CHAPTER 14 – Wrapping things up

"I guess Forcerer wants to join us," Rusk says, in response to the sudden knocking at the door, which seems rather desperate. "All ready?"

"Yes Rusk," I say.

"Wrap…" Rusk sighs, while walking towards the desperate call at the door. "Please don't start that again."

"Too late Rusk," Psyand says.

"Concentrate on the door Rusk," Scelestha says.

"You can do it Rusk," Lost-Bird adds.

"Good boy Rusk," Psyand says.

"We are in middle of an apoca-woah," Rusk says, in response to Forcerer almost falling through the open door.

"A little dramatic," Feather sighs, supporting Forcerer and dragging him inside.

"Please close the door, we are 6-21-3-11-5-4," Forcerer says, groaning and levelling himself.

"Are you hurt?" Scelestha and Psyand's mother ask, approaching the two.

"No he's not," Feather says, and sets Forcerer up-straight, revealing no wounds. "As I said, dramatic."

"Okay, explain," Rusk says, closing the door.

"Can you see the exterior from the inside? Like outside to the apartments," Forcerer says.

"No."

"Well, easier explained then. They are here. Seemingly were here since last night, anyone face any network issues?" Forcerer blabbers out.

"What does network have to do with… anything?" Scelestha says, checking her phone.

Even I look at the low network signal, on my phone.

"Well, there is a dome around us now. Around the apartments," Feather says, swirling his finger above himself.

"Wait, what? Here too?" Lost-Bird asks.

Scelestha rushes towards the door, but I hold her hand and stop her. Forcerer stands ahead of her, blocking her path.

"Can we please-?" I and Forcerer ask, and look at each other.

Scelestha also gives us both a weird look, turn-by-turn.

"I think that it isn't exactly the same as the one around the… you know. It is not the same as the Snow-dome. More of a… same ideology, I'd say," Feather says.

"We can break through then," Scelestha says.

"Well, no. That was just a theory about that dome. We don't know if that was even possible with the Snow-dome," Feather says.

Scelestha loudly drags out a sigh. "Your first choice of calling it, is a 'Snow-dome'; it is a dome made out of particles of ice, it is like a coating which they make out of sugar, and cover some desserts. It is formed to limit the consumption of energy, of it escaping, from the snow to not accumulate infinitely, but at a limit. It breaks easily, since it is a thin layer."

Everyone stays silent.

"Y-yeah, it… it is passable," Lost-Bird says, taking his eyes away from Scelestha.

"Power consumption?" I ask, below my breath.

"Well, then… we can… but that seems…" Feather says and asks and doubts his entire being.

"We are packed. So let us wrap things up here," I say, and go to get my bags. As I turn around, everyone stares at me. "What?"

"Nothing, let us get some wraps after we go out. I'm STARVING," Rusk says.

"We just ate," I point.

"I hope outside I get a cozy bed where I can be tucked and wrapped in," Psyand says.

"A wrap roll is always a good meal," Lost-Bird says.

"Have you wrapped your wet clothes in a wrap-cover? Hope so," Psyand's mother says.

"I have totally WRAPPED my wet clothes," Scelestha says.

"Okay, neat, but you are repeating stuff," I explain.

"Can I join in too?" Feather asks, I just stare-glare at him. "Just thought I could wrap up the jokes man, nothing else."

Everyone laughs and praises Feather.

"STILL repeating stuff," I say.

"Welcome on board, Wrap," Rusk says, patting my shoulder.

We take the few luggage bags with each other's luggage sectioned into them, to reduce the carriage, and step out.

I could now see a glistening thing surrounding us, which is almost transparent. I use my abilities to wrap and blind the cameras, as we reach each one's view, the same way I had done before, just in case.

"I don't hear much…" Scelestha says.

"Well, that's a good thing," I say.

It was a bit too early anyways, so that was expected. Psyand and I really didn't want to wake early.

Forcerer, seemingly clueless of Scelestha's powers, glances at her, confused.

We wearily reach towards the glass-dome.

"I don't feel so good about this," Rusk says.

"Why?" I ask.

"It looks like… the ones I make," Rusk says.

"Well, it still gotta break," I say.

"Not easily," Rusk says.

Feather touches the dome, and it buzzes in a way, and we realise it isn't exactly some simple cover, like Scelestha had said it'd be.

"It feels like glass-"

"-Ah, welcome," a voice resounds.

We all get alert and look above, from where the voice seemed to come. But no soul to be found.

"Ah, yes, no. Due to personal reasons, I haven't reached the place yet. I apologize," the voice says. "I'm an Elite of the contested survival of the fittest, which you are part of. You must've seen me in the video. I'm the one who killed the beloved… you get it."

The voice seemed… altered. These guys cared about their identities. What a joke.

"E-elite?" Psyand's mother asks. "W-we need to break this."

I raise my fist and thud it towards this Glass-dome, with all my strength. Crackle noise resounds out, and I feel burning on my knuckles, and take my hands off. Feather looks at my wound, but I shake my head, even when I feel a lot of pain.

