Dying 43/100

Author’s Note: Hello, everyone! Sorry, I could not get this up earlier. Some stuff came up and I could only post now. I will try to post a second theme in order to make it up. I am also returning to the character of Jess/Animus. I really enjoy writing for her. I would suggest reading Gray 19/100. It has taken me a while to revisit her.

I was dying on the inside. My life was going to end because of the person I chose to be. I knew what I was signing up for the day I put on the gray mask and assumed the identity of Animus. I never wanted any of this; I took careful steps to try to avoid this. It was never going to be an easy life; I had given up so much and now, I had to give up the last thing I had: my life. I suppose that’s why they say the right thing and the hard thing are the same.

—

I took my first step into the lion’s den. Mors, my arch nemesis, had called me here. He knew that I would come. He knew I would go to the ends of the earth to protect the people I loved. He had finally cornered me and forced me to do the unthinkable. I wish I did not have to do this; all I ever wanted was a normal life. However, he had promised to turn himself in quietly if I did. I was more than willing to make that deal.

 I took a shaky breath as I walked farther into the den. I had an off feeling that increased as I walked down the hall. Where was Mors? What diabolical scheme did he have in store for me? He was an incredibly smart man. We were both equally matched in terms of mental and physical power. However, he did have a slight advantage over me. I remembered the first time I met the crazy villain.

—

I had received a call on my communicator from the Police. Some maniac was shouting for me and testing new diseases on people. He was doing it with a single touch. He would touch someone and they would collapse to the ground. The police had not been able to get to any of the victims yet, but it had been clear what he had been doing to his victims.

 

As I soared through the skies using my powers, I glanced down to see the police surrounding a figure in all black. The police had walled off all exits and there were several people on the ground scattered around him. Narrowing my eyes, I allowed myself to descend to the ground a few feet from the individual. “You could get my number. I am much easier to reach.” I said, slightly pissed off and slightly sarcastic.

 

I took the time to give him a good look over. It was clear that he was a man, several inches taller than I was. However, he seemed scrawny and I figured that if we got into a fistfight, I would win. He was dressed in all black with a mask representing a skull on his face. It left the lower half of his face exposed. His eyes were a rather bright green and he had spiky jet-black hair.

 

The man smiled widely and clapped his hands in happiness. “Oh, I knew you would just show up!” He said in excitement. I sighed darkly; the peppy villains were the most annoying. They were also the more deadly ones. I did not have time for this guy. My patients at the hospital needed me more.

 

“What do you want?” I growled at him. He frowned at my response. I do not think he understood obvious displeasure. He moved closer towards me, standing only a few inches away.

 

“Are you not happy to see me? I am so excited to see you Animus. I think the two of us are going to have a lot of fun,’ He said, beginning to circle me, “Well, since you seem to have more pressing matters than me. I will make this short. You are going to become mine. We can be a fantastic team and you are too good for these people. You can do so much more with me. I will give you some time to think. After all it is a big decision.” He began to walk away from me.

 

“I don’t need time to think. The answer is no. Besides, who are you? You seem to know me pretty well.” I snarled.

He turned to face me with a wicked grin, “Mors.”

 

Mors, the Latin word for death.

 

—

 

I could see a light at the end of the hallway. My ice blue eyes focused, trying to see if I could catch a sight of what lay inside the light. My pace picked up as I noticed myself getting closer. My stomach flip-flopped back and forth in an anxious manner. I was scared of what Mors had in store for me. After all, he had rightly earned the name as Death. He had killed so many others and left me alive each time. That would not be the case now. I had become too much of a threat.

I stepped into the light and found myself in an arena, highly reminiscent of the Roman Gladiatorial arenas. It would make sense that he would have something like this. He was always one for the theatrical nature and had a slight obsession with Roman culture. I continued to move towards the exit at the other end of the Arena, ready to face Mors. Once I reached the center of the Arena, all four exits slammed close and I heard his cold, chilling, jovial voice.

“Animus, how happy I am to see you have shown up!”

I turned around to face him with a fierce look on my face. “Let’s get this over with.” I growled.

