The Gatekeeper

Chapter Six: Hero Man

The beast snarled and launched for her. Erica's legs threatened to turn to jelly but she forced them to move, lurching into a clumsy run. She could feel the monster gaining, knew she wouldn't get away in time, but she had to try.

Then it was all over.

Or at least that's what she thought at first.

Something collided with her, taking a tight hold of her body, but there was no pain. Her equilibrium went wild and she realised she was moving.

She looked up and found she was in the arms of a flying man, soaring above the city. His chest was solid and broad and his face reminded her of a Greek god statue – hard lines, a strong jaw, defined cheekbones and long blonde hair that fettered in the wind.

When she had been taken by the gargoyle, all she had felt was terror, but in the hands of this stranger, a beguiling sense of peace enveloped her.

Her rescuer dipped low and they landed on a rooftop. The man let Erica slip gently from his arms and all she could do was gape at him.

On better inspection Erica saw that he wore an all in one red suit that articulated his every rippling muscle. A stark white cape fluttered behind him and the initials 'HM' was emblazoned on his chest in bold white letters.

"Who are you ...?" She managed, not quite sure she was ready for his answer.

"I am Hero Man." He said, placing his hands on his hips as if to present himself. "Now that you are safe, I must go. The city needs me."

As he began to rise into the air Erica's heart jumped in her chest. "But wait! I don't-"

"No, no. There's no need to thank me, ma'am."

"I'm not trying to thank you. I just need you to–"

"I'm afraid I don't do autographs. Now, I really must fly." He began rising. "Have a great day, ma'am. Take care!" With those words he shot away like a bullet.

Erica watched his form shrink into a tiny dot on the horizon.

A deep rumbling groan escaped her lips and Erica stamped her feet.

Great. Now she was stuck on a rooftop, in an unfamiliar city, without a phone or money or even a map.

Exhaling a deep breath, Erica scanned about her, taking in the concrete landscape that undulated in all directions, all of it alien to her. She had no idea where she was or how to get back to the mall, nor could she say with any certainty which direction she had come from.

Still, it would do no good to mope. Instead, she began investigating the roof, searching for a way down. First she looked for a fire-escape. There were several bolted to the side of the building, but they didn't extend to the roof. Instead they started at the ground and stopped two stories short. It would be risky to try and jump down from this height.

Next, Erica considered the hulking, buzzing machines dotted around her. They were probably air conditioning units, which meant that sometimes somebody would have to come up and maintain them. It stood to reason, then, that there must be a door or stairway that led to and from the roof.

As luck would have it, she found a steel door at the far side. Erica scampered towards it, her hand clamping down on the cold metal handle and pushed but it didn't give. Even throwing her body against the door didn't coax it into complacency and the heavy looking lock didn't give no matter how hard Erica hit or pushed it.

Moira.

Erica had almost forgotten about her.

Moira had found her in the dungeon so perhaps she had some way of tracking her, which made Erica feel a little more at ease. It wouldn't be long before her inter-dimensional chaperone came to collect her, in which case, she should stay put. Not that she had any choice. Unless somebody opened that door, she was going nowhere.