New York

August Rayne Smith

When August Rayne Smith opened her front door, she felt a tinge of dread. She already knew that her voicemail was going to be filled to the brim with messages from Hunter Olofson. She never should have given him her number. She put down her books on the kitchen table and called, “Charlie-bear?”
Olivia came first, poking her head around the doorway. “Ms. August, I didn’t know that you were home. I didn’t hear you come in…” Olivia was Charlie Smith’s caretaker and Charlie Smith was August’s brother. While August was at New York University, Charlie needed to be cared for, as he suffered from Asperger Syndrome. Charles’ suffering from an autism spectrum had made things difficult on August but their parents managed to leave them a substantial amount of money when they’d passed.
August and Charles’ parents died in 2008, while August was still attended Stuyvesant High School in New York. They’d been driving home from Albany with Charles when they were hit by a drunk driver in a pick-up truck. Both of them had been killed when their Chrysler was hurled into a pole. The car had impacted with so much force that the front of the automobile had been ripped off, her parents still inside. Charles has been fine….miraculously. They’d lived in Stuyvesant town then. August had never felt comfortable going much further so she and Charles moved not too far away on 110th Street, overlooking Central Park.
August smiled at Olivia. The Russian woman’s smile tore into August’s soul as it always had. She was such a wonderful old woman. She had been with them since before the tragedy. She loved August and Charles. She’d also made quite a bit of money for herself taking care of Charles while school was in session. Today was Friday though, and August would have her brother to herself.
August said, “I’ve picked up his prescription for his decongestant today. So you don’t have to worry about getting it and coming back. That way you’ll be off earlier…”
Olivia thanked August as she began to place things in a bag she had sitting on the kitchen table. August went to the refrigerator and grabbed a carton of Dole guava-flavored juice, opened it and began drinking from it. Olivia walked to the cabinets, withdrew a glass and walked over to August. When she took the carton, August said, “Olivia, come on man, I’m thirsty… Olivia…”
“Use a glass, please, Ms. August. Your brother is only sick now because you won’t stop drinking off of cartons and jugs.” Olivia poured juice into the glass and handed it to August. “Take it….”
“I don’t like glasses…”
“Take it, Ms. August…”
August reluctantly took the glass as Olivia placed the carton back into the fridge. August took a swig and Olivia said, “Okay, Ms. August, I will see you Monday morning…” Now, Olivia was rushing to gather her things. August turned down her brow questionably and giggled, “Olivia, what are you doing…?”
“Oh, Ms. August, I don’t mean to rush off,” she said as she placed her car cars between her teeth and past them she muttered, “Well actually, I do. But I don’t mean to be rude…”
“What’s going on? Are you being deported…again?”
Olivia shot a harsh look at August who smiled guardedly. “That was a misunderstanding, Ms. August. And you know that. But what is going on is the fact that I have a date tonight…”
“You, Olivia?” August asked, impressed.
“Yes, Ms. August, me. I have to get mine too, Ms. August…”
August laughed heartily and Olivia narrowed her eyes. “I don’t see you go on any dates, Ms. August,” she said as she made her way to the hall.
August followed Olivia as she headed for the door and August said, “I do have my dates. I spend my evenings with Charles. That is all I need.”
Olivia laughed sweetly and was out of the door, pulling it closed.
August turned away, releasing what Olivia had mentioned from her mind. She wanted to find Charles. He was probably in his play room. Indeed, he was. When August peeked into the room she smiled at Charles, who had his back to her. He was building another Lego structure. On some days it was all he would do; play with Legos and eat Bologna sandwiches. There was a plate next to him with crumbs on it. He had his sandwiches with no crust. “Charles,” August called, but he ignored her. He was building a Lego Eifel Tower. He had no plans, no Lego books and no magazines by National Geographic so she was never sure how he was able to build structures like this. He ignored her the next time she called his name. Instead of responding to what she was saying, he said, “Feel….Rainy…”
“It doesn’t feel like rain, Charles…”
“No, Rainy, feeeel…”
Then, there was a harsh bang at the door. Charles didn’t jump…but August had. She slowly made her way down the hall and turned, looking down toward the door. There was sharp, crude bang once again and she jumped, yelping a little. “Hello…” she said as she walked down the hall. There was another bang and a man with a deep, gritty, phlegmy voice said, “Open the door…”
August called out, “Who is it? Who are you…?”
“Just open the door…”
“No,” August said and leaned in toward the door when she got there, looking through the peephole. She jumped back when the hooded man banged on the door again. She shivered and said, “Don’t bang on the door. I’m not letting you in. I’ll call the cops…”
“They are of no-“ the man yelled and slammed into the door, “CONSEQUENCE! Let me in!” He hit the door again and it seemed to be knocked slight off of its hinges. He was breaking it. August backed away, reached around the kitchen doorway and grabbed the phone. Dialing quickly, she waited for someone to answer. She yelled into the phone that a man was breaking into the house and she jumped when the man slammed himself into the door again. She was hysterical and the woman on the phone with emergency services was giving her the run-around. “He’d breaking in right now! He’s ramming the door right now!”
The woman talked more and August became frustrated and threw the phone down the hallway. She was going to have to fight. She knew how. She’d taken a myriad of martial arts sense she was six years old. She was a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do-but that was only in practice. She’d never used her skills before.
The man hit the door once more and cracked it. Then, he was in. He came straight at her, staring hatefully with eyes that appeared as black as night. There were no pupils, no iris, just swarming blackness. His face was scarred and wrinkled and when he grit his teeth, blackened, decayed teeth showed. He threw a furious punch at August’s head and she ducked beneath it, pressing both of her fists into the man’s belly with all her might. He was hurled away from her, back toward the door…but he only came forward once more. The hall was too small for his bulk. He tore into the wall to his right, August’s left, with a punch, and she was sprayed with debris but she leaned forward, under the blow, allowed his fist to slam into the wall to her right and she flipped her left leg up, slamming the bottom of her foot into the man’s face. She screamed, blood sprayed on the back of her head. She drew her leg back down, spread her arms for balance and used the momentum to swing her leg up, slamming her toes into the brute’s chin. He stepped back, blood spraying from his nose.
Then, the man tackled her. She’d not expected that. He was more powerful than she, bigger. He sat up, punched for her face but she moved her head and she felt his fist graze her ear, bruising cartilage. She screamed but Charles was saying, “Rainy….?” The man looked up to see Charles and August craned her neck back. She yelled, “Charles, run!”
The man looked down at August and shoved another punch in toward her face. She was able to dodge again but he raised his other fist. August shoved her knee between the man’s legs, ramming his testicles. The man roared in pain and August yelled herself, drawing her hands from beneath the man as he shifted. She shoved her hands into the man as hard as she could and he was knocked back onto his toes and heels. She shot forward, slamming her hands into his chest to push him back. He allowed her next blow to graze off of his right forearm and he swung down with his left. His weight came down on her again and she was tossed to the floor but she moved her head and his fist cracked the floor. She didn’t understand how he’d done this but she grabbed him, flipped him above her head and held on as he slammed into the floor, widening the spectrum of cracks he’d put in the floor. A human could not crack the floor of an apartment like this. August kicked her legs up above her head, flipped herself onto the man’s chest and slammed her knees into his. The floor buckled beneath his weight and her strength and she yelped as the floor gave way.

