Chapter 4: Look into my eyes.(Re- Written)

Kid's POV:

"Come on, Alex, don't stay mad at me,"

my mother, Jenny, said with a playful smile as we walked down the brightly lit street.

"I got you cake, didn't I?"

I crossed my arms and huffed.

"You promised, Mom. You said we'd spend the whole day together."

She sighed, ruffling my hair.

"I know, sweetheart. Work just got in the way. But I'm here now, aren't I?"

She pulled out a small box from her bag.

"And look what I got you."

I peeked inside, my eyes widening at the action figure I had been begging for.

"You got it?"

My anger wavered as I looked up at her.

"Of course,"

she said, smiling.

"Anything for my little hero."

I hugged her tightly, feeling guilty for being mad earlier.

"Thanks, Mom."

"No more pouting?"

she teased.

"No more pouting,"

I mumbled against her shoulder.

We laughed as we made our way home.

But that laughter died the moment we turned into the empty street.

Three men stepped out of the shadows, their grins twisted and cruel.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

one of them sneered, his nose running as he wiped it on his sleeve.

My mother's grip on my hand tightened.

"Stay behind me, Alex."

"Hey, lady,"

their leader said, pulling out a rusty knife.

"How about you give us your purse? Maybe we won't hurt you."

Rage burned inside me.

They wanted to rob my mom? I wouldn't let them.

Without thinking, I stepped forward and punched the one with the runny nose square in the face.

"Argh!"

he yelped, clutching his nose.

"You little brat!"

"Alex!"

my mom gasped, pulling me back.

The leader's eyes darkened.

"You'll pay for that, kid."

He raised his knife and lunged at me.

Time slowed.

I saw the glint of the blade.

I heard my mother's panicked breath.

Then—

She stepped in front of me.

The knife sank into her stomach.

"MOM!"

I screamed as she crumpled to the ground.

Tears blurred my vision as I tried to fight back.

I swung my fists wildly, but they were bigger, stronger.

They knocked me down, laughing as they kicked me.

My mother lay bleeding, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.

I screamed for help.

No one came.

The world felt so cold, so empty.

Then it happened.

A sound tore through the alley—low, guttural, inhuman.

The air around us thickened with heat.

A wave of fire-lit shadows danced against the walls.

The gangsters froze, their laughter dying in their throats.

I turned my head, my body trembling from pain and fear.

And I saw it.

A figure emerged from the darkness, its form wreathed in roaring flames.

A skull—burning, grinning—stared at us with empty, glowing eyes.

It wore a black leather jacket over a white shirt, jeans, and boots that left molten footprints on the pavement.

One of the thugs stumbled back.

"Wh-what the hell is that?!"

The monster tilted its head before letting out a deep, menacing laugh.

"HAHAHAHA..."

The gangsters shuddered.

Then it spoke.

"I AM VENGEANCE."

Its voice was like an earthquake, shaking me to my core.

The gangsters turned pale, their bravado crumbling.

For the first time, I saw fear in their eyes.

I should have been afraid too.

But all I felt was awe.

Kid's POV end...

...............

Jojo stood still for a moment, the eerie flames on his skull flickering wildly.

Then, without warning, he lunged forward.

"Wait—!"

the thug barely had time to react before Jojo's skeletal hand swung across his face in a brutal slap.

The force sent the thug soaring backward like a ragdoll, crashing toward the alley's crumbling wall.

But before he could even make contact, his entire body disintegrated into ashes, vanishing into the wind as though he had never existed.

The remaining two thugs stood frozen in place, their breath hitched in sheer terror.

One of them, unable to bear the sight, turned on his heel and attempted to run.

In his panic, his foot landed on an old tin can, causing him to stumble and crash onto the dirty pavement.

He barely had time to scramble to his feet before Jojo was upon him.

In the blink of an eye, the flaming specter appeared next to him and, with effortless brutality, drove his boot down onto the thug's skull.

A sickening crunch echoed in the alley.

The body twitched once—then erupted into flames, burning away until nothing remained but a fading ember.

The gang leader stood paralyzed, his entire body trembling.

The urine staining his pants was the least of his concerns now.

He watched, wide-eyed, as the last of his comrades was reduced to nothing but ash.

"P-please... Please don't kill me!"

The leader fell to his knees, clasping his hands together in desperation.

"I'll give you the woman! I'll give you the kid! Just let me live!"

At those words, Alex's breath caught in his throat.

His mother, Jenny, gasped, tightening her grip on his arm.

