Save your husband from bleeding to death or save these six hundred, men, women and children, from me."

"..."

Kate's hands curled into a fist at her side, there was really nothing to talk about anymore. The man had clearly gone insane.

He pointed a finger at her fist. "That's a bad idea. Not only will I definitely kill those people on the train but now I'll go after your daughter too."

Her breath hitched, her thoughts sprang out into disarray. "Why are you doing this?! Aren't you a hero anymore?"

He gestured to myself, feigning innocence. "Of course, I am. I'm the original Paragon of Veltharion. I'm the definition of the word hero—"

"Then why the hell are you doing this?!" She cut him off. "What could this possibly accomplish?"

"You want to go for the next trial, right?..." His question lingered for a moment. "That's why I'm doing this... You're going to be the strongest hero in the world. So I'm trying to gauge you."

"..."

She just stared at him confused. So he continued.

"Let's assume a villain—in this case, me. Finds out your secret identity, kidnaps your husband and is blackmailing you to kill people to keep him safe, to what extent will you go to kill him safe?"

"Nightwalker, I don't have time for these games. Where's my husband?" Her expression was all serious.

"Hmm..." He tilted his head sheepishly. "Seems you really aren't getting it. Your husband is somewhere in this nation with his wrists slit, tied up to prevent escape and steadily bleeding out.

He will, in fact, die in a few minutes.

But you can stop that, with a simple choice. Would you rather have the eight hundred people in that incoming train die... Or would you prefer it be your husband?"

"...!"

Her mouth hung open for a second, confusion completely debilitating her. "Is this all hypothetical?"

"No. I'm afraid it isn't." He asked honesty. "To simulate the reality of the situation I had to make things as real as possible."

She took a step towards him, pointing a shaky yet furious finger. "I swear to God, if anything happens to him, I'll kill you."

—BAM!

She flew into the sky.

"..."

Tearing through air as swiftly as possible, reaching valor in a minute or two, Kate blasted through the doors.

Moving as fast as her legs would let her. She hurriedly checked her husband's office to see he wasn't in and with much ceremony took back off into the sky.

"...!"

"..."

Frantically, she searched everywhere. The house, playgrounds, banks, parks, the daycare—their daughter was still there.

Changing tactics, she searched Nightwalker's place, his office, his properties.

All to no avail.

She was slowly losing her mind, on edge and mind in haywire. How could she bring Liam—her husband into this?

How could she have known Nightwalker would do this? There were rumours about him being overbearing and mean... But this? This was outright despicable.

There's no way he'd actually kill anyone, right? It's all some sort of sick joke, right?

Right?

She continued with the search until a notification into her phone. Retrieving it from her pocket.

It was a text from Nightwalker, that simply read, 'Tick Tok.'

Her confusion had all mutated into anger—seething rage. All directed towards one man.

Nightwalker.

She blasted into the sky, arriving back at his loact6she spread out her arms and asked, "What is it you want from me, Ian?"

"Ian, again." He said, still remained on the floor in his lotus position. "If you're frustrated, you should blame that on yourself. For some reason you can't make a simple decision."

"Simple decision!" She snapped. "You're asking me to choose between six hundred people's lives and my husband's."

"I'm asking you to be a decisive hero for once. How much time do you have to choose the trial left?"

Kate glanced at the corner of her eye. 'Five hours left.' she said nothing but glared at him. "You're not gonna kill those people. You're a hero and I believe that..."

She paused for a while.

"So, I pick my husband. Where is he?"

Nightwalker pouted, then nodded his head. Picked up his phone and sent her an address. "That's where he is. Hope, you don't regret your choice."

She wasn't even listening anymore. She took off like a rocket, tearing the sound barrier as she cut through the clouds.

She crashed into the warehouse Nightwalker had just texted her. Eyes already sweeping the place.

"Haaa!" Her breath caught, her eyes went wide open as she spotted her husband.

Blood seeping down his arms and onto the floor, though it'd slowed down to drops now. Tied around the ankles and dangling from the roof.

She lunged forward and, quickly, cut him from his restraints. She held him in her arms and tried to listen for a heartbeat.

"..."

He was alive.

Barely, but alive.

And in another quick burst, she blasted a hole in the roof as she flew them out and towards a hospital.

Reaching the hospital, she hurried into the busy lobby and screamed. "I need some help over here!"

Seconds later, nurses and doctors spotted her uniform and quickly arrived to her aid. Setting Liam onto the gurney before rolling him into the ICU.

"...!"

She sat in the lobby. Her mind hadn't even gone to the people on the train, or the fact that Nightwalker was completely out of it.

Her feet nervously drummed against the porcelain tiles, her eyes darted at everyone in a uniform who left the ICU and she tried to avoid the stench of blood coming from her stained suit.

'How the fuck did I drag him into this?' She thought, staring at the floor and hoping someone would give her any good news.

What would she tell her daughter? How would she even move on with this?

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she tried to focus her listening on the ICU.

The beeps of the EKG's, the clatter of metals, the stretch of rubber gloves and steady heartbeats of the doctors.

But that was just it. She didn't hear Liam's heartbeat anymore.

No.

Maybe it was just because it was too faint. It had to be it.

"He's not dead." She muttered under her breath. "There's no way he's dead." She locked her fingers tight.

Soon after the doctor exited the room, head downcast and steps saggy as he approached Spectra.

She immediately shot out of her seat and wouldn't let his expression kill her. In her mind, she already knew, but her heart wouldn't let go until she heard the words.

The doctor opened his mouth. "Spectra, I'm sorry. We tried all we could but unfortunately, he didn't make it..."

The doctor kept talking but Kate's brain had already checked out, her legs wobbled and colours dulled.

—RIIRIING!

A text came into her phone, with bloody fingers she lifted it.

[ Nightwalker: Did they save him? 😊 ]

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