𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄'𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐄 // 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐎𝐘

CHAPTER 21, herogasm

Time just passed by. Vi was counting every second in her mind, and the three minute mark was approaching at an insane speed. If that happens, then there will be no stopping Ben, he will just march inside carelessly. Yes, that does sound a lot like him. Hughie should've been back by now, and Vi was growing more worried with each second. Herogasm was not for the weak, and even with the amount of shit Hughie's been through so far, who knows what he might have gotten caught in. Bunch of creeps and perverts with shit superpowers. Not even something useful or cool. It was possible that one of these people was getting freaky with Hughie right then and there, maybe against Hughie's will. Vi barely knew Hughie, days at best, but one thing was sure about him: he wasn't going to put his own sexual desires above saving people.

She was supposed to be the one going inside to scout out the house, but her showing up would've raised suspicion. Firstly, because she was repulsed by the idea of Herogasm. Second, because the twins were afraid of her. At least after Nicaragua, and what Vi did in Nicaragua after finding out that Payback let Ben go. Thinking more about it, maybe the fact that the walls were halite on purpose started to make more sense. The question was, how did the twins get wind of her only weakness. She could still phase through the door or windows and kill them in their sleep. The TNT Twin's luck so far was that Vi wasn't one to murder out of revenge. Ben, on the other hand...

Ben attached his shield to his glove, heading towards the front door with quick steps. Vi sharply inhaled as she ran after him before any damage could be done. The person standing by the door didn't even take a second to let Soldier Boy through, and Vi barely managed to slip in right before the door was closed yet again.

Inside was a mess. Supes fucking everywhere. No matter where you looked, there was at least one threesome. Shit, now wonder Hughie hasn't returned yet, this place is a maze. Ben entered barely a few seconds before Vi, but he was already lost in the midst of the mass of people, away from Vi's watchful eyes. The mix of smoke, weed and other bodily fluids was strong in the air. Ben was nowhere to be seen.

Vi took a deep breath, her eyes shut tight. She just lost sight of Ben, and there was a chance that by the next time she sees him, half the people present will be dead. But panicking in one spot never saved anyone, and Vi was aware of that. Reopening her eyes, she felt somebody brush past her. It was Butcher with his long coat, even in this warm weather. He watched Vi from the side of his eye, and Vi noticed that there was almost a hint of worry in his eyes. No, William Butcher doesn't worry about jack shit. If he doesn't, why should I? Vi continued her way through the house, her steps quickening with every moment. Butcher was already gone from her sight. Now her objective was to find the TNT Twins, wherever they might be.

Took Vi a few seconds to find out where the twins were. As soon as their annoying banter's sound hit her ears, she changed course and headed the way of the sound. This means Ben hasn't found them yet. Somewhat comforting, yet scary, because Vi knew that these would be their last moments. Running through the orange-lit rooms and avoiding eye contact, she arrived in what seemed like a living room. And in the middle of it was Ben. His chest was starting to glow with that white-yellow hue yet again. Shit.

"EVERYBODY GET OUT!" Vi orders, shouting from her lungs, waving her hands around as she tries to usher the guests outside.

The loud sound of the emitted beam shakes the house to its core, the walls of the living room collapsing with a crackling sound. Vi couldn't get everybody outside, and in that moment, there wasn't much she could do about it, with Ben slowly twisting around in agony, the beam from his chest switching direction with him. It didn't even take a moment for Vi to rush over to him, trying to stay out of the beam's way. If she got hit with it, even by accident, then that's that. She was now behind Ben, and with a swift move, moved her elbow around his neck, making sure to lock him in a chokehold-like state. She threw herself back, landing on the floor with Ben moving simultaneously with her, bones snapping, both of them on the floor, with Ben's back pressed against Vi's chest. Both of them were screaming in pain, but with the beam now aimed at the ceiling, shooting through the roof. Ben didn't really seem to run out of energy, and even with the beam redirected somewhere with no people around, it was hard to keep him in place. He had his weight, and Vi was lacking the same amount of superhuman strength. It was as if he was stuck in a weird trance. He just had to be broken out of it. With not many choices left, the tip of Vi's index finger phases into the shoulder of Ben, not deeply, but just enough to cause him some kind of outer pain to snap him out of his frenzy.