Hunting Heroes: A Superhero Novel Read Online Free Page B

Shadow Guard howled from the unexpected attack.
    Garrett held Shadow Guard by the hair and slammed his elbow into Shadow Guard’s face a handful of times. He released his grip and the hero crumpled to the ground.
    “You didn’t learn anything tonight did you?” Garrett tapped his head and stepped away from the hero to catch his breath. He watched the hero roll onto his hands and knees.
    “I need to get away,” Shadow Guard said in-between breaths.  “I need to warn them.”
    Garrett rubbed his forehead and then it dawned on him what the superhero tried to do.
    “No, no, no, you can’t get away...” Garrett said. He grasped forward into the empty air of the rooftop. He was too late. He watched Shadow Guard’s body sink down into a shadow on the roof. He swore at himself and ran to the edge of the roof to scan the alley below.
    Garrett ran for the fire escape and bounded down the stairs. The clang of metal echoed from the thunderous steps of his descent into the alley. He scanned the darkness for any sign of Shadow Guard. His eyes could not see him, yet he knew because of his afflicted ability Shadow Guard had not escaped.
    Garrett tiptoed along the alley wall. “This is the worst place to fight someone like you.”
    The lack of light infuriated Garrett and he shivered when garbage crunched underneath his boots. He cupped his ears to listen for any sound out of the ordinary. His body was tense, ready for an unexpected attack.
    Shadow Guard’s torso and arms slid from the dark wall directly behind Garrett. Cold metal hands ready to wrap around Garrett’s neck.
    A glint of metal in the reflection of a puddle of murky garbage water underneath Garrett’s boot gave him enough time to react. He jumped away from Shadow Guard.
    “You touch me when you’re in a wall and you’ll die,” Garrett stood face to face with Shadow Guard. “Go ahead, try it out and see if I’m right, hero.”
    Shadow Guard slipped back into the wall, the darkness ripped when he passed. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief. He heard laughter echo down the alley and slid to hide behind a dumpster. A group of people crossed the alley and Garrett peeked out at them from the darkness. A splash of water sounded behind him and his face smashed into the green metal of the dumpster. When he fell back, Shadow Guard stood over him.
    Shadows lifted off the asphalt and swirled around Garrett. They attempted to swarm him, to encase him and they could not.
    “Not going to work,” Garrett rolled over off his back. What seemed like slow motion, he noticed Shadow Guard’s feet shuffle and turn away. Garrett reached out and snagged one of his feet and the hero went face first into the ground.
    Garrett wasted no time and pounced on his opponent. The shadows had abandoned Shadow Guard and Garrett saw the true face of his opponent. “I thought you’d be younger.”
    He placed his swollen right hand on the heroes chest. He could feel the afflicted power within Shadow Guard drawn to him. This time it answered. The Afflicted energy surged into him with ferocity mingled with pain far greater than anything he had ever felt before. He fell back and dug his fists into the pavement to keep himself upright. He gritted his teeth when his body convulsed from the newfound pain he experienced.
    “So, this is what real power feels like,” Garrett said through his teeth. “It hurts like hell.” He closed his eyes and focused on breathing. His heart raced, his muscles burned and felt energized all at once. Minutes passed before the storm within him calmed enough so he could stand. He cracked open his eyes and glanced over to the man who was once Shadow Guard. This would be the first victim in his personal war against the Assembly.
    Garrett brought his left hand to Shadow Guard’s neck and checked for a pulse. “Oh, thank God. If you can hear me, I am sorry about this. Tell your boss he started it.”
    Garrett reached over Shadow Guard’s body and began to pry the