"Brian?!? What the hell are you doing here man?" I asked, just staring him in the face. I knew Brian from high school. We even hung out for like a year, but he treated his girlfriend like shit, and having a crush on her myself, I distanced myself from him. He fell in with the wrong crowd, and in the end, his now ex-girlfriend partially blamed me, since she didn't know what he did behind her back. Now, I only knew him because I knew his sister, Bethany, from church. She was a really good girl, who just happened to love a brother that happened to be a jackass. She hated hearing bad things about Brian. This would break her heart.
"Who the hell are you man? How do you know my name?" he mumbled out, still trying to gather his breathe from our fight.
"Let's just say we have a mutual acquantice, and leave it at that? Have you thought about what getting arrested for this will do to your family?" I asked, glad that his vision was still blurred, and I was still glowing enough that it was hard to make out my features.
"Fuck you man! You don't know shit about my family! I wouldn't be getting arrested if it wasn't for you!" he yelled at me, and for the first time I noticed the blood dribbling out of his mouth. For the first time I started to worry that I hit him too hard. I hate to admit it, but he had a point. If not for me, he'd be home free, and the cop who was now pulling in wouldn't have caught him. In a weird, messed up way, I was gonna be responsible for his family's heartache. I was gonna be responsible for Bethany's broken heart. Shit. This sucked. But I mean, what real choice did I have?
"Freeze! Both of you, on your feet, and put up your hands!" came a voice from behind me. I guess the light had faded from me, cause he didn't tell me to turn off my flashlights.
"You've got it wrong man, I'm the one that stopped these guys. There's a third guy out there that you need to get too," I said calmly, glancing in the curved mirror to see a fat, cop, about 5'9" standing in the open doorway, his gun trained on me in his right hand, his left held up pointing his flashlight on my back. I didn't flinch yet.
"I said put up your hands! Even if what you said is true, I have to book you all, and sort out the truth down at the precint." I saw his finger tighten ever so lightly on the trigger. I knew that I'd get cleared, thanks to the witnesses, but I couldn't afford to be booked. I didn't want anyone knowing who I really was. Leaving clues like that behind always came back to bite the heroes loved ones in the ass, and I wasn't about to take that chance. I knew I only had one option. Still, what I did next surprised even me.
Still holding Brian, I willed all the light from the flashlight and the cruiser into me. I started glowing. "What the hell?!?" the officer said behind me. The next moment will forever be in my head. Instead of letting Brian go, and letting him face his punishment, I strengthened my grip on him, and "flashed" towards the cop. I'd not yet tried this with an object, let alone a person, but I learned I could still do it, as I smashed into the cop, and out the doorway. I stopped once out the door, and glanced at the cop, to make sure he was fine, only to see him getting to his knees. Good. I didn't want to be responsible for a hurt cop. He was just trying to do his job. Then I turned, and "flashed" across the road and deep into the park there. I stopped at the soccer fields.
Shit! Why the hell did I not leave Brian. He deserved to get punished. He held people up at gun point. Worse yet, he clearly masterminded the whole robbery, which meant it wasn't his first. Why did I grab him? I let him go and crouched down. Shit. I knew I'd have done it over again if I had the choice. I know he deserved to pay, but that didn't mean his family deserved to pay too. They were good people. Beth was a great person. I knew I couldn't have her brother go to jail because of me. If even she never knew I was the one who got him caught, I couldn't face her knowing that I was the one that got the big brother she loved arrested. Couldn't face her knowing that I was partly responsible for the pain she felt in her heart. Damn chivalrous side of me. Oh well, I did what I did. I knew there was no way I could guarentee he wouldn't get caught for something else later, but atleast I knew it wouldn't be me catching him.
I got up, and started to walk away, when I had an idea. I drew all the light from the lights on the field, till I glowed as brightly as I ever had. I strode over to Brian, and picked him up by his hair, making sure to pull his eyes till they looked at the light that was my face. "Brian, you should count yourself lucky tonight," I said, giving my voice as much gusto and growl as I could muster, which was far more then I thought I had. "Normally, I'd more then love to leave you to the cops, and let them lock you up like the lowlife you are. The problem with that, though, is it will probably hurt your family more then you. Taking that into account, I've decided to give you your freedom for now, and the chance to turn your life around. This means, no more robberies. No more illegal activities period!" I said, and then threw him on his face in the mud below. I turned, walking away slowly and dramatically, waiting till I thought he'd be looking up at me again. Then I turned back around, smirked at him, and said "Oh, and if I even catch wind or rumour that your doing anything slightly illegal, I will find you. And if I do, then the cops will be the least of your worries. And trust me, I'm everywhere." On this last word, I expelled a bright flash of light, which returned to the lights, and "flashed" away out of sight for him, giving him what I hoped was the impression that I became parts of the lights himself. I flashed back towards the car, and drove home, pleased that tonight Brian would be turning in bed, afraid to turn on the lights for fear that I might see him, even though that was clearly a crazy thought, but he'd never know that. Heck, even my threat about being worse then the cops was just a bluff. That wasn't my style. Sure, tonight made me realize the world wasn't 100% Black and White, but there was definitely still right and wrong. Still, must of all, I was pleased that I may just have figured out how to save his family from future heartache caused by him, and may have just saved Bethany from the pain heim getting arrested would have caused her. I was feeling ontop of the world. This hero thing definitely had its upsides.
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