Previously on NIGHTMARE:
She sighed, disappointed that she was unable to reach John. She grabbed her keys and stood up to leave, hoping that whoever she saw in her vision made it out okay.
❃❃❃
Blyke awoke to Remi shaking his shoulder roughly. "Blyke! BLYKE!" He startled awake and blinked, confused.
"What's so funny?" he asked, hearing Remi snicker.
"Nothing," Isen replied coolly, "We gotta get moving. This is our target. Some guy named Waldo." Blyke squinted, looking at the profile on Isen's laptop screen. Remi stood up, already clad in her sub-par costume, ready to leave."
"A mid-tier? Seems a bit low for Remi's level."
"It's the best we could find. Besides, we should play it safe for our first mission. When are we leaving?" Isen asked, turning to Remi.
"Tonight!" she said, grinning.
"TONIGHT?!" Blyke and Isen exclaimed. She shrugged.
"It's not like we can wait around for more people to be killed by EMBER. Now or never." Blyke sighed and stood up, stretching.
"Let's split up and travel in two groups. That way we'll arrive at Branish in different locations. Blyke and I can back you up while you look around." Isen suggested. Remi gave a thumbs up and smiled.
"Alright then. Let's head out."
❃❃❃
The district of Branish was quiet and seemingly empty. If it weren't for the few dim lights illuminating windows, the area could easily be mistaken for abandoned. Drapes were drawn and windows were shut as the young, oddly dressed woman walked through the silent streets. She flinched, hearing a woman yell followed by loud banging noises. Remi sprinted towards the source of the commotion. A blonde man towered over a frightened woman who's door had just been knocked down. "Pay up, b*tch!" he spat angrily. The blue haired woman whimpered and shrunk back in a feeble attempt to protect herself. Remu knew what to do. Her eyes shone orange as she directed a bolt of lightning in his direction.
"If you want to live here, they pay the- AUGHH!" he shouted, his eyes widening in shock. He fell onto his knees and passed out, stunned. The woman cowering on the floor screamed and started to move away frantically.
"S-stay back! Get away from me!" she yelled. Remi smiled weakly.
"It's alright. I'm here to help you." she replied calmly. Although the blue haired lady stopped screaming, she didn't seem too trusting of Remi.
"Who... are you?"
"My name is X-Rei. I'm a superhero!"
Not too far from Remi, a group began making their way to the house. Remi sat and listened to what the woman had to say about Waldo. "He's way too powerful! And the rest of us... we're forced to do as he says, including paying a fee to live here. No one's strong enough to stop him."
"Remi! REMI!" The vigilante's hand flew to her earpiece. "There's about four people heading to you right now!" Remi jumped to her feet.
"What's wrong? Is something happening?" the blue haired woman asked fearfully.
"You don't have to worry, I'll take care of it." She left the woman alone and ran out onto the street, turning her head left and right in search of the group.
"Who the hell are you? Why are you dressed like that?" an orange haired man asked her sharply.
"My name is X-Rei. I'm a superhero." Remi said calmly, trying not to start a fight.
"Superhero? We don't want garbage like that around here." another man said harshly.
"I'm looking for a guy named Waldo. Have you seen him?" she asked. She sensed the group getting more and more hostile but she didn't want to activate her ability just yet.
"No. Now get out." he growled.
"Sure, sure, I will as soon as I-" Remi was thrown back as the man activated his ability and threw a punch at her. She dodged it, jumping into the air. "Hey, relax! I don't want to fight you!"
"Too bad. You can't evade forever kid." Blyke and Isen stood on the rooftops, watching the fight from afar.
"What the hell? Who do they think they are?" Blyke said angrily.
"You've got no choice Remi," Isen said, "Attack now and ask questions later." Remi nodded and positioned herself to fight. She ducked and weaved through them, beating them easily. At best, her attackers were mid-tiers and posed no threat. A woman activated her ability, allowing her hair to grow and shoot at Remi, trying to restrain her.
"How dare you barge in and attack us like this! I'll rip you apart!" the woman yelled. Remi didn't say a word. She moved her hands and grabbed the long locks of hair, letting the electricity travel down. The woman stood, shocked, before falling and releasing Remi. She landed gracefully, and stared at the last man who was standing dead in the eye.
"Great, now say something cool." Isen suggested over the mic.
"Uh," Remi said softly, thinking. "Run. I dare you." Isen punched the air gleefully. The blonde man fell to the ground in fear.
"Stay- STAY BACK!" Remki ignored this and walked towards him, crouching down.
"Tell me, where can I-"
"HEY, KID." Remi turned immediately to see the man who was attacking the blue haired woman from earlier now holding that same woman with his hand at her throat. "Put him down or else I crush her throat." The woman was sobbing, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry X-Rei!" With no other choice, Remi deactivated her ability and tossed the man aside.
"Good." the man said, "Now leave this town and don't come back."
"Please X-Rei. I know you mean well but it's best to just leave. You can't make a difference here. Don't waste your time on people like us when you can do so much more." Remi shook her head.
"I'm not going anywhere until this Waldo case is settled." The man grew angrier and angrier.
"Hey, don't test my patience! This is your last warning!" Blyke's energy beam shot through his knees, causing him to fall. "GAHHH! F**K!"
"Moron." Blyke said, pleased. The blue-haired woman ran away as soon as he fell, coughing. Remi turned back around to face the blonde man. "You've got nothing left to hide behind. Tell me, where's Waldo."
"I can't tell you!" Remi tilted her head in question. "He'll ruin us! He got strong all of a sudden and it went to his head, and now he's threatening to kill our families. Please just let me go, I haven't seen my wife in weeks!" She was shocked. From just a level 2.8, this man had managed to take control over a whole town.
"I came all this way to help you and you just want me to leave? He's taking everything away from you and you're gonna do nothing? Grow some balls! Fight back!"
"What's the use in fighting? He'll crush you, just like everyone else."
"No! What he's doing is wrong, so I don't care how strong he is. I won't lose to him."
Chapter 11 (1235 words)
anna's A/N: hi :D
this took longer than I thought it would ;-; . this chapter was mostly a recap of episode 97 so I plan on leaving this on a tiny cliff and going back to john and sera, but I don't really know yet. as always, thank you for reading! happy holidays, merry christmas, and hope you have a great new year too!
♥