Tether

Chapter 3

I couldn't move.

A large bookshelf pinned me to the ground as the roar of the fire alarm blended with the chorus of screams outside. Placing my hands on the bookshelf, I tried to think of something similar in mass that'll be easier to move. I focused and transformed it into a weighted blanked that was easier to work my way out of.

I tried to stand but recoiled in pain and my knee buckled. Looking down I saw a large metal shard that pierced my right thigh. I shouldn't pull it out, that'd just make it worse. Slowly standing up I inhaled for four seconds, held in for four, and then exhaled for four. My leg still hurt, but at least I could stand.

I heard a group arguing from the large hole that now connected both buildings.

"God, Damn It Bomb-rush!! You were supposed to wait in the lobby!" a boy's voice yelled.

"Well, it's not My fault that you guys were taking so long to break into the vault, couldn't you like teleport inside?" I heard a girl reply. She sounded a couple years older than me.

"I can't go through solid objects, and you know that!" the boy snapped back.

The girl mumbled something in return, causing the two of them to scream louder.

"Both of you shut the fuck up!" a commanding voice shouted, silencing the two of them. "Grab as much as you can and get out! The Guardians will be here soon."

I realized they were trying to get out as quickly as possible. I need to do something to stop them, or at least hold them off until the Guardians arrive.

Looking around for anything I could use to my advantage I saw only a few burned books and rubble. The explosion seemed to have vaporized almost everything. Picking up a broken floorboard I focused and, in my hands, was a wooden baton about the size of my forearm. It was better than nothing, so I slowly limped my way to the hole in the wall.

As I approached the vault, its large steel door was now a blob of molten metal. The three villains were inside searching through the ashes of burned cash and shelves of broken deposit boxes.

"Damn it, I can't find anything!" smokescreen shouted.

"Well look harder!" Bomb-rush replied sarcastically.

"We wouldn't be doing this if you didn't blow up the place!"

Both Smokescreen and Bomb-rush disappeared behind some still standing shelves to the back of the vault, arguing all the way down. Mushroom Witch stayed behind and searched the remaining ashes with her back to me.

Now was my chance I could knock her out and maybe hold her hostage to keep the other two at bay.

I carefully crept up and slowly lifted the baton and swung down on the giant wizard hat she wore. I felt a shock jolt up my arm as a puff of spores blasted my face, I stumbled back and dropped my baton. Her hat was a giant mushroom!

She turned around looking at me sprawled on the floor. "Didn't we tell you all, don't be a hero?" she scoffed, as she pulled a staff from what seemed like thin air.

Plunging the staff in the ground several mushrooms emerged from the ground and wrapped around my legs, one plunging the metal shard deeper into my wound.

"Now just wait there and we'll be back for you soon" she chuckled as she walked back to get the others.

Placing my hands on the mushrooms I focused and tried to transform them into something useful, but nothing happened. That answered whether I could affect living things, but I was still stuck. Trying to shake my leg out a jolt of pain emanated from the shard in my leg.