He smirked at me, “Oh you were always one to get to the heart of the issue, never liked to play the little games.” Mors raised his hand and I felt an explosion of pain in my muscles and organs. I bit back the scream that fought to come out and let out a whimper. I collapsed onto my knees, feeling tears stream down my cheeks. I could not fight back. I was incapacitated by the pain; it kept me from concentrating.

After a few seconds, the pain stopped and I gasped for air. I managed to glare up at him weakly, afraid to get up on my feet again. “Oh Animus, you knew this had to happen. We could have been so happy. You and I could have been the perfect team; we could have ruled the world.” He said, kneeling beside me and placing his hand on my cheek.

“You said no.” He raged; his face turning dark. A fire in my organs and muscles erupted causing me to scream. Tears streamed down my face faster and I collapsed on to the ground. The pain stopped after a while and I fought to calm myself. I would not let him humiliate me any further. Unfortunately, I had no choice.

I do not know how long it went on, but Mors continued to torture me for hours on end. I could feel myself convulsing in pain. I could feel my mind slipping further away from me each moment. The pain was blocking my ability to use my mind. It was useless to try to focus; I had already resigned myself to this fate. Mors was going to win. Death was going to conquer Will.

“Well, Animus, as much as I enjoyed our time together, it is time to end this. Get up onto your knees.” He said, moving back from me. I pushed myself up onto my knees. He took my mask off and threw it away from me. I could see a flash of recognition in his eyes. He somehow knew me. I could not place him. “Jess?” He asked, surprised. It took me off guard as well.

I nodded and the surprise stayed on his face for a few moments. However, he returned to his former self. “I am sorry, but I have to end you now. Say goodbye.” He said, reaching out to touch my forehead.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the end to come.

Word Count: 1,345

Eyes 37/100

“Where did he hide the information?” He snarled, slamming his palms down on the metal table. The man’s face was a few inches from my one and there was a fearsome look on his face. The anger and determination radiated from him. My gray eyes focused on his green ones. He would not get anything from me. “We can be very persuasive.” He growled. I snorted in response, signaling I did not fear him.

My mind began to wander back to when things really began to change and the beginning of the whole ordeal.

***

I was five years old and I was playing on the swing set in my backyard. I was swing happily along, enjoying the warm day and the breeze that accompanied it. My head began to pound and I got off the swing set. I wanted my mother; she could make the horrible pain go away. It felt like my head was going to explode. I dropped to the ground on all fours, tears streaming from my grey eyes.

People were scared terribly scared. They were screaming and crying, begging for their lives to be spared by God. I turned to face a man, whom I recognized. That man was my father. Tears were streaming down from his light blue eyes. He pulled out his phone and dialed the home phone. I could not hear he heard the words he spoke, but something was terribly wrong. The scene cut once more and I was standing in the middle of a field. There was a great fire and the broken remnants of a plane. I ran towards it, desperate to find my father. The plane exploded once more.

 

I was released from the terrible vision and now, I was sobbing. I pushed myself off the ground towards my mother. “Daddy! Daddy is going to be in trouble! You can’t let daddy fly! You just can’t!” I screamed and sobbed.

My mother calmed me and told me everything would be okay. She kept running her hands through my black hair, telling me everything would be fine. Little did she know, my father would die five days later in a plane crash.

***

I was in freshmen year of high school when the next phase of my powers began. For about ten years, I had been dealing with the power to see the future. It was absolutely terrible; I had regular migraines all the time. My life had turned into a living hell. My mother was an empty shell, who barely had anything to do with me except for the basic parental duties. I had alienated myself from my classmates and anyone who I met. It was my own choice; I could not complain.

It had been a normal day like any other. I blended in with the crowd, not allowing anyone to perceive me as a freak. After all, I never wanted to draw attention. I was walking towards my art class when I heard the voice. It had stopped in my tracks. Man, I hate him so much. I wish I could just knock his fucking lights out. I turned to face the sound of his voice and found a rather skinny kid looking at another guy who was joking around with his friends. “That isn’t very nice.” I said to him quietly, moving out of the hallway traffic.

The skinny kid looked at me oddly. He was a few inches taller than my 5’2 and had chocolate brown eyes. His skin was much paler to my tan skin and he had a light brown spiky haircut. The boy gave me an odd look and said, “I didn’t say anything.”

“Yes, you did.” I said with much more confidence in my voice.

