Extraordinary Individuals : Josiah Rising

Chapter 15

When I entered my house, I could hear the TV on in the front room and the voices of both my parents as they laughed at whatever show they were watching. I closed the front door softly and leaned back against it, closing my eyes as I thought about everything that had happened to me over the course of this month. I had a girlfriend now, my best friend was my archenemy, and I was contemplating what I needed to do in order to stop Braxton for good. Killing him was definitely off the table but a battle of endurance was only delaying the inevitable and would only cause more problems for me in the long run. So what was I supposed to do? Braxton was beyond being reasoned with because all he cared about now was bringing me down and proving his strength was greater than mine. I had never wanted any of this though. I came to Charter with the intention of starting over and being able to get away from the burden that my powers had placed on me. Instead, I was repeating the past and repeating the same course of actions that had led me to relocate. I was running away from my problems instead of trying to face them and resolve them. I let out a long sigh as I slid to the floor, realization dawning on me as I stared blankly ahead.
"I'm still the same person I was back then," I whispered to myself. "I haven't changed at all."
"Son?"
I glanced up at the concerned face of my father as he and my mom came into the hallway where I was sitting. They both sat down in front of me and I could see that they worried about me. Neither of them had ever seen the vulnerable side of me, the side that I kept hidden beneath sarcasm and witty humor. The part of me that I never let anyone see because I was afraid of being weak.
"Everything Is crumbling down around me," I said, my voice sounding hollow as I looked at them both. "And I don't know what to do about it."
Pops frowned and exchanged a look with my mom then they both nodded.
"Talk to us, sweetie," Mom said, placing her hand on top of my knee and smiling comfortingly.
"We're here for you, Josiah," Pops said softly.
I stared at them both for a few seconds then started telling them about what was happening right now. Their expressions were attentive as I explained every detail of my current situation with Braxton, the fight at the abandoned lot (their faces showed a brief flash of disapproval when I mentioned that I let Imani fight), the plan that I was trying to think of and the new facets of my powers that I had discovered over the course of events. When I was done, both my parents were staring at me bewildered and confused which was kinda understandable given how crazy everything sounded now that I had said it aloud. Pops let out a low whistle.
"So basically, Braxton's on an ego trip and all of you are paying the price for it?" Mom asked.
I nodded. "That's basically it in a nutshell. He mopped the floor with us during our fight and nearly killed us."
"How strong is he?" Dad asked, his eyes narrowed.
"He's an alpha but his powers felt different," I said, frowning.
Pops raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"
I bit my lower lip contemplatively, replaying the fight in my head. In hindsight, there was no way that Braxton should've been able to draw out that much power as an alpha without some serious drawbacks. Everyone's powers had some type of subconscious limiter on them that kept us from using too much because even though we had powers, some people's bodies couldn't handle the effects of their own abilities. Almost as if some people weren't compatible with their powers. But Braxton's power had exceeded mine during the fight at the abandoned lot.
"His power felt...enhanced almost," I said quietly. "Almost as if..."
"As if you were fighting someone with your level of power," Mom concluded, her tone slightly serious.
"You don't think..." Pops said in a low voice, his eyes narrowing.
Mom looked at me. "What I'm about to tell you cannot leave the confines of this house. Understood?"
Though somewhat confused, I nodded, curious about what my mom was about to divulge. I had never seen her with a face expression this serious before so whatever it was had to be something heavy.
"It's quite possible that Braxton could be using amps," Mom said darkly.
"Amps?" I asked, frowning.
Pops nodded. "Amps are ability amplifiers that are known to increase the overall strength of your powers. They don't have much effect on gammas but for betas, alphas, and omegas they're capable of turning them into a one man army. They were deemed illegal by the authorities due to the side effects that followed after using them."
"Side effects?" I asked.
"Withdrawal, loss of control over their ability, and in some severe cases....permanent loss of their ability," Mom said.
