&#@*$ us up?! You pull @#$$^ $#@! like this!?!” Enraged, Louis smacked the ice, launching it through the woods, tearing down trees, and soon disappearing. Jameal noted that he had seen no birds flying away.

“What a waste of time,” He glanced at the two frightened teenagers and pointed at them, “Get. Your $%&^. Together.” Once more, Insect wings sprouted from his bare back and took him into the air.

…................
~Fox News HQ, Orlando

Dave Jacim walked nonchalantly through the desolate parking lot, searching for his car. A series of honking resounded from the highway in the background. The branches above his BMW shook in the hot breeze.

“Where is it...” Dave leaned in farther past the car seat and rummaged around the floor seeking his phone, “Ow!” He quickly withdrew his hand which had found a loose staple lodged in the tip of his middle finger.

“Damn it.” He plucked the metal out of his finger and flicked it onto the pavement when a car three parking spaces away came into focus. A man in sunglasses sat with his head down as if he were reading a book...or trying to go unnoticed. Dave shook his head and continued looking for his phone. Once found, he got back on his feet and engaged the automatic lock. As he headed back towards the building another car similar to the one he had just observed entered the parking lot. The driver of said vehicle cruised right past him, pretending to not acknowledge him. It was then Dave knew something was off. He speed walked into the building which turned into a paced jog through the lobby which finalized itself as a full sprint up the stairs.

“And, hopefully, that marks the tail end of this gator story.”

“Let's hope.” Taliyah snorted as the female news anchor rehearsed the script she morosely wrote. As they began to go over it again she turned to see Dave run into the room breathless. She started towards him when he mouthed “They're here. The Feds.” Just then, the elevator dinged as it reached their level.

“Go down the back Ele--”

“I know!” Taliyah made her way to the second elevator and watched as two inconspicuous men came out of the primary elevator and trudged to their desks. She raised her brow. She figured the agents were nearby, if not in the building, so as the elevator reached ground floor she quick-stepped to her blue Volkswagen Beetle, started the ignition and pulled onto the highway. As soon as she exited the parking lot, the second agent entered his partners’ vehicle and hounded slowly after her.

…........................
~Private Residence....

Colton Louis, the meta-human drug boss, plopped onto the large front yard of his main safehouse hidden from the outside by wild ferns. A large canine whimpered while Louis's body morphed back to human form.

“Sir.” Greeted James, his Butler, in the kitchen.

“James.” Louis grabbed a carton of milk and chugged half of it before reaching the other side of the room. He grabbed the land line and dialed his boss. Six rings later...

“I'll pass this onto your flunky afterwards but I think you'd like to know about it first. That thing that's been flying around in our @%#^ Is a kid. A &#$^@ kid. I was up north, around Charlie's place, dealing with my business and this kid just shows up in his little, gay costume tryin to be funny. I almost killed his $%@ but he did some kinda magic crap with Ice and s*** I-I don't know, but you ain't been telling us everything we need to know ‘bout this.” He listened to his message again and slammed the receiver down.

The Butler watched the gangster retreat into his private quarters and returned with two shotguns and a Semi Automatic Pistol, “Sir? Plans for the evening?”

“Gonna keep doing my work. But meet me out back in five.” He disappeared from the room again.

….......
~Moments Later

“Try it with the Semi!” Louis quickly morphed his back into a giant turtles' shell as his butler released fire surprisingly tactless, “Now switch!” James stopped fire and stomped on a half buried pressure plate, immediately three spiked metal balls shot out from the surrounding woods. Louis transformed his arms into crab claws as the first projectile smashed into his shell, almost instinctively He spun and plucked the second ball out of the air before following up by smashing the final projectile with his pincers.

“Sir...?” He watched as Louis reverted to human form and panted hard. He put his hand up to silence him.

“Again.” James nodded and grabbed the Flame thrower, “I got a feeling history is ‘bout to repeat itself..” James sighed as Louis' body adopted the Features of multiple Creatures.