“No, I didn’t. I was thinking it. How did you know that? Besides, I wasn’t actually going to knock him out. He could bench-press twice what I weigh.” The kid said with humor in his voice.

Little did I know that kid would become my best friend. His name turned out to be Cliff and he turned out to be quite edgy.

***

Cliff was my confidant and the only person who knew about my powers. By now, I had discovered that I was both clairvoyant and telepathic. It was nice to have an actual friend and I wondered why I had been so determined to cut myself off from the world. Cliff and I were hanging out at his house. His parents both loved me and considered me their daughter. They had often credited me with keeping Cliff on the path, especially when I managed to stop so many of his fights.

We were currently sitting in his room, talking and listening to music. The Who was playing lightly in the background. Everything seemed perfect. I was just hanging out with my best friend. A headache began to come again, signaling a vision was coming again. I let out a small whimper of pain and gripped my head. “Sofia!” He cried, before I slipped under.

There was a man hunched over at a desk. He was scribbling down notes, muttering under his breath “They will never find this. They can’t find this.” He finished the notes and stuffed them into the doll. He would give this doll to his daughter tomorrow. She would keep it safe. They would not think to look there. His daughter would be with her mother and the men would come for him.

 

Five women flashed before me. They all wore different masks, yet they had the same look on their face: grim determination. I recognized one of the women, because she was I.

 

***

“Tell me, what you saw!” The man nearly growled, before slapping me up side the head. The blow stung my cheek and I glared at him.

“You will never get that information from me.” I snarled, determined not to give this man what he wanted.

He smiled at me and said, “What if we had your friend Cliff? Then would you talk?”

I took in a depth breath. They could not hurt Cliff; He did not have anything to do with this. The fear was evident in my eyes and the man knew he had caught victory. There was a twinkle to his eyes and a mischievous grin came onto his face. Before, he could rejoice anymore, the door flew off the hinges. We both stared in surprise before a blonde woman in red and gray stepped into the room.

Her cold blue eyes flickered between us and she raised her hand. The man flew against the wall, slumping to the ground unconscious. The woman looked over to me and asked, “Are you Sofia Milic?”

“Yeah, who’s asking?” I asked in confusion.

The woman held out her hand and said, “The name’s Animus. Come on, We are busting you out.”

Word Count: 1,145

Gray 19/100

Author’s Note: For this prompt, I decided to revisit a character I wrote about earlier in the challenge, specifically Seeking Solace 5/100. I wrote about a character named Jess, who happened to be a superhero. When I first wrote about Jess, I did not expect her to resurface. I liked her as a character, but I did not see myself writing about her again. Well, she managed to worm her way into my creativity and she is here again. I have come to actually really like her as a character and in the future, I would like to do something with Jess, preferably telling her story. For now, this will do. This is not a continuation to the previous one concerning Jess.

 

My world seemed gray as I looked at the mask in my hands. A part of my life seemed to flash before my life as I held it in my hands. When I started living a double life, I did not think it would ever come to this. I thought I could live both lives and be fine. I thought I could do everything and I was wrong, so very wrong.

 

Looking at the mask, I remembered the first time I realized there was something different about me. I was ten and I had been playing with a bunch of other girls. We had decided on a game of Frisbee and were having a grand old time with each other. The Frisbee flew into the yard of my next door neighbor, who was a mean old man. We were all too scared to ask for our Frisbee back. I had the perfect solution and I told my friends not to worry. I remember hopping on the fence and willing the Frisbee to come back into the yard. It hovered shakily above the ground for a few seconds and then, flew into my yard, landing with a thud on the ground. I hopped off the fence and faced my friends with a smile. They stood, wide eyed and scared. A few seconds later, they ran away and I learned my gift was something to be feared. No, I was something to be feared. I was an abomination of humanity. I was a freak.

 

—

 

Years after the incident and miles away from that little house, I was attending a lecture at school for my ethics class. We had wandered onto the topic of those with extraordinary gifts. Should they use them to protect the world or should they hide them from humanity? The conversation was unnervingly real for me. Was I supposed to be using my powers for the betterment of humanity? I had long since learned that I was to hide them from the world. That did not mean that I did not train with my powers, but no one knew I had them. Finally, I worked up the courage to ask my professor what his thoughts on the issue were. He was quiet for a moment and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. “If you have a gift that benefits the world in anyway, you have an obligation to use that gift to benefit the world no matter what the price is.” He said.

