ARMAGEDDON

Chapter 6

Dan's apartment.

Felix paced back and forth in Dan’s small apartment, the place felt eerily quiet, save for the faint hum of the refrigerator and the occasional creak of the floorboards beneath his steps.

“Bro,” Felix said, breaking the silence. “You have to talk to me. You're saying you just set something on fire with your hands. Your hands, dude! How is that not the first thing we’re freaking out about?”

Dan sat slouched on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees, his fingers laced together tightly. He wasn’t looking at Felix; his eyes were glued to the floor. Inside, his mind was a whirlwind of fear, guilt, and confusion.

“I don’t know, man,” Dan finally muttered.“ All that matters now is that Lauren is dying…and I couldn't save her,” he said looking up at him with a grim expression.

Felix blinked, caught off guard. The frustration in his face melted into something softer, almost apologetic. He sat down on the armrest of a nearby chair, his face lined with worry.

“ Come on man. Now you're gonna beat yourself up over something no one in your place would've known what to do about ?” He asked.

Dan shook his head with a sharp voice, “but I should’ve. If I’d been stronger, faster…maybe I could’ve stopped it before she got hurt. Maybe—” His voice cracked, and he clenched his fists until they trembled. “Maybe she wouldn’t be in this mess because of me.”

Felix opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he noticed something. Dan’s fists were faintly glowing. A soft orange light pulsated from under his skin.

“Uh…Dan?” Felix pointed cautiously.

Dan looked down, startled. The glow was faint but unmistakable. He flexed his fingers, and the light dimmed before disappearing entirely. For a moment, both of them sat in stunned silence.

“This is insane,” Felix whispered, adjusting his glasses as he leaned forward. “You have actual powers. Like, legit powers.”

“ The other Dan. He was…cold. Yes he was a crazy butt kicker, but he still looked defeated. Not to mention he's the most pessimistic asshole I have ever met,” Dan said, rubbing his right wrist. He looked up and let out a deep sigh, “ but that's not who I want to be.”

Dan’s lips pressed into a thin line. He then sprung to his feet abruptly and walked towards the window. Looking through the thin curtains at the faint city lights, he could see his reflection staring back at him, resolute.

“ I'm not going to just sit around and wait for those things to come back. I can't lose any of you, Felix. Not Lauren, not you, not anyone,” Dan said.

Felix frowned, confused.

“ Are you saying what I think you're saying ? You don’t even know how this works, Dan,” he warned.

Dan turned back to him, his expression steely. “Then I’ll figure it out. I don’t have a choice. Those things won’t stop, and I’m the only one who can fight them,” he said

Felix stared at him, searching for some hint of hesitation, but there was none. He recognized the look on Dan's face. He knew there was no talking him out of whatever he was about to do now.

“So what are you going to do?” Felix asked quietly.

“I’m going to get stronger,” Dan said firmly, inching closer to Felix. “Strong enough to make sure this never happens again.”

And with that, Felix slowly sat down, adjusting his glasses. He looked up at his friend barely surprised and scoffed.

“ Alright then, let's do it. Let's get stronger,” he said.

He knew it was a crazy idea and they could get themselves killed, but he knew there was no other way. This was it - the suicidal attempt to rewrite destiny and save the world.

Dan made up his mind to find the beast that nearly ended Lauren's life and tried to kill him too. If only he had a better grip on his powers, that thing wouldn't have made it out alive.

Now, with the rest of the general public oblivious to this looming threat, Dan knew he had to find it and end it before anyone else got hurt.

Going to the police was certainly the last thing on their minds for Dan and Felix, more for Dan's sake. On one hand, a threat like this was beyond anything the police could handle, and for all they knew, if the government were to find out about Dan and his new ‘ talent ‘, they could turn him into a lab rat and perform all sorts of experiments on him.

Mankind was bound for an otherworldly doom even if ignorant of it and Dan believed he was the only one who.could save them.

— — —

Thanks to Felix's digging, they had found a lead, though faint, and now they were in a small neighborhood somewhere within the city following up on it.

They had gone from door to door asking questions to ask many residents as they were willing to share any information about any strange sights they might have seen, but they hardly found anything useful.

“ Well that was exhausting,” Felix said, heaving a deep sigh as his eyes scanned the whole place.

“ You sure we aren't missing any houses ?” Dan asked, shielding his eyes from the brightness of the sun. “ Or maybe we picked the wrong time?”

“ We've been to every last one, Dan, and most of these residents are retired, so a hot afternoon like this is one of the best times to catch them at home,” Felix assured.” Can we get going already? I'm starving.”

“ Good idea. Me too,” Dan

“ What's that ? The burning man eats too ? Shouldn't you be busy saving the world ?“ Felix teased.

“ Oh don't give me that “

They arrived at the cab stop and were waiting for a cab when Felix noticed something. It was a black suspicious looking Chevrolet Malibu parked on the other side of the road. All its glasses were wound up and tinted.

He noticed that same car earlier that day around Dan's yard. Could it have been a coincidence or was someone spying on them? Felix narrowed his eyes, gazing intently at the mysterious vehicle through his glasses when Dan tapped him.

“ Hey, the cab’s here. Let's go,” said Dan.

Felix slowly took his eye off the car, and entered the cab. Even though it could have been a mere coincidence or his empty stomach playing tricks on his mind, Felix had seen enough crime and mystery shows to not take certain things for granted.

Regardless, that was the least of their worries now. They had to find their target and save others from getting hurt, but first they had to answer nature's call over at their favourite restaurant - Benny's Burger.

In the black Chevrolet Malibu, a man in the passenger seat adjusted his earpiece, watching as Dan and Felix crossed the street.

“ Target is in sight,” he murmured.

The reply crackled through his earpiece. “Maintain distance. No interference yet.”

He nodded slightly. “Copy that.”

The car rolled forward, blending into the traffic.