Finding Beauty (Rewrite)

Chapter 33

Teigan was on the move. 

The next building beside him had an array of fire escapes running down the side of it. All of the windows were darkened with their curtains drawn. He leaped from the edge of the roof, feeling the fatal weight of gravity in the rapid second it took for him to grasp onto the neighboring buildings railings. He let himself hang for the quick moment it took him to calculate the drop he would make onto the next fire escape. 

He dropped down from the perimeter of the fire escapes repeatedly until he came to the last one. Then he let himself land on the lid of a dumpster. 

The men had reached the subway station and were descending down the steps. After checking the security of his mask, he sprinted in their direction being careful to keep a distance. He wanted the element of surprise. 

The inside of the station was empty as expected. The booth man was reading a magazine and all he had to do was walk past him as effortlessly as the other men had. If the business man had been wiser, he would have remained with the man in the booth until the guys were off his tail or asked him to call the police. 

It was when he arrived on the platform that he saw the real problem was starting. 

"Stay back!" cried the businessman. He was holding his suitcase out in front of him as a shield. 

The leader of the three men, who was wearing a navy blue hoodie, flashed a knife in his pocket. "The way this goes depends on you."         

Wasting no time, Teigan kicked the blue hooded man in the back. He fell to his knees as his buddies turned to see him. Teigan had thought that maybe recognizing who they were dealing with would be enough to send them running but these guys were keen on protecting their leader. 

One of them tried to throw a hook at Teigan but he dodged it and threw his own jab that landed square in the guy's jaw. It wasn't past them to have three against one so he wasn't shocked to see the second guy and the leader coming at him at once. 

The leader was the only one who had a knife out. He sliced at the air between them as his friend tried to get a grip on Teigan. He grabbed the arm reaching for him and threw him at his leader, knocking them both onto the ground. 

The man he had punched was trying to get the business man's money in the corner, his own switchblade pointed at the man. To get over the bodies on the ground, he jumped onto the public bench to his left and front flipped right behind the pair. 

He reached over the man's shoulder, ripping the blade from his grasp and throwing it to the tracks. The man turned round ready to tackle Teigan as his partners got up. Deciding it was time he stopped playing around, Teigan grabbed the man by his collar and flung him all the way to the opposite staircase of the station. 

The two men stopped where they were, rethinking if this was worth the fight. He gave them the second to decide if they were done. Teigan released a small breath as they began to back away but then the leader reached over to the business man and gave him one final shove. 

As the robbers fled, the middle aged man plummeted down into the train tracks. 

Their timing couldn't have been worse. A rushing wind filled the station. The familiar rattling sound invaded the air. 

The train was coming. 

In the subways, the second you heard the train you saw the train. There was hardly a moment between seeing its headlights and having it zoom past you. 

It would kill Teigan if it hit him. Hands down. His powers would not have enough time to heal him before his heart stopped. It would also kill this man who probably had a family dependent on him. Not to mention this was what Teigan had come into the city to do, save someone. 

He dove into the tracks. His feet never even touched the ground. The tackle was their best bet. Either he'd knock them both out of the way or they'd be splattered along the tunnel walls together. 

The momentum of his dive sent them both over the tracks and onto the middle set which was free from a train. 

After they landed, the train passed them by. Teigan had heard the roaring of it right in his ears. 

The man laid beside him frozen. His eyes were wide and he was choking on a shout he had almost released when he saw the train coming. 

Swiftly, Teigan dragged the man over to the third track where they were beside a platform again. It was there that he lifted him up safely off the tracks. He was eternally grateful that the station remained desolate as there were no witnesses for the incident other than the train conductor who was keeping the train still at the platform. He or she would likely exit to see what happened any second now. 

Teigan made a break for it, leaving the stunned man alone. 

The city's winter air refreshed him as he left the scene far behind. The adrenaline was rushing through his veins with the added anticipation of the possibility this could have broken his curse for good. 

He didn't know how long it would take for what he did to register. Maybe the witch would be alerted somehow through some magical sense. Maybe the curse was like a computer, programmed to undo itself once a certain action was completed. 

Whatever it was, Teigan was shaking with emotion. He ran to the highest building he could find and climbed until he reached the top. He sat there until the sun rose, wondering when it would finally happen. 

He daydreamed of what his life could be after it was given back to him. 

He waited and waited. 

The moment never came.