"Stay here, sweetie," my dad said gently as he let go of my hand. He glanced out the window below us, eyes scanning the street before turning toward the door. A worn baseball bat was gripped tightly in his hand, the tension in his knuckles giving away how serious this had become. Sweat dripped from his brow as he slung a backpack over his shoulder and crouched down in front of me, meeting me at eye level.
"I'll be back with food, alright?" he said, trying to sound confident, but his voice wavered of nervous, weak. There was a flicker of doubt in his eyes, something he tried to hide but couldn't quite bury.
He kissed the top of my head.
"Stay quiet... and know that I love you."
"Love out too dad st- stay safe you too " I said Hurly as she walked out the door.
as I look around me. I was left all alone looking at the door Infront of me I just stay still and quilt i as I promised dad I could just silently wishing for dad to enter safely back to me and with good food to eat as we had little left .
That was two days ago .
Now I sit in front of the same door, my arms wrapped around my aching stomach. Hunger claws at me, and the apartment is cold and far too quiet. He still hasn't returned.
Should I go outside?
The thought burns in the back of my mind as I slowly rise and walk toward the window, hoping and pleading to see a glimpse of him.
But there's nothing.
No sign of Dad anywhere.
I wipe my eyes, the sting of tears threatening to fall. My voice barely escapes in a whisper.
"When will you come back, Dad?"
As I waited and waited near the window another thought crossed my mind.
Without wasting time, I rushed around the apartment, grabbing anything that could burn. books, old clothes, torn curtains. My heart pounded in my chest as I scavenged desperately, arms full of whatever I could carry. Every item felt like a piece of hope.
When I'd gathered enough, I slowly cracked open the apartment door. The hallway outside was silent, unnervingly so. Thankfully, our apartment was on the top floor. That meant I wouldn't have to run into any of those… things.
Step by careful step, I made my way to the rooftop. I hauled everything up one armful at a time until the pile was complete.
"This should be enough," I whispered to myself.
I arranged the items into a heap, stacking the flammable things together as best I could. Then I poured oil over the pile, watching it as it soaked into the fabric and pages. It smelled sharp and dangerous. Just like everything else now.
After one last look around to make sure I was alone, I carefully moved a safe distance from the pile . With shaking hands, I struck a match. The flame trembled for a moment—tiny, flickering, in its organa color before I tossed it back up onto the rooftop.
The fire caught instantly.
A bright, roaring blaze lit up the rooftop above me, the smoke rising into the sky like a signal.
"Please," I whispered into the dark, "let someone see it."
"Please… please save me!" I shouted through my fear, my voice cracking with fear and desperation. I was on the verge of crying so hard I could barely breathe. I didn't want to believe it, but the thought kept stabbing through my chest—
What if the worst had happened to Dad too? Just like Mom…
Thump.
A sudden sound echoed behind me.
I turned instinctively, heart skipping, breath frozen in my throat.
A man stood at the edge of the rooftop.
He wore a long red coat, a white mask that hid his face, and black armor that glimmered in the light of the fire I had just set. Chains wrapped tightly around one of his arms, coiling like serpents. A blade rested in his hand, quiet but ominous.
He didn't speak.
He just stared
even though his face was hidden, I felt his eyes on me. Locking onto me. Studying me.
Then, with a small, deliberate tilt of his head, he leapt down from the rooftop's edge and began walking toward me.
The chain and blade that had once been visible were gone as if they had vanished into thin air.
But the closer he came, the heavier the air around him felt.
And the more I looked at him
The more terrifying he became.
"Stay away! I-I know how to fight!" I shouted, trying to sound brave. My voice wavered, and I raised my fists like they do in movies, even though I'd never actually fought anyone before.
The man in the red coat kept walking toward me but then, he stopped.
He crouched down slowly, lowering himself to one knee so he was at my level. The white mask still hid his face, but his voice was calm. Steady.
"Hey, kiddo. I'm not going to hurt you," he said gently, extending his hand toward me. "Everything's gonna be alright."
I didn't move. I kept my hands up. My heart pounding in my chest as I looked at him .
"Are… are you a hero?" I asked cautiously, narrowing my eyes, studying him closely. Something about him felt off he didn't look like any hero I'd ever seen or know.
"Yeah," he replied without hesitation, his voice soft but sure. "I'm a hero."
His hand remained outstretched, waiting patiently. Not forcing. Just… waiting.
I blinked. "What's your hero name? I've never seen a hero who looks like you."
There was a pause. Just a second. Like he hadn't prepared for the question.
"Well… uh…" he said, tilting his head slightly.