…................
~Elsewhere

Great. Just great. I've been doing this for two years now and I let some Jeepers Creepers freakazoid lay me flat. I panted as I landed on a rooftop. It was mid afternoon; no need for me to be home yet. Okay...slow down, review the play. I saw my best friend sneak into the woods to meet up with one of those drug heads who set off the fire alarms outside the bathrooms at school who was with some weird older dude who shape shifted into a walking Red Lobster entree *gasp*.
“I have no idea what's going on.” A plot formed in my head, “...But
might!”

….........
~Flagler Public Library

“Aight Mudd, catch you again next week?” A teenager wearing a sleeveless hoodie waved as he walked out of the Library alongside a shady character his age; Mudd.

“As long as you throw that cash at me.” Mud said with a smile as he fondled the twenty bucks in his pocket. He sniffled as he made his way around the corner of the building, His customer out of sight.

“Sounds like you got a cold.” Trees rustled from above, startling the adolescent as he recognized just who was above him.

Mudd pouted as Snowbird landed in front of him, billowing mist and all.

“What is it with you and that smoke!?” Mudd said as he waved his hands in front of his face, “People already know you a masked weirdo, but you don't want people to see that you a masked weirdo?”

“Nice to see you too, Mud.” The words flowed out of the shadow in the mist like an eel in a rip current, “But this isn't a friendly visit-”

“Gracias a Dios.” The drug dealer interrupted.

“..I'm looking to get some dirt on a certain someone in your line of work. A certain scaly someone.” Snowbird observed his face carefully.

Mudd began to sweat despite the Vigilante’s cold mist “...Yeah, well, what if I don't know nothin about that Louis dude?” He questioned slyly then realized what he just said.

“Well, I could always tell your father about your
,” Mud winced, “And you just told me his name so you might as well tell me the rest about this ‘Louis’ guy unless you want him to hear that you squealed to the ‘Masked Weirdo’.” The Vigilante smiled as Mudd hesitated before spilling everything he knew about this powered pusher.

“Okay so, like, this one time when I was going back to one of the Houses to...get more product, I saw this tough, soldier-lookin’ dude on the phone, He had this nice %@$ car, man and those rims too, but that's not the point-”

“
to the point.” The Bird interrupted.

“Yeah! Yeah so, like, I was about to leave when I saw the dude walk in and he started using them military scare tactics you know what i’m saying? I was by the back door when this was going down, so he didn’t see me, but he was saying some crap about low sales and profit and all that. $#%@, that’s probably your fault.”

“So what? You’re saying he’s on a..business trip to all the crack houses?”

“One, they’re not ALL crack houses and two, no $%@# duh.”

“So I just need to hit up the rest of them…”

“Yeah, well bye, You can find them yourself.” He turned his back while slyly reaching into his pocket, not so suddenly he turned and lunged at Snowbird, swiss army knife in hand.

The vigilante effortlessly caught his wrist and formed ice around it, “Oh, I think I’ll do fine on my own…” He pointed at Mud’s knife, “Isn’t that your Dads’?”

……………………...
~Three Hours Later, Bunnell

Colton Louis harked back as his chauffeur drove through the old neighborhood. Little remnants of his child self pulsed as they passed old landmarks. The beaten basketball court, the long droopy trees and the permanent stench of gasoline in the air. Louis’s eyes snapped towards the Poultry Closet, a popular, family owned restaurant known best for it’s deep fried chicken. He licked his peeling lips as they drove past the large, red chicken statue.

“James, on second thought, how about we stop and get some food first.” Something in his eye flashed.

“Sir, need I remind you that you had just taken part in some rigorous training? Your organs are still adjusting themselves after all that power usage; remember the last time you ate too soon?”

Louis groaned at his butlers logic as his phone began to vibrate.

“If you really dread visiting the rest of these houses,” James started, “Might I suggest we look in on your business partner?” Louis’ gaze turned to a building fast approaching. Three Finger Charlie’s Bar and Grill.

“...You just want free drinks, huh?” Louis shook his head as he answered the call.

“I don’t have the slightest idea of what you mean, sir.” James smirked as he moved onto the right lane to enter the parking lot. He wasn’t quite fond of The bar owner’s obnoxious, loud, and overly country persona but he got the job done usually. James almost let himself get lost in his thoughts before his passenger began screaming for him to turn around.

“The U turn is 20 yards away, sir!”

“TURN. NOW!” James turned the wheel hard, driving through the median and tearing up the newly planted flowers while surprising oncoming drivers.

