Fusion

9. Giving Up

"Jack, are you going to get up?" Violet says sweetly as she shakes my shoulder. I continue to lie in my cold sleeping bag.

"Jack..." She sighs lightly. "It's been two weeks. You should get up." Kino is dead. Don't you get that? And it's all my fault.

"It's not your fault Jack. He died a hero, he chose to be one. He saved my life." I have my back turned but I know she's tearing from her voice.

"Where's Chase?" I reply grimly as I turn around. "I haven't seen him in a couple days."

"He's out trying to take down the gang that killed Kino." She frowns. Even when you frown you're cute. She giggles, but her frown quickly comes back. "I haven't heard from him in a couple days...but I think he's alright. He knows how to handle himself."

"Jack. Will you please get up and engage the world? I hate seeing you sad like this. At least go for a walk. How's that sound? No heroics." That sounds.....satisfactory.

"I guess I'll do it." I roll my eyes.

"Thank you!" She gives her perfect smile and hugs me. Then she pulls her head back after a moment. "Hey." She looks into my eyes. "You'll feel better after this. The best of us pass away but life goes on. We can't let sorrow keep us from living. I know it sounds corny, but it's true." She chuckles.

"Yes, it does sound corny. Alright, I'll see you in a little bit." I stand up and put on my hat. Then I feel a droplet of water fall on my shoulder.

Oh great. Rain. Totally helps my mood. I grab my black jacket and climb down the ladder on the side of the building.

"Bye Jack!" Violet says as she enters a tent. I step off the ladder and breathe in the frigid wet air. I walk forward on the sidewalk.

Strange. Being a regular human. What is their purpose? Saving people is all I can think of doing. But I'm not doing that anymore. I keep walking and woman brushes into me.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir. Wait a minute aren't you..."

Think quick. You really don't want attention right now Jack. The last thing you need is the press on your case.

"Um, I'm sorry ma'am, but I don't think I know you." I shake my head and walk off casually.

I can't keep being a hero. People around me will just get hurt. Just like Kino. If I had never gone to fight that battle with Fireworks, if I had listened to Violet, Kino would still be here.

I keep walking, the rain pouring down. I finally look up after thinking so long. There are graves all around me and I see a familiar one. Kino Li.

The graveyard. Why here? I didn't even know I was headed here. My legs just took me here...

I touch his grave. "I'm sorry Kino. Sorry that your family couldn't have been there to see how much of a hero you've become. Sorry that I...I was the one who really killed you." A tear falls, then I hear a voice.

"It's sad how we never notice how much of a treasure we have 'til it's gone huh, kid?" I turn to see an old man with glasses on a bench. His face is aged and he looks like he's had a hard life. I sit next to him, I have no idea why.

"If it's okay with you...may I ask who he was?" He says and he looks at me.

"A close friend. Taught me a lot about..." I thought. "Stuff."

"I had a friend like that once. His name was Charlie. We met in the war. Vietnam to be exact, 1965. My platoon was ambushed one day in our sleep. Remember it like it was yesterday. The enemy went to slit my throat. Charlie woke up, alerted camp and blared his machine gun at the man who was going to kill me. As he was gunning down as many as he could..."

His face saddened. "They shot him. He died right there, but he saved a lot of lives. He's a hero. I was sad he died and I still am but, we...the survivors, we can't live life depressed all the time because of the deaths of the ones we care about." He smiled.

"People die so we can live on. So live on, kid." He gets up, puts on his hat, and leaves. "Good talk." He says before leaving.

Nice man. I smile and walk on for about an hour.

Times Square. I stand in the middle. The crowds rushing past me, going on with their busy lives. I look up at the large screen in front of me as I hear a news jingle. A woman with glossy blonde hair appears on the screen.

"Hello, citizens of New York! Kaitlyn Perkins here with a pressing matter. For the past three weeks, our newest hero has been missing. We need him back. Jack, if you're listening, whatever happened that caused you to stop being a hero, don't let it stop you from your destiny to protect the people you love. Don't give up being a hero. You're stronger, faster, and more unique than any hero New York has ever seen, or the world for that matter. The world needs you, Jack. More villains pop up every day and us regular people, we can't stop them. Please, come back." With that, the screen turns back to a Sprite commercial that was previously on earlier. That's coincidental. And how do they know my name?

"Wonder where he is..." Someone says next to me. I turn to see a blonde girl with green eyes who is my age in a brown coat with a beanie and a camera around her neck. She smiles.

"Olivia?" I say surprised. "Next time I saw you I thought you'd be in costume."

"Reporter by day, hero by night I guess. I have a question Jack, should I tell the people of New York their hero is back, or are you going to sit around watching crime happen?" That hurt.

I stand there and think for a moment.
Should I continue? People could get hurt if I do. If I don't, people will be hurt anyway. I've decided.

"Yeah. Tell them I'm back." I chuckle.

"Alright. I'll spread the news. Oh, how's Chase doing?"

Chase? Oh, I see....

"Chase was doing fine until..." Still saddens me every time I think of it. "Kino died."

"Oh my God..." She looks shocked. "I'm so sorry." She hugs me.

"Chase has been trying to find the gang who did it and bring them down," I say worriedly. "I haven't seen him in days."

"I hope he's okay." She says, frowning, then her face brightens. "Hey, there's a huge Fourth of July celebration tomorrow night. It'll be right here in Times Square. Will you be there?"

"Yeah, okay I'll come. I'll try and bring the rest of the gang too."

"Awesome, wait... as heroes or regular people?" She says curiously.

"We'll figure it out later," I reply.

"Nice seeing you Jack. See you tomorrow." She smiles and walks off.

As I walk home, a couple blocks before reaching the rooftop I see something spray painted on a wall in an alley. The paint is smearing because of the rain but I can tell it's a red Astro's star...like the one on my cap. On the inside, it reads, "Where is he now?"

Not too far away.