Fifth Avenue

Hartley wakes up and the first thing she does is punch Justin across the face “Ow! Hartley what the hell?” he grumbles rubbing his face.

“Sorry” she apologises “But you deserved it, take me back now” she says crossing her arms.

“You just blacked out and you want me to take you back to the fight!” he yells angrily, she takes a second to think about it before nodding. He groans and rubs his jaw “You overpowered me, that’s our excuse” Justin tells her making Hartley smile in pride.

“Thank you” he grabs her hand and soon they are back on the streets. The town was in flames, and Hartley quickly removes her black jacket and pulls up the sleeves of her shirt.

Bullet and Shooter were attacking the largest of the creatures, to their left both Reaper and Wisdom were closing in on Doc who was now in a corner with his eyes closed.

Justin quickly teleported in front of Doc and began to attack Reaper with the bullets of his gun. The bullets seem to have no effect on Reaper so Hartley begins to run towards them hoping to help in some way, her hair turns grey and the roads begin to crack and break apart.

Shooter and Bullet were beaten and bloody but still didn’t stop the constant attack on the creature who seemed unfazed by anything that was being done to it. Justin dodged every attack that Reaper did, he was doing well but it was obvious how tired he was beginning to feel.

Before she reaches Justin, she hears Doc scream from somewhere down the alley and she takes a quick turn running down the alley she heard the scream from, the walls and road cracking with each step she took. “Doc!” she yells “Doc, where are you?!” yellow eyes begin to run towards her and Hartley freezes in horror.

It growled loudly its pace picking up the closer it got to Hartley, slowly she tried to think angry thoughts, her hair turning bright red, the red colour flashed through her eyes and the creature stops. “Where is Doc?” she asks the creature.

It growls and slowly steps closer to her, Hartley took a step forward as well she extended her hand and slowly the heat around them picked up, the flames around them grew and nipped at the creature’s feet. It jumps back with an ever so loud yelp, it looks to Hartley with sad eyes.

Doc screams again and Hartley grows even more angry she quickly moved the flames so they completely enveloped the creature, it screamed and howled in pain and before it dropped dead Hartley was sure she heard a small laugh leave the creatures horribly put together mouth.

Hartley continued down the alley way, once she reached the end she saw Doc. He was unconscious and surrounded in blood which poured from where his right arm had once been. She covered her mouth to stop herself from throwing up as she saw the arm lying at Wisdoms feet.

“Now he can know how it feels” Wisdom growls “How it feels to have something like that taken away from him” Wisdom looks up to Hartley with a crooked smile making Hartley’s hair return to grey

The sound of a woman screaming began to echo in her head and she puts her hands to her ears trying to block them out “Can you hear that?!” Wisdom laughs loudly “Isn’t is beautiful?” The screaming goes louder, Hartley although in pain runs to Doc making sure he was still breathing “Why do you care so much? What has he ever done for you?” she asks irritated.

“He gave me a family” Hartley answers as she collapses, the screaming now mixed with laughter.

Wisdom scoffs and moves close to Hartley she gives her a smile before hitting her in the head so she blacks out. Wisdom pulls Hartley’s small figure and throws her over her shoulder before walking back to where everyone else was fighting.

“HARTLEY!” Bullet shouts after seeing her in Wisdoms arms “put her down” Bullet warns raising her gun, Wisdom scoffs and dumps Hartley onto the ground marching up to Bullet making sure the gun was resting on her chest when she stopped “I will shoot you” Bullet said shakily.

“Then do it” Wisdom coaxed, Bullet gulps and slowly her finger presses down on the trigger, before she could fire Reaper appeared behind her.

“Always watch your back” he whispers before bringing his right hand and grabbing her chin.

Shooter looks up and his eyes go wide “No!” he yells as Reaper snaps her neck, the loud crack echoes through the town. Bullet’s eyes close and her body twists as she falls onto the ground with a loud thud “Alecia!” Shooter and stares to his wife’s body, everything was shaking and he looked to Reaper with teary eyes, Reaper smirks and turns away from him.

Shooter takes a large gulp and wipes his face, before running and grabbing her limp body in his arms “this is all your fault” he screams to Hartley “you did this to her”

Justin stands in his spot staring at his now dead sister in the arms of her husband, his heart sank and his mouth went dry.

Reaper places his glove back onto his left hand and walks up to Justin gripping his arm tightly “Don’t be an idiot boy, take me to Candii now” Reaper growls, Justin closes his eyes and allows one tear to slip before he teleports to the apartment room that held Candii.

Candii looks up in shock as she sees Reaper and Justin in her prison room, Reaper moves quickly and cuts her chains with his scythe “Thanks for the rescue but it’s not like I couldn-” before she could finish her sentence Reaper kisses her, she fights at the beginning but soon melts into it.

Justin coughs and Reaper rolls his eyes, he grabs Candii’s hand and squeezes Justin’s arm “Back to Wisdom” he orders and Justin quickly follows them leaving the three back in the hot streets.

“Nice of you to join us again” Wisdom says taunting Candii before she turns to Hartley who now sat awake in front of everyone, her eyes were red, her hair grey and her skin was pale. “Now, do it!” Wisdom yells slamming her heavy metal leg onto Hartley’s arm making her scream in pain.

