• 3

    Boss was sitting on a bench, smoking. I sighed, he could never stop. Once he saw me, he started dialing a number.
    “You can come now,” that was all he said.
    “What’s up, Boss?” I asked him. I acted like he never done anything to me.
    “Just wait till she comes.”
    Exactly like him, always giving brief summaries. I sat behind a large oak tree and waited for the unknown person. We waited in silence. Several minutes passed.
    I heard a car pull up. I didn’t bother to look who the stranger was.
    “Where is he?” a familiar voice inquired Boss.
    Was that Min?
    “At least let her see your face,” Boss said.
    I stood and turned toward the girl.
    “Dane?” she was stunned like she didn’t believe who she was seeing.
    “Min? Why are you here?” I took a peek of Boss’s reaction. It was amusement.
    “You’re telling me that Dane is the Black Shadow?” Min doubted.
    I glared at Boss, “None of the cops get to know and she does?”
    Boss ignored my furious exclaim.
    “Dane, if you’re really the Black Shadow, prove it,” Min challenged, “Use your power that everyone is afraid of.”
    “I can’t, not now.”
    “See? You aren’t the Black Shadow. Well, at least you know about the Perishers. I thought that only the cops and the people who work for Captain Lin know them.”
    “What’s wrong with using it, Dane?” Boss butted in the conversation.
    I closed my eyes in frustration. I shoved my right wrist into is face so he could see it.
    “I can’t use it because of this!” I pointed at the bracelet, “You drained all my energy yesterday! I’m useless right now. You should know that!” I yelled at him.
    “At least turn on a street lamp. That should be easy for you,” Boss said.
    That was easy. But could I do it now when I had no energy at all to produce any electricity?
    “That won’t impress me,” Min pouted, “Destroy something.”
    Gahh! She got on my nerves so much!
    “What do you want me to do?” my anger was swelling, “Destroy you?”
    Min glowered at me.
    “Forget it, Boss. She’s never going to believe,” I told him, “Why do you want to tell her anyways?”
    “I thought a partner would be nice.”
    “A partner?! I don’t need a partner! Especially when it’s Min!” I was outraged. I needed to calm myself. Stupid Perisher feelings, they make you mad so easily. Then you really want to destroy something. It could be disastrous.
    “She’s a Perisher. She will be cooperative.”
    “Yeah, right,” I said sarcastically. I rushed out of the park and headed home.

