Extra Ordinary

Chapter Two - 'You're Bloody And Wounded, You're Fine'

I took my chances and stepped into the alleyway, my eyes darted anxiously around to find a face to match the voice, but it was much darker and harder to see as there was no street lamps able to shine through here very well.

Why is it always alleyways? Couldn't he have done this in a nicely lit restaurant? Or McDonalds'?

I squinted in the darkness, trying to adjust to the lack of lighting. Not far from where I was standing, there stood a vague figure of a man leaning against the left side of the brick wall just behind a big dumpster. I narrowed my eyes, not daring to take a step further just in case.

"You should go." The man said calmly. "I'll be fine in a sec..."

"Uh huh, that's exactly why you're in the dirty alleyway, wounded and bloody. It's because you're fine." I retorted back to the stranger, trying to identify a face from the darkness but I could only find myself staring at his silhouette, but even that was hard to make out.

He let out a quiet, low chuckle, clearly finding my response rather amusing at a time like this. I started to wonder if the man was one of those people who liked to mask off what they were really feeling- in this case, pain. He was practically shooing me away whilst he was in evident trouble.

The stranger then lets out a louder grunt and heaved, the silhouette of his hand then retreating from his torso. What is he doing?

Realisation dawns over me and my face pulls into confusion. I must've walked past him before on my way to the grocery store, if not- he must've just gotten here a moment ago. "How long have you been here?" I asked hesitantly, concerned for the stranger. "You could be losing a lot of blood!"

He doesn't answer, instead he lets out another grunt as he attempts to stand up straight. I begin to hear various footsteps and voices nearing the alleyway. I quickly identify them as a bunch of girls by the pitch of their voices.

Before I even have the chance to react, I'm suddenly being pulled into the darkness of the alleyway with what I could only explain as an urgent hug by a bloodied man as he tried to silence me with the palm of his hand over my mouth. His bloody palm.

My responsive shriek comes out muffled, the man's hand only holds itself firmer onto my mouth to keep me from making a sound but still gives me some access to breath. His other arm is held over my chest in an diagonal angle holding both my wrists down, which I can begin to feel the skin of my wrists chafe against his iron grip and I'm certain it may leave a bruise for me tomorrow morning. If I ever do live to make it.

Though I'm in pain I could only find myself trying not to visibly cringe at the thought of his blood seeping through my favourite sweater. Who would've guessed I would be hugged by a bloodied stranger in a creepy alleyway on a Sunday night?

"Ugh, we should've taken a cab." One of the girls said as they walked by, none sparing a single glance to the alleyway.

After a few more seconds, the man's hands finally drop and I am free from his hold. I'm also frantic. "Ha-h-how...did you get here so fast?" I stammered, stunned as I pointed my finger at where the man had once been, behind the large dumpster on the other side. "You were...there?"

One moment he was attempting to get up, the next he was trying to hush me, engulfing me in his rough embrace in a matter of seconds.

I can feel him staring down at me, but he says nothing. Even though we're closer I'm still having trouble seeing him. The only thing I could identify was that like everyone else, he was tall.

The man reaches up to his face as if to adjust something, I narrow my eyes- for a split second I could've sworn...

"Super Psych?" I found myself saying. Maybe I was only voicing who I hoped the man to be- but I was also certain the man was wearing a mask. You could almost see there was a difference on the two halves of his face if you stared long enough, I couldn't quite distinguish it but something was definitely there.

Also, something was very off about the situation we were in. What kind of person can come from one end of the alleyway to the other- without a single patter of footsteps like that? We must've been about thirty feet away from each other, and now he's suddenly only a foot away.

He stills, and I'm unsure whether he might be smirking, scowling or just staring at me. His silence makes me anxious. "Say something!" I blurted, I was never the best in silent, awkward situations. Which kind of explains why I've only been able to hold onto one friend for my whole eighteen years existence.

"I told you I was going to be fine didn't I?"

When I process his words, I'm gaping at someone I can't even see. "What?" Sure, I had heard him correctly, but hearing it a second time wouldn't hurt.

"Ah shit you aren't going to expose me are you?" I'm unsure if he is joking but his words had a trace of amusement in them.

"Y-you were missing for two months?" I stated dumbly, "What?" I repeated, still unable say much else. I had always thought my first encounter with Super Psych would be different. Different as in I had accepted from the moment he rose to be an official superhero that I was never going to meet him.

He stays silent for a moment more and I'm left listening to the sounds of my own harsh breaths. "I guess I'm back." He clarifies, he sounds almost sad? I couldn't completely tell without seeing his face. I'm suddenly tempted to just jump onto him as I feel the adrenaline rush through me like a kid about to go on a sugar high. "How do I know if you're Super Psych?" I asked, trying to mask off my excitement. If he had the ability to read my mind he would know I would believe he was even if he didn't answer me.

I couldn't care less that I was covered in blood talking to the dark in this moment, there was a really good possibility this man was Super Psych!

He drags a slow, forced and awkward chuckle. "Well...I just cringed as you said my alias, that's gotta count for something." 

I didn't know what I was expecting to happen, perhaps something along the lines of showing himself to prove me otherwise- but I was definitely not expecting to hear him to poke fun of the name the public had given him.

Before I get the chance to respond, Super Psych lets out a sigh. "I-I'm gonna go."

I stay silent, unsure how to respond to that either. Do I say bye? Tell him he might need a new suit? I'm left gaping and craning my neck at his silhouette, and before I know it- it's suddenly gone. He's gone. A cold waft of air hits me and pulls me out of a daze.

My eyes frantically dart around as I spin on my heels. I find myself holding the wrist that he had gripped onto not long ago, I wince slightly at the unexpected burn from the chafe.

"What the hell?"