Life After Death

I was completely paranoid. I hadn't been this upset and distraught since the first few months after the Three Mile Island incident. I stopped running in the park and I refused to walk to my car after work alone. Brittney, being that psychology major, noticed. At first, she didn't say anything. But after a week and no end to my paranoia in sight, she decided to ask.

We were grocery shopping at a small store and I was constantly looking over my shoulder; waiting for someone to jump out and yell "Boo!" "What is wrong with you?" There was no way I could 'not' tell her, not now. Not after she accepted and trusted me the way she did.

So, I told her about the old man and woman in the park and then I told her about Victor Creed. I told her everything. I told her about my parents; about Stryker; about Three Mile Island; about everything. Except Wade Wilson. She remained silent as she took in the new information that I had kept from her. After a minute, I asked, "What should I do?" That was the one question I wanted an answer too.

Still, she remained silent; thinking. "Go to New York." I knew instantly what she meant. After Three Mile Island and my very brief meeting with a strange mutant named Charles Xavier, I did some research. The only found one thing; the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children. It was supposedly a boarding school for extremely smart children of all ages. But from what Charles Xavier told me, I knew it was a school for mutants.

I was unable to give her any kind of answer because at that moment the ground exploded. With the tiled floor shaking violently, shelves and even Brittney and I were knocked over. The grocery was in ruins. Cans of food were rolling across the cracked floor as the lights tried desperately to stay on.

I would have believed the excuse of California's usual earthquake if there weren’t four people standing perfectly calm at the end of what was an aisle. I jumped up, stumbled over spilled pickles, to help a disoriented Brittney to her feet. I was perfectly open to the idea of just pretending that the earthquake was created by nature but the four strange persons felt the need to set the story straight.

"You know what the definition of stupid is? It’s the process of doing something over and over again and expecting different results. And you, Lorna, are one stupid little girl." The voice of Victor Creed traveled through the air until it reached my ear where is was then processed by my brain and caused my heart rate to increase tenfold. Victor was dressed in a similar style, only his coat was a dark blue color. He stood slightly apart from the other three men; demonstrating that he was in control of the situation.

The man closest to him was the tallest of the group. His brown hair looked like it needed combed and his clothes were layered in dirt. Similarly, the kid next to him, who was about my age, needed to wash both his hair and his self. This skin was a green tint to it and his body was hunched over slightly. The last man, I recognized. I just didn’t know from where. His hair was a bright silver color and the smug look on his face seemed to be permanent.

I immediately put myself in front of the skill disoriented Brittney. That was probably my first mistake. This show of protection only caused the smirk on Victor’s face to become a wide smile. A smile I wanted to wipe off his face. “You would know all about stupid, Victor.” My second mistake was effective in removing Victor’s cheer. But mine was extremely short lived.

The floor shook again, but not as violently. I managed to stay on my feet but some how, the blonde man was behind and then he wasn’t. And neither was Brittney. I heard sirens in the distance but I knew they would never reach us in time. And if they did, there was nothing they could do. In the blink of an eye, Victor held Brittney by the throat, threatening to tighten his grip.

I knew what they wanted. They wanted be to join their little mutant army. But I was past being forced into things. I had made the decision long ago to do it alone; without any help from those who would exploit me and my abilities. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized that I would put my life on the line to keep my promise to myself.

But was I willing to risk Brittney’s life? Or Alex’s? Or anyone I’ve ever loved? Unfortunately, Victor made his decision before I could make mine. I watched, with horror and anguish, as Brittney’s lifeless body fell to the floor with an uncommonly loud thud.

Many things happened the second after the thud lost its way in the infinite silence. The floor shook a third time, the blonde man disappeared again and a translucent dome of a force field closed me off from the wreckage and the rest of the world. I watched, with little amusement, as the blond man reappeared and collide with the dome. He fell to the ground and nursed his now bleeding nose. A familiar itchy feeling erupted in the palms of my hands. Cans started to spin and rise a few feet off the floor and into the air.

Victor, unaware of the danger I posed, approached me with a curious look. He put a hand on the invisible dome, testing the strength. When the itching became unbearable, I raised my right arm, with my palm pointed directly at Victor. I let go the building energy and a green magnetic pulse surged from my palm. At the last possible second, I held back some energy, unsure of my abilities. But nevertheless, Victor was blown backwards off his feet.

I didn’t wait to see where he landed or even if I had killed him. I ran over the rumble and out the door before anyone could think to follow me.