Chapter 7: Snake Eyes 

Hello again! After last week’s momentous chapter, it's time to see what our heroes get up to once more! This chapter contains blood, violence, and coarse language, so as always, discretion is advised. 

Photo credit: Aldisley (Flickr.com creative commons)

Hunter stared in shock as his classmates faced off. Arthur's sword crackled with dangerous energy, while Medusa drew back her bow. He ran over to Grenda, still laying on the concrete. She shivered, whimpering as Hunter approached. He took off his sweater and laid it on her wound, kneeling beside her to apply pressure on her injury. His hands trembled as he did everything in his power to keep her alive. 

“Beowulf…” she gasped weakly. Hunter shushed her gently. 

“Try not to move,” he said shakily. This was all his fault. Tears fell from his eyes as he tried to keep the girl alive. At the start of the night, they'd been enemies. Now, the only thing he wanted was to keep her breathing. 

Cal stared down the olive-skinned woman. He wore a broad grin, a smug and insufferable smile that she wanted to wipe off his face with her fist. 

“Iris Stone,” he finally said, breaking the tense silence. The woman visibly started. 

“How do you know my name?” She asked. Cal chuckled softly. 

“I got lucky when I got the Genie,” he replied. “I used one of my wishes to find out who my opponents would be.” 

“All that power, and you wished for an advantage in this tournament?” Iris asked, arching an eyebrow. “You're an idiot.” 

“I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win,” Cal retorted coldly. 

“Including killing an innocent girl?” Iris snarled. 

“You have no idea how many people I'm willing to kill,” Cal gloated. “Arthur, take her.” 

“I need to recover after my last battle,” said Arthur. He was still haggard from his match with Beowulf. “I'm in no shape to do battle, especially not against an archer.” 

“Fine!” Cal growled. “You're in luck, Iris. Since his majesty is feeling too tired to play with you, you get to try a new hero I've been itching to break out.” 

“I'll try to contain myself,” Iris said dryly. Arthur transformed into a ball of reddish-orange light and drifted into his deck. Another ball floated out, this one a pale blue. It coalesced into the form of a short-haired blonde woman in a blue dress and white apron. She wielded what appeared to be a kitchen knife, though it was easily sized for a giant. She shouldered the oversized knife with a flourish, swinging it easily with her heroic strength. 

“Say hello, Alice,” Cal said with a smirk.

“Hello, Alice,” said the blonde. Cal rolled his eyes. He touched his deck, pulling up new cards. Iris did the same, readying herself for battle. 

[Fight song: Mala Vida - Gogol Bordello] 

Alice shrunk down, now standing barely a foot tall. Medusa leapt into the fray, firing two arrows at the tiny girl. She nimbly dodged around the arrows, then charged at Medusa. She produced a bottle from the pocket of her apron and drank as she ran. The potion took effect, and she began to grow. She grew to nearly twenty feet tall, gripping her sword as she towered over Medusa. She took her mighty blade and cleaved through the building, Medusa barely dodging the blow. Iris let out a breath, glaring at Cal. Time to take this seriously. 

Medusa ran along the spine of Alice’s sword, drawing another arrow. She ran up the giant woman’s arm and leapt off her shoulder, firing two arrows into the giant’s shoulder. She flipped in midair, landing on her feet and taking off at a run. Alice roared as the arrows buried themselves in her shoulder, whirling around to give chase to the tiny monster. She chased after her, her thundering footsteps cracking the pavement as she readied her sword for a mighty cleave. She swung her blade, crashing the mighty sword into Medusa with the force of a building dropping on her. Medusa shoved the blade aside and aimed her bow at Alice’s eye. But the giant woman shrunk down, much to Medusa’s dismay. Once giant, the woman was now tiny, shrunken down to a mere few inches tall. Medusa would have a difficult time landing a hit with her bow. She began to run, drawing Alice in a broad circle as Iris caught her breath. 

“Quit running away!” Cal shouted, pressing Alice on. Alice charged, hot on the heels of Medusa, though the snake-haired woman was far fleeter of foot in her golden sandals. 

