Superhero

Chapter 5

Addison sank down on her bed after a hot shower and turned the tv on, expecting yet another sighting of the so-called superhero in the news. Fiolina didn't show her anything new, so she hoped that the news would have something new about the superhero.
But nope. The newscaster did mention the absence of the so-called superhero, and never said any more about them. Maybe the person was taking a break? Or maybe they did show up, but in a place with no cameras? Only the victim and the hero themselves knew.
Addison shrugged and slurped some of the Hokkien-styled noodles she was eating. She was a little dismayed to find that the superhero didn't show up today. Though she didn't really care much about it, she still wondered what became of her saviour last night. She picked up a prawn with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth before crunching on it with a satisfied smile.
She drank some of her soda and continued watching the news. The weather report was on, and there was gonna be thunderstorm later that the night, apparently.
"Yeah right," Addison snorted. "The last time it raining cats and dogs, you said it was sunny!"
She threw the food wrappers away and opened her laptop to finish up her assignment. It was due the end of the week, and she was almost done. Might as well finish it and rest.

Addison woke up to a clap of thunder somewhere in the middle of the night and realised that she had fallen asleep on her desk yet again. Her laptop was in standby mode, displaying her screensaver. She yawned and moved her mouse, making the screen flick back to her assignment page. She saved it and closed it before shutting her laptop down. She had been so tired out that she didn't even remember how she actually went to sleep in the first place.
She dragged herself out of the chair and onto the bed before continuing her slumber. Only... it wasn't as peaceful as she thought it would be.

Addison walked home from work and passed a cemetery. She caught sight of someone standing amongst the tombstones and figured that they were just paying their respects to the dead. She shrugged it off and continued her way home, thinking about the fried chicken and burger in her white backpack. She sighed and quickened her pace to get home as fast as she could and take a nice hot bath.
Addison could've sworn she heard a soft crunch behind her. She quickly turned around to look, and saw a silhouette in the distance, standing as still as a statue. All of Addison's instincts told her one thing, and one thing only.
Run.
She broke into a run, and didn't know she could run that fast. She surprisingly caught her breath well too, despite being as fit as a potato when it came to sports. Addison ran and ran, but the roads didn't seem to end or even lead to her rented home.
She tripped on a rock and fell on the road with a thud. She looked at her hands and was surprised that they weren't grazed when she landed on them. She turned around and saw the silhouette, now much nearer, but facing the opposite side. She could tell that it was a person's back, but couldn't tell much about them. Addison got back up again and started running.
A bright flash suddenly appeared in front of her, and before she knew it, the silhouette appeared in front of her. Addison immediately stopped in her tracks and gasped. It stood still, its head bent low. Addison opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was a shaky breath.
"Who- Who are you?" Addison managed to say. "Why are you following me?"
The person said nothing and slowly took a step towards her. Addison took a step back, but the silhouette took another step towards her. Addison continued to step back.
"Don't come near me!" Addison shouted. "Go away!"
To her horror, the stranger started running towards her. Addison stood rooted to the ground, not knowing what to do. On the last second, she sidestepped and let the person run past her. She turned around to look, and saw that the person was coming to a stop. They turned around towards her and stared. Addison took the chance to flee.
She ran home, without anyone following her, and let herself into her room. She locked the door behind her and leaned against the door, panting. She relaxed a little and reached for the water bottle in her backpack.
She suddenly caught sight of a black shadow leaving the bathroom and immediately turned to see...
The stranger standing before her, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. Addison screamed and threw her water bottle at them.