    4

    When my clock ticked to midnight, the machine was in my ear again. My black coat was worn and my mask was on. I was on the roof of a bank where I suspected a Perisher to have the briefcase.
    “Any notices of the briefcase, Boss?”
    “There’s a Perisher near the National City building. Get there before the cops come,” Boss urged.
    “Thanks.” I appreciated the information, “Do you know what power he has?”
    “This guy won’t be hard. From the cops, they say he can teleport himself and objects. Make sure you get the briefcase, or you’ll ruin my good mood,” Boss recalled to me, “Watch out for Min.”
    Is Min following me? Why do you have to do this to me, Boss?
    “Who’s there?” I called out quietly, hoping it wouldn’t be Min that would greet me.
    The air moved. I shifted to my left. Right where I was crouching, a knife was held by Min’s hand gradually appeared. She really was a Perisher.
    “What was that for?!” I hissed, “Are you trying to kill me?”
    “Oh, it’s Black Shadow!” there was fear in her eyes.
    “Of course!” I was bewildered at her statement, “You still don’t believe that I’m Dane?” I finally realized why she didn’t say my name.
    “Take your mask off,” Min insisted.
    “Seriously, Min. Have some faith,” I slid the mask down and I immediately put it back on once I saw her astonished expression but there was also joy, “Go home. You finally know who I am now. Don’t tell anyone either. I hope Boss told you that.”
    “I’m not leaving!”
    “Shh!” her voice was getting too loud, “Be quiet! Don’t you hear the police sirens? They’re searching for the briefcase, too. They hear us, they’re shooting guns.”
    “It’s not like you would have a big problem with it anyways.”
    “True.”
    I started to head off toward the National City building, jumping from building to building. Min was still following me.
    “Go home.”
    “Can’t. Boss told me to help you,” she said smugly.
    “Darn Boss, I want to kill him so badly,” I seethed, “If only I could break this stupid bracelet, I’d be free.”
    “Boss never put it on me.”
    “Then why did you even agree to serve him like a slave?” I questioned.
    “None of you business,” Min snapped.
    I spotted a Perisher when I neared the National City building. I leaped off of Starbuck’s Coffee’s roof and I bolted through the midnight darkness and I tailed him.
    “Get out of my way,” I told Min.
    “No way, I’m defiantly coming to help.”
    I glowered at her, but obviously, she couldn’t see my frown.
    “You’re too much of a disturbance. I’m going to tell Boss to get rid of you.”
    She turned invisible, “I won’t disturb you now.”
    I rolled my eyes.
    I suddenly stopped when I saw police cars surrounding the Perisher with the briefcase. Cars were a lot faster than jumping, or course. I hid in the shadows of the trees that were about a hundred feet away from the scene. Min rustled next to me doing to same thing.
    “We’ll never get the briefcase when all the police are here,” I heard Min whine.
    “Shut up!”
    Surprisingly, she did.
    I turned back to watch what was happening. All of the cop’s guns were pointed at the Perisher. They were prepared to shoot. A woman as chief cop demanded the Perisher to give the briefcase or they would shoot. He did not let the briefcase go. His body glowed of blue, he was about to use his power. The chief told her cops to shoot, but the Perisher had already teleported somewhere else.
    “Teleportation?” Min grumbled, “No fair, we’ll never get him.”
    “Go home if you keep complaining,” I snapped.
    My sharp eyes saw the Perisher appear suddenly to the west of the National City building. I took a risk and several cops saw me run off. Min didn’t have to worry about anything. No one could see her.
    “Someone’s there!” I heard a couple of cops yell.
    “Watch out,” Min said. She was running beside me.
    I bolted faster. I was determined to reach the Perisher before the cops. He was about to disappear into the thick forest. I moved my legs faster. The Perisher was slower than I was. With ten steps left to reach, I took a chance and I leaped forward. My right hand strained out to touch him. I caught hold of his shoulder. Without hesitating, my body shined with blue and a sent a bolt of electricity. His scream pierced the air.
    “Freeze!” the chief cop demanded me. She was standing about twenty feet away, her gun was pointed. She saw everything what I had done to the Perisher. If she was chief, then she must be smart enough to figure out that I was the Black Shadow. Min was still invisible, probably amazed that I was caught.
    My right hand hovered over the briefcase. I gazed up to see a terrified chief staring at me. I didn’t follow the chief’s commands and grabbed the briefcase. The gun cracked as I tried to flee.
    My mask shattered into pieces. The police gasped and I knew they were doing the best they could to see my true face. For eight years of chasing me, they finally got the mask to break. My left hand flew up to my face, desperately trying to cover the characteristics of my appearance. I fled before they could get a good look of who I was. The police were all too shocked to move.
    As I headed back toward the park with Min trailing behind me, my thought was: Boss is going to kill me.

    5

    Boss lifted up his old, wrinkly hand and slapped me across the face. My cheek stung when he lifted his hand off. I saw Min make a stupefied expression. Without saying anything, he took the briefcase from my hand and set it on a park bench. He opened it slightly so that he was hiding its contents from me. Boss smiled a wicked smile as he inspected it.
    Turning to face me, he said, “I’ll just hope that the cops will arrest you if you revealed your face,” Boss sneered, “Go home, I’ll call you later if I have another mission from Captain Lin.”
    “One favor, Boss,” I said, “I don’t need Min. I’m fine alone.”
    “Dane!” Min protested.
    I rushed out the park. I didn’t want to stay any longer with my wretched companions.
    Closing the door of the house, I slumped against it in irritation. Why did Min have to come? She ruined everything. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate at all. I trudged into the bathroom and I stared at the reflection of myself. The color of my skin was pale as a ghost. A red streak shown brightly from the slap that Boss gave me. My long messy black hair made bangs over my forehead. The dark eyes bored into mine.
    I turned the sink on and I splashed the cool water over my face. When I saw the bracelet on my wrist, it made my temper rise. I wanted to pull it off, but I knew it would only damage my body. If only I could get the darn bracelet off, I would be free to roam the world just like a normal Perisher. But no, Boss just had figure out who I was during my high school years and forced the bracelet on me. I’m a slave. Treated like a slave. Ordered like a slave. My life as a Perisher was destroyed once Boss met my eyes.