—

Hunter stared at the red seeping through his sweater, staining his hands. He couldn’t believe what he’s gotten himself into. He’d set out that night trying to stop a murderer… Now, here he was, powerlessly trying to save his latest victim - a victim that he’d put in danger by challenging. He looked at the face of the unconscious girl. Her breathing was shallow, but she was breathing. This was a good sign. He let his thoughts wander, drifting back to other days. He lost himself in thoughts of the days before tournaments, before players and heroes, before monkey kings and strawberry muffins. 

It had been raining the night they’d gotten in the car. Hunter remembered it vividly, the drops falling on the hood - drumming like a million tiny timpanis. He had no idea that the drumming was not the music of life… It was a dirge. 

“Mom!” Rudu complained from her seat, struggling against the seatbelt. She wore a light blue shirt, jeans, and her curly blonde hair fell in tresses at her shoulders. Hunter's mother laughed from the passenger seat. 

“Hunter, help your sister with her seatbelt,” she said. Her daughter was the spitting image of her, and she carried herself with a quiet grace. Hunter nodded.

“Sure thing, mom,” he said. He unclipped his sister's seatbelt and let it run, then drew it out and clipped it back into place for her. 

“Thanks, big bro,” Rudu said with a smile. Hunter playfully ruffled her hair, earning a laugh. 

“Hey!” She protested, primping herself in the window. “I just got my hair how I like it!” 

“So, Hunter, how's college been treating you?” Hunter's dad asked as he drove. He was a great bear of a man, with broad shoulders and a cropped beard. Hunter always thought he was a red flannel shirt away from being a lumberjack. 

“It's been good so far,” Hunter replied. “The work is pretty challenging, but I'm going to study hard and become a librarian, just like mom.”

“Are you sure you don't want to be a software engineer like your old man?” His dad asked with a laugh. Hunter smiled. 

“Computers aren't really my thing,” he said. “I prefer books.” 

“I wanna be a software engineer when I grow up!” Rudu chimed in brightly. 

“I thought you wanted to be a princess,” their mother teased. Rudu huffed. 

“I can do two things!” She insisted. 

—

Hunter blinked, coming back to reality. His heart ached as tears sprung in his eyes. He missed Rudu terribly. That night was the worst night of his life. He couldn't even remember where they'd been going - was it to dinner? To go see a movie? He looked down at the girl, her life quite literally in his hands. He steeled his resolve. There was no way he'd let it happen again. He wouldn't repeat the pain he felt when he lost his sister. He timed her shallow breathing in his mind, watching his sweater get redder and redder. He glared at Cal, gritting his teeth. That monster would pay for what he did. 

The battle raged on around Hunter. Alice tore through buildings with her sword, trying to break through Medusa's guard whenever she could get close. No matter how the tide of battle turned, Medusa always seemed to be on the back foot. 

Iris grit her teeth. She couldn't afford to lose right now. Not when there was so much at stake. She needed a strategy, but what she needed even more was a big finish. Her eyes fell on one of her cards, and she smiled to herself. 

“Medusa, attack! Go all out!” She ordered, touching her attack card. Medusa obediently fired an arrow at the giant woman, who produced a mirror as a guard. The arrow struck the mirror, cracking the glass. Alice disappeared into the mirror, appearing behind Medusa and raising her sword. Medusa turned to face the giantess, and Alice pressed her card. This was it. Medusa reached up and removed her sunglasses, revealing golden eyes with catlike slits for pupils. Her eyes surged with power as waves of magic bombarded Alice. The giantess let out a roar as her eyes locked with Medusa. Slowly, her body grew grey and hard, and Alice turned to stone. Medusa knocked on the statue with her knuckle, crumbling her enemy to golden dust. 

Cal stared at his hands. All his hard work, gone in an instant! What twist of fate could this be? No, it wasn’t a twist of fate at all - clearly, these people had conspired against him! “No… it's not fair!” He cried. He reached desperately for his deck, trying to cling to it, but it faded into a warm breeze of golden sparkles. The deck reappeared, hanging from Iris’ belt loop by a braided blue cord. She smirked as she crossed her arms triumphantly. 

“That's what you get for underestimating me!” She gloated. Cal growled menacingly. 

“You think you've won? Don't act so smug!” He roared, his voice shaking with fury. “I have more heroes than all of you combined! This is a war of attrition, and I win!” 

