The Cloak Guard

School Attack, Part 2

Gabriela had never been kidnapped before, so she wasn't quite sure what the proper procedure was. Whenever she'd heard about people being kidnapped, she'd always thought about those poor people and she maybe briefly considered what she would try to do in that situation. But it wasn't something she had ever really thought would happen to her. She knew there were so many things she should do. There had been so many lectures from police officers and officials warning her about this and she always did her best to listen in when they came to the school to talk. But now her mind had gone blank. She was pretty sure she should be reaching for her phone or trying to make some sort of sign she was in trouble, but she couldn't for the life of her think of how to do it.

Her day...well, it hadn't been going normally she had to admit. Superpowers did have that effect. But she had managed to keep it under control, so nothing truly strange happened outside of Sumin informing her that they too had superpowers. But even with that, she tried to keep her day as normal as possible right up until the end when she was told that three more people from their school had powers and that there were criminals with powers too.

She hadn't even begun to process that as she made her way out of the school when she suddenly felt something pointy prick her in the back. "What the-"

Then she felt a hand cover her mouth and the pointy thing jab painfully into her spine.

"Don't scream and come with me, or die. Your choice."

It was at that moment she realized she was being kidnapped. That was the last rational moment her brain had as it then completely froze up. She just walked where her mysterious kidnapper led her right down the back stairwell to the bottom where there was only a supply closet.

She was finally released, being pushed aside and she turned instantly. She wasn't sure what she should do. Try to run or attack or scream or something. But she didn't do any of those things. She just stared at the man who had kidnapped her.

There wasn't much to see though as whoever it was had a metal mask on. So her attention turned to his hand and she had to withhold a gasp as she saw the writhing black material flowing around it. Except for the end which had extended into one long metallic nail that looked capable of stabbing right through her and maybe the wall.

Wait. Sumin had told her that the others had fought someone last night. Was this...was this them? No, it couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it?

"It seems to be a strange twist of fate that you received a power as well, Ms. Fuentes." The way he said that struck a chord in Gabriela's mind but she didn't have time to think about it as he continued. "An ironic coincidence. Just when all my plans begin to come to fruition, I learn that seven individuals have emerged with new powers that might upset those plans. To cap it all off, one of them happens to be...you. The second person I hate most in the world."

That line got through the fog of fear flooding her mind and she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. Second-most hated? Who was first? And why was she second? Who the hell even was this guy and what she had done to him to make that number on his list?

"It sort of does feel like fate that I have a good reason to kill you now," the man murmured, almost to himself. "And I actually can get away with it. How funny."

"Wh-who are you?" Gabriela barely managed, her voice soft and hoarse.

"To you? Not anyone important, I imagine. Just another outlier on your path in life. Until now however. Now, I am the bulldozer that will obliterate that path for good."

That might have been funny if the situation wasn't so scary.

"But first, I'm going to show you how my life was ruined. See this?" He raised up his weird, metallic hand with the long claw still attached. "Watch." He then pointed the claw right at Gabriela and it shot right for her. She didn't even have time to scream before it struck. But instead of impaling her like she thought it would, it grew and wrapped around her, binding her arms and legs together tightly. Whatever the stuff was, it was as flexible as rope but hard as iron. Some of it even went across her mouth, gagging her.