    6

    My phone rang and I flipped it open immediately, a call from Boss in a pleasant, sunny afternoon. It wouldn’t be once I would hear Boss’s voice.
    “What problem do we have again?” I asked tiredly.
    Boss grunted, “You’re not arrested yet?”
    “Don’t count on that, Boss. I don’t want to get caught and I won’t.”
    “Captain Lin has another job for you.”
    “What is it, another briefcase?”
    “No, it’s the usual.”
    “Where are the Perishers raiding this time?” I grabbed my black coat and I pressed the tiny machine which transformed the flexible coat into a little square, small enough to fit in a large pocket. I appreciated Boss’s extra features of whatever he gave me.
    “They’re raiding the mall.”
    “Huh? The mall? Why?”
    “None of your business,” Boss snapped. Just like always, “You don’t need to know anything. You’re just supposed to follow my commands.”
    “Hey, Boss. Do you have a spare mask?” my voice was wary.
    “Yeah, come to the park before you go.”

    “It’s the same decoration. And be happy that I made it bullet proof,” Boss shoved the mask into my arms.
    “Um… Thanks,” I said, “Did you get rid of Min yet?”
    “You’re staying with Min,” Boss growled.
    “She’s such a bother.”
    “You’re staying with Min,” Boss repeated.
    “Boss! You know that Min pisses the crap out of me!” I was getting annoyed, “Min gets on my nerves. I can never concentrate when she’s around. I also wouldn’t be able to finish any missions while she’s tagging along all the time!”
    “Deal with it, Dane.”
    “I can’t. Min is like hell to me.”
    Boss shot me an angry glare.
    Min suddenly appeared. She was invisible the whole time, listening to our conversation. She marched in front of me and her head had to tilt up to look at me in the eye. She wasn’t mad at all, which was unexpected. Her expression was full of sadness.
    “Dane, I can’t leave you. Not when you can die any moment.”
    “I’ve been doing this for eight years, Min,” my tone was flat. I knew what she was getting into.
    “Love is a blind feeling,” Min’s cheeks started to turn pink. Oh God, she was really blushing.
    “I don’t have time for this, Min. You know I have no feelings for you,” I said coldly.
    “But I do,” Min insisted.
    “What’s with this, Boss?” I was getting really angry, “Min’s a slave, too. Just like me. How come you get to grant her wishes?”
    “She’s my daughter,” Boss was smoking again.
    “No way! I have to admit, but Min’s too pretty to be your daughter,” Boss must be joking. Boss could not be Min’s father. No relationship seemed to connect. Min’s long dark brown hair, her chocolate eyes and her smooth peach face was nothing like Boss’s zit covered face.
    “I’m a legal guardian.” he was used to this. I insulted him about his ugliness all the time.
    “That makes more sense,” I muttered.
    “I’m defiantly going to help you, Dane,” Min said.
    “Forget it. If you’re going to follow me, I’m just going to ignore you the whole time,” I snarled, “I’m going to the mall now,” I hurried out of the park with furious feet pounding on the ground. In my pockets contained my black coat and the new bullet proof mask. A long rolled up wire was hidden in my coat. My strongest weapon.

    7
    Gabrielle Gall

    I strolled along the sidewalk with nothing to do. My police uniform was replaced by a dark green sweater and jeans covered my long, skinny legs. I had taken a day off from work. I wanted to be in the police station, but Captain Lin had forced me to have a relaxing day. How could I when the Black Shadow had the briefcase in his hands?
    “Gaby!” the voice must be my assistant. She cried out on joy when she saw me, “Captain Lin let me take a day off, too!”
    I just nodded.
    “We’ll get the briefcase that Captain Lin needs, don’t worry!” the assistant assured when she saw my distracted expression.
    “Really? Even when the Black Shadow has the briefcase?” I doubted, “I don’t think so, Aimee.”
    Gah, don’t be so negative!” Aimee complained, “We have the whole day to ourselves! Let’s have some fun!” Her eyes sparkled.
    “No! I’m not going to go shopping!” I knew what she was going to do.

    “C’mon Gaby! At least try this on!”
    “You’ve already made me where 32 different dresses. No more!” I demanded. My eyes wandered when Aimee kept persuading me to where the purple satin dress that she held up.
    My eyes started toward the couple sitting on a bench. They looked really uncomfortable. The black haired man, also pale faced kept gritting his teeth like he was trying to hold his temper back. The woman had a sheepish face and she glanced at the angry man nervously every few seconds.
    The man looked up to see me staring at him. I immediately turned away. His eyes were so cold and uncaring; they seemed to be glaring at me. But in my opinion, if he could soften up, he would really make a handsome man.
    “What’s wrong, Gaby?” Aimee asked.
    “Hm? It’s nothing,” I said.
    Aimee dragged me over to another stand of dresses. But I was distracted. I kept looking for the uncomfortable couple.
    The man had his cell phone in his ear, as he closed it; he suddenly stood up and walked away from the woman. She cried out to wait for her and took hold of his hand. She let go when the man glowered at her in complete rage. He ran off. At the same time, I heard screams and shouts coming all over the mall. I dropped her gaze from the couples.
    “What’s happening?” I looked around for the screams frantically.
    Aimee stared upward in terror. Her mouth was gaping open. I followed her gaze and I was stunned to see about 30 feet away, two men recklessly killing the people in their way. One of them held a gun the other was a Perisher. When his body glowed, fire erupted from the ground.
    A Perisher saw me, he gestured the other man where she was. Both of them rushed toward her.

    8
    Dane Mandel

    Acting like a human when you’re a Perisher is hard. We think, act, and move differently than humans. We never smile or laugh. All our feelings are never cheerful. The only feeling that helps us feel like we have a life is love. Getting angry is high on the list. We never eat. Our sight and hearing are much better than humans. We’re faster and a lot stronger, we also jump higher and farther.
    I was sitting on a bench with Min who kept glancing at me in shame. I gritted me teeth in anger. Just looking at her made my temper rise. I waited for Boss’s call. The signal to tell me the Perishers were here.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I felt someone was staring at me ceaselessly. I looked up to see the chief cop gazing at me. She immediately turned away in horror. Did she know who I was? My eyes followed her. There was another woman who dragged her and forced her to try on several dresses. The chief cop was distracted. It appeared like she was still searching for me.
    My phone buzzed in my pocket. Knowing that Boss called, I answered it.
    “Dane, two men are coming in about one minute,” he warned me, “There’s only one Perisher. The other only has a gun.”
    “One question, why is the chief cop here?”
    There was a pause.
    “Make sure she stays alive,” Boss gave no explanation, just a command. He hung up.
    Getting up, I looked for a place where I could get my mask on without the chief cop seeing me. I need my coat, too. It held my important weapon. I started to run off, but Min took hold of my hand. My whole body tensed. Min felt it; she loosened her hold a little bit. I turned to face her in rage. She let go instantly.
    Suddenly, a gun cracked. Screams and shouts came from all directions. They were here already? I spotted them about 50 feet away. Flames erupted wherever the Perisher looked. The human shot innocent people who were in his way. I soon realized that they were after the chief cop. They kept inching toward her. I didn’t have time to put my mask on. But that also meant that I couldn’t use any of my electricity, or the chief cop would know who I was. Boss had commanded to keep her alive. I needed to do that. The people in the mall scattered when the two men rushed forward to the chief cop.
    “Where’s the briefcase?” the Perisher had reached up to her. I lurked in the stands of dresses. Min was probably following me, being invisible.
    “I don’t have it,” the chief cop said firmly.
    “Where is it?!” the Perisher started to glow blue. I walked closer.
    “I don’t have it!” the chief cop repeated, “Go meet the Black Shadow! He’s the one who has it!”
    “What? The Black Shadow?” the Perisher grinned.
    “Doesn’t that mean…?” the man nervously asked.
    “Yes, that does!” the Perisher didn’t need him to finish his question.
    The man grimaced.
    “Well, the chief cop is no use now,” the Perisher smiled wickedly, “You can kill her.”
    “Yes, sir.” he lifted up his gun and prepared to shoot. The woman who was with the chief cop was paralyzed in dread.
    “Sorry, chief,” the Perisher mocked.
    I tensed. As the gun cracked, I flew out from the stands of dresses and I crashed into the chief cop. She screamed as she fell to the ground. But the bullet still hit. A couple feet away Min appeared from her invisibility. Her hand clutched to her stomach. Blood poured from the wound.
    “Min!”
    “No, she’s a Perisher! Don’t trust her!” the chief cop grasped my hand. She had seen her turn back to visibility.
    Min knelt down to her knees.
    “Kill them all!” the Perisher yelled.
    No! I needed my weapon! But there was no time!

