A Vigilantes Story

Relaxation Saturday

Regan Barnes

The morning light filtered through the cracked, dusty windows of the old mansion, illuminating our makeshift "living room" and the faces of the unusual group I'd come to call my friends, and now, allies. I stretched my legs across the faded carpet, the calm settling over me. For the first time in a long while, there was nothing urgent, nothing deadly, and no invisible adversary waiting for us around the corner. Today was supposed to be our break, a real day off. And after everything with Riley, I figured we had earned it.

Riley sat near the doorway, visibly tense despite our insistence that she could relax. She kept crossing her arms and glancing around the room as if something might come crashing through the wall at any second. Her eyes, usually fierce and unyielding, now softened just a little each time she caught one of us laughing or smiling.

Max slumped on the couch, his eyes drooping with exhaustion. After his grand display of power restoring the ruined cityscape yesterday, he had barely enough energy left to eat the sandwich Hope had forced him to down this morning. Newt hovered close, a mix of admiration and concern flickering in his eyes. I caught him glancing at Max, occasionally leaning in to check that he was breathing properly. Max just gave him a lazy wave, assuring him he was fine.

I wasn't used to this kind of silence, but I welcomed it. Peace felt... foreign, like a luxury I hadn't earned but was borrowing for the day.

"Someone want to play a game?" Scarlett's voice broke through the quiet, her hand fiddling with a set of battered cards she must have found in the back of the attic. She shuffled them with a practiced flick of her wrist, her eyes sparkling as she glanced around.

Hope grinned, lifting her cup of coffee in a half-toast. "You're on, Scarlett. Who's in?"

Daniel chuckled, settling beside Scarlett. "If it means no training drills and no psionic blasts, I'm down."

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Riley. "And you? Think you can handle a little card game? It's not life or death, I promise."

She hesitated, her eyes narrowing just a bit, before she shrugged, letting her hands drop to her sides. "Why not? But don't expect me to go easy."

As we played, the laughter grew louder, the weight of the last few weeks lifting with every card thrown on the table. I hadn't laughed this hard in a while. It felt strange and good at the same time. But it was Newt's turn to shuffle the deck when I realized just how out of place this peace felt.

A faint sound echoed from the hall, a slow, creeping scrape, like metal dragging across the floor. I glanced over at Max, but he seemed oblivious, his head drooping. Newt looked around, frowning, and then glanced at me. We both shared a look that said stay alert.

Riley's head shot up, and her body tensed. "Did anyone else hear that?"

Scarlett put down her cards, squinting toward the doorway. "Probably just the wind," she said, though her tone betrayed a slight edge.

Hope's eyes glowed faintly red. "I'll check it out," she offered, her voice barely a whisper.

But before anyone could move, the door creaked open, revealing a figure cloaked in shadows. It stepped forward, a dark smile spreading across its face as the light caught the familiar, twisted features.

"Miss me?" Stephen Von Doom's voice echoed through the room.

The silence that followed was heavy, every gaze frozen on the man who had brought me into this life. My blood ran cold, and I felt every muscle in my body lock up. Behind him, shadowy forms started to gather, others, trained agents and soldiers. They looked almost robotic, their faces covered, their eyes dead as they trained their sights on us.