"You can call me the Hero of Justice," he said with a small chuckle. "Yeah. Hero of Justice is my name, kiddo."
- - -
There was a "huh?" expression on the girl's face, like I'd just told the worst joke in the world.
"That's your name?" she said flatly, eyebrows raised, her tone full of disbelief.
I blinked, slightly offended. "Yeah, that's my name, kiddo. What's yours?"
She gave me a little side-eye before responding. "Ellen. My name's Ellen. But… I think you should definitely change your name, Justice Man. You need something cooler."
She walked toward me now, a small smile beginning to form on her face like the fear was slowly melting away.
"The name is Hero of Justice," I said, correcting her with mock seriousness. "Don't forget it. dame that's mouthful."
I extended my hand, and she shook it, her tiny fingers gripping mine with surprising confidence.
"…Still," I muttered with a smirk behind the mask, "I might need to think of something cooler."
"What about White Mask?" she asked, looking up at me as we walked.
I let out a small chuckle. "Nah, that's not cool enough. Sounds like a B-list villain," I said, shaking my head while holding her hand gently. "Anyway, what were you doing up here on the roof all alone?"
"But it is cool," Ellen argued, half-pouting. "Way cooler than 'Hero of Justice.'"
As we reached the rooftop door, I gave her a sideways glance. "What were you even doing up here, anyway?"
Her smile faded a little. "I was calling for a hero… since my dad hasn't come back yet."
I sighed quietly, glancing down at her. Her small fingers were wrapped tightly around mine.
I let out a quiet sigh, opening the door to her apartment. The place was surprisingly clean safe, too. Definitely a better spot to rest than most of the hellscape outside.
Honestly, I'd only come up here because I saw the fire and thought it might've drawn infected heroes or villains. More chaos meant more powers to claim. But instead, I found her.
Growwwl.
I spun around instantly, ready to fight as I fear the worse for Ellen.
only to stop when I saw Ellen, cheeks puffed and red, trying to hide her face with her hands.
Her stomach let out another loud rumble.
"Oh," I said, letting my shoulders relax. "That kind of danger."
She peeked through her fingers, clearly embarrassed.
"So that was your stomach, huh?" I said, smirking behind my mask.
She gave a tiny, sheepish nod. "I haven't eaten in two days…"Her voice was barely above a whisper, and she looked away, clearly embarrassed.
"Alright then, let me make something f—"
"But there's nothing here," Ellen interrupted, looking around the kitchen helplessly.
"You're wrong," said another voice this one coming from behind her.
Ellen whipped around and gasped. Another man identical to the one standing beside her was now behind her, holding a grocery bag stuffed with supplies.
"But… you…" she pointed at me, then at him. "You're there… but also here… who—what?!"
Confusion took over her small face as she clutched her head like her brain was starting to overheat.
"Don't think about it too much," the other me said with a casual wave. "Just sit down and wait for your food."
He walked into the apartment, set the bag down on the table, and with a quick clap of his hands—vanished into thin air like he'd never been there to begin with.
Ellen slowly turned her wide-eyed stare back to me.
I just shrugged.
- - -
Ellen was sleeping soundly, using my lap as a cushion. Her small body rose and fell with each breath, and even though she was restricting my movement, I didn't really care. I just sat there, watching her sleep. For some reason, a small smile crept onto my face.
Kids really are cute when they're not screaming or being annoying.
The table nearby was still cluttered with dirty plates, half-finished meals and crumbs left from the earlier feast.
"Yeah, I'm not cleaning that up," I muttered, eyeing the pile of dirty dishes on the table with a frown of annoyance.
But the irritation didn't last long. My thoughts shifted to something heavier. Something I couldn't push off as easily as leftover food.
'But how do I tell her about her father?' I thought, my gaze drifting to the window.
I had sent a clone to track him down, hoping for the best… but luck wasn't on her side. He wasn't infected — no, worse. He'd been killed. Someone out there had done it, and the details didn't matter. What mattered was that he was gone.
"I'll tell her later," I muttered inwardly, brushing a hand through my hair in frustration. "Right now, I need to find somewhere safe to take her."
"From what I know from the comic book series," I muttered to myself, leaning back just a little as Ellen shifted in her sleep, "Poison Ivy should've made a safe place. It survived until the end… so that's the safest bet for her."
My eyes trailed up to the ceiling. The weight of everything ahead pressed down like a stone on my chest.This is going to be hard, isn't it?
That was the last thought I had before I let myself drift off to sleep ,not out of carelessness, but because I knew the apartment was safe. Magical runes were etched into the walls and doorways, ready to kill anything that tried to force its way in.
At least for tonight… we were safe.