Home Sweet Home

"No portals, no blood, and definitely no more... impromptu meals." Axel muttered to himself, scanning the area with his enhanced senses. His recent feeding had stabilized his transformation, leaving him with a more manageable level of enhancement. Not quite the hulking monster-killer he'd been earlier, but still far from his original scrawny self.

His hunger had subsided too. That was a good thing. He just couldn't help himself.

The sun had fully set now, leaving the city in that peculiar twilight state where street lights competed with the last traces of natural light. Perfect for someone trying to avoid attention while covered in various types of blood.

His enhanced hearing picked up running water nearby - a public restroom in a small park. At this hour, it would likely be empty. Perfect.

"First step, don't look like an extra from a horror movie," he said, making his way carefully through the shadows. His senses gave him plenty of warning whenever someone approached, allowing him to duck into alleys or behind cars until they passed.

The restroom was indeed empty, and surprisingly clean for a public facility. Axel locked the door behind him, then finally got a good look at himself in the fluorescent-lit mirror.

"Jesus..." He breathed, understanding now why stealth had been so important. He was absolutely covered in blood - multiple types of blood, if his enhanced sense of smell was accurate. Monster blood, dog blood, and probably some of his own from earlier wounds. The borrowed clothes were beyond salvation, stained and torn in ways that would raise serious questions if anyone saw them.

"Sorry," he muttered to the absent homeless people who'd helped him. "These aren't coming clean."

The hoodie was the worst - completely soaked through with gore. He peeled it off carefully, trying not to spread the mess further. The sweatpants were also a lost cause, but he couldn't exactly walk home naked. Using his enhanced strength, he carefully tore them into makeshift shorts, discarding the bloodiest portions.

"Not exactly high fashion," he observed, looking at his handiwork. "But better than full nudity or looking like I had just walked off a battlefield."

He spent the next twenty minutes meticulously cleaning himself with paper towels and hand soap and whatever he could find. His enhanced senses made the task both easier and more disgusting - he could literally smell every different type of blood and... other substances... that covered him. The monster gore was particularly nasty, seeming to resist normal cleaning methods.

"Note to self: invest in industrial strength soap or acid," he muttered, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn patch. "And maybe some backup clothes. And definitely some therapy after all this is over."

Finally, after using up nearly an entire roll of paper towels, he was reasonably clean. Looking in the mirror again, he was surprised to see... himself. Just regular old Axel, maybe a bit more muscular than before, but nothing that would immediately draw attention. His face was the same - no obvious signs of the transformation that had turned him into a monster-killing machine earlier. Or a monster.

"Huh." He flexed experimentally, watching his reflection. The muscles were definitely enhanced, but not to the point of being obvious under normal clothes. He looked athletic now, rather than superhuman despite having superhuman abilities. Supernatural abilities too. He looked like someone who worked out regularly instead of someone who could tear through steel.

"Mom might actually buy the 'started working out' excuse," he mused, then grimaced as his enhanced hearing picked up approaching footsteps. Someone was heading for the restroom.

Time to go.

He gathered the bloody clothes and stuffed them into the trash can quickly, burying them under other garbage. Not ideal, but better than carrying them around. The footsteps were getting closer - two people, talking about something he deliberately tuned out. His enhanced senses were useful, but he didn't need to eavesdrop on random conversations.

Axel slipped out of the restroom just as the people rounded the corner, moving quickly but naturally toward the deeper shadows of the park. His bare feet made no sound on the pavement, another subtle benefit of his transformation. The makeshift shorts were holding together, though they probably looked pretty strange. At least the darkness would hide most of the remaining bloodstains.

The journey home took longer than usual, mainly because he had to avoid well-lit areas. His enhanced senses made navigation easy, but they also made him acutely aware of how many people were still out and about. Each passing car required careful timing to avoid being caught in the headlights. Every streetlight became an obstacle to be circled around.

"Should have grabbed some shoes," he muttered after stepping on yet another piece of gravel. His enhanced durability meant it didn't hurt, but it was still annoying. "And a shirt. And maybe a believable story about why I'm wandering around half-naked at night."

Finally, after what felt like hours of careful navigation, Axel reached his street. The familiar row of suburban houses looked oddly peaceful in the evening light, completely disconnected from the chaos and violence he'd experienced earlier. His enhanced senses immediately picked up something unusual though - the lack of life signs from his house.

"That's weird," he muttered, creeping closer. No lights were on, which was strange enough at this hour. But more concerning was the complete absence of familiar sounds and smells that usually indicated his family's presence.

He circled the house cautiously, checking each window. His mother's car wasn't in the driveway, which was highly unusual. She was almost always home by this time, except for the occasional grocery run. But even those never took this long.

His enhanced hearing picked up nothing from inside - no TV sounds from his sister's room, no clattering of pots from the kitchen where his mother would be preparing dinner, no video game noises from his brother's latest gaming session. The house was completely silent.

"Okay, this is definitely not normal." Axel frowned, focusing his senses more intently. The house smelled... empty. Not just currently unoccupied, but as if no one had been inside for several hours. The lingering scents of his family members were stale, suggesting they'd all left sometime in the afternoon.

Still, he couldn't detect any signs of forced entry or struggle. Everything looked normal, just... empty. His enhanced vision could make out the interior through the windows - nothing was disturbed or out of place. Whatever had caused his family's absence, it hadn't involved violence.

"Small mercies," he breathed, finally approaching the front door. The spare key was still in its hiding place under the welcoming rug (which he'd always thought was a terrible security measure, but right now he was grateful for it). His hands were steady as he unlocked the door, though his enhanced senses remained on high alert for any threat.

The house was exactly as it appeared from outside - completely deserted. Axel moved through the rooms quickly but thoroughly, checking for any clues about his family's whereabouts. Nothing seemed obviously wrong. No notes explaining where they'd gone. No signs of hasty departure. It was as if they'd simply... vanished.

"This would be a lot more concerning if I hadn't already hit my weird quota for the day," he muttered, finally heading upstairs to his room. His enhanced senses had already confirmed he was alone in the house, but old habits died hard - he still checked each room as he passed.

His bedroom was exactly as he'd left it... God, was it only yesterday? It felt like weeks had passed since he'd stumbled through that first portal after being locked by those assholes. The familiar space - posters on the walls, homework scattered on the desk, dirty laundry in the corner - seemed almost surreal after everything he'd experienced.

"Right," he said, closing and locking his door. "First things first."

He peeled off the makeshift shorts, grimacing at the dried blood still visible on them despite his best cleaning efforts. Rather than risk them being found in the trash, he opened a small portal to the nightmare realm and tossed them through. The garment vanished into another reality.

"Should have done that with the others," he muttered, thinking of the bloodied clothes he'd stuffed in the park restroom's trash can. He had disposed them in haste without thinking too much. "Oh well. Issue for another day."

Right now, he needed to get clean again. Really clean.

The bathroom was just as he remembered it, though his enhanced senses picