Hero Wanted - 3. Chapter Three

Ryan was in the kitchen, trying to stuff an empty pizza box into an already full trash bag after eating his dinner for tonight. He spent the remainder of his money on a medium pepperoni pizza from a restaurant in the same street as his apartment and now he only had two quarters and a penny left that he could not even buy a small bag of chips with. However, his appetite returned like a crashing wave after that great meal he had with Mr. Johnson. Unfortunately, the pizza did not taste nearly as good as the spaghetti, but he ate it regardless just, so he would not be hungry anymore.

Time had gone by in a haze after he left the restaurant and was driven back home. All he could think about was the proposal that Mr. Johnson, his father, provided for him. The opportunity to move out this small apartment he knew since he was a child and become something more, something that seemed impossible before their talk today.

However, the idea of enlisting into the military and become a Champion in training still scared him. Ryan never thought about joining the military before even though some recruiters during a school assembly in high school highlighted the benefits of becoming a soldier like free tuition and healthcare among other things. But the rigorous training and strict discipline that was necessary to becoming a Champion, let alone a soldier seemed to be beyond the scope that he was willing to traverse. Being in the military just did not seem possible for a person like him.

Yet…if what Mr. Johnson said was correct, then Rory’s nodes, if implanted into him, would give him abilities that would far exceed even seasoned Champions. That would make him more prepared if he decided to enlist into the Champions, making the transition from civilian to military life easier…but did he deserve to have such powers. Rory was the first-ranked Champion of the entire country, most likely training very hard to achieve that rank. And his nodes were just going to be given to a scrawny eighteen-year-old? Sure, he was related by blood to Rory, but what did Ryan do to earn them?

Ryan did not want the idea of being gifted with superhuman powers to cloud his judgement either. The ability to lift cars and run as fast as a speeding bullet sounded amazing in his comics, but there was a price to pay for having these abilities. They had to be used for the betterment of humanity, and in the case of the real world, Ryan was going to have to fight the Colossus when one appeared again on American soil to protect thousands of people from death.

Tying the trash bag as tightly as he could, Ryan then dropped it and leaned backwards against the kitchen countertop with his hands pressed against the edge. This was all so overwhelming for him. Everything from his mother’s death, the discovery of his father and the possibility of becoming a superhuman soldier destined to fight against beings that could reach heights that rivaled the Statue of Liberty was very hard swallow all at once. Ryan did not know if he could decide by tomorrow, but the least he could do for humanity was recycle the trash he had into the garbage chute and be green.

Grabbing the trash bag that was stretched beyond capacity, Ryan walked out of his apartment and through the hallway to the chute that would hopefully accept the trash bag without too much trouble. But of course, the chute was already filled with other trash bags. So, he had to walk three floors down since the elevator was broken and outside of the apartment building to the dumpster in the alleyway. If Ryan did not, the landlord would throw a hissy fit since she was very stringent about the apartment building’s cleanliness.

Ryan made the journey from the third floor to the alleyway next to the apartment building. He passed the landlord who was cleaning the rails with a small towel and gave him an approving look for taking the time to take the trash out. The place was dark except for the faint light mounted next to the dumpster that was flooded beyond capacity with trash bags.

Using both hands, Ryan tossed the trash bag onto the top of the pile and it thankfully stayed there, but unfortunately it startled some rats and he jumped backwards to dodge them. Cursing, he at least got the job done and was about to returning to the apartment building when his phone began ringing in his pocket. Taking it out and opening it, Ryan saw that it was Mr. Johnson calling.

Answering his phone, Ryan said, “Hello? Mr. Johnson?”

“Hello, Ryan. Can I talk to you for a minute?” Mr. Johnson asked, sounding concerned.

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to say that…even if you decided that becoming a Champion isn’t what you want…I’ll still support you regardless. I don’t want you to think that you must become a Champion as some sort of obligation to me. You’re my son and I’ll do everything that I can to make you happy.”

“Oh…well, thank you, Mr. Johnson.”

“No, I am your father…or your dad...whatever works.”

Ryan could not help, but smile a small amount. He did not even notice someone walked behind him and pressed something hard and cold against the back of his head.

“Put your hands up,” a man hissed from behind Ryan.

Ryan’s heart felt it was shot out of his chest at the realization that he had a gun pressed against his head. He heard what the man said to him, to put his hands up, but he was frozen in place, too scared to move.

“I said put your hands up god damnit!” the man shouted impatiently.

“Ryan? Who is that?” Ryan’s father said through the phone.

“Put your hands up now or I’ll blow your fucking head off,” the man snarled at his ear.

Slowly, Ryan raised his hands above his head and remained in that pose as the robber began patting and digging through his pockets of his worn-out jeans like one of the starving rodents looking for food in the dumpster. He felt his wallet get pulled out of one of his back pocket and then a groan came from the robber.

“Seriously? Only three coins and no credit or debit cards?” the robber said before tossing the wallet to the floor. “And what is this?” the robber asked, snatching Ryan’s phone from his raised hand. “Not even a fucking smartphone.”

“I-I’m sorry, okay? I-I-I’m just as poor as everyone else in this building,” Ryan said.

“Shut the fuck up!”

The robber grabbed Ryan by the shoulder and pushed his body against the cemented wall. With the gun pressed against the side of his head, the robber held a chunk of the front side of his shirt with his other hand, the darkness masking his face and hiding any noticeable features from Ryan’s view.

“P-Please. J-Just let me go,” Ryan stuttered.

“Not until I get something of value.”

The robber then looked at Ryan’s chest where his mother’s locket was exposed from the neckline of his shirt being pulled down. The man proceeded to grab the locket and snapped it off his neck.

Examining it, the robber said, “I guess I’ll take this.”

“You can’t!” Ryan exclaimed.

The robber whipped his handgun against Ryan’s head, causing him to fall to his knees. Shockwaves of pain went through Ryan’s head as he held it and felt a warmth on the palm of his hand. It must have been blood as it began trailing down the side of his face.

Even with the pain that was causing him to feel dizzy, Ryan looked around and saw the robber begin walking away with his mother’s locket which he could not let him escape with. He always considered himself incapable of fighting back against his bullies and he would not dare to stop a robber from taking everything that he had. But he was not taking his money, his phone, or his dignity, but the last reminder of the person, the only person who ever cared about Ryan and loved him beyond anything or anyone else. And to have it stolen from him by a stranger who did not know the true value of that locket was not going to happen.

So, standing up, Ryan tried to regain his balance as he leaned against the wall. He saw the robber walking away into the street and knew he had to hurry. He then began walking, stumbling a couple times, but managed not to fall back to his knees even though the pain was still pulsing in his head.

The robber suddenly turned around and with wide eyes said, “What the fuck are you doing?”

Ryan did not say anything. He just continued his trek to the robber who had the locket hanging carelessly from the hand that was also holding the gun. Then that gun was pointed at him with a warning that he was going to shoot if Ryan did not stop.

A surge of adrenaline suddenly surged through Ryan as he sprinted forward and tackled the robber to the sidewalk. On top of him, Ryan saw the locket and immediately reached out to grab it. But the robber clenched his hand into a fist and prevent Ryan taking it back. So, he decided to take the robber’s fist and tried to pry his fingers open with both of his hands, all the while the robber was punching the left side of Ryan’s torso. However, the pain did not register at that moment as the adrenaline continued to course through him and his determination still going strong.

Frustration starting to build, Ryan placed his teeth on the robber’s fingers and proceeded to bite as hard as he could, which caused the robber to shout in pain before finally opening his hand and exposing the locket. With a slight taste of blood in his mouth, Ryan snatched the locket from the robber.

Suddenly someone grabbed the back side of his shirt and the person pulled him away from the robber, tossing him against the cemented wall in the process. Ryan looked and saw another man assisting the robber by pulling him up by the arm.

“What the fuck happened, man?”

“The fucker tackled me and bit my hand.”

“Seriously? I told you I should’ve done it. You’re such a pussy, dude.”

“Shut up! Just give me my gun back!” the robber shouted and snatching his gun from the other man’s hand. “I’ll take care of him.”

The adrenaline was starting to fade and the realization of what he just done became clear as the robber raised the gun and pointed directed at his face.

“Come on, man. Let’s just get out of here,” the man, trying to lower the robber’s hand that had the gun pointed at Ryan.

“No! Fuck you!” the robber shouted, shrugging the other man away. “I’ll show you I’m not a scared pussy like everyone else says I am.”

“Dude! NO!”

Ryan knew what was coming next and he immediately stood up and began running the opposite direction. Time felt like it was in slow motion as he ran through the alleyway with the locket in his tightly closed hand.

Then it happened.

Ryan heard a loud bang and pain surged from his back. Then another bang, and another. The same pain struck his back twice more as he tripped and fell to the ground. The fall was hard, but the pain from being shot three times was more unbelievable.

Everything felt quiet for a moment. Then a sole from a shoe pushed against his shoulder and was forcibly turned onto his back that caused Ryan to cry out in more pain. He opened his eyes and saw the two men look at him, one with a look of shock and the other with furrowed eyebrows and a look of satisfaction from the grin stretched on his face.

Ryan’s eyes then refocused on the gun still pointed at him and with his hand clutching his locket, he closed his eyes and allowed his final moment to be him remembering his mother holding him, comforting him during the worst moments of his life. Then a bang was heard, and everything faded to darkness.