"Al... Alex, run,"

she whispered, though her own legs refused to move.

Alex looked up at her, his small hands trembling.

'I can't let Mom die. I have to protect her.'

He stepped in front of her, spreading his arms wide in defiance, even though he knew he stood no chance against the flaming monster before them.

Jojo's skull twisted toward them, his burning eyes narrowing as the gang leader's pathetic plea rang in his ears.

"RAAAAAAA!"

A thunderous roar erupted from his mouth, shaking the very ground beneath them.

Jenny flinched, pulling Alex into a tight embrace.

Alex clung to her, his body shaking.

The sheer presence of the being before them was suffocating—an embodiment of death itself.

The gang leader, however, was in a state far worse.

His body convulsed as he let out strangled sobs, whispering incoherent prayers to whatever god might still listen.

Jojo stepped forward, gripping the leader's throat with a single, bony hand and lifting him effortlessly into the air.

The thug's hands clawed weakly at Jojo's wrist, but his strength was meaningless.

"LOOK INTO MY EYES... LOOK!"

The voice was guttural, demonic, sending shivers down the spines of anyone who heard it.

The thug tried to resist, squeezing his eyes shut—but it was pointless.

A force beyond comprehension compelled him to obey.

His eyes snapped open.

At first, all he saw was darkness—an endless, bottomless void.

Then, one by one, the faces began to appear.

The men and women he had robbed, beaten, and murdered.

The innocent he had tormented.

The lives he had destroyed.

Then, the pain began.

In the places where he had committed his crimes, the victims emerged—hands clawing at him, tearing at his flesh, raking their nails down to his very bones.

He screamed, but there was no escape.

His suffering cycled endlessly, each crime relived through the agony of his own soul.

From the outside, only seconds passed.

Jojo released his grip, and the thug collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

His once-normal eyes had turned jet black, burned with the mark of judgment.

Jojo grabbed the corpse and effortlessly tossed it into a garbage can.

Flames ignited from within, consuming the body until it was nothing but ash.

Silence.

The only sound remaining was the crackle of dying embers and the faint, terrified breaths of Jenny and Alex.

Jojo turned to them, taking slow, deliberate steps.

Jenny stiffened.

'This is it. He's going to kill us next.'

"Take me instead!"

she suddenly blurted, stepping in front of Alex.

"Please… spare my son!"

"No, Mom!"

Alex clung to her, tears streaming down his face.

"I won't leave you!"

Jojo stopped in his tracks.

For a moment, he just stood there, unmoving.

Then, he slowly knelt down, his fiery gaze scanning the stab wound on Jenny's stomach.

His skeletal hand reached toward it.

The flames covering his fingers shifted—from searing orange to a soft, radiant blue.

Jenny flinched, squeezing her eyes shut.

'This is it. It's over.'

But instead of pain…

she felt warmth.

A gentle, soothing heat spread through her wound.

She gasped, eyes snapping open.

The searing agony in her stomach was gone.

She looked down—there was no wound.

No blood. No scar.

Jojo examined his own hand, flexing his fingers.

"Shit…"

he muttered under his breath.

"Using the Angel's Blue Flame is too much for my current body… I need to get stronger."

Then, without another word, he turned and started walking away.

Jenny stared after him, her lips parted in disbelief.

"Who… who are you?"

she finally asked.

Jojo paused mid-step.

He turned his head slightly, the flames on his skull flickering.

For a moment, he considered saying something cool.

Something mysterious. Something legendary.

But then…

"I am Ghost Rider,"

he declared, voice deep and commanding.

There was a moment of dramatic silence.

Then he scratched the back of his flaming head and awkwardly added,

"And, uh… can you keep this whole thing a secret? Like, don't tell anyone? It'd be a real hassle if people started freaking out about a burning skeleton, ya know?"

Jenny blinked.

Alex sniffled.

Jojo stood there, as if waiting for a response.

Jenny slowly nodded.

Jojo exhaled in relief.

"Awesome! Thanks. Alright, I'm off—Oh, wait, my bike!"

He spun on his heel and started walking toward his motorcycle, mumbling,

"Almost left it behind again. Man, that would've been embarrassing."

Jenny and Alex watched in complete silence as the flaming skeleton hopped onto his bike, revved the engine, and sped off into the night, flames trailing behind him.

There was another long pause.

Alex wiped his tears.

"...That was kinda cool."

Jenny let out a shaky laugh, finally collapsing onto her knees.

"Yeah… it really was."

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(Author's POV)

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