Addison woke up to a thud. She quickly sat up on her bed, still screaming, and realised that she was in her room. It was dark, but she saw the water bottle on the ground, right in front of her bed. She jumped when her alarm suddenly went off. Addison sighed and turned it off. It was all just a dream, but how real it felt.
She dragged herself out of bed and went to the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth. She got dressed and took a taxi to her college. Everything was fine. She went to college, went to work a little early and even managed to grab a snack.
Jeff eyed her with concern as soon as she stepped into the store and sat down at the table near the window. He tore off the receipt and handed it to the young woman who seemed to be in a rush and leaned over the counter as soon as she left.
"Hey Addie," Jeff greeted. "I saw the video."
"Huh..." Addison shrugged, popping a chicken nugget into her mouth.
"That was so cool!" Jeff blurted out, much to her surprise. "You got to see that guy up close!"
Addison swallowed her nugget and frowned. "It wasn't cool... it was scary! I was chased by a mob, and suddenly, BOOM! I'm on the main road. Imagine that!"
Jeff shrugged. "Well, at least he saved you."
Addison rolled her eyes. "We don't even know if it's a guy or a girl. You can't just assume."
Jeff raised his hands and shrugged. "Just a guess. Maybe I'm wrong."
Addison snorted. "Well, not much of them is seen through videos. I don't think anyone has ever seen them, actually."
Jeff nodded slowly. "That's true too. It might be a lady behind these happenings for all we know."
Addison nodded too and went on to eat her sausage. Jeff's shift was almost over, so she quickly rushed to the back room and got changed before taking over. Jeff changed too, and was now stuffing fried chicken into the microwave. While that warmed up, he grabbed a plastic cup and started filling it up with all the available flavours of SlurpSlurp. Addison wondered how he didn't have diabetes by this point.
"Can I give you a nickel's worth of advice?" Addison said, grinning behind the counter.
"Sure, shoot," Jeff said, moving to a different flavour of the frozen treat.
"Don't drink that everyday," Addison said with a smirk. "It's diabetes in a cup. Remember that aunt I told you? Yeah, she died."
"What?!" Jeff blurted out in shock, turning to her with a shocked expression. "Are you serious?! You're not, are you?"
Addison shook her head. "I'm afraid I am, Jeff," she said, grinning. "Don't drink it everyday."
"Was she fat?" Jeff asked, much to her surprise.
"Not really sure," Addison shrugged. "Never really seen her. But I know she drank SlurpSlurp everyday for years."
"When did she get diabetes?" Jeff asked. "Only recently, right?"
"No," Addison smirked. "In her teens."
Jeff said nothing and silently filled the cup before placing the lid on it. Addison couldn't stop herself from laughing when he came to her with a scared expression.
"Was she lazy?" Jeff continued.
"Yes," Addison nodded. "I know that much. My mom and her were close when they were young."
Jeff relaxed and smirked. "Then I have nothing to worry. I'm athletic!"
He flexed his bicep, but Addison saw nothing through his biker jacket.
"I can't see anything," Addison said with a laugh. "All I see is your jacket."
Jeff rolled his eyes and peeled his coat off, revealing a grey tank top underneath. He flexed his muscle again, and Addison was a little, just a little flattered by it.
"Nice, huh?" Jeff grinned boyishly. "I workout a lot."
"Well, good for you," Addison shrugged. "Anyway, I think your chicken's burning."
Jeff put his SlurpSlurp cup on the counter and rushed to the microwave to take out his chicken. He was relieved to find that his chicken was fine, and put it in a paper bag before returning to the counter. Addison shook her head at whatever Jeff took.
"How are you so fit despite eating junk food?" Addison asked. "Fried chicken, SlurpSlurp, potato chips, chocolate, and ramen? Gosh, it's a wonder you're even surviving with all of this!"
"Because I work out," Jeff deadpanned. "Also this is my dinner. My breakfast and lunch are a lot healthier."
"Sure sure," Addison smirked and packed the things for him. She tore off the receipt and handed it to him, together with his change. "Bye, SlurpSlurp."
"Is that a new nickname?" Jeff laughed, collecting his change. He swung his leather jacket over his shoulder, resting it on top of his backpack, and grinned. "Okay then. See you tomorrow, Dietitian."
Addison chuckled and watched him leave. His bike roared off into the distance. She quickly stopped laughing when a middle-aged man walked in.