Chapter 8 – Shockwave
Smoke rose over Harlem like a curtain drawn against the stars.
Eli crouched behind a scorched delivery van, chest heaving. His hoodie clung to his back, damp with sweat. The screams, the honking horns, the roars, all of it swirled around him in a chaotic blur, but he could only focus on the sound of a single heartbeat.
His own.
He peeked around the edge of the van. The street was chaos incarnate, flipped cars, broken hydrants, civilians running in every direction. A man cried out nearby, dragging a bloodied leg. Without hesitation, Eli sprinted over, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and half-carried him toward the subway station steps.
"Keep moving," he said to the others gathered there. "Underground's safer. Go."
No one asked questions. The man gave him a shocked look, hooded, masked by shadow, but unmistakably human. Then he vanished into the station.
Eli turned back to the street. The storm was growing.
He moved with purpose, golden sparks pulsing under his sleeves. Not showy. Controlled. Just enough to stay ahead of danger. Just enough to save.
He leapt a fence, grabbed the hand of a girl pinned behind a crumbling mailbox, and pulled her free. He smashed a jammed car door open with a burst from his elbow to free a trapped driver. His hands bled from broken glass. His lungs burned. But he kept going.
Five percent. That's it. Don't push more than you can take.
But he knew this was only stalling. A ripple of fear crawled down his spine when the ground itself trembled again.
A shadow loomed down the boulevard.
Eli turned his head, and froze.
Abomination was looking right at him.
The creature's green, monstrous form stood tall amidst the wreckage. Bone plates jutted from his spine and elbows. His massive hands were curled into fists, his eyes burning red. He scanned the chaos like a beast hunting for the source of some itch.
And then… he saw Eli.
Just a flicker of golden lightning at Eli's boots had given him away.
A snarl tore from Abomination's throat as he ripped a nearby car from the pavement with one arm and hurled it with terrifying speed.
It was a blur of twisted steel and glass, spiraling straight for Eli.
There was no time to run. No time to dodge. A boy and his mother screamed behind him, still too close.
Can't outrun this.
He clenched his jaw. "Damn it."
Eli raised his hand. Just one finger.
"I'm sorry, finger," he whispered.
He called on it, all of it.
100% of One For All.
The energy surged through his arm like a bomb going off. His muscles ballooned, tendons screaming, veins lighting up red-hot. He braced his feet, dug in, aimed
And flicked.
A shockwave erupted from his fingertip, howling like a missile blast. The air cracked open, ripping leaves from trees and shattering nearby windows. The force hit the flying car mid-air, reversing its momentum and launching it back like a cannonball.
It hit Abomination square in the chest.
BOOM.
The monster was thrown down the street, crashing through a city bus and demolishing a lamp post. Debris rained across Harlem.
Eli stood there, hand trembling. His finger was crooked. Shattered. Blood ran down his wrist. He dropped to one knee, clutching his arm.
Pain exploded behind his eyes.
"Hhhn, guh…!"
He gritted his teeth, panting. The mother behind him sobbed quietly, clutching her daughter to her chest. Safe. Alive.
It was worth it.
The smoke settled.
A low groan rolled through the street.
Eli looked up, heart sinking.
Abomination stood again.
No visible wounds. Just dust and rage. The monster snarled, and the red eyes locked on Eli once more.
Eli forced himself to stand, swaying slightly.
"Of course you're not down…" he muttered.
The torn tendon in his finger throbbed with each heartbeat. But he held his stance, blood dripping from his knuckle, hood still drawn low.
He didn't run.
Not now. Not ever.
He stared up at the beast, alone in a shattered street, the last spark of power flickering in his eyes.
To be continued…
P