Cord

  I held my breath as she vanished from the battlefield. No one was left in the fight, and the remaining superhuman was approaching death. Perhaps if someone could help her quickly, then she could be saved. I looked around at the hunters who had paused their efforts. None of them would do anything like that.

  My thoughts were spacey. I was surprised my words had worked. Even more so when the evolver hadn’t stopped her. Perhaps he could in the future if she tried that again. Wherever they were, I hoped she would be safe. At the very least, she could escape.

  That was a worry for later. The aftermath hung over the battlefield. Now was the time to evacuate and for the groups to reconvene elsewhere. I didn’t step closer as Christian approached me.

  I looked back over the ruined city block, the blackened rubble spread out before me like a wasteland. The smell of smoke burnt metal, and something else—something almost acrid, almost metallic—still hung heavy in the air. A few scattered figures moved in the distance, the surviving hunters regrouping. But I just stood there, fists clenched, rooted to the spot.

  I’d spent months telling myself I knew the difference between the heroes and the villains, the good and the bad. Superhumans had always fit neatly into one category for me, making things easier. Cleaner. But tonight? Watching those heroes—watching her—I felt that certainty slipping through my fingers, falling apart as completely as the city block in front of me.

  “Cord,” Christian’s voice pulled me back. “We’re leaving. You coming?”

  I looked at him, and for a second, I couldn’t say a thing. What was I supposed to say? That something felt different, and I didn’t know why. That, maybe for the first time, I didn’t want to look away from the wreckage and pretend it was just another day’s work.

  He shook his head, grumbling. “Don’t get lost in that head of yours. We need to get out before a force we can’t deal with comes here. We are lucky that the guy didn’t reach us, but we will be ready for them both next time.”

  “How much are we really helping?” I asked more to myself than him.

  He looked at me like I’d lost my mind, brow furrowed. “What the hell are you talking about?”

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  “Christian.” I forced the words out, my voice low. “Maybe we’ve got this all wrong. We didn’t kill any superhumans today. The evolving villain did that for us. Before that, who did we deal with? Not the superhumans actively destroying our world. They were washed-up heroes.”

  “Did you see them?” I asked, my voice sounding distant, even to me. “The heroes. They didn’t run. They didn’t cut their losses and save their skins. They knew they’d lose, but they fought anyway.”

  Christian rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I saw them. And look where it got them. Dead or as good as. What’s your point?”

  I let out a breath, rubbing a hand over my face. “They’re not like us, Christian. They’re… trying. They’re putting everything on the line to make something better, even if it’s hopeless. And we’re just watching. Sitting on the sidelines, cleaning up the mess.”

  Christian scowled, his jaw clenched. “That’s the job, Cord. It doesn’t matter whether they are in the middle of the battlefield or resting in their home. Within minutes, if not faster, they level buildings if we aren’t there to get rid of them.”

  “I just don’t see it like that anymore. It is not as black and white as you make it out to be. I will look for another way to help us humans but killing a few superhumans will never be it. Or at least I don’t think so.”

  Christian’s face twisted in frustration. “You think we’re just killing for the sake of it? Are we not doing this to protect people? Is that it?”

  “If we’re protecting anyone, why does it keep happening?” My words came out harsher than I intended. “Every time we take one down, another one shows up. Stronger. Smarter. More dangerous. It never ends. Maybe we’re just… prolonging the inevitable.”

  Christian’s feet shifted, his hands flexing at his sides as he swallowed hard. “The inevitable destruction of humanity perhaps. You’re losing it, man. You’re talking like—”

  I exhaled slowly, the tension in my body loosening just a fraction. “I don’t know what the answer is… but I know this isn’t it. I can’t keep doing this. Not like this.”

  Christian’s eyes hardened, but there was something else there, something that flickered briefly before disappearing behind the mask of anger and frustration. “Then what? You’re just going to walk away? Leave all of this behind?”

  I didn’t respond immediately. Instead, I looked past Christian towards the horizon, where the flames burned softly in the distance. I could feel the weight of my words and thoughts, but for the first time in what felt like forever, it didn’t feel wrong.

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” I said, my voice steadying. “But I’m not walking away. I’m just… finding a different path.”

  Christian scoffed, shaking his head. “Good luck with that. You’ll be back. You always come back. Because when it comes down to it, you know this is where you belong.”

  My expression didn’t change. I just offered a slight nod. “Maybe. But not today.”

  The only path around us is one of destruction,” Christian shouted as I walked away. “The only question is who will deal the final blow.”