The Accidental Construction Superhero

Chapter 7: Hard Limits, Soft Connections

The last embers of the winter sun entered through the broken glass of the warehouse windows. Dust particles floating in the god rays.  Dave exhaled his tired breath, picking up a concrete slab over his head, far beyond the strength of his past self. 

“One more push, come on, 99, 100,” he muttered, breathing heavily. He dropped the chunk with a bash on the ground, and the floor cracked. “That’s my new self now,” he smirked. Not stopping after that, he tried to push himself to new limits. He ran as fast as he could from one end to the other and smashed himself against the warehouse wall, shoulder first. The wall did crack, and so did one of his bones. He fell to the ground, his bone rattled, and he said, “Fuck, fuck, this shit hurts. I must have broken something.” His arm swelled, and he howled in agony. A voice echoed, “You must find your balance, not force through it.” He looked around, got up, chest heaving, blood pumping fast in his heart, and said, “Man, I’m hallucinating. I have to take one step at a time.”

The pain did not last long, but during that time he took little time off to take some fresh air. “Maya, you came here too?” Maya looked tense and said to him, “I have a bad feeling about all of this; I am worried about you.”  “Don’t you worry, Maya. You have been like this since we were kids.” “But tell me one thing: how did you find me?” Maya says with a mixed smile and frown, “I am a nurse at the hospital; you were admitted after the accident. You have not changed a bit since high school. Even though you were bloodily wounded, I recognized you in a bit.”

Dave chuckles. “Really? Thanks for making me all fit to go in such a short time.” Maya replies with a blush. “I will take that, but we almost had to do nothing since you healed up by yourself in two days.” “Now I have to get back to usual training, or that government bitch won’t leave me alone. Come to my motel tomorrow night, and let’s chat about the past and what is to come next.” 

Maya sighed, smiled a bit, and said, “Okay, but don’t try your old tricks on me like you used to do with those high school cheerleaders.”  Dave, with a sharp look, replied, “Come on. I have always seen you like a homie, like a sister.” Maya’s face went a little dull, and she left the scene. 

After training for a few hours more, Dave started leaving. On the way back he heard a cranking voice coming from somewhere. He could not figure out from which direction it was coming at first. As he continued walking, the sound got louder and louder. Suddenly he noticed a red spot at one leg of a nearby water tower. He has read enough comic books. He understood exactly what was going on. “I think this is my own version of spider sense or something. I have a tingling sensation Something is about to go bad.” Underneath the tower was a cafe filled with local people. He ran to the cafe and screamed his lungs out, “Get out, or you will die.” “It came out very wrong,” he thought. But the people were not bothered at all. Some laughed, some got annoyed, One kid said, “Lame prank, dude.” He has no time for explaining all this. He picked up a heavy table and slammed it in a window of an empty corner. A massive impact, a booming sound; glass shattered, wooden chips flew in the air, and a ceiling fan fell to the ground as it got hit by the tabletop. 

2 seconds of silence and then panic; people ran out of the door faster than they ever ran in their lives. Dave waited for them to vacate the area. The bartender, still behind, said, “I don’t have much cash.” Dave blared with a sharp voice, “I’m not robbing you; this is much more serious. Leave or die right here.” The bartender left at last. Dave came out and looked at the water tower. The cranking sound became intense in his head. He stood down underneath the tower thinking, “What can I do to save it? It will fall soon, I know, but when? Which side should I let it fall on? It is a busy neighborhood.” In that moment one of its legs bent, and the tower leaned towards the side Dave was on. He suddenly thought of something and ran towards the other end. He kicked the opposite leg so hard that it sent chills through his spine. It hurt like someone stabbed him in the leg. But he saw the metal bent a bit. He kept kicking; blood splattered through his leg, his shin crushed. Dave screams in pain but continues kicking. After several hundred kicks, the tower changed its direction and came crushing down to an empty playground. As soon as it fell, an explosive sound ran across the neighborhood; after that, the water came gushing out, flooding the playground and nearby roads, reaching a couple of houses nearby for a second.  Good thing there were some local pools and a pond nearby. Those gathered some amount of water while a large amount went through the drains. Dave, lying on the ground with a broken leg, soaked in water, looked at the sky and told himself, “Next time, I’m calling the fire department.” 

He woke up in a small clinic with the beeping sound of heart monitors, wrapped in bandages all around his right leg and left arm. His arm got injured when he tried to protect himself from one of the falling metal pieces of the tower. The room felt empty till the door clicked and Maya slipped in. “I brought you coffee and some food that doesn’t taste like hospital sludge.” “Thanks again, old friend,” said Dave with a faint smile and closed his eyes. She put his hand on Dave’s head, softly brushing his hair, saying, “You have saved a lot of lives, Dave.” “I don’t even know if I’m ready for this or not. Those kicks felt like hell. And still someone’s home got flooded.” “You did the best you could. At least nobody got hurt. Someone else in your place might not have done the same thing. You are one brave son of a gun.” Maya is someone’s trash. Dave, contended, replied, “I was just an ordinary person last week. “What if I make more mistakes than right stuff?” Dave said, unsatisfied. “You were never ordinary.” Maya attempted a smile. She spoke again, “You were the high school hero; all the hot girls wanted to date you. The guys wanted to be like you.”

“That doesn’t make anything right. I fucked up my life; now I work on a construction site. I am ashamed to meet my old friends who are way more successful than me.” he said after introspecting. 

Maya stood silent for a few, then said, “Once your leg heals, don’t go back to that cheap motel. My house is nearby. I have an extra room for you to stay.”