CHAPTER 44: BROKEN CITY

Sutusna leaps onto and over several cars, Osora and Xika in pursuit. Osora fires at her and she dodges the bullets.

Osora: This girl doesn't have the piece, but we should still contain her.

Xika sinks into the ground, his shadow speeds ahead. Sutusna is now standing on the roof of a yellow car, looking back.

"How do I waste these guys' time?.. Oh!"

Sutusna makes her arms grow, they go through the window and into the car where she manages to unlock the driver's door, swinging it open. Then she throws the man driving out of the car.

He cries out as he sweeps the floor and is run over by a car behind them. Sutusna chuckles and jumps into the driver's seat, taking control of the wheel and speeding up.

"Alright, it's so refreshing to drive a car again, the one I owned blew up because I drove it into a gas station by accident… I'll never forget that day."

She snickers and glances up to the mirror near the ceiling, spotting only cars, not Xika or Raskan. Without warning, her eyes widened after noticing 2 bullets heading toward the vehicle.

She swiftly ducks, one bullet misses her head and hits the window, and the other bullet passes through the cushion above the seat next to her and plops down.

Osora appears where the bullet is.

Osora: So where are we going?

Osora fires at her head, she quickly leans forward and hits the brake, avoiding the bullet and causing Osora to fly forward, slamming into the car.

…

Xika comes out of the ground and just stares at Sutusna's car driving away.

"... Should I run after them?.. I'm gonna get super tired."

He looks around, the street is empty except for a single dark blue car that stops next to him. A young woman with black hair, wearing a brown beret pops her head out of the window.

"Mr. Xika, do you need a ride? I saw what happened."

Xika looks at her confused but curious.

Xika: I could use one… But are you sure you wanna be involved with this? It could be dangerous.

"It's fine, I have complete faith in you protecting me."

Xika: … Well then, thank you.

He opens the door and sits inside, the woman is wearing a brown jacket and dark blue jeans, she stomps on the pedal, and the car blasts off.

"I won't get in trouble for going past the speed limit, right?"

Xika: No, better not crash though.

"Of course."

…

Sutusna drives again, one hand on the wheel now, the other extends and grabs Osora's arm as he tries aiming at her again. He grabs the arm and pushes it off of him. Her leg extends next and kicks the gun out of his hand.

Sutusna takes her hand off the wheel to speedily open the door next to her, Osora moves forward, she drops out of the car and her limbs shrink to normal.

The vehicle swerves to the right just as Osora dives out of it, gun in hand, firing. Sutusna scurries up, avoiding bullets, and the car finally hits a wall.

Sutusna bolts away from the area moving around to dodge more bullets. She reaches a bridge built over a freeway full of traffic, cars honking simultaneously.

She hops off the bridge and onto a blue car, and the family inside worries. Osora reaches the spot observing Sutusna giving him the middle finger.

Sutusna: You can't catch me, guardian!

"Heh, I love this skill."

…

"Mr. Xika, do I just keep driving straight?"

Xika looks around, he's in the front seat now.

Xika: I… Sense something up ahead, so yes.

"Okie dokie."

…

"Ultimate Skill, Crackhead Strength."

Black veins pop out of Sutusna's extending arms and legs, she roars. Osora jumps down and onto the road, where he takes the scarf off his neck and ties it around his forehead.

Osora: It's time to coat this freeway in your blood.

Sutusna promptly grabs 2 cars from underneath and tosses them into the sky, then multiple others and throws them at Osora, people's howling and shrieking fill the area, and people within the vehicles panic.

"Mayhem! Chaos! Mayhem! Chaos!"

Osora spins his gun on his index finger and fires. Sutusna moves her head to avoid an incoming bullet, once it passes her head Osora appears where it is and fires again.

The cars hit the ground, metal breaks, few people crawl out of them. Osora's bullet rips through Sutusna's head, right between her eyes, the hole bleeds, flesh hangs off, but she continues to move.

Osora looks serious.

"That didn't kill her? Okay."

Sutusna's legs begin to extend, the veins pop out again, and she's lifted off the ground, standing like a gorilla.

"Panic! Chaos! Mayhem!"

…

Sutusna's Crackhead Strength skill is named after what she feels like after snorting cocaine, something she did a lot in jail.

The skill allows her to feel the effects of snorting an insane lethal amount of cocaine for as long as she can withstand it. The effects are immortality, unparalleled strength, brain fogging, higher pain resistance, and mental insanity.

…

Osora shoots and quickly teleports around Sutusna multiple times using the bullets, hole after hole is made in her body, blood leaks and leaks.

She ignores all of this and continues to throw cars around, even using her legs to hook them. Osora's face changes to anger once he lands.

"This bitch. Seems I can't kill her… I'll just render her useless."

People start to exit their cars and run away, pushing, pulling for a way out. Sutusna picks up another car, a young man inside is begging for his life.

"Please!" Put me back down! I don't want to die! Please!"

This young man is Eso.

…

Eso, a guy with short brown hair, clothed in a blue shirt and white shorts is sitting down in a hospital lounge, his right knee bouncing. He is very nervous.

A male doctor walks up to him and he promptly stands.

"We looked into it… Your father has a tumor, a big one, if it isn't removed soon, it could kill him.

Eso lets out a deep breath.

"What can we do?"

"Surgery, that's it. But it is expensive."

"How much is it?"

"170,000"

Eso sits back down again, he grabs his stomach.

"I don't have that much! I can't get that much! There has to be something else that can be done!"

"I'm sorry, that surgery is the only way."

"Are you serious?.. Why do I have to pay for it? Why do I have to pay to save my father's life!?"

"Please calm down, sir, that is just how things are."

"What is wrong with you? I shouldn't need to pay for this!"

He continued to bicker with the doctor until being kicked out of the hospital, the doctor stares at him with remorse.

"Please understand, mister, If I could do it for free, I would not hesitate, but I have my own issues to deal with as well."

Eso is staring at the floor, specifically at a small rock.

"No, I'm sorry. I'll be leaving now."

"I hope you get the money, somehow."

"Thank you."

The doctor walks away, and Eso wipes his eyes.

"It'll be okay. It will."

Eso and his mom began working more in order to get the money required, they didn't sleep for days.

In the end, they managed to get 5627 dollars and the surgery could not be performed.

Eso sits on his bed, the money on the ground is covered in tears, some of it is crumpled in his hands.

"It'll be okay, it will. Please tell me it will."

His father passed away shortly after, months go by, he stomps into his kitchen, his mom stares at him.

"Do you need something, honey?"

"Mom, I've decided I'm going to be a doctor."

"A doctor?.. Why?

"I'm gonna be a doctor and I'm gonna help people for free!"

Mom laughs faintly.

"They won't let you do that."

"I'll do it even if they don't let me!"

…

"Please! Today is my first day as a doctor, I'm gonna save the life of-"

Sutusna aggressively throws the car and Eso falls out of it, Osora shoots in that direction, hoping to catch him, Eso closes his eyes and braces for impact.

He teleports, Sutusna's hand grabs his leg and yanks him back causing him to miss Eso. He hits the ground and his head instantly splits open.

Osora stares at his corpse, his serious expression remains unchanged. He fires a bullet to his side and teleports there, escaping her hand. Next, he shoots her forearm constantly, tearing flesh until her hand falls off.

Sutusna finally reacts by yelling incomprehensibly, drool falls down her neck, and she shakes violently.

Sutusna: Where did my hand go?

The flesh within her arm begins to grow and become extensive, it resembles a red noodle, Osora aims at her neck.

"She can keep growing… Luckily it doesn't seem to be healing."

Sutusna suddenly looks over to the bridge and spots a car speeding toward it. She rushes over to the car and attacks with her long flesh, Xika quickly lunges out of the vehicle's now open door holding the woman close to him with one arm.

"Wow, is that even human?"

Xika: It is, it's just really fucked up.

The long flesh rips through the car, destroying it instantly, Xika closes his eyes and holds his breath, with the tip of his thumb he pushes his sword's sheath down and then attacks.

Sutusna is smacked all over nonstop, bruises riddle her body. Osora shoots her neck, flesh is revealed there and it begins to elongate, protecting her neck.

"... That's bothersome."

Xika stops attacking, now the flesh in the holes around Sutusna made by Osora before are growing too.

Sutusna: Apples are so good!

The long flesh squirms around, Osora teleports onto the bridge, and in front of Sutusna, he rapidly shoots both of her eyes.

Sutusna: I'm so sleepy!

Sutusna's flesh attacks random things and slithers in random directions. Osora continues to shoot her face, faster now, more and more long flesh is created, an overwhelming amount.

"Shooting might be making this worse, but It's our only way to win now, unless… Xika."

The flesh spirals up and seems to be creating a large dome over the area. He jumps over the flesh, and the bridge underneath crumbles as the flesh breaks through it.