Iris and Hunter glared at Cal, their eyes locking in a furious triangle. The tense silence  was pierced by the wail of sirens, and the building lit up with flashing red lights. Hunter breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, someone was coming! They were saved! Cal growled, curling his hands into fists. Tonight was nothing but setback after setback, it seemed. Was the whole universe against him? 

“Goddamn NPCs…” he muttered, glaring at Iris. “This isn’t over!” 

“Yeah, get out of here before I take another one of your heroes!” Iris taunted. Cal raised his hand, calling Bigfoot from his deck. The lumbering creature emerged, appearing from a ball of brown light. His soft brown fur rustled in the night breeze as he scooped Cal into his mighty hands. The massive creature looked at Hunter, his eyes sparkling with an unspoken apology, before leaping off into the night. With mighty bounds, Bigfoot disappeared from sight as the ambulance drew closer. It screeched to a stop, and two uniformed EMTs disembarked. They hit the ground running, approaching Hunter with a stretcher. 

“What happened?” one of the EMTs asked. 

“She was attacked,” Hunter explained. “By a lunatic with a sword!” 

“You did the right thing,” said the other as he prepped the stretcher. “Is she still breathing?” 

“Yeah,” he replied. “It’s shallow, but she’s still breathing. I don’t think he hit anything vital.” 

“We’ll take it from here,” said the first EMT. The pair worked quickly, securing Grenda into the stretcher and loading her into the back of the ambulance. With the stress of the day finally over, Hunter allowed himself to breathe deeply. He nearly collapsed, just barely caught by Little Red. 

—

Hunter woke up in the hospital, blinking the sleep from his bleary eyes. He was barely awake for a second before he felt the tiny arms of Little Red wrapping around him. He wheezed, her tiny strength knocking the wind from him. 

“Ease up on him, Red,” said Iris. She sat in a chair across from him, passing Hunter a cup of hot coffee. He accepted it gratefully and had a long sip. He had no idea how cold he was without his sweater, and the hot coffee warming his body brought life back to his numb fingers. 

“Thanks,” he said as he sipped his coffee again. Iris said nothing, and the three sat in tense silence for a while. The silence was broken when Medusa approached, once again disguised by her sunglasses and newsboy cap. 

“I finished searching the area,” she said to Iris. “There aren’t any heroes or players present.” 

“Did anyone see you?” Iris asked, taking a sip of her coffee. 

“Normal humans can’t see Heroes in our true forms,” Medusa said. “Only when we disguise ourselves.” 

“Cal called them NPCs,” Hunter mused over his drink. Iris glanced at him. 

“Cal’s a little asshole, and he can hang for all I care,” she said coldly. 

“I don’t know this term,” said Medusa. “NPC? What does it mean?” 

“It’s a video game term,” Hunter explained. “It means non-player character.” 

“It seems accurate,” Red chimed in. She was wearing her red hoodie, and equipped with her strawberry-print backpack. Iris covered her mouth. She’d totally forgotten there was a child present. 

“So, what? Don’t tell me we’re playing on Cal’s terms now,” Hunter replied. 

“Why not? He’s a monster, but it’s shorter than saying ‘Normal Humans.’ Don’t you think, Iris?” Red pressed, looking to Iris for support. 

“I like it,” said Medusa. “It feels… modern.” 

“I guess we’re outvoted,” Iris chuckled softly. “I don’t think we even have to ask our other heroes.” 

“I think I already know what Sun would say,” Hunter chuckled softly. He felt a little more at ease. The danger had passed, and he let himself relax. Tonight had already felt like a month, he didn’t want to be on alert any longer than he absolutely had to be. 

Hunter and Iris sat in a comfortable silence as the hospital bustled around them. Occasionally, they drank from their coffee, although Hunter’s disappeared quickly. He was happy to relax, feeling like he’d finally get the rest he needed. He shivered, realizing with the absence of hot coffee just how cold he was. Little Red leaned against his side, falling asleep, and Hunter was grateful for the warmth. 

“It’s a good thing you called the ambulance when you did,” Iris finally said, breaking the silence. Hunter looked up at her, surprised. 

“I didn’t call an ambulance,” he said. “I thought you did.” 

“I was busy trying to keep Cal off your back,” Iris said. She blinked, just as baffled as Hunter. 

“I was busy trying to keep Grenda’s blood inside her body,” Hunter replied. He looked down at his hands. They were still stained red. No doubt his sweater had been incinerated. Oh well - he was long overdue for a new one. 