    9

    “Freeze!”
    Both of them stopped their kill. I felt the chief cop relax. She was still holding onto my hand. I was still in attack mode.
    “Kill the Perisher immediately! Right know!” she shouted to the cops that started surrounding us.
    His body already was already glowing blue. The cops didn’t need anymore encouragement, the guns cracked. The rest of the police handcuffed the man with the gun and shoved him away.
    “Chief, are you okay?” a cop came running toward her. She let go of my hand reluctantly. I hurried over to Min while the chief cop had her conversation.
    I propped her up in my arms. She was unconscious. I tore part of my shirt and wadded it up. I pressed it on her wound, trying to stop the blood. I picked her up and I blotted to the entrance of the mall. I slowed down to a human pace so none of the cops would be suspicious.
    “Hey, wait up!” the chief cop called out.
    I turned around.
    “Thank you,” she blushed, “Thanks for risking your life.”
    I nodded.
    “I’m Gabrielle Gall,” she was about to shake my hand, but then noticed that my hands were occupied by Min, “I don’t really know how to explain this, but your girlfriend isn’t someone you can trust.”
    “What do you mean?” I pretended to be confused.
    “I’m sorry, ignore me. Just watch out.”
    “By the way, I’m Nick Stroud,” I lied.
    “Nice to meet you, Nick. I hope we’ll see you some other time!” She ran off. What a weird cop.
    “Dane…” Min was awake.
    “Hey, I’ll get you to Boss soon. Just hold on.” I told her, I paused at the entrance of the mall.
    Blood trickled down her lips.
    “Min, stay alive!” I demanded.
    She smiled weakly.
    Swearing, I dashed to the park where I hoped Boss was. I didn’t care if humans saw me run in an alien speed. I barged into Boss’s sight, panting.
    “Make Captain Lin get an ambulance!” I shouted.
    He glanced up at me as he smoked.
    “Let her die.”
    “What?! You just let your daughter that you cared for die?!” I yelled at him in disbelief. Min was not listening, she was unconscious again.
    “You were the one who whined about separating yourself from Min!” Boss shot back.
    “She’s your daughter! You just let her die without doing anything to prevent it?!”
    “Go do it yourself if you want to so badly!” he snarled.
    I was taken back. What kind of guardian was this? But then, Boss was always like this, he never showed feeling to others. I set her down in the grass. I only tried to save her because Boss would probably get furious at me. With my hands in my pockets, I walked out of the park calmly, heading towards home. In the corner of my eye, Boss did not show any expression at all.

    10

    I hade hoped that Boss would be at the park, but no one was there. Min was probably dead. My feeling was unexpected: I felt sorrow. Was it just because I couldn’t feel happiness that Min was gone?
    Slumping onto a bench, my forehead rested on my knees. I was in complete boredom, the last time Boss didn’t have a mission for me was about a year ago. My sharp ears heard someone’s feet pattering toward me. The person was not Boss. He had a slow moving pace that fit his fat legs. I didn’t bother to look up. No sense of curiosity urged me to tilt my head up.
    “Nick?” it was the chief cop, her voice matched perfectly with my memories of her tone.
    My eyes scanned her face. Gray metal rimmed glasses fit on her small, skinny nose. Her dirty blond colored hair was tied into a ponytail. Her bright blue eyes sparkled.
    “Hey,” my voice sounded torn into pieces.
    Her eyes saddened, “Is your girlfriend dead?”
    I stared at her. Her question was unexpected to me.
    “Um, yeah,” I knew my expression seemed blank to her. What was a human’s reaction supposed to be right now?
    “I’m sorry,” her tone had a hint of confusion. What was she sorry for?
    She sat down next to me. What was I supposed to say now?
    “Are you here a lot?” she asked, trying to get a conversation going.
    “Yes.”
    “Very peaceful, isn’t it? No one comes here either. You can’t hear noises of traffic, too.”
    I nodded in agreement.
    “Aren’t you chief cop?” I noticed her uniform was not on.
    “Yes, of course,” she didn’t understand my question, “Oh, you mean why I’m not at work?”
    I nodded again.
    “Our captain is letting everyone having a day off today. I don’t understand why. Things are so tense and I can’t believe that she doesn’t want anyone to work with her right now.”
    Was Boss dealing with Captain Lin right now? Is that why nothing is happening?
    “You have a day off, have some fun,” I couldn’t believe I said that. I barely even knew what “fun” really was.
    “That’s exactly what my assistant said,” she sighed. She looked upset. Did I do something wrong? Ugh…this was complete failure, “I saw you sitting here, so I decided to have a little chat. I hope you don’t mind.”
    “It’s fine.”
    She suddenly gasped. She gawked at my right wrist. Did she figure out I was a Perisher?! I thought Captain Lin only knew about the bracelet! My left hand clasped onto the bracelet. I got up quickly and slowly backed away from her.
    “RUN!!” the chief cop shrieked.
    Huh? What was she talking about? I turned around.
    “I found you!”
    Crap! It was a Perisher! Why did they have to come when a human was watching me?! Even if she did understand what the bracelet meant, I would still have to try to pretend to be a normal human.
    But the Perisher wasn’t going after me. He was going after Gaby. His body glowed of blue as he charged toward her. I flung myself in front of him.
    “Get out of my way!!” he roared. He used his power on me.
    He smashed me onto the ground with inhuman force. Several of my ribs broke. His right arm pinned me onto the ground. It felt like he was crushing my stomach. Was this his power? Unlimited strength? Struggling was useless. His meaty left hand grabbed my throat. He squeezed it mercilessly. My lungs couldn’t grasp any air. With all the energy I tried to muster, I raised my right hand onto the one that choked me. He didn’t let go. I needed air, but there was none.

