The bitter cold wind stung his cheeks and seeped into the holes of his threadbare clothes.
He didn't mind. He was happy. Shovelling snow kept him warm and earned him enough money for food for a week, with enough to buy the blanket he had been eyeing in the thrift shop. He'd need that to make it through winter.
The itty bitty little boy practically glowed as he cleared the sidewalk for his final customer for the day.
"Good job, Billy." Mrs Stone, a matronly white haired woman with kindly eyes ruffled the tiny boy's hair and paid him for his hard work. "I made too many sausage rolls. Take some so they won't go to waste," she smiled as she handed him a brown bag as well.
The bag was still hot. He could smell the mouthwatering rolls inside.
"Best day ever," grinned Billy. At least it was the best day he's had since he was forced to be on his own. For the first time in a very long time, he'd go to sleep with warm, yummy food in his stomach, snuggled under the blanket he was going to buy.
As he turned the corner, his heart sank to his feet. Carlo.
The huge, muscular teen grabbed Billy by the collar and lifted him so that his feet dangled off the ground. "You have something that belongs to me."
The gangsta snatched Billy's hard earned money from him and pocketed it.
"I'll have these as well," the teen confiscated Billy's bag of rolls and held it an arm's length from him.
Billy could have transformed there and then but the lightning at such close range would kill the teen. Billy's no killer.
Squirming, Billy tried unsuccessfully to break free. Carlo's grip was too strong.
"Please Carlo. I need the money to buy food to eat and a blanket to keep warm for winter."
A taller, lean wiry teen stepped out from the shadow. He dragged his cigarette as he leaned against the fence. "Sorry kid, we need these for more sticks."
Jax. No one messed with Carlo and Jax and came out unscathed.
Stalking up to the kid with a menacing smile, he blew smoke at the child's face. "So what you're gonna do about it."
"Actually, my daddy said cigarettes are bad for health. You don't need them," Billy replied.
"Wrong answer." Jax punched Billy's gut. The sharp pain had him bend over, only to be pulled upright by Carlo
"Think you're too good for us kiddo?"
Another fist slammed into his ribs, accompanied by a sickening crunch and wrenching pain.
His lungs filled with warm liquid.
Coughing, Billy spat blood.
"Now look what you did," snarled Carl as he stared at his own bloodied shirt.
He slammed Billy's head against the wall and walked off, leaving him for dead.
Play dead. Let them think... His head was woozy. He was..what do you call it? Concussed? Must not sleep. He could barely breathe for the suffocating pain. Was this what dying felt like?
He could not die now. He had responsibilities. He had to protect Fawcett no matter what.
"Shazam," he whispered.
Lightning struck him, filling him with strength, mind boggling power, changing him into Captain Marvel.
The pain was gone. The wounds were all healed. He was better than fine as Captain Marvel but if he were to change back to Billy, would he die?
His ears picked up the screeching of brakes from a distance. A little girl broke away from her mother's grip and dashed across the road, in the path of an oncoming truck.
"Lila!" Screamed her mom as the truck was unable to stop in time.
Swooping in, Captain Marvel snatched the little girl away and returned her unharmed to her mom.
The joy on her mother's face was something Cap would treasure always.
How much longer would Billy live once he changed back?
A cold shudder went down his spine. He was completely new to this and had no idea how his powers worked. So far, the scratches he got as Billy disappeared and never came back when he changed to Cap. But this?
Billy was on the brink of death.
The ground shook. An old building began to crumble.
An entire side, the wall from the ground to the roof of the building was falling. People in and around the building would not make it if he did not buy them time.
Pouring on speed, Cap flew there and caught the wall. It held.
"Run! Get everyone out!" He yelled as he held the building steady so that everyone could leave safely.
Most of the occupants were gone but the Captain's keen ears heard voices within the building.
"Anyone in here?" He cried.
"My bambino!" Cried a lady.
A crawling child fell through a crack of the tenth floor as it split.
Letting go of the wall, Cap sped in and caught the baby and his mom as that part of building collapsed.
The rest of the building shook unsteadily.
"Help me," came a voice that was sickeningly familiar.
Carlo.
There were no other voices save that one. Everyone else was safe.
It would be so easy to ignore his tormentor - To fly away and allow death to take him, but that would be like killing Carlo himself.
Forgive. That's the only way out of the viscious downward spiral.
"Help me, someone,please." Carlo's leg was trapped under a collapsed wall.
Bitterness gnawed at him, at the sight of the teen that beat Billy to the brink of death. Swallowing back his anger, Captain Marvel lifted the wall to free Carlo's broken leg.
From the corner of his eye, he saw packs of cigarettes, an empty brown paper bag and one last half eaten sausage roll on the floor.
"Where did you get this?" He picked up the paper bag and half eaten roll.
Carlo looked away.
"From the kid you robbed and beat up?"
Captain Marvel scrutinized Carlo's guilty face.
"What makes you think?... How would you know?" Carlo stuttered.
"Why would I not know?" Captain Marvel's eyes bore right through the teen.
"The kid's hard earned money meant for his meals and for a blanket so that he could survive this winter, you took from him to spend on cigarettes..."
Forgive.
As much as Captain Marvel wanted to leave Carlos there to be crushed to death as he deserved, he knew he could not.
He picked the teen up like a baby, careful not to aggravate his broken leg and flew him to the hospital as the building collapsed behind them.
He'd kept busy all day. A little old lady struggling with bags of groceries was crossing the road. He carried her groceries as he walked her home.
A pilot lost control of his plane. Captain Marvel caught it and landed it safely in the nearest airport, saving dozens of lives.
The day ended. It was time to change back to Billy and return to his corner in the subway to sleep.
Captain Marvel hesitated. He could stay as Captain Marvel forever and never change back, never feel cold, or hungry.
Or helpless.
Never bleed or die.
But would he lose touch with his humanity?
Did he really want to give up his childhood at the age of ten?
"Shazam," he whispered.
Lightning struck him, draining away his power, transforming him back to Billy.
There was no pain. No bleeding either. He was completely healed. Just very hungry having gone without food for a day. That, he could deal with.
Back in his corner of the abandoned subway, he found waiting for him, a box of sausage rolls and a thick red blanket.
On the box was a little note.