Super Human ( ONC2024)

Chapter-2: Namely Corruption

What could hurt more: a broken bone, or a broken trust that never existed to begin with? A betrayal that you could see coming from a mile away, a strike that you knew would crush your skull into trillions of pieces, yet you foolishly held onto hope. Hopeful that "maybe it wouldn’t be that bad," or "maybe it will leave only a small scratch." Maybe. Or maybe not.

When you're aware of the possible outcomes but do nothing to prevent them, yes, that’s foolish! And for such foolishness, a broken heart might be well deserved. But here's the catch: humans are foolish! They can do the dumbest things and still feel wronged. Fascinating, right?

For Kabbo, however, the concept of stupidity had lost its meaning long ago. His persistent willingness to trust people had led him through irreversible catastrophes, despite that he loved to trust others. Or at least, he loved to appear as though he did. To him, this was a habit that kept him connected to his past self. Without it, would it not be easy to see how all the transformations had changed him?

One of the door's hinges cracked, drawing Kabbo back to the present. His jet-black eyes shifted to the blonde beside him. Her eyes were clenched shut, her face turning bright red as she exerted all her strength on the door. A thick frown on her face, matched with the old man beside her, whose wrinkled hands shook faintly as he too tried his best to help.

Kabbo looked at his own hands. Three of them struggling against one single opponent seemed almost comical. Nobody spoke, but Kabbo could feel the pressure on his shoulders. The heavy, trembling breaths mingled in the air, making it feel dense. All he could feel was the immense force on his palms with each punch Blake inflicted on the door.

"How strong would he be?"

He pondered.

"How long can I hold up?"

He questioned himself.

"Why should I care?!"

Chills ran down Kabbo's spine. Every hair on his neck stood up as he realized what he had thought for a split second. For split second a sinister idea had swayed him. He sucked his teeth, hissing loudly enough to get the attention of the other two.

"A.K?"

"Renessa, take Dr. Dorrman and leave the hospital."

"What? No! How can I do that?"

"Renessa! Have you not realized what’s triggering them the most?"

A lump formed in Renessa's throat. She faltered, but Kabbo’s face only grew more stern.

"Yes, humans! We don’t know why they suddenly started behaving like this, but these superhumans are no longer interested in humans!" Kabbo paused. His gaze dropped to the floor. Through the small gap under the door, he saw Blake's shadow suddenly stand still. For some reason, Blake stopped attacking from the other side. It only fueled Kabbo's worry even more.

"Leave!" he spoke under his breath. His eyes were still fixed on Blake's unwavering shadow, contemplating whether Blake had been listening to their conversation all along.

"But what about you, Cab-Boo? What are you planning to do?"

"I... I’ll keep this sir company until others arrive, I guess."

"Hey!" Renessa moved closer to Kabbo, closing the distance between them. Panic flashed in Kabbo's eyes, and he subconsciously tried to widen the distance again. Renessa narrowed her eyes, looking at Dr. Dorrman from the corner of her eye. She lowered her voice almost to a whisper.