Capes And Masks

• Yasmin Paige, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2016

Fish Monger’s bronze daggers whizzed pass me, each one followed by the next. My crimson blood oozed from their poisonous lashes, I could feel my consciousness swaying in and out of focus. This was the end, I was going to die here. 16 and still a virgin, and this crazy blade wielding nut-job was going to kill me, well at least won't have to do that English test on Thursday.
"Given up boy!" My captor cooed, smirking as he threw another bronze plated dagger, striking through the flesh of my lower leg. My eyes watered as I held back my cries of agony and anguish. He laughed as I tried to crawl away, leaving a trail of blood behind me. “There’s no point trying boy, you’ll never win, you’re useless, another wannabe hero and I’ve gutted bigger fish then you!” His howling laughter echoed through the crumbling walls of the warehouse, hitting me like punches to the stomach, and suddenly I remembered why I put this mask on. I was a hero.
I shifted my weight on to my good leg, limping upwards, holding on to a worn out beam for support. My blood was dripping from my abdomen and mixing with dust and dirt on the warehouse floor, I winced as I took a step away from the beam, the knife still firmly lodged into my flesh and bone. “Look Fish Sticks, if haven’t realized I’m a bit big for sardine.” His laughter stopped. “I mean that is why you were arrested, for stealing a can of sardines.” He glared at me, grinding his rotting gums. I had just struck a nerve, a nerve I was willing exploit. “You wanna know something funny, I was there the night you stole that can of sardines and attacked that store clerk, but I thought you were a joke, and the cops could handle you and they did.” His were bulging as he stood there, holding his next knife in a vice grip. Truth be told, I was nowhere near that robbery. If I remember correctly I was studying with Ruby and Kyle, I saw it on the news but that was before the accident. My mind went blank for a moment and I forgot where I was, my vision was blurred probably from blood loss. In the background I could hear Monger’s animistic screams as he ran towards me knife in hand and that's when he took over, the other me, the unpredictable, dangerous me. He caught the knife between his hands and cast it aside, knocking Monger to the ground with a swift kick to the chest, obviously breaking several ribs in the process. He grunted, tightly grabbing at his rib cage and curling into a ball, but the other me wasn’t ready to stop. He picked up Monger’s body and threw him into a crumbling wall, sending him flying into a bloody mess of broken bones and ripped flesh and began to hit him, taking out all his pain, the screams, the misery and so much death… Their faces appeared in our shared mind, our cries mixing into one then everything went dark.
“In recent news, police have finally apprehended and arrested suspected killer, Fish Monger aka John Henderson, though the police have said nothing, on lookers believe that the infamous vigilante, Grimm Reaper is behind the capture, meanwhile…” I flicked the TV off and looked around my darken apartment then at myself, my wounds had been taken care of and my English homework had been placed in front of me. I smiled and reached for my textbook, but before I could turn a page, the sound of police sirens whizzed past my apartment. “I guess homework will have to wait.” Grabbing my mask I jumped out my window and into the night.
This is only the beginning.