“Where, if I may ask, am I driving in such urgency?”

“The last house.” Louis leaned forward in his seat, “In the Mondex.”

……………….

The road grew narrower the farther Taliyah went. She noted the scarcity of drivers as usual fare but remained suspicious of the ominous vehicle behind her. Her paranoia almost drove her off the road as her cell phone went off.

“Hello?” Taliyah questioned as she answered the call, “This your Ma, Tali. I saw ya name on my phone...strange cause you never call.”

“I do call you, Mom!” Taliyah exasperated, “I’m just really...busy. Reporting, school and things..”

Her Mother replied just as snappy, “And things like men, huh?”

“What!? No Mom, I really don’t have any time for that. Stop worrying about that. I called to tell you I was coming to see you..”

Silence bellowed from Taliyah’s cellular, “...Why ain’t you told me that before!? I woulda cooked somethin’ up. Lemme go do that now, but you hurry on down here, baby.”

A small grin grew on Taliyah’s face, “Okay. Love you, mom. See you soon.” She dropped her phone onto the passenger seat and gazed out her window at the empty road. Not a car in sight besides the shady vehicle behind her. Irresponsibly, she turned her head to peer at her suspected pursuer(s). Through her water-stained back window, she could make out the vague silhouettes of two men, but as her view began to clear, the mysterious driver switched his front lights up to the highest level causing Taliyah to swerve on the road nearly hitting a speed limit sign.

The car behind her slowed its pursuit.

………………..
~Earlier

Argh! I spat as a bug crashed into my face. High speed flying too close to the ground isn’t a very good idea. I landed in a small patch of trees beside a rundown looking house with stair step cracks in the walls and crusty windows with broken screens. Obvious trap house is obvious; how has nobody noticed this already?!

I brushed through a few shrubs and bushes to where the trees met the dead grass and checked my surroundings. Nobody walking on the street and no cars driving around. There wouldn’t be anyway, this house is at the end of the neighborhood. In one swift move I leaped out of the woods, rolled up to the wall and leaned against it. I could hear slight shuffling coming from inside. I slowly stepped towards one of the back windows and peered in, or,
to. Rubbing the crud and dirt off the window only spread it around and made the inside even less visible. I probably just need to slow down and...listen.

Shuffling feet and crinkling plastic. Unsteady breathing and a door slamming. Ookay, There’s way too many people in here, better aim for the lights first.

“ARGH!” One of the kids dropped to the ground as I sent a multitude of ice spikes through the window, literally killing the lights. I moved quickly and bursted through the window, 15 to 20 pushers scrambling around through the icy mist I filled the room with.

I lunged at a thug behind a table and landed with my foot on his back, I froze two more to the wall and repeated to do so to those remaining. Over the desk kick to the face; another one down. Surprise punch to the gut; another one down. I noticed an old, used white board in the corner of the room beside a seven year old Dell computer. Multiple handwritten notes and maps were held onto it with magnets. Bingo--!

“I got em!” I slammed into the ground as a drug dealer rushed into my side, “It’s the n**** with the wings, none of y'all came strapped?!!?!” I push him off me and freeze his ankles together. Heard two more of those institutionalized idiots rushing towards my back. One of them held a gun in his left hand.

“Hey friend!” I shouted as the first dude swung at my head. I dodged it by the follicles of my hair. Disgraceful, I gotta be faster than that if I’m gonna be fighting weirder weirdos now. Two punches to his side made him drop, the second one reared his glock hand back and swung his pistol at me.

“Hey!” I blocked his strike with my wrist, pulled his hood down over his head and spartan kicked him away, “I think it’d be smarter to shoot with a gun rather than swinging it around like Jackie Robinson.”



I should stop giving them advice. The fog was starting to clear and their sight seemed to be returning despite this already drab residency. Crouching behind a table, I peered over and made out at least ten more guys scrambling around and shouting aloud. Easy.

“Hey, I’m right here! Point your guns at me!” I grabbed the table as they slowly turned their heads towards me. With a small push, the furniture launched into the air towards them and knocked more than half of the dudes to the ground. Before the rest of the pushers got their bearings I rushed at them and pushed/tossed them into an open room filled with other various illegal substances and covered the doorway in Ice from the floor to the ceiling.

