MORTALA, daredevil

01

                                                                             -  CHAPTER ONE - 

  LIFE IS CRUEL. People are cruel. Monsters walk amongst us every single day but we can't always tell who is who. Some people may look as sweet as sugar but easily put a bullet between your eyes. Yulia is one of them. She was trained to be overlooked, to be seen as just a pretty woman who can easily be obtained as an arm piece. To be somebody else. So that's what she did. She pretended to be somebody else. A new person. A new life. She became Julie Wolfe, a twenty five year old girl from Ohio who wants to start over in New York.

  Julie lived in a small studio apartment in Hell's Kitchen. She worked as a personal assistant. She was an only child who hasn't been in contact with her parents for the past year.

  Hell's kitchen was crawling with people who have done wrong. Lurking in the shadows of the alleys and picking on women, children, the elderly and often each other. Some with rotten teeth due to the amount of drugs their body has been put through, some reeking of alcohol and some with a weapon concealed in their clothes, waiting for them to pull it out for their next victim. But recently a man in a black mask was hunting them down like a predator who just sniffed out their prey. Protecting Hell like a Hell hound. He beat them into a pulp, snapped their bones like they were just twigs he was stepping on walking down a path and making sure the only way they could eat was through a straw. Criminals feared him. He was the Devil keeping the demons in check. He was the Devil of Hell's kitchen.

  Yulia never feared the filth on the streets. After all she has done worse. She has done what only the filth wished to do. Dreamed of doing. She never wanted to do it, she feels regretful and dirty for her actions. She feels disgusted when she remembers it. Yulia could knock them unconscious with her hands tied behind her back. She has done it before.

  After a long shift at work, with her jerk of a boss, she headed home. Walking down the streets she has taken many times, turning into alleyway for a shortcut. Feeling like she was being followed, she looked over her shoulder and noticed a man with a liquor bottle in his hand. Could her day get any worse? She turned her head back around, facing the corner in front of her and stood still pretending to look through her shoulder bag. She waited for him to call out to her or try to grab her but instead she heard him fly into the brick wall beside her and cry out in pain. Spinning around to see what had happened. She saw the man sitting on the ground, holding onto his shoulder like he was in agony while a dark figure stood in front of him. The man in the mask. He raised his fist and struck the drunk's nose so hard that he knocked the drunk out. Yulia watched with fascination.

  She wanted to meet the vilgante in person but never expected it to be this way. He lifted his head like he just remembered another person was standing there with him. "Go home." He demanded sternly.

  But Yulia stood there, refusing to listen to his command. "I was planning to but I don't do what people tell me to do so no. Also I can take care of myself, I don't need saved by some weirdo in a mask. "

  He looked surprised by her answer, not expecting this response. He sensed she had a small knife in her coat pocket. "How were you planning to do that? Stab them with your knife in your pocket?"

  "Are you saying I couldn't?"

  She noticed the corner of his lips slightly turn up, like he was holding back a smirk.

  "I never said you couldn't but you don't want to take your chances with people like this." he stated while pointing towards the unconscious form of the drunk rapist on the ground.

  "I decide what I do unless you are a psychic? Are you sensing that I should be careful as I might fall down a manhole? What's next? Should I watch out for lizards who might be trying to take over the world?"

  The man in the mask was clearly amused, chuckling softly at her comment. "A bunch of aliens came to Earth, maybe you should keep an eye on the lizards."

  Yulia took his words into consideration. She sadly smiled to herself remembering her sister was one of the people who stopped the aliens. "Fair enough."

  "Can I walk you home? Help make sure no lizards sneak up on you?"

  Yulia didn't expect that, she thought he would just advise her to be careful like some overprotective parent but not walking her home like a gentleman. "Well if you put it that way, fine you can protect me from reptiles, maybe even the teenage mutant turtles."

  She walked around the corner and continued through the alleyway, she felt his presence behind her. Silently moving so he wouldn't be heard.

  "Do you always walk people home?" she asked, breaking the awkward silence.

  "I usually follow them without their knowledge." His voice casual like it was a completely normal thing.

  "I'm honoured to be the first person." Yulia sarcastically remarked.

  They reached her apartment building. Yulia stopped and looked at the masked man again. "I guess I will see you around ghost man."

  "You never told me your name."

  "You never told me yours either ghostie." She argued back.

  He didn't reply and waited for her to answer his question.

  "Really? No reply?" She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. She walked up to front door, which was barely lit by the dull streetlights, and turned around to meet his masked gaze one last time. "The name's Julie."