    11

    “Caleb, how could you be so careless?!”
    “He’s still alive!”
    “He doesn’t seem like he’s breathing at all.”
    “Yes he is! You know I broke his ribs, too.”
    “How could you do so much damage to him? You know we need to gather them as much as we can!”
    “Look! He’s breathing!”
    Was I? I still felt like there was no air to breathe.
    “I hope he’s strong.”
    “Sure didn’t seem like it when I tried to kill him. He didn’t even do anything.”
    “He was probably forced to protect her.”
    “And not show his powers?”
    “Must be.”
    Silence overcame the talkers. I still tried to grasp reality. But it seemed that my lungs were clogged up.
    “How much longer, Sarah?”
    “Soon.”
    How long was soon?! I wanted to breathe!
    “You seriously screwed his lungs, Caleb. He’s been out for hours.”
    “I get it already! Shut up!”
    My lungs were finally working. I gasped out, hungrily breathing in fresh air. It hurt to take in air, though. My ribs were still broken. My eyes fluttered open to see six people surrounding me.
    “God, he finally opened his eyes.”
    “Where am I?” where the heck was this place?! They brought me to some little crappy cabin. They had laid me down on bumpy, dirt ground.
    “We ask the questions first,” the guy left of me demanded, “Are you a Perisher?”
    Could I trust these people? They seemed to be Perishers, too.
    “Yes,” I replied.
    “Prove it.”
    I stiffened. If I showed them, they would know I was the Black Shadow. All Perishers have a different power.
    “No,” I refused.
    “Hey, dude,” he was already getting angry. This guy really had some temper problems, “you show us, and we’ll get you free from whatever master you have.”
    Wah…? That’s not possible. There was no way to break the bracelet. But then, he looked really serious. There was nothing more I really wanted.
    He saw me pondering, “We need to accept you first. By seeing how strong you are. If you are, you’ll be free.”
    “I can’t now,” I lied, “Not when I can’t even stand.”
    “You can’t even do anything?”
    “No.”
    “How useless,” he muttered.
    I gritted my teeth. I wanted to blow him up right now. But couldn’t let him know that was the Black Shadow.
    “Let me heal.”
    He glared at me. His body started to glow blue.
    “Jack, calm down. At least let him heal,” Caleb put his hand on his shoulder.
    “We need more Perishers!”
    “We know that. Let him heal, maybe he is very powerful.”
    Jack growled.
    “Sarah, how long?”
    “Give him three days.”
    “Three?! That’s longer than a Perisher should take!”
    “I almost killed him, Jack.”
    Jack stomped out of the small cabin. Everyone else left except for Caleb.
    “Hey, I’m really sorry about this,” he looked sheepishly at me.
    “It’s fine. Perishers heal fast, don’t they?” I assured.
    “Not when someone tries to kill you,” he muttered and he walked out of the cabin.


