Hunting Heroes: A Superhero Novel

by Pozel, Derek

  Garrett sighed and opened his eyes. “I can’t,” he whispered. “I can’t stop now, not after everything we’ve been through. It’s too late to start over.”

  “It’s not too late,” Ethan said.

  “He’s not going to stop until he finds me,” Garrett said.

  Ethan placed a hand on Garrett’s shoulder. “Please, run.” The sadness and sincerity in Ethan’s soft brown eyes caused a lump of guilt to form in Garrett’s throat.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t,” Garrett said. “Everyone wants me to run. Why? Does everyone think I’m going to fail?”

  “We’re worried, we don’t want to lose you again,” Ethan said. “The next time you might not be waking up in a strange bed. You’ll be dead.”

  “If I run away, then everything I did will be for nothing,” Garrett said. “He has to be accountable for everything he’s done. I can’t let him get away with what he did to Emma and to me.” Garrett looked his best friend in the eyes. “Thank you for the offer, but no. The money is for your baby. You have been through enough because of me and I can’t take anymore from you.”

  Ethan nodded. “Ok.” He slid his hand off Garrett’s shoulder. “Garrett, I can’t help you in this anymore. I cannot put my family in danger. When it was just me and you, I didn’t care what happened to me.” He rubbed the scar on his left shoulder Crimson had given him.

  Garrett sat in complete silence and played with the grass in front of him. “You’re not involved in this anymore. This is between me and Patriot now. You have the life you deserve now. You have helped me more than I should have let you. But thank you for believing in me.”

  “Remember the first night?” Ethan said. “There’s the tree you blew up,” Ethan pointed across the clearing. “It feels like we were out here yesterday in the dark. We were completely clueless about what you were able to do.”

  “Yeah, we were. I made the poor tree explode,” Garrett said and nudged Ethan. “I have never seen you run so fast in my life.”

  “Yeah, I did. I was scared. I’m scared now,” Ethan said.

  “A lot’s happened since then. Ethan, I found her.” Garrett whispered.

  Ethan’s head spun around to face Garrett. “What do you mean you found her? You don’t mean…”

  A smile cracked across Garrett’s stern face. “Yeah, I do.”

  “You’re kidding right?” Ethan said. “You found her and she’s alive.”

  “You think I would joke about this? She’s alive,” Garrett’s words hung in the air.

  Ethan jumped to his feet and stood over Garrett. “Why did you wait to tell me? Where is she? Is she ok?” Ethan asked.

  Garrett tilted his head up to look at Ethan. The bright sunlight drowned out the dark circles underneath his dark blue eyes. “She’s alive and she’s better than fine. She grew up to be a beautiful woman.”

  “Where is she? I have to see her,” Ethan crouched down to look Garrett face to face.

  Garrett hesitated to answer. “There’s a catch.”

  “What is it?” Ethan said. “Is there something wrong with her?”

  Garrett rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “She’s most likely an Afflicted. It’s the only way she could be alive today.”

  “Wait, what?” Ethan sat and fell back onto the grass. “You’re not kidding are you?

  “Nope,” Garrett said. “I know how you feel.” Garrett leaned back against the tree exhausted. After he saw Zoe and Greg he walked the streets of Chicago for hours to wrap his head and heart around everything that happened. It didn’t help.

  “Best way to describe her power,” Garrett exhaled through his mouth. “She can pretty much die and come back to life. I think she loses her memory in the process. That’s the only thing I can think of why she doesn’t remember anything from before she died.”

  The color from Ethan’s face drained.

  “It gets more complicated,” Garrett said. “Patriot saved her and raised her as his daughter.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Ethan said. “He killed her, how could he save her?”

  Garrett shrugged. “It’s a weird world we live in. But she calls him dad.”

  “What!” Ethan raised his voice to a screech. “You’re telling me he raised her as his daughter,”

  Garrett rubbed his brow. “It makes your brain hurt doesn’t it. I’ve been trying to figure this out since last night.”

  “Is there any chance she’ll get her memory back? How is she?” Ethan asked.

