Jason Locke walked out of the courthouse with a smirk on his face. He drew a long cigarette out of his pocket, and lit it. He put it between his teeth, and walked towards his silver Corvette. He drew in a long breath, then exhaled. Smoke floated out of his mouth, and drifted upwards.
"Mr. Locke!" came a cry. A reporter was sprinting over. Behind him were many more.
"Jason, how do you feel knowing that you locked up serial killer Turner Root?"
"Mr. Locke! What are you feeling right now?"
Jason turned, and slid into the driver's seat of his Corvette. He revved the engine, and the reporters backed away. He drove off, leaving the reporters without any information. The truth was, he was proud of himself. He had been assigned to be the prosecutor against Turner Root, a serial killer. He knew it wouldn't be hard. Turner left evidence behind at almost every crime scene. Still, Jason would always be able to say that he was the one who sent Turner Root to prison.
Jason turned on the radio, and began listening to music.
Jason was sitting at home, stroking his daughter Avery's hair.
"Daddy, did you really make the bad guy go away?" Avery asked, looking at her father in awe.
"Yes I did," Jason nodded.
"You're like a superhero," Avery smiled.
"Not quite."
"You're my superhero," Avery insisted. Jason smiled, and kissed Avery's head. Avery has been strong all throughout her life. Her mother, and Jason's wife, had died of a heart attack while she was holding Avery. Avery had seen all the pain that her mother was going through. Yet here she was. A seven year old who still had her whole life in front of her.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Avery jumped off of Jason's lap, and ran out of the living room, towards the door.
"Hold on Avery," Jason said, standing up. He heard Avery open the front door. Then, he heard her shriek.
"Avery!" Jason yelled. He saw Avery shaking in fear, looking at a tall man who was holding a pistol. Turner Root.
"Daddy," Avery cried, "It's the bad guy."
"Turner Root I swear to God," Jason growled, "You do anything to her and I will rip you apart."
"I'd like to see you try," Turner grinned. He put the pistol up against Avery's forehead.
"Dammit Turner!" Jason yelled, his voice breaking, "Don't you dare hurt her!"
"Why wouldn't I?" Turner asked, "I'm going to be in prison for life anyways. Because of you!"
"I'll do whatever you want," Jason sobbed, "But if you pull that trigger, I will shatter your skull."
"Empty threat," Turner shrugged. He pulled the triggers. The next few seconds played out in slow motion. Avery's head rippled where the bullet tore through her skull. It came out the back, followed by a fountain of blood. Turner's lips curled into a dastardly smile as blood dotted his face. Jason raced forward, and caught Avery's body as she fell. He looked up at Turner. The tears in his eyes disappeared. Desperation turned into utter hatred. He laid Avery down on the floor gently, and stood up, glaring at Turner.
"Your turn," Turner smiled, cruelly, putting his pistol up against Jason's head. Jason tried to kick Turner, but Turner pulled the trigger before Jason could do anything. The bullet ripped through his head.
Jason woke up in a hospital bed. His vision was blurry, but he could make out a woman with bright red hair standing over him.
"Sam?" Jason asked.
"Thank God Jason," Samantha Shields sighed in relief, "I thought you were a goner."
"Where's Avery?" Jason asked.
"She, she," Samantha stuttered.
Jason closed his eyes, and began to cry.
"I'm so sorry Jason," Samantha said.
One week had passed since Turner had attacked Jason and Avery. Jason sat at home, sitting in the same chair he had held Avery in on the night she died. He ran his hand over where her head would've been if she was still alive. He was her superhero. But he couldn't save her. He was no superhero at all. Samantha came into the living room from the kitchen, and sat across the room from Jason, on a black couch.
"Jason, you can't just sit there forever," Samantha said, "You need to get back into the world. You'll always miss Avery, but she'd want you to keep on living. Like she did when Margo died."
"Don't talk about Avery and Margo. You don't know what it's like to lose someone."
"Every single one of my grandparents are dead, and my father is just barely clinging on to life. So don't tell me that I don't know what it's like to lose someone."
"Just go away Samantha," Jason sighed.
"Dammit Jason! Pick your ass up and get back to living!" Samantha roared, bursting into flames.
"Shit!" Jason yelled, "What happened to you?"
Samantha looked down at herself, and let out a yelp.
"You weren't supposed to see that," Samantha said.
"You're the Flare," Jason said, his jaw hanging open, "You didn't tell me this! What else are you hiding from me?"
"Look, Jason, we've been friends since First Grade," Samantha sighed, "There are tons of secrets that I've kept from you in that time span."
Suddenly, there was small PING, and Samantha began to hover in the air.
"I've got to go," Samantha said, "Just promise me that you'll get back to life."
Jason didn't respond, and Samantha flew off.
Five days later, Jason had managed to get himself out of the house. He was driving to the supermarket. Suddenly, something in the corner of his eye flickered. He turned his head, and saw that a large man was mugging a mother and her child. He pulled over to the side of the road, and stepped out of his car. He wouldn't let what happened to him happen to this family. He marched over to the man.
"Beat it," Jason said.
"Make me," the man teased, waving a gun around in the air.
"Frankly, I've had enough of people like you strolling through Nova City," Jason growled.