“But if we didn’t call the ambulance,” Iris pondered. “Who did?” 

—

From the roof of a building, Alan surveyed the destruction. He stared at the strip mall that had been cut in half by Alice’s giant sword, just as much crushed as it was cleaved. He clicked his folding phone shut and tucked it into his pocket. Houdini appeared behind him, looking out over the scene. 

“You did a risky thing, watching from here,” he admonished his Player. Alan chuckled softly. 

“It was worth the risk,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot today.” 

“Maybe,” said Houdini. “Was it worth it?” 

“Always worth it to save the girl,” Alan said with a coy smile. Houdini laid a hand on his shoulder, and the pair slipped through reality. 

—

As Hunter and Iris sat, a burly orderly approached the pair. He looked down at the two. 

“You two came in with Jane Doe, right?” he asked, aiming his question at Iris. She nodded softly in answer. 

“Her name is Grenda,” she said. “We don’t know her last name.” 

“She just finished in surgery,” said the orderly. “We’re moving her to a room.” 

“Can we see her?” Hunter asked, sitting upright. 

“Sorry, we only let family in at this time,” said the orderly. He shone a weak light into Hunter’s eyes, checking to make sure they were dilating properly. 

“She doesn’t have any family,” Hunter said, pleading with the orderly. The brawny man stared down at him, before finally relenting with a sigh. 

“Alright,” he said. “You can see her. But if you four make a racket, I’ll throw you out myself.” 

“I believe you,” said Hunter, standing up. As much as he wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with a good book, Grenda’s safety came first. As the two stood up, ready to make their way to Grenda’s room, the hospital doors opened. Ragged and dripping from the rain, Officer Woods strode in with purpose. She approached the orderly and showed her badge. 

“Police,” she said. Her voice rang with authority that Hunter had never heard from her. “I need to speak to your patient as soon as she’s conscious.” 

“Officer Woods?” Hunter asked in disbelief. 

“Hunter?” she turned to face him, her mouth agape with shock. 

—

Flannigan and Flaherty surveyed the wreckage, sipping their coffee. The car sat parked not too far from the site, shining its headlights onto the damaged buildings. Flaherty kicked a piece of rubble, sending the broken concrete rolling into the gutter. 

“What a freakin’ mess,” he said, sipping his coffee. 

“Tell me about it,” said Flannigan. “I hope they got good insurance.” 

“Come on, Arnold,” said Flaherty. “You know insurance doesn’t cover acts of God.” 

“You want an act of God? Your car still runs,” Flannigan jabbed. “That’s the real miracle.” 

“I’ve had that car since I was a teenager!” Flaherty protested. 

“Then it’s old enough to vote,” said Flannigan. Flaherty sighed. 

“So, what do you think?” he asked, gesturing to the destroyed buildings. 

“I think I gotta wonder if your car is a Republican or Democrat,” said Flannigan. 

“About the disaster area here, jackass,” chided Flaherty. “Focus, Morgan.” 

“Oh,” Flannigan said sheepishly. He looked over the wrecked buildings. His eyes wandered from the building that was cut in half, to the pillar that had an almost man-shaped crater in it. He struggled to fathom what could possibly cause this level of destruction.

“Earthquake?” he finally offered with a noncommittal shrug. Flaherty stared at him in disbelief. 

“Earthquake?” he repeated. “Are you kidding?” 

“What else could it be?” Flannigan asked, sipping his coffee. “A giant woman cut the building in half with a sword? 

“Earthquake it is,” Flaherty sighed and pulled out a pen. He wrote down some notes. “What now?” 

“We turn in our report and clock out for the night,” said Flannigan. “Maybe we can still catch the last of the Late Show.” 

“Sounds good to me,” said Flaherty. The two detectives walked over to the car and climbed in. They drove away, revealing the bloodstain on the ground, now beginning to fade as the rain pounded down. 

Thanks for reading! I fell a little behind on my buffer due to being sick, but now I’m all caught up and ready for anything! If you like what you read here, consider tossing a few bucks my way at https://ko-fi.com/catapultcrashtester 

Every dollar donated goes toward my many projects, including more of what you see here! Thanks again for reading, and we’ll see you in the next chapter!