They were in the barren apartment below, it was being renovated. It was all concrete, wood and sheetrock. August coughed through the dust and realized she was still on top of the man. He realized it too. He grabbed her and hurled her above his head. She slammed into a wall, back-first and fell from it, to the floor. She cried out when she landed but the man was up. August scrambled to right herself and to get to her feet. He was too fast; he was going to hit her. Reflexively, she put her hands up in front of her face but she watched as the man’s arm slammed into an invisible wall of energy and shattered, flesh tearing away from muscle, muscle shredding and bones erupting from within this mangled, ragged mess of flesh and blood. August screamed and the wall behind her buckled away from her, shattering. Dust and debris from behind her showered behind her and around her. The scream resonated away from her as a burst of energy unlike any she’d believed could exist. The man was thrown away from her. His body spiraled away, his arms limply flailing at his sides, blood exploding from his body. He hit the ceiling, bounced off of it and slammed into the floor, sliding with a trail of blood.
August raised her hands, stared at them, shaking her head. What was happened to her? How was she capable of this? The man was getting to his feet but August would not let him come near her again. She screamed at him, the floor beneath her cracking as the man’s left arm was literally blown off. It flipped away from him, crashed through a window and fell away from the building. The man paid no mind to this as he made his way toward August again. Her body reacted once more, sending out a shockwave of energy. The man was hit in the chest, his shirt exploded away from his back, blood sprayed on the wall and windows behind him. He yelled and August yelled back. A burst of energy slammed into the man, throwing him out of the window. There was a crash, followed by screams and the blaring of car alarms.
August was released from her trance. Her ear was still ringing from being hit. Then, she realized that it was not just her ear…it was the phone upstairs. She walked toward the hole in the ceiling of the room and when she looked up, Charles was on the phone. She smiled at him as he looked down at her and said, “It is uncle Chip. Chip is on the phone, Rainy…”
Chip was a lieutenant with the police. At least someone would come. Be it the lack of adrenaline or simply because these innate abilities that lie dormant within August Rayne Smith understood that she was free of danger, but she took a deep breath and collapsed on the pile of rubble that had once been her hallway floor.