Aaaaaand that’s all of them. With all of these guys taken care of I’m only just now fully taking in the feel of this place. Chipped and peeling paint on the walls, broken tile and exposed dirt were commonplace, and it smelt of stale piss and cannabis. I observed the map and wrinkly pieces of paper attached to the whiteboard. Everything was saturated in yellow due to the age old bulbs hanging above, but I was able to make out all the parts that mattered. This is exactly what I needed.


……………..
~The Mondex, Evening

Colton Louis gritted his teeth as he pulled up to a large, old, wooden house. The vast residence featured sheds, a handful of unmaintained tractors, an empty stable and sparse piles of bark and debris lying about. James watched from the car as Louis surged towards the front door, seething. He knocked on the door a total of one time which resulted in it completely falling over. Inside lay dozens of youths resting on the floor unconscious or fashioned to the wall in a chunk of ice.

“Motherf-” Louis punched a wall and stormed out of the house screaming Profanities until he heard a familiar mumble.

“So where ya from, Louie?” The criminal quickly spun around to see Snowbird sitting crossed legged on the roof of the house, “Up until now, I thought I was Florida’s #1 genetic misfit…”

Louis growled as his leg muscles subtly increased in power, he crouched and pushed off the ground, rocketing towards Snowbird.

“Calm down, dude.” The hero jumped into the air and blasted cold air onto Louis’s back, encasing his entire body sans his head in ice and slamming him down onto the roof, “You should be thanking me, I could have made a terrible Ice pun right there. I am a merciful god.” He landed beside him.

Snowbird bent down to talk to Louis face to face, “You know, before I haul you off to the cops I just really want to know more about you, I’ve never seen anyone like you around here, believe it or not.” In truth, Snowbird didn’t really have much of a plan. He was certain that this Louis character would simply transform and slaughter any officer in his way once he thawed out.

“Woah!” Snowbird jumped back as the ice began to crack, Louis’s body morphed beneath it until he finally broke through it all. Scales appeared on his arms while his skin turned a dark green pigment, “Yikes.”

Louis smashed his fists into the roof causing both the meta humans to fall through. The Vigilante plummeted into a metal table followed by the wooden floor. Before he could even think, Louis grabbed hold of the Boys’ wings and flung him into the wall, leaving it cracked and crumbling. Snowbird, fully awake, swiftly rolled over and blasted a burst of intense cold in Louis’ face. Briskly, he formed an ice bat and smashed it into his jaw, causing Louis to fall on his back. Snowbird took the opportunity and threw a hard fist at Louis face, he shook as Louis caught his punch and pushed him backwards. The criminal got back on his feet and wildly swung his arms at his enemy who dodged them somewhat gracefully. While they were occupied, a seasoned and frightened pusher scurried nervously from the kitchen and out the door.

“Woah! Buddy!” Snowbird reached down and grabbed a metal folding chair, “You gotta stretch before a workout!” He shouted before slamming it down on his head, bending it in an unapologetic way and causing him to fall backwards into the wall. A small painting from above crashed into his shoulder.

“Come on dude, get up. It was only a chair.” Snowbird chuckled while aiming his hand at Louis looking for the right spot to freeze.

Louis was confused. Angry as well, but mostly confused as to why he felt so sluggish and weak. This puny kid in a costume was handing him his scaley a** on a dinner tray. Why? Dismay was beginning to set over him until--!!



A fiery explosion erupted from the kitchen, blowing apart the walls. Hastily, Snowbird grabbed Louis by the remains of his shirt and hurled him out the window while staying behind trying to put out the flames and spare the Juveniles on the ground. James, in the car, watched with wide eyes as the house was slowly engulfed by the fire and as his employer sat on the grass staring. He exhaled when the boy in the costume unexpectedly jumped out the side of the house carrying two bodies, placed them down, and jumped back into the building to repeat. Louis sat and watched through gritted teeth as the boy risked his life trying to save the burnt delinquents. They met eyes once before Snowbird jumped back into the flames. Animalistic hostility filled Louis’s eyes.

……………

I’m Turkey. Thanksgiving is coming early if I can’t get out of this one! The fire is spreading way too fast and this house is way too big. I can’t even put out enough flames with my powers, it got too hot too fast and the lack of water in the air isn’t really helping my case. I moved steadily towards the less burning side of the house while knocking doors open looking for any leftover stoner babies. Just one room left in this hallway--!

“s***.” Inside were three of them that I had fully froze in a block of ice. No time to think, the flames were directly behind me. I lifted it over my head and pushed upwards, crashing through the roof and flying over to a non charred patch of grass beside the other burn victims. I collapsed beside them, momentarily forgetting what exactly it was I was doing. Emphasis on momentarily. A scream full of agony resounded from the flames, but as I vaulted towards it something solid tugged on my back, pulling me to the ground. Before I could even look back at it, the ground ruptured. Splinters and debris from the house shot like spears into the surrounding area. Small fireballs lit up the darkening sky as if the Night of Lights came early. I could feel my skin sweltering as the house detonated and threw me backwards but that couldn’t compare to the animosity I felt towards the drug boss. His face was filled with dismay and confusion which was quickly replaced with my fist. I could feel his teeth fly out of place but I kept wailing on him. He could take it. Probably. I don’t care. I sent him flying into a non flaming tractor, partially crushing it before I came flying into him, completely crushing it. Rocks and roots and rotten wood popped into the air as I surged forward, pushing Louis’ head into the ground unwilling to let him fight back until I felt his body go limp.

Ughh. Deep breaths...deep breath. I leaned back onto a gray, fire damaged tree and slid down into the semi swampy ground. Didn’t realize we--I flew in this deep. I reached into one of the small pouches on my belt and pulled out my phone. 8:57. s***. Oomph, gotta get back up. I stood over this dude and scrutinized his slow breathing body...woah… I blinked twice as if that’d make what I’m seeing stop happening. His body began to misshapen as if woodpeckers were poking at his skin from underneath. I should probably take a step back before he--ohp! Called it.

………………….

‘Aw #%@#’. Louis thought to himself as the house blew up in flames along with his product, his profits, and his pushers. He figured he was finished. The decline in sales had just officially become a downward spiral right before his eyes. His boss was going to have his a**, but at least the source of his problems had been taken care of.

Nevermind.

“...Snowbird...” Louis scowled as the ‘hero’ jumped out of the window he had subsequently tossed him out of. He exited the building with two of Louis’ workers in his arms while Louis watched with loathsome amazement. Despite the fact that Louis was Snowbird’s main concern, he had completely ignored him in favor of rescuing the young bastards trapped in the fire. Louis could have used that opening to escape, to fall back and regroup but he was frozen(figuratively, at least) on his a** gawking at the costumed boy in action until he flew out from the smoldering residence one last time and collapsed onto the ground.

Anger oozed from Louis’s being. He stood and slowly stepped towards a sweaty Snowbird as his arm morphed into that of a large reptile. Just before he struck, the hero had jumped up towards the building once but not as fast as Louis’ hand as he grabbed his peculiar metal wings just as the house fully detonated. The next coherent images he saw were his last.

…………….

Louis launched out of the mud and swung a sharp insect-like arm at Snowbird who ducked, directing Louis’s attack into a tree, slashing it in half. The shapeshifter swung his other arm downwards and once again Snowbird evaded his attack.

“Okay...I guess not even the employer gets a nice dental plan in the drug dealing business?” Louis’ face deformed into an odd contortion of both human and Insect. his mouth grew wider, his teeth began to misshapen and his eyes grew red and became like a flies’. Green saliva splattered in Snowbird’s face as Louis unleashed a terrifying screech that could be heard all the way back at the scorched house where multiple officers and Firefighters were at work.

“Jerry, did you hear that?” Questioned one of the officers as they shined a flashlight towards a forced path into the woods.

“If only I brought my Bat-Mosquito Repellant with me today.” The winged boy sighed as he dove straight through the woods and swerved in between trees while a fully transformed Louis simply smashed through them. He dared to look back only once which only resulted in his anxiety levels to rise even higher. Louis snapped his insect jaws as if was impatiently awaiting a meal. Desperately, Snowbird released an Icy mist which speedily spread around the area, blinding and bewilderi