Sutusna: Miss! Miss! Jeremy said a bad word!

At the top of this flesh dome is an opening to allow light to be present, Xika and Osora leap off the falling bridge pieces.

He glances over to Osora, watching him fire shots that deal no notable damage to Sutusna.

Sutusna: Leave me alone, Jeremy!

"Damn, there's only one way we're getting out of this mess."

Xika halts and looks at the woman, she stares at him nervously.

Xika: Hey, what's your name?

"Wenia."

Xika: Wenia, brace yourself.

"Why!?"

Xika: Osora!

Xika gently throws her, flesh slams into his arm and he's launched back.

"Mr. Xika!"

Sutusna: I feel amazing! What is this stuff!?

Osora looks over after hearing the yell, he detects Wenia getting up.

"Oh! He's doing it! I've gotta take care of that girl."

Osora: Hey! You!

She turns to Osora.

Osora: Come over here!

She starts making her way to him, some flesh quickly curves and heads in her direction, Osora notices it.

"Son of a bitch."

He shoots a bullet at Wenia and right before it enters her skin, he teleports. Then grabs her and moves her out of the way of the flesh.

"Thank you!"

Osora: No problem!

Wenia looks around, her eyes focusing on Xika, who is now standing against the wall of the dome, his left arm is broken. The flesh slams into his chest, blood shoots out of his nose and mouth.

"Mr. Xika is being harmed! Aren't you gonna go help him!?"

Osora: Nope, he'll be fine.

More flesh rushes towards Osora, he runs around to avoid it, a few seconds later Xika rises out of the ground next to him.

Xika: Put her on my back.

Osara gently places Wenia on Xika, her head resting on his.

Mr. Xika?"

Osora: Better hope Liz is nearby, man.

Xika unsheathes his sword, dropping the sheathe on the ground, Osora notices more flesh coming their way, he aims at a wall behind it and quickly shoots.

The flesh turns and goes to where the bullet hit, Osora turns to Xika.

Osora: I realized our enemy can only detect sound, don't talk too loud.

Xika: Wenia, I need you to pinch my nose as hard as you can… Osora shoot my foot, break these 3 fingers and all the ones on my broken arm.

Osora shoots his foot, the flesh turns and he shoots to another wall to distract them. Then he begins breaking fingers, Xika's eyes water, Wenia is looking away while holding his nose.

Xika: Shoot this hand and finally shoot my jaw.

Osora hesitates.

Osora: Isn't this too much, Xika? We've never gone this far.

Xika just stares at him, Osora takes a deep breath.

Xika's hand and jaw are shot, another bullet is shot to distract Sutusna.

Xika: Start punching my face and body and don't stop, also both of you cover my ears.

Xika closes his eyes and holds his breath, his hearing is blocked and punches hit him frequently.

…

As mentioned before, Xika has a skill that increases his strength and speed depending on how handicapped in battle he is.

And in the current moment, these are all the handicaps present.

8 broken fingers, 3 on the hand that is holding his sword making it harder to hold.

A broken arm.

A shot jaw.

A shot hand.

A shot foot.

Losing blood.

Nose being hurt.

Face being hit.

Stomach being hit.

Weight of another human on him.

Deprived of oxygen.

Lack of energy.

Eyes closed.

Unable to hear.

Cracked ribs.

With all these handicaps, Xika's strength and speed are immense.

…

Xika swings his sword so fast and so strong that it cannot be perceived and it is now able to…

Hack through flesh.

…

In about a second, even though it looks like Xika didn't move, Sutusna and all of her flesh are turned into several piles of small disorganized uneven chunks.

It all plops onto the ground and blood sprawls over the floor. Xika sits down, Wenia quickly gets off his back, she's very worried.

"Is Mr. Xika going to be okay?"

Xika's head is slumped over now, Osora takes his scarf off and ties it around his wounded hand.

Osora: … He should be fine.

Osora then takes off his shirt and ties it around Xika's jaw.

Osora: You should probably leave now.

"But I want to give my thanks to Mr. Xika."

Osora: He's out cold. So next time.

"Oh."

Osora takes off Xika's sweater.

Osora: Go. I'm sure Xika will know you're thankful.

Osora tightly wraps the sweater around Xika's foot.

Wenia: Okay… Thank you, Mr. Osora.

Osora waves goodbye to her. Wenia waves back and walks away, she occasionally turns her head back to look.

Osora pulls out his phone.

"Gonna see if Liz is nearby."

TO BE CONTINUED…