"And what're you going to do about it?" the man asked with mock innocence.
"You might want to close your eyes," Jason said to the mother and her kid.
"Mr. Locke!" came a cry. A reporter was sprinting over. Behind him were many more.
"Jason, how do you feel knowing that you locked up serial killer Turner Root?"
"Mr. Locke! What are you feeling right now?"
Jason turned, and slid into the driver's seat of his Corvette. He revved the engine, and the reporters backed away. He drove off, leaving the reporters without any information. The truth was, he was proud of himself. He had been assigned to be the prosecutor against Turner Root, a serial killer. He knew it wouldn't be hard. Turner left evidence behind at almost every crime scene. Still, Jason would always be able to say that he was the one who sent Turner Root to prison.
Jason turned on the radio, and began listening to music.
Jason was sitting at home, stroking his daughter Avery's hair.
"Daddy, did you really make the bad guy go away?" Avery asked, looking at her father in awe.
"Yes I did," Jason nodded.
"You're like a superhero," Avery smiled.
"Not quite."
"You're my superhero," Avery insisted. Jason smiled, and kissed Avery's head. Avery has been strong all throughout her life. Her mother, and Jason's wife, had died of a heart attack while she was holding Avery. Avery had seen all the pain that her mother was going through. Yet here she was. A seven year old who still had her whole life in front of her.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Avery jumped off of Jason's lap, and ran out of the living room, towards the door.
"Hold on Avery," Jason said, standing up. He heard Avery open the front door. Then, he heard her shriek.
"Avery!" Jason yelled. He saw Avery shaking in fear, looking at a tall man who was holding a pistol. Turner Root.
"Daddy," Avery cried, "It's the bad guy."
"Turner Root I swear to God," Jason growled, "You do anything to her and I will rip you apart."
"I'd like to see you try," Turner grinned. He put the pistol up against Avery's forehead.
"Dammit Turner!" Jason yelled, his voice breaking, "Don't you dare hurt her!"
"Why wouldn't I?" Turner asked, "I'm going to be in prison for life anyways. Because of you!"
"I'll do whatever you want," Jason sobbed, "But if you pull that trigger, I will shatter your skull."
"Empty threat," Turner shrugged. He pulled the triggers. The next few seconds played out in slow motion. Avery's head rippled where the bullet tore through her skull. It came out the back, followed by a fountain of blood. Turner's lips curled into a dastardly smile as blood dotted his face. Jason raced forward, and caught Avery's body as she fell. He looked up at Turner. The tears in his eyes disappeared. Desperation turned into utter hatred. He laid Avery down on the floor gently, and stood up, glaring at Turner.
"Your turn," Turner smiled, cruelly, putting his pistol up against Jason's head. Jason tried to kick Turner, but Turner pulled the trigger before Jason could do anything. The bullet ripped through his head.
Jason woke up in a hospital bed. His vision was blurry, but he could make out a woman with bright red hair standing over him.
"Sam?" Jason asked.
"Thank God Jason," Samantha Shields sighed in relief, "I thought you were a goner."
"Where's Avery?" Jason asked.
"She, she," Samantha stuttered.
Jason closed his eyes, and began to cry.
"I'm so sorry Jason," Samantha said.
One week had passed since Turner had attacked Jason and Avery. Jason sat at home, sitting in the same chair he had held Avery in on the night she died. He ran his hand over where her head would've been if she was still alive. He was her superhero. But he couldn't save her. He was no superhero at all. Samantha came into the living room from the kitchen, and sat across the room from Jason, on a black couch.
"Jason, you can't just sit there forever," Samantha said, "You need to get back into the world. You'll always miss Avery, but she'd want you to keep on living. Like she did when Margo died."
"Don't talk about Avery and Margo. You don't know what it's like to lose someone."
"Every single one of my grandparents are dead, and my father is just barely clinging on to life. So don't tell me that I don't know what it's like to lose someone."
"Just go away Samantha," Jason sighed.
"Dammit Jason! Pick your ass up and get back to living!" Samantha roared, bursting into flames.
"Shit!" Jason yelled, "What happened to you?"
Samantha looked down at herself, and let out a yelp.
"You weren't supposed to see that," Samantha said.
"You're the Flare," Jason said, his jaw hanging open, "You didn't tell me this! What else are you hiding from me?"
"Look, Jason, we've been friends since First Grade," Samantha sighed, "There are tons of secrets that I've kept from you in that time span."
Suddenly, there was small PING, and Samantha began to hover in the air.
"I've got to go," Samantha said, "Just promise me that you'll get back to life."
Jason didn't respond, and Samantha flew off.
Five days later, Jason had managed to get himself out of the house. He was driving to the supermarket. Suddenly, something in the corner of his eye flickered. He turned his head, and saw that a large man was mugging a mother and her child. He pulled over to the side of the road, and stepped out of his car. He wouldn't let what happened to him happen to this family. He marched over to the man.
"Beat it," Jason said.
"Make me," the man teased, waving a gun around in the air.
"Frankly, I've had enough of people like you strolling through Nova City," Jason growled.
"And what're you going to do about it?" the man asked with mock innocence.
"You might want to close your eyes," Jason said to the mother and her kid.