*Continuing in NYPD 25th Precinct

Teal opened the door to his hotel room. He stripped off the clothes he had worn to the beach and pulled on jeans, his grey vans,and a black t-shirt. He sat down to watch t.v. The strange heroes were still dominating the news, so he turned off the t.v. He opened his laptop and opened his game making software. He starting building a new game and was already to the 10th level when he heard a knock on his door. "Who the hell...?" Teal said as he put down his laptop and walked over to the door. He opened the door and ducked as a fist came through the door frame. Teal slammed his fist into the large arm, breaking it before propelling himself away from the ground with his legs. The huge man roared with anger over his broken arm. "What do you want?" Teal asked. The brute didn't answer. Instead, he rushed towards him shoulder first. Teal jumped over the man and landed in a crouched position. Teal then ran behind him and delivered a powerful punch. He heard the crackle of the man's spine after he delivered this punch. A regular human wouldn't be able to move. The brute simply turned around and attempted to tackle Teal. Teal quickly side-stepped and punched the man in the stomach. The man flew backward, smashing through the wall. The man shook off plaster and dust, rolled his shoulders and ejected a sword from his arm. The couple who were staying in the room the brute was in screamed and ran. Teal exploded from his room towards the man. The man stuck out his sword but Teal ducked below it and broke the man's other arm. The man's sword turned into an oily film as the man's hands became limp. Teal rolled from under the brute and jumped above him. He locked his hands together and slammed them into the brute's head. They crashed through the floor of the room with the force of Teal's hit. The brute slammed into the basement floor and his back exploded in blood as his spine stabbed his back. Teal slammed his foot into the man's head and it also exploded in blood. Teal stepped out of the carcass and walked away, staring at his hands. "I'm one of them..." Teal realized. "I'm one of the freaks." Teal sighed,sat on one side of the basement, and dozed off.

Teal awoke two hours later. When he got up he climbed up the stairs into the lobby. He then took the elevator to his room. He packed his bags and grabbed his laptop. He was going to where most of the fighting was, Paris, France. He took a taxi to the airport. He bought a plane ticket and boarded the 12:15 flight. He searched for any men like the one he had just fought and saw none. He sat down by the window seat. He arrived in Paris several hours before France closed it's airports. All commercial airlines were closed. Teal got his bag from the carousel and walked towards the registration booths. Twenty minutes later he gave the woman in the booth his passport. He was waved through and five minutes later he was in a taxi, on his way to a Paris hotel.

*Continued in Paris, France*