The Anthem Force Chronicles

Chapter 12- Tournament of Heroes

I’m in a city. Not any city, but my city, Anthem. I’m walking around downtown. I recognize Town Hall and the plaza, but something’s wrong. The sky is blood red.

            Suddenly I’m not alone. Creatures start to crawl forth from the shadows, creatures with white skin and black eyes. On closer inspection though I realize that they’re not just monsters, they’re clones, of every person in the competition. Then, all at once, they lunge at each other. Clone against clone, hero against hero, they all began clawing and punching, and I’m right in the middle of it all. I sprawl to the ground as these monsters wage a bloody melee all around me. Then I hear laughing.

            I look up to see Ultraman, laughing as all the heroes fight at his feet.

            I sit up in bed, panting. It was just a dream, a nightmare. As I look around I realize I’m in a hospital. The room is painted white, I’m in a nightgown, and there are numerous wires attached to my arm.

            As I look to the foot of my bed I scream. My nightmare’s not over.

            “Well don’t look to happy to see me,” Ultraman says. He’s wearing a black suit today with a red tie.

            “What happened?” I ask as I pull the blankets tighter around me. My head is kind of woozy but my hand surprisingly doesn’t hurt.       

            “You passed out during the challenge. You were taken right away to the hospital wing with chronic injuries. Here at the Hall of Heroes we have the best medical care in the world. You’re lucky, if you were taken anywhere else you would have died.”

            “Lucky?” I shout out, “I almost died because of your challenge. Are you trying to kill us?”

            Ultraman stands up and his face turns red. “You inconsiderate, little…” he yells, “This is a competition for a spot on my squad, a squad that fights super villains and faces death on a daily basis. Don’t you think I’d like to make sure my new recruit is up for that kind of task?”

            I grumble to myself. As much as I hate to admit it, he has a point. Whoever makes the Ultraleague is going to have to be fearless in the face of death. Still, is the best way to make someone fearless of death to kill them?

            Ultraman paces back and force in the room. “Because of you we’ve had to put the competition of hold. Some of the press is worried about your safety. If it wasn’t for that little boyfriend of yours you’d be on a tram home right now.”

            So the truth comes out. I’m only here because of Luke.

            “This is your last warning,” Ultraman comes close to my face and whispers, which is actually more terrifying then the yelling, “Fail me again and you won’t like the consequences.”

            With that Ultraman storms out the room and I feel my whole body relax.

            Only a few moments later my friends rush in. Luke practically sprints to my side at super speed and grabs my hand. “Dante, are you okay?” he asks me, “We haven’t been able to visit you until now.”

            “I think I’m okay,” I smile, “I just woke up. How long was I out?”

            Brian walks up and sits on my bedside. “Two days. I talked to the medical crew. They injected you with a new healing agency. You should be as good as new by tomorrow.”