The human torch's flame

Chapter 12

"(y/n)" The man made of stone said.

You took a step closer to what you assumed was  Ben. Your hand hovering over his rocklike skin without touching it. You withdrew your hand and spoke in the few words you could muster:

"Does it hurt?"

"You get used to it." You closed your eyes, debating on what to say. You had finally found the right words to say it but then things started getting messy. A man in the truck closest to you couldn't get out of his seat and looked if not felt terrified. Putting away the fact that Ben looked like a stone sculpture made by a very clumsy sculptor just as you had put away the fact that Johnny could be engulfed in flames and you could teleport. You ran over to the man not wanting to risk teleporting again (because who knows how that would work out). Who knows what are the side-effects?

You scrabbled to your feet as fast as you could. Grabbing the knife you had placed in your pocket a day ago, you started cutting through the belt. Needless to say, the knife didn't make its way far before the man was seriously freaking out. A knife is useful for many things but cutting through seat-belts.

"Ben? A little help here? Please." You ask once you had only cut through about half an inch. Ben rushed over and unceremoniously ripped the chair from the car and placed it to the side. But something was wrong. The smell of gasoline was getting stronger by the second the fires were getting brighter. It didn't take a genius to realise it was about to blow.

You saw a little girl in a red coat. It seemed to be a real life replica of Red riding hood. You jumped over a few wreckages of cars witch was no easy task but you got to her side. "I'm here to help." You said as kindly but urgently as you could. You had no idea if the teleportation thing would work again or if it would transport the girl with you but you  decided that there was no harm in trying. At worst you would look like a constipated duck but luckily it didn't come to that.

You could teleport towards the end of the bridge. You gave the surprised girl still cradled in your arms a sweet smile.  You gave her a quick hug to demonstrate that you had meant her well-being, you then directed her to a police officer and said "Ask him to help you find your mother. If he can't help I'll come back soon."

You looked as the young girl rushed over to the police officer with a bewildered look on her face. She gave you a sweet wave then turn around to talk to the officer. You also turned around but rather than being met by a police officer, you were met by a blast of hot air and the stench of gasoline and burnt metal.  

It took less then a few seconds for the realisation an dread settled upon you. You teleported to the crash site and saw burnt cars and a scorched road. No one was in sight; not Ben, not Reed, not Susan and not Johnny. You closed your eyes, hoping that when you opened them the scene would be different.

An annoying Johnny teasing a Ben that smiled with ease and Susan and Reed hand in hand. But when you let the light shine upon the wreckage all you saw was destruction. You turned around and crumbled to your feet. There was a huge screeching sound. You lifted your gaze to see a fire engine that had lost control of it's direction. 

Your heart was drumming in your ears. The truck made its way towards you. Each second advancing without slowing down a little. You grabbed your little knife that seemed so small against what you were facing. You stood up slowly waiting for the truck to decrease in speed.

The sounds of the world didn't reach your ears. Closing your eyes tightly, you rose from your crumbled state. You concentrated and pictured the moving of the truck. A twist in your gut and a heartbeat later, you had teleported on the moving truck. Your eyes shot open. You took a firm grip on the top of the fire truck. 

You hooked your foot on the top and  swung of the top of the truck, leaving your body dangling of the side of the truck. For a second, you thought:  this is stupid, I didn't think this over. You took a deep breath and thought: I'll trust my instincts now, thanks.

You raised your knife and slashed at the nearest tire. Nothing. You slashed again. Using the force of the truck and your own to cut a hole in the tire. Nothing. Taking another risk. You griped the metal bar just above the wheel. You unhooked your foot and immediately you felt your whole body being pulled to the ground. You managed to pull your legs on the little ledge( that could barely be called that.) and drove the knife in the tire again. The truck was getting closer to the wreakage but thankfully this time a whizzing sound let you know that you had managed to cut through the tire's thick layer of rubber.

You drove your knife in the next tire. Immediately it flatten and you could just imagine the truck decreasing speed. You grabbed the roof of the fire truck and started sliding your way to the next tire. It seemed like hours when you finally got there but it couldn't have. It could only have been seconds. You drove your small knife in the tire. But it didn't break under the pressure. You slashed again and again but the moving wheel was turning so fast you could barely hit the same place twice.

But nonetheless, you continued, you slashed through the tire until your knife was half the size of what it used to be. But even then you didn't stop. The wheel started turning slower and you guessed it was because of the decreasing speed of the truck (due to the flat tires). A look behind you indicated you had time for one more blow, you raised both hands, hanging on to the fire truck just with your feet, prepared to teleport and gave your final blow.

You just had the time to hear a satisfying final whizz before you teleported. You didn't have a place in mind just far from the truck. You landed standing but as you couldn't handle your weight anymore, you crumpled to the ground.