 

—

 

After the morality class, I had taken up the persona, Animus. In Latin, Animus meant spirit and had more to do with the will/spirit of a human. Being Telekinetic, I thought it suited me quite well. After all, one had to have a lot of will and focus for telekinesis. I remember the first night I began to patrol the streets as Animus. I wore gray and red, my two favorite colors. As I was moving among the rooftops, I spotted a man who was threatening to harm a poor woman with her young son. He had trapped the two of them in a dark alley.

 

Using my powers, I lowered myself to the ground behind the man. I cleared my throat and the man turned to face me. I could smell the alcohol on his breath and I wanted to throw up. “Get out of here, Freak. Nothing for you to see.” He growled, waving the knife. I rolled my eyes and concentrated on knocking him backwards. He flew into the wall, behind the woman and the boy. He hit it harder than I meant for him to and I winced at the sound of it. The man did not get up and I went over to check. He was still breathing and seemed to only have been knocked out.

 

I focused my attention on the woman and her child. The woman pulled her son close, trying to shield him from me. Both seemed scared of me even though I did not have the intention of hurting them. I gave both of them a warm smile and said “I am not going to hurt you. I only wanted to help. You are safe.” The woman released her son, who promptly asked “Are you a superhero?”

 

I smiled at the young boy and said “Hopefully, one day.”

 

The boy smiled back at me and was cut off by his mother before he could ask another question. “Thank you!” She said with relief and thankfulness in her voice. The woman scooped her son up in her arms and smiled at me.

 

“Not a problem.” I replied. The woman began to walk away with her son. I could not blame her; I was eager to get out of here myself. Before the woman and her son walked out of the alley, the son asked “What’s your name?”

 

“Animus.”

 

—

 

I was engaged to Dylan. How did I tell him that I was a Doctor by day and a crime fighting Superhero by night? How did I tell him that my life was full of danger and there was a very real possibility we could never have a real family? How could I ask him to give up his normal life?

 

I could not, which was why I had to break it off now. I dreamed of spending the rest of my life with Dylan. There was no one else that I wanted to do that with. He was kind and forgiving. Dylan supported me and often encouraged me to go after what I wanted. I did the same for him. It was never about one of us having the upper hand in the relationship; it was always about us working together as partners. It broke my heart to think of him spending his whole life with another woman when I wanted him to spend the rest of his with me. However, Love is giving up the one you care about and giving them a better chance at life.

 

Everything seemed so gray in that moment. My world felt cold without Dylan in it. I heard him come through the door and close. He took a seat next to me on the couch and asked “Jess, what’s wrong? You sounded upset on the phone.”

 

The gray was suffocating as I turned my head to face and answer him. “I can’t marry you.” I said emotionless, holding out the ring for him to take.

 

Dylan stared and I could see the heartbreak on his face. I had to turn away in order to stop myself from bursting into tears myself. Gosh, Everything seemed so gray. “Why?” He asked, hurt.

 

“I just can’t.” I said, not facing him.

 

“Jess, please just give me a reason. I need to know. You are the only one I want to spend my life. I thought we both loved each other. Maybe, I was wrong. Maybe, I was the one in love with you.” He said.

 

“I’m doing this, because I love you. I am giving you the chance to have a real life without me.” I said, trying not to break down.

 

“Why would you do that? Don’t I have a choice in this? Marriage is between two people who both get to make decisions.” He countered.

 

I turned to face him with a slightly angry look on my face. “I am a superhero. Actually, I am the superhero, Animus. I am in constant danger and I can’t have a regular life. I have to be the one to protect the world. I couldn’t let you stay with me, because it wasn’t fair to ask you to give up the chance at a normal life.” I said, trying even harder not to break down.

 

Dylan looked surprised. He would hate me after this. He would want nothing to do with me, just like those girls had. I was an abomination to humanity. I felt his arms wrap around me and pull me close. I was surprised at this, considering I thought he would have run away. “Jess, you don’t have to bear this weight alone anymore. I don’t care if we ever have children or if you want to be a superhero for the rest of your life. I care that I get to spend the rest of my life with you. The world is no longer yours to bear alone. I will be here with you every step of the way. Jess, I still want to marry you if you will have me.”