    12

    “Get back from where you are!!”
    Crap! That was Boss’s voice coming from the bracelet. The bracelet could locate wherever I was, too. I was wondering why Boss hadn’t done anything. Caleb had stayed with me since everyone else left (what a nice guy). He scrambled up from where he was sitting and bolted out the cabin leaving me in fright.
    “Dane, get back here!”
    I winced. I didn’t respond.
    The familiar pain crashed down on me. I screamed and I withered on the ground. My only a day healed lungs made the pain worse. An unknown girl dashed in the cabin. She knelt down next to me. I clenched my teeth, trying not to scream in pain. Her hand shined with bright blue. What was she doing?! Making it even worse?! She touched the bracelet and it split into two pieces.
    It broke. The pain stopped. I was finally free.
    “What did you do?” I gasped in wonder.
    “Isn’t it obvious? That’s my power. I split things in half,” she replied.
    “But it’s supposed to be impossible to break. If somehow it did, my boss said I would die.”
    She snorted, “That was just a threat.”
    “What?! So I could’ve just used my…” I trailed off. I couldn’t let them know yet.
    “Yes,” she didn’t need me to finish my question, “Caleb couldn’t do it because he would have broken your wrist in the process.”
    “Well, thanks,” I muttered. I couldn’t believe how dumb I was.
    “No problem,” she nodded, “Let me warn you Dane Mandel. Jack has a nasty temper. All he cares about is the Shards, which means more Perishers. He needs to collect them soon. So heal quickly and impress him, before he loses his calm and kills you. Beware of his power. I don’t think anyone would be able to defeat him. Maybe the Black Shadow would…”
    “What is a Shard?”
    Her black eyebrows rose slightly, “You don’t know? You’re quite an idiot.”
    I frowned. I was about to ask her how she knew my name, but I didn’t want her to insult me more. Her glasses, the freckles that dotted her nose, and that she was Asian made her look like a nerd. If I asked, I would seem more of an idiot her. Even though Caleb had been with me for 24/7, he never asked for my name. I didn’t bother to tell him.
    “I guess I have to tell you,” she sighed, “There’re two Shards. One is the Shard of Humans; the other is the Shard of Perishers. Jack is looking for the Shard of Humans because if we destroy that, all humans shall die. Obviously, the cops are looking for the Shard of Perishers and if they destroy that…well, Perishers will become extinct. The police have the information were the Shards are located. So the Perishers that Jack had gathered are split into two groups. One group is to search for the Shard of Humans while the other group is to try to steal the information that the police has.”
    Shock came as the information went through my brain. I was the one who had given the briefcase to Boss which held the location of the Shards. And Boss had given the briefcase to Captain Lin. It was my fault that the Perishers were being threatened to die.
    “Do you have any idea where the Shard of Perishers is?” I asked.
    “Somewhere down south of America. We don’t have any idea where the Shard of Humans is.”
    I’m definitely helping them. Every single Perisher would die if I didn’t. But was it right to kill every single human?
    “I better get going. I’m supposed to take offense tonight.”
    “Your name?” I inquired as she stepped out of the door.
    She hesitated, “Megan Vacanti,” she pushed the wooden door and walked out.
    Vancanti?! Min had a sister? Did she know she was dead?
    Once Megan was gone, Caleb came bursting in. I have never seen a Perisher work so hard on friendship.
    “Dane! Are you okay?” How did he know my name, too!?
    “How does everyone my name?”
    He stared blankly at me.
    “We have Dolls, of course,” his voice sounded like it was really obvious.
    What the heck are Dolls? I really felt like an idiot. Boss never told me about this! But then, he never would.
    “What are Dolls?” I asked sheepishly.
    “Dolls are sort of like us. But there powers aren’t offensive. One of our Dolls knows the identity of every person.”
    I tensed. Did that mean they knew I was the Black Shadow?
    “They don’t have any feelings whatsoever,” he added.
    I nodded.
    “By the way, Jack’s getting impatient. Hurry up on healing before he destroys everything,” he rolled his eyes at the thought. He pushed the door open and said, “I can’t stay. I’m working with some issues from the police tonight. Actually, everyone is. You don’t mind staying alone, right?”
    “Its fine,” I assured.
    “Sorry,” he walked out.
    I’ve never seen a Perisher so nice before. I couldn’t help not to be nice back. Could Perishers really gain happiness one day?

    13

    “The slow healer finally comes out,” Jack was leaning against the cabin’s wall. I had cautiously stepped out of the cabin after the three boring days.
    I glared. He was the complete opposite of Caleb.
    He smirked, “I almost decided to kill you instead. Be fortunate that Caleb saved you life.”
    I gritted my teeth. Jack really pissed me off. I wasn’t the greatest at keeping my temper in control either. I couldn’t help it, my right hand started to glow blue.
    “You wanna fight?” he sneered, “I have no problem with that. It’s suicide, Dane.”
    I snarled. No, I had to keep control. I couldn’t let him know who I was. The glow became faint. Jack noticed and I swear he looked disappointed. What kind of man was he? Even if Perishers were aggressive, it wasn’t like we wanted to fight. He even looked evil. His eyes reminded me of the unlimited pain as punishment. His casual T-shirt revealed his arms which were covered in scars. There were open cuts, too. Did he like to cut himself for fun?!
    “Here’s my test so I know which group I should put you in,” his eyes glinted with excitement, “If you can survive for a minute, you’re in the group. Two minutes, you’re in the search for the Shard of Humans. Three minutes, you’re on offense. Ten minutes, I’ll claim you to be leader. And obviously, if there is a point where you can kill me, you’re leader.”
    Was he that strong? Did he really want to fight so badly?
    “I’ll give you an advantage since I’m so nice,” (yeah, right), “I’ll tell you what my power is,” he pointed to the scars, “When I cut myself, everything that my blood drips on, destroy it.”
    It wasn’t that bad! Why was everyone so afraid of that? Maybe he was really skilled.
    “Just try dodging blood,” he noticed my expression. He brought out a small knife.
    “Do I get to use my weapons?”
    “Of course,” he was completely positive that he wouldn’t lose.
    I reached into my pocket. The square shaped coat went back to its original form. Jack was too dumb to realize what the black coat meant. It didn’t really matter if he did know. He would soon experience the painful electricity. I brought out the wire. It didn’t really look like a dangerous weapon, but my powers could only travel through it.
    Jack frowned. He was even more of an idiot than me.
    “Let’s start,” I said calmly.
    He leaped up with a wild, wicked face, with his knife already on his skin.

    14

    I dodged the flying blood. I would test how strong he was first. I fumbled for my dagger that was in my inside coat pocket. I wouldn’t use my power until I was desperate. I would have to try not to reveal who I was.
    The thick, red blood landed on the grass. Jack glowed blue. Where the blood landed became a hole. If he hit me, I would be dead for sure.
    If I used the dagger, more blood would spurt out. I had to use my power. I stopped searching for the dagger and unrolled the wire.
    “How is a piece of wire going to do anything?” Jack grumbled.
    “I’m going to warn you. If any part of the wire touches you, you’re dead,” I growled.
    “Exactly like my power, isn’t it…” he noticed, “Even though it hasn’t been a minute, you’re in the group. But I still need to know how skilled you are. I need to see what you can do with just a piece of wire.”
    His wounded left arm swung out and dark liquid aimed at me. I sidestepped it easily and the wire whipped out for his arm. He noticed and danced away. Our loud noises made the Perishers gather. I heard someone gasp. The Perisher was probably the brainiac, Megan. I bet she knew who I was.
    Two minutes past.
    Jack sliced his other arm. Two streaks of blood soared toward me. I stepped out of the way for one streak. I knew the other one wouldn’t hit me. But it was very close to splash on my neck. I didn’t expect him to glow blue. The blood that was still floating in the air, exploded. My skin stung. He could make the air crumble, too?
    I quickly grasped the dagger as I thought of a plan. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. There was smoke where the explosion took place. I hoped Jack wouldn’t notice and I cut a little slit on my thumb and I smeared my blood on my cheek.
    “I expected you to last longer!” Jack didn’t notice my plan. He thought that the blood on my face was his.
    I didn’t reply. My wire wrapped around his neck. His reactions weren’t fast enough to dodge it. Both of us shined blue at the same time.
    “Stop!” it was Caleb.
    I did stop and my wire loosened from his neck. But Jack didn’t stop.
    “You’re dead,” his power released.
    Nothing happened. Silenced lingered for a while and Jack burst out in anger.
    “Why is nothing happening?!” he shrieked.
    “It’s my blood, idiot,” I explained. I wiped it off.
    He seethed.
    “Jack, there was a time I could kill you,” I pointed out just in case if he didn’t know, “Even though you said I could be leader if that happened, I don’t want to become one.”
    I heard several Perishers groan. Jack was a bad leader, too, wasn’t he?
    “Jack!” Megan marched up in front of him. I knew she was going to tell him, “Don’t you realize that he’s the Black Shadow?!”
    Every single Perisher gasped, except for Megan and Jack.
    “I don’t believe you,” he said.
    “Hey, Megan knows everything! Don’t argue!” it was an unknown voice.
    I suddenly realized that there weren’t just six Perishers, but there was at least twenty that had gathered. Was there more?
    “Prove it!!” Jack screamed. His arms shuddered. He was trying not to attack.
    “No.”
    His eyes burned with rage.
    “Let Dane have the right to not show you! Be thankful that he didn’t take your place as leader!” Caleb shouted.
    “Shut up! You can’t tell me what I have to do!” he yelled.
    I glared at him. I ran up to him in tremendous speed. My hand seemed to be crackling with electricity. I brought my hand up to his neck.
    “I’ll prove it I’m the Black Shadow!” I whispered to him furiously. His eyes widened. Without hesitance, I released the energy that was building up. Jack crumpled to the ground.
    “Did you kill him?” Megan said faintly.
    “No, of course not,” I replied.
    I lost control. I had given them visual proof that I was the Black Shadow.