“No stop it!” Justin screams trying to break free of Reaper’s grip but he finds himself unable.

“You’re ready Hartley, I know you’re ready, just accept your power and destroy everything” Hartley sobs gripping her most likely broken arm.

“I can’t do it, please Wisdom I don’t know how to do it” she cries in pain and Wisdom slams leg into Hartley’s ribs making her full back screaming.

“HARTLEY!” Justin yells.

Wisdom is no longer joking, she grabs Hartley by her neck “I GAVE YOU ALL THIS POWER!” she yells “I GAVE IT ALL TO YOU AND YOU DO NOTHING FOR ME IN RETURN YOU UNGRATEFUL BITCH!!” Wisdom throws Hartley into the ditch and grabs Hartley’s gun from her holding it up “Do it before you regret it” Wisdom says in a dangerously low tone.

“I won’t” Hartley sobs “Even if I knew how to I would never help you!” her voice breaks and Wisdom pulls the trigger.

Three loud shots ring in everyone’s ears, the gun drops to the ground and Wisdom takes a step back. Hartley opens her eyes only to see Justin standing in front of her, slowly his arms drop to his sides and he falls to his knees. “Justin...” Hartley whispers, he collapses onto the ground and Hartley crawls to him “Justin please” she turns him onto his back and covers her mouth when she sees the blood which was quickly seeping through his torn shirt.

“Hartley...” he whispers trying to reach his hand up but finding himself unable.

Hartley picks up his hand and holds it to her cheek “Please Justin don’t leave me, I can’t do this without you” she sobs and he gives her a weak smile.

“I’ll always be there Hartley” he coughs, blood pouring from his mouth, his eyes water slightly and he smiles looking up to her “Don’t cry” he whispers wiping her tears “Why are you crying Blue, everything will be-” Justin’s voice fades off, his head slumps to the side and Hartley lets out a pained scream.

She sobs and moves her hands moving up to close his open eyes, she lightly places his head onto the road and looks forward seeing Wisdom standing there still shocked. “I-” she started but Hartley blocked her and everything else around her out, she closes her eyes and breathes in.

“I don’t think that girl likes you very much”

“Hartley, not a name you hear normally, but I think I prefer Blue, I’ll call you Blue”

“Why are you out here so late? Do you know how dangerous that could be Blue?!”

“Seriously Hartley, grow up”

“I will never let anyone hurt you Blue”

“Why are you crying...?”

Tears flood down her face and a feeling of both anger and sadness flood through her body making her feel something she had never felt before, without her knowledge her hair slowly turns black, as black cloud begin to take over the town, the sound of thunder making everyone jump.

She opens her eyes and they flicker a dark black colour. “It’s working, she’s doing it!” Wisdom laughs clapping her hands excitedly.

“You idiot!” Doc screams limping into the street “Don’t you understand that once someone with her kind of power goes catatonic nobody can control her” he says and Wisdom rolls her eyes.

“Nonsense, I made her, she should be grateful” she says proudly “I need to see what she can do” Wisdom turns to the largest creature “Scratch come forward” she orders and it slowly stalks forward, teeth out and ready “Attack that girl for me” Scratch looks to Hartley before growling, it immediately breaks into a sprint towards Hartley.

When it was at a close enough distance it lunges for her, it barely scratched her face before her hand wraps around its poor excuse for a neck, Hartley looks it in the eyes and smiles before dropping the creature. It lay still for two seconds before it began to shriek in pain, it looked up to Wisdom in horror before it turned to dust.

“Brilliant” Wisdom whispers.

Hartley looks forward to Wisdom “You killed him” she says, her voice booming loudly making lightning strike across the sky and thunder boom.

“Look taking over the world sounds good and all but is it worth having to deal with her?” Reaper whispers into Candii’s ear, she looks to him and smirks.

“Let’s go” the newfound couple quickly and easily slip away from the drama with all the attention focused on Hartley.

“You killed him” she repeated, her voice slightly breaking as she spoke, Wisdom steps forward, the loud clank of her leg going almost unheard as another crack of thunder boomed through the town.

Wisdom claps her hands together and looks up to Hartley hopefully “I did, I know I did and I’m sorry, but it was really for the best I mean he was holding you back!” Wisdom yells as wind whips her hair in every direction “Without him look what you have become, can’t you feel all of that power surging through you?!” Hartley’s eyes somehow darken and quickly she is directly in front of Wisdom.

“He was holding me back” she spits wrapping her hand tightly around Wisdom’s neck “I just wanted to be normal and you ruined everything!” she pushes harder and you could hear the slightly cracking of Wisdom’s bones.

Wisdoms hand quickly go to Hartley’s to try and pry her off.

“Listen Hartley, this isn’t you” Doc says loudly “You don’t want to be this person, this is who she wants you to be your playing into her plan!” Hartley looks down to Justin’s dead body “She deserves to stay in jail for the rest of her life, trust me killing her is letting her have the easy way out, just come back” Hartley closes her eyes.

Her hands drop to her side and Wisdoms unconscious body fell to the ground with a large thud.

Hartley’s hair turned blue and soon the black clouds were replaced with rain “Let me help you” he says running to her, he heals her broken arm and her fractured ribs.

Hartley clings to Doc tightly, not wanting to ever let go.