"Ah, no, we know. Super-strength is the first anyone talks of, in powers. Obviously we took measures for you to not flee such a test. At least not easily. To break a force field-" Silver-mask says.

"-it'd take powers far greater than you imagine," Rusk whispers, as Silver-mask says the same.

I look at Rusk, with an unknown expression, and he avoids mine and the other gazes on him.

"Ah, how lucky I am, to have found such a huge bunch of powered-individuals here. I'm so sorry to not be present there."

With pain in my fist, and wanting to roar out my pain, I search for where the camera is. I had noted of where all the cameras were before, there must have been one I missed, or a new one.

"As I said, I'm not there. But thanks to you: the ones there do now," Silver-mask says.

I and Rusk both turn behind at the same time, many different beings pounce on us, and stop mid-air, at the force-field, which Rusk forms, with his hand stretched out. The different beings scratch and punch towards the force-field, but to no good.

Psyand and her mother scream.

"Wonderful," Silver-mask says. "You are him, right? That footballer, Ramsus Sernade. So here you are."

Rusk groans loudly, but his force-field doesn't budge even an inch.

"Wrap, take out the makeshift, black first-aid box from my bag!" Rusk says.

I quickly move to his bag, on the floor, while someone questions him of what he was doing, but he doesn't answer. I find and grab the box.

"You should find a vial and an injection, fill it with what is in the vial, do you know how to?" Rusk asks.

"Yes," I say and open the box.

"What is it?" Lost-Bird asks, peeking.

"That…" Scelestha says, peeking too.

"A steroid," I say, holding it.

"Not the time. Just trust me and inject it to me!" Rusk says.

I sigh and understand what he meant.

"You shouldn't just randomly inject it anywhere," Scelestha says, trying to grab the things from my hand, I just continue filling it on my own.

There was indeed a way to increase our powers, bodily fluids going crazy, is always helpful, for such a result. Steroids were best for that, in many aspects. And that was what Rusk was planning for.

I inject the steroid into Rusk's arm, as he stays his pace.

"Do you need to hold it?" I ask, bopping my head to the force-field.

"Not now," Rusk says.

Rusk calms his stiff hand, lowering it, and cracks his knuckles, as the beings just roar and scream at us, as some hungry, skinned, animals. Indeed, they were similar to that bird-thingy from the bus. So these were Witch's homies. No hair, bare skin, weird-looking.

Rusk pushes his hand forward, and I see the force field around us dissipate and another form, covering the beings.

"Ah, could you make it bigger? Just for a moment even," Feather asks.

"Why?" Forcerer asks.

"Maybe…" Feather says, looking up at the sky.

Rusk does, and increasing the height of the mini-dome around the creatures, he lessens the width. Feather spreads his hands behind him, and jumps up the dome, as it lengthens. The creatures try to break through and catch him, with no success.

Wings sprout out of Feather's back. Ironically, featherless wings. He springs up, with one leg, and slashes his wings downward, to fly high. And as he does, Scelestha jumps forward, but is too late, but still succeeds in catching the falling Feather.

I jolt forward too, and defend Rusk, as another shot fires, now towards him, and I take the hit in Rusk's stead.

Forcerer who had already moved towards Feather, looks back at me, with horror, and blood oozes out my chest, through the piercing made by the arrow.

"I-it is poison," I hear Feather say.

I concentrate on the arrow, with watery eyes, to maybe magically wrap its edge, inside me, from spreading the poison. But I knew, it wasn't how it worked, it was too late.

Psyand comes ahead of me, crying, as I feel dizzy.

"Mr. Wrap," Psyand says, crying.

Psyand grabs the arrow, to remove it, but Psyand's mother stops her, and says something, but my ears buzz, as I feel the arrow deep in my chest. It wasn't the heart, but it wouldn't take too long to reach the heart. The poison.

I feel teary, yet I maintain consciousness, and look around. Silver-mask… it probably was his voice, I feel him humouring and laughing at me.

Rusk looks towards me, screaming something, probably asking me to not go into the light or shit, I see his lips move to say 'light'.

I laugh, I find the choice of words funny. I realise that it probably is hypothermia, giving me the feeling of ecstasy, as I feel sudden coldness throughout my body. I had read this. But even knowledge can't stop chemicals inside me: that I could tick as checked, now.

I gasp for air, doubting if I must really be doing that, maybe it'd just fasten my death. For better or worse. I stay my pose, sitting on my knee.

The monsters… they are laughing along me. I hear it.

But one person wasn't laughing, a person with gauntlets on their hands, Scelestha, pushes her hands towards me, saying something-

.

.

.

I see Wrap fallen there, as I just cover my ears and look at the happenings, gasping for air, as my ears buzz. I wasn't a superhero. Nor strong enough to bear so many deaths.

The kid crying. The mother protecting her daughter. The athlete on steroids. The knight in armour. The warrior fading on his knees. The friend holding onto his dying friend. The person who spread their wings like a bird, only to be shot down like a hunted bird.

I… I'm merely the human gasping while sitting here, like a coward.