Fool-Proof
(NOT A PR0MPT)Â I finally finished the thing I talked about writing for weeks! Enjoy, everyone <3
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Patrolling the streets perhaps wasnât entirely necessary amongst a storm, Hero thought. Who would be out right now, besides an adventure seeker looking to dodge a fallen tree or be struck by lightning?
The wind was strong enough that Hero struggled to remain standing. She was knocked into a sidestep, then another, then another. She would get herself knocked down if she wasnât mindful of the gusts.
Then again, she would also get herself knocked down if she didnât watch her footing as she came closer to a stumbling figure in the distance. Through the rain, the person was difficult to see, but they were at least obviously human. Not some alien emerging from the rainwater, or something odd like that.
âHey! You doing alright? The weather isnât really great for a stroll; you should head into the nearest building. Storm is only going to get worse!â
It was very likely the person didnât hear her. After all, Hero could barely hear herself past all the rain falling around her ears. How was the rain moving at a rate faster than sound? Didnât matter. She just needed to get closer.
As Hero neared, she realized the figure had an arm wrapped around themselves. Their stumbling was getting worse, back was arching more. They were coughing, gagging. âDo you need some help? I can walk you to the nearest building. Is it okay for me to help?â
The person looked up, now within earshot of Hero. Even as they turned so slowly, Hero could recognize the hair, the jaw, the cheeks, the physique. She took a step back. âYou escaped.â The words were choked, shocked, unpleased. Hero took another step back, ignoring the way the rain now began pelting the side of her face. âHow? I- I made sure it was all fool-proof.â
She wasnât so scared as she was confused- maybe a tad irritated. Who could have let him get out?
âFool-proof?â Supervillain muttered, just loud enough for Hero to hear. And, just before lightning could dash across the sky, a loud boom followed shortly after. âIs that what you call it? Well, I reckon I should be glad Iâm not a fool.â
âYouâre hurt.â Hero could tell by the way Supervillain spoke- how quiet he was being, how raspy his voice was, as if heâd been crying some time ago. Maybe he had been- certainly seemed like it by way he held his abdomen. âI donât suppose you squeezed through the bars to escape?â
âBars donât bend.â
âThen howâd you get out?â
Supervillainâs head lifted, and his back straightened ever-so-slightly. âWhat would you think if I told you I was let out?â
Hero swallowed, shook her head. No one would have let him out. No one was so stupid to release a supervillain.
âI know what youâre thinking.â
âYou donât know anything.â
âI know the panic youâre feeling,â Supervillain said, chest seeming to suddenly hurt much less than before. âI know that youâre aware of my influence- how easily I can turn oneâs mind to benefit my own actions and ideals.â
Well, yes. Now that Supervillain said it, Hero did feel quite unnerved. At first, she was only irritated- only puzzling out how he might have escaped. Now, thoughâŚif what Supervillain said was true, that someone let him out, that meant she had more enemies, more people to be wary of. Hero would turn her head at everyone she crossed paths with now.
âIâm not in any panic. I-â Heroâs gaze fell to the right of Supervillainâs figure. There was someone in the distance- standing much like how Supervillain was earlier, crouched over, holding themselves. âWhat did you do?â
âI,â Supervillain said, a barely contained smirk forming on his face âescaped.â
In the distance, the person collapsed, hand never leaving their side until they met the ground, where their arm then unconsciously flopped. Hero didnât wait a moment. She left Supervillain where he stood. He was laughing in his mocking way, loving the victory he so obviously achieved.
The rain picked up, beating and pounding against Heroâs skin. If she werenât so focused on helping this fallen person, sheâd be worried her skin was being peeled off by the rain.
Of course, the wind contributed itself as an obstacle, as well, knocking Hero side to side. Once to the left, twice to the right. It pushed her like a hundred devilish hands, away from her goal, then towards it, and away again. It tossed her like a ragdoll, all the while another figure appeared. And another. Another. They were all falling. She couldnât help them all.
As she approached the first body, Supervillainâs voice ran perfectly clear behind her- no rain hindering the sound waves he sent in her direction. âHow great of an idea you had, Hero.â
She swallowed, unturning. The rain was gone, the clouds vacant from the sky. The moon shone on the wet street, an ominous setting for anyone, surely.
âWhat could go wrong in a prison full of the most notorious people?â
It was now that the body in front of Hero turned their- no his- head, now facing Hero in full.
Villain. He gave a fake coughing fit- one Hero only knew was fake because of the smile he bore on his face as he began standing. Villain wasnât sick, as much as he wanted Hero to think so before revealing himself. This- all of it- was an act orchestrated by Supervillain. The storm, the fake injury, the various others collapsing. It was a trick.
Before she knew it, one person after another was approaching her, trapping her in a close circle.
âYou can take us out one at a time,â Villain told Hero. âBut you canât fight us all.â
The circle closed even more, everyone taking a step closer to Hero. From an outside perspective, one might have thought a demonic ritual was in session.
âYou like to think youâre fool-proof, Hero, but youâre not.â
