Slayde had finished his cup, dropped a crisp twenty-dollar bill onto the table to cover the coffee and the barista's broken pastry rack, and slipped out the kitchen's delivery door just as the front doors were kicked open.He was already walking down the back alley, taking a deep, calm breath of the cool morning air.What followed over the next two hours was a frantic string of failures that drove the mob boss to the absolute brink of insanity. The thugs tore through the district like a swarm of angry hornets, hitting every single spot their informants pointed them toward:The Local Diner: They kicked in the double doors, flipping breakfast tables, only to find a half-eaten plate of bacon still steaming on a booth table near the back exit.The Laundromat: Six thugs barged in, kicking over washing machines, only to catch the faint scent of Slayde's soap brand lingering near an open back door.The Corner Convenience Store: They held the terrified cashier at knifepoint, demandingly aski

The mob leader stood frozen in the dim alley, his hands clutching his shattered sternum, his chest heaving as he tried and failed to pull a single breath into his wheezing lungs.His mouth worked silently, opening and closing like a fish out of water. He stared up at Slayde, his mismatched eyes wide with sheer, unadulterated shock. Three hours of an exhausting chase, an entire crew backing him up, a brass-knuckled fist meant to cave skulls in... and the ex-con had dismissed him with a single, unbothered palm strike.He couldn't speak. He couldn't even form a threat. The crushing reality of Slayde's strength had completely paralyzed him.Seeing their terrifying boss bent double and gasping in agony broke whatever remained of the thugs' courage.CLANG.An iron pipe clattered against the wet pavement.THUD.A baseball bat rolled into the gutter.One by one, the surviving thugs dropped their weapons, their hands shooting straight into the freezing night air. Their knees buckled, hitti

He wore an oversized, neon-yellow leather jacket covered in random, hand-painted smiley faces, half of which had bloody X’s drawn over their eyes, paired with mismatched tartan trousers that flared over his heavy boots.His face was pale, smeared with grease and dried crimson paint around his lips. But his most terrifying features were his eyes: unnaturally wide, bulging like glass marbles, surrounded by dark, hollow circles. He stared unblinkingly at the wall, a wide, unnatural grin stretching across his cheeks until the corners of his mouth seemed ready to tear.He slowly pulled the heavy cleaver away from the sharpening stone, letting out a soft, high-pitched giggle that made the phone's speaker buzz with static."What was that?" the psychopath purred, his voice raspy and dripping with unhinged delight. He tilted his head so far to the side his neck let out a loud, sickening sound.CRACK.His wide, bloodshot eyes gleamed under the harsh purple blacklight humming overhead."He to

It wasn’t a roar.It wasn’t a threat.It was a cold, surgical question that promised immediate violence.Valen’s boastful smirk froze. The words died in his throat, and he flinched, digging his chin back against his collarbone as Nash loomed over him. The bravado he’d just pumped into his chest deflated like a punctured balloon, his violet eye darting nervously between Nash’s stony face and Slayde’s unmoving shadow in the corner."N-no," Valen muttered, his raspy voice suddenly stripped of its booming confidence. A single bead of cold sweat trailed down his neck. "I'm... I'm just telling you how it is.""No, you're not," Nash said coldly. He planted one heavy palm against the steel pillar right beside Valen's head, leaning in close enough for the mob boss to hear him breathe. "You're trying to convince yourself you still have leverage. You don't."Valen swallowed hard, his throat clicking in the quiet garage. The icy water dripping from his chin felt like liquid nitrogen agains

Jinx didn't wait for Slayde to answer.Before the giant could even open his mouth, Jinx tapped the sky-blue barrel of his revolver against Slayde’s chest twice. Letting out a soft, wheezing laugh, he backed up three quick steps with a dramatic, fluid bounce."Ah, actually—don't tell me!" Jinx chirped, waving his free hand dismissively, his neon-yellow jacket swaying with the motion. "I don't even care! The reasons are so boring. People always have little reasons for the silly things they do."He stopped at the edge of the moonlight spilling through the ruined shutter, tilting his head until his vibrant green hair flopped over one eye. His wide, bulging gaze swept over Slayde’s massive shoulders, his broad chest, and the sheer brick-wall presence the giant held without moving a single muscle."Look at you, though..." Jinx whispered, his grin widening until his yellowed teeth caught the dim overhead light. "You really are strong. Big muscles, stone face, breaking thirty guys like they