I contemplated. The use of amps could explain why Braxton had gotten so strong in such a short amount of time. Based on what Pops had said and with Braxton being an alpha, then if he was using amps then he'd be as strong as me now. But where had he gotten them from? The authorities had deemed them illegal due to the severe side effects but there was always the possibility of people selling them on the black market to make a shady profit. And with Braxton's thirst for power, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to assume that he had bought amps from a dealer.
"How long do the amps last?" I asked, a plan forming in my head.
"The effects last for about three to four hours depending on the dosage," Mom responded. "Why?"
Everything was starting to make sense now. Braxton hadn't left because he thought he'd won the fight. He left because his time had run out on his dosage and he needed to get more. So if my theory was correct then I knew exactly what I had to do to win against him.
"You both know what I have to do," I said, looking my parents in the eye. "There's only one way this ends."
My mom nodded her head. I was her son through and through so she knew exactly what plan my mind had settled on. It was the kind of plan where I'd have to risk it all in order to achieve my goal. I stood up and turned towards the door, gripping the doorknob as I glanced over my shoulder at my parents. There was a lot that I wanted to say but the only thing that seemed right were the words that I uttered moments before leaving.
"I'll be home soon," I said, smiling at them.
My parents smiled at me. I walked out the house, hearing the door close behind me as I thought about the plan I had formed in my head. It was definitely risky and if there was even one miscalculation on my part, it would end disastrously. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath then activated my powers, sending a shockwave across the ground as my body crackled with energy. If my guess was correct, then I knew exactly where to find Braxton and how to draw him out for a fight. I crouched down, putting as much power into my legs as they could hold, then launched myself into the air, sailing through the sky towards the one place that I knew he'd be. I used the momentum of my falls to launch myself from the different buildings as I zipped through the neighborhood towards the abandoned factory that was on the outskirts of the city. No one ever came here except for unwitting teenagers looking to get away or do dares. Once I got closer, I used my enhanced senses to pick up on any presence within the building. I shot through a hole in the roof and landed on the ground as soft as I could. The inside was dimly lit with shadowy outline of machines and conveyor belts being the only things that I could make out in the darkness. My feet kicked up small clouds of dust as I explored the uppermost floor of the factory before making my way down to the second floor. The second floor of the factory seemed to be where the workers would've assembled and disassembled whatever they used to make here. There were hard hats and old toolboxes left behind with rusty tools still inside. I stopped in the middle of the floor when a noise rang through the factory. I focused my hearing and heard footsteps coming directly towards me at a slow but deliberate pace as if the person knew that I was directly in front of them.
"Found my hideout, eh?" A familiar voice said.
I didn't respond. A chuckle rang out as Braxton stepped into view a few feet away from me, a cold and maniacal glint in his dark eyes as he glared at me. We began to circle each other as we sized one another up, the air between us charged with tension.
"I'd say that it's nice to see you, but given everything that you've done, I can't say that I like you right now," I said coldly.
Braxton smirked. "That hurts my feelings, Jo. We're supposed to be best friends, remember?"
I scowled. "You're not my best friend anymore. The Braxton I knew would never do anything like this. You're a far cry from who you used to be."
Braxton's smirk turned into a frown before he activated his powers, black lightning crackling around his body. I activated mine as well, our respective auras lighting up the inside of the factory as we stopped circling each other and faced off. I clenched my fist.
"There's only one way this ends, Josiah," Braxton said. "Only one of us is walking away from this. So what's it gonna be?"
I took up a fighting stance, mimicking the Philly shell stance used by boxers and steeled myself. This was going to be my toughest fight yet. I wasn't fighting against a complete nobody but against someone who knew my powers as well as how I fought, and Braxton wouldn't hesitate to exploit any weaknesses that he could find. But I had to win or else things would only get worse and more people would get hurt. I narrowed my eyes at him.
"I'm taking you down, Braxton," I said grimly. "Even if I go down in the process."
Braxton chuckled darkly. "So be it."
A high pitched noise rang out and the next thing I knew I was being blown backwards into the brick wall of the factory as arcs of electricity ripped through the building, causing a massive explosion that blinded me.
I was in for the fight of my life....and I had to be the one to win.