  Garrett managed a smile for his friend. “Her name’s Zoe and she still looks like your mother. She said she wants to meet you. However, I think she is going to need some time. I did turn her world upside down last night.”

  Ethan’s gentle eyes began to moisten.

  “She won’t remember me or my mom and dad, right?” Ethan asked.

  Garrett drew his lips tight and shook his head. “I don’t know, it doesn’t mean anything though. I bet she wants to know where she came from and who she is. That’s why I asked you for those pictures, in case I did find her.”

  “I want to see her,” Ethan wiped away a runaway tear when it rolled down his cheeks. “I want to see my little sister.”

  Garrett placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “I think you will pretty soon. Here’s the funny thing, you already know her fiancée.”

  “She’s getting married?” Ethan looked up and leaned in closer to Garrett. “How do I know him?”

  Garrett patted Ethan’s shoulder where Crimson stabbed him.

  Ethan’s eyes shot open. “I hope you’re kidding.”

  “Nope, his name is Greg,” Garrett said. “What are the odds of the guy who stabs you, then me, ends up being your brother-in-law. You couldn’t write something like that.”

  “What the hell,” Ethan said.

  “Seems like a nice guy. Except for the whole stabbing thing, it could be a problem at Christmas,” Garrett said.

  “I’m glad you find this funny,” Ethan said. “It’s good to see the old you back.”

  “You have always been good at pulling me back from the dark abyss,” Garrett said.

  Ethan sat in silence, his eyes turned up to the sky.

  Garrett picked at the grass and let the cool breeze wash over him.

  “I’ll miss this,” Garrett said.

  “Miss what?” Ethan asked out of the corner of his mouth.

  “Sitting here with you, talking,” Garrett said.

  “It doesn’t have to end,” Ethan said.

  Garrett groaned in his throat. “We can’t go back and I don’t know what the future holds for me quite yet.”

  “Garrett, how are you handling this?” Ethan asked.

  “As well as I can be,” Garrett said. “At least I’m not numb anymore. Seeing her sitting right there in front of me was surreal. My wishes came true I guess because she is alive. But it still hurts. She’s still gone at the same time. Knowing the same person killed her and then raised her when she came back to life blows my mind. One thing is still the same.”

  “What’s the same?” Ethan asked.

  “I’m going to get that bastard,” Garrett said with a calm expression across his face. “There are more prisons and more little girls like Amanda locked away. I have to stand for them. I can’t let him do to someone what he did to me.”

  “You’re going to be their voice,” Ethan said.

  Garrett inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. “You’re damn right I am and he’s going to hear them roar.”

  “I’m not going to try to stop you,” Ethan said.

  “Thank you, for everything,” Garrett said. “When this is over, make sure my spot on the couch is there waiting for me.”

  “I will,” Ethan looked away. “You’re my hero. You have done too much for me and my family.”

  Garrett held up his hand. “Stop, I haven’t done anything besides getting you pulled into this.”

  “I helped you,” Ethan said.

  “No, the blood
is on my hands,” Garrett lifted his right hand. “I did it to myself. You tried to talk me out of it and I didn’t listen. You tried to make me a good man, but it’s not in me I guess.”

  “You are a good man. One day, I hope you can see what I do,” Ethan said.

  “There can’t be heroes without villains, right?” Garrett raised an eyebrow.

  “Which one are you?” Ethan said.

  “I haven’t decided yet,” The corner of Garrett’s mouth curved upward. “I’ll find out later.”

  “You already know the answer,” Ethan said.

  “Go home and tell Denise the good news.” Garrett pulled his friend in for a hug. “Give Denise and the baby a kiss from me when he or she is born.” Garrett broke away from his best friend. They both had tears in their eyes.

  “You know she only married you because she couldn’t have me right?” Garrett said.

  “You keep believing that,” Ethan patted the side of Garrett’s face. “I’ll make sure I tell her. Don’t do anything stupid.”

  Garrett reached down, grabbed Walter’s coat, and slid his arms into the sleeves. “It’s too late.” He spun on his heels to walk away. “Tell my family I miss them and I’m sorry about everything. I wish I could tell them myself, but I can’t risk anything happening to them. Goodbye.”

  “I will Garrett. Goodbye,” Ethan watched his friend walk away.

  “I like the name Emmett, if it’s a boy,” Garrett said over his shoulder.

  Ethan paused, let the name sink in, and yelled back. “So do I.” He saw a sliver of folded paper on the ground and reached over to pick it up. He unfolded the paper and saw the name Zoe written on it. There was a phone number written in Garrett’s crude handwriting and a message. It said goodbye and thank you.

  Ethan’s eyes swelled with tears once again. “Come home to us,” he said to the wind.

  Garrett walked into a row of trees and watched Ethan for a bit before his friend left. He leaned back against an oak tree and whistled a soft tune on his lips. The same old afflicted sensation crawled up his back.

  “Took you long enough to show yourself,” Garrett said.

  “You knew I was here?” a woman’s voice answered from a tree behind him.

  Garrett peeked around the tree and noticed brilliant white ribbons fluttering in the nonexistent breeze. His heart raced and the palms of his hands began to grow sweaty.

  “Valkyrie,” Garrett whispered her name and turned to face her. He swallowed hard when she approached him. Her long auburn hair swayed back and forth with each step. Her intense gray eyes focused on him. She wore tight blue jeans and a simple black sweater.

  “My name’s Morgan,” she said and stopped a few feet away from Garrett.

  “Are you here to take me in,” Garrett said, his eyes never left hers.

  Morgan placed a hand on her hip. “No, I wanted to thank you in person for what you did to help me and Cannon that night.”

  Garrett shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry about what I did to Granite.”

  Morgan lifted a foot off the ground to take a step forward and stopped. “I don’t know what to say to you right now.”

  “Say you hate me, because I deserve everything you throw at me,” Garrett could not meet her glare, which he knew was there.

  “I don’t,” Morgan’s voice turned into a soft whisper. “I can’t hate you for some reason. I try to so hard, but I can’t.” Her voice wavered. “He wasn’t good to me, but he did the right thing and helped so many people.”

  Garrett raised his head and stretched a hand towards her. “Stop, I know I pushed him over the edge when I took his powers. I made him into something he’s not. I know he is not a murderer. I made him into one.”

  Morgan and Garrett stood in complete silence. The birds sang songs in the trees around them and the sweet scent of spring-filled air. Morgan wrestled her hair behind her ears and watched Garrett. He stole tiny glances at the beautiful superhero and wondered what could have been if he was not the enemy of the Assembly.

  “So, now what?” Morgan said.

  “This ends,” Garrett raised his head to look at the clouds.

  “He’s waiting for you,” Morgan said. “If I found you, then the others have too.”

  “I felt a few Afflicted on the way over here,” Garrett turned his attention back to Morgan. “How did you find me?”

  “Walter told me,” Morgan said with a snicker. “That still amazes me. He’s been through so much and he helps the man who took his gifts.”

  Garrett raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Technically, he asked me to take away his curse. He is a good man, a true hero.”

  “He really is,” Morgan said. “I have to ask you something.”

  “What is it?” Garrett said.

  Morgan licked her full pink lips. “Is it true, what you told Zoe?”

  Garrett closed his eyes, flattened his lips and nodded.

  “You attacked members of the Assembly for her?” Morgan said.

  “She was my first love, my first kiss and my best friend,” Garrett said. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”

  “Either you are a romantic or just an idiot,” Morgan said.

  Garrett let out a soft chuckle. “I’m a little of both I guess. She died in the fight Patriot had with Coldfire.”

  “How?” Morgan moved closer to Garrett.

  Garrett’s body went stiff. “I let her hand go to watch Patriot. I told her to wait for me on the corner. She got caught in the crossfire.”

  Morgan gasped and covered her mouth. “Did you see it happen?”

  A lump formed in Garrett’s throat. “Yes, I saw the accident and I found her hand sticking up through the rubble.” Garrett held up his right hand to show his scars. “I tried to dig her out.”

  “I don’t know what to even say,” Morgan crinkled her nose. “It’s unbelievable.”

  “There is nothing to say. What’s done is done,” Garrett’s tone softened. “How is she doing?”

  “She called me crying and she doesn’t know what to make of it,” Morgan said.

  “I turned her world upside down,” Garrett said. “My friend Ethan, who I was talking to a bit ago is her brother.”

  Morgan’s eyes opened wide and her lips parted. “Does she know about him?”

  “I told her and I just told him about her,” Garrett closed his eyes.

  “Looks like someone’s been busy today,” Morgan said.

  “Might be my last one, thought I’d make it a good one,” Garrett’s eyes turned to the damp grass below.

  “It won’t be,” Morgan reached out to place a hand on Garrett’s shoulder but pulled back when he flinched.

  “Please, be careful around me,” Garrett refused to look at her.

  Morgan dropped her hands to her side. “Maybe you can work this out with Patriot?”

  “We both know that’s not going to happen.” Garrett looked into Morgan’s gray eyes.

  “I thought I’d try. You kind of seem like the stubborn type,” Morgan said.

  Garrett flashed a crooked smile. “If only you really knew.”

  “Can I ask you something else?” Morgan moved closer to Garrett.

  “Go ahead,” Garrett leaned back away from Morgan.

  “Did you enjoy it?” She cocked her head to the side. “Taking our powers.”

  Garrett lowered his brow. “No, but the power was always tempting. It was a means to an end. Sorry if that sounds cold, but it’s the truth.”

  “I understand,” Morgan said.

  “Now it’s my turn to ask you something,” Garrett said.

  “Sure,” she said with a smirk.

  “Why did you visit me in the hospital?” he said.

  “You saved my life and Cannon’s,” Morgan straightened her back. “I wanted to thank you and I wanted to look you in the eyes. I needed to see if there was a killer in there.” Morgan narrowed her eyes and truly looked into Garrett’s dark blue eyes. “There isn’t.”

  “Thank
you. From what I hear you saved my life that night too,” Garrett slid his hands into his coat pockets.

  “It’s my job,” she said with a wink.

  “You’re good at it,” Garrett said. “You help others and you don’t do it for the fame like some of your friends.”

  Morgan glanced around and unleashed her ethereal wings bathing the area in a soft white light. Garrett’s body reacted to the afflicted power and he ignored it. He didn’t care an Afflicted stood before him, he didn’t yearn to take her powers. He blushed when she extended her hand towards him.

  “I want to see what all this immunity stuff is about,” Morgan said. “If that’s ok with you.”

  Garrett inhaled through his nose. “Are you sure? You know I can steal powers right?”

  “I’m sure,” she said and let the wings flare out and straighten. “I know you can’t steal them with a touch. I am curious. I want to see if I feel different.”

  Garrett slid his right hand forward. He held his hand above hers and lowered it ever so slightly. When their skin touched, her wings dissipated in the blink of an eye. There was electricity in that touch and it was not from their powers, it was deeper and more powerful. Neither said a word, they did not have too.

  “Amazing,” she said with her eyes focused on Garrett’s blue eyes.

  “Yeah,” Garrett said and pressed his hand down deeper into hers. “How does it feel?”

  “I know my powers are still there, but I can’t turn them on,” she scrunched up her face. “Nothing, I’m trying to get my wings back and it’s like they won’t listen to me.”

  Garrett pulled his hand away and her wings sprung to life once again. Morgan looked over her shoulder and blushed.

  “You really do have a gift,” Morgan let her wings fade away and lowered her head.

  Garrett shrugged. “I think it’s a curse. It’s caused me and a whole lot of people pain because of what I can do.”

  Morgan reached out and placed a hand on Garrett’s shoulder. Their eyes met once again. “It’s not a curse.”

  Garrett turned away and bit his lip. “It is.” He shrunk away from her touch. “I would love nothing more than to talk to you. But, I have to go, duty calls.”