 

“Yes, Yes I do.”

—

 

A tear leaked done my cheek as I continued to stare at the mask in my hands. It was true that I would get to spend the rest of my life with Dylan. However, Dylan would not get to spend the rest of his with me. The villain threatened to destroy everything I loved if I did not give myself up. I would probably be unmasked and humiliated. In the end, I would die. That would only happen if I decided to give myself up.

 

Gray is the color of uncertainty and it represented my future at the moment. My whole world was crashing around me and being swallowed up by the gray. The people I cared about were paying the price for my mistakes and for my alter identity. I was being torn apart by two lives: my life as a Doctor and my life as the Superhero, Animus. I would either reveal myself to the world or I would continue to lead the double life. Tomorrow would be the day I would make a choice. Tomorrow would be the day, I walked into the Lion’s den, choosing to end my life as a Superhero and revealing myself to the world.

Word Count: 1633

Seeking Solace 5/100

The porch light was on as I made my up to the front of my house. Bruises covered my body and my muscles ached with every step I took. My lip was busted and there were tears in my suit along with several cuts. I was coated in head to toe from dirt and ash. Small tears were spilling out of the corner of my eyes and the tear trails were outlined in dirt. I took several shaky breaths trying to hold in the sobs as I walked up the steps and onto the front porch. I didn’t bother to look at the women in the reflection of the glass. I knew I liked like hell. I didn’t need a reminder of it. I didn’t need a reminder of the failure I am.

My gloved hand reached for the door knob and I turned the knob, silently opening the door to my house. I shakily stepped in and closed the door behind me, taking a deep breath. A familiar figure on the couch turned around to face me with a smile. “Honey, you’re home!” He shouted in happiness, getting up to greet me. The smile soon faded from his face once he saw the state I was in. His face became one of concern and he rushed over to me, pulling me into his arms. All I could do was to burst into tears and allow the sobs to shake my body.

“Hey, Jess, it’s okay. What’s the matter?” He soothed, stroking my hair and holding me close. I found solace in his arms at that moment, allowing the some of the weight to dissipate off of my shoulders

I was able to regain myself for a moment before replying “I was supposed to save them. I was supposed to save all of them. They were counting on me and I let them down! I am supposed to be a superhero and I let them down!” The tears resumed their steady downpour and the sobs picked up again. How could I have failed them? I was supposed to be a superhero; I was supposed to protect them!

He gave me a tight hug for a few minutes and comforted me with sweet nothings. He stepped back and placed both hands on the side of my face. My hands reached up for his. “Honey, it isn’t your fault. You might be superwomen, but you are not perfect. You are going to make mistakes. You can’t expect to save everyone. Darling, you tried. No one blames you.”

“No! They should! People died because of my mistake! If only I had gotten there a few minutes earlier, they would still be alive!” I cried. It was my entire fault. I should have saved them! There was no excuse for my failure!

I could see the disbelief and anger flash in his eyes. He shook his head as if he was disappointed with the words coming out of my mouth. “Jessica Marie O’Connor, You need to stop blaming yourself. The police don’t blame you. The News doesn’t blame you. No one does. Even if you got there earlier, he still would have killed them. You fought to save them.” He countered.

He took off my mask and placed it on the table near our doorway. My gaze dropped to our feet as he hands left the side of my face. “Jess, you need to look at me.” I looked up and stared into his eyes, waiting to hear what he had to say.

“Jess, when I took your hand in marriage for better or worse, it meant that on days when the world was too much for you to bear on your shoulders alone, I would be there to bear it with you. You aren’t alone. You did what you could and you can’t blame yourself. Next time, you will be able to save them. You can’t always save everyone. Jess, everything is going to be okay. I promise you that.” He took my hands in his and kissed my lips gently to seal the promise.

I kissed back enjoying the solace I found in him. He would always be my solace. It didn’t matter whether I was having a bad day at the hospital or the villain got away from me. I could always find solace with him. My husband, Dylan, would always be source of comfort.

Till death do us part,

For better or for worse,

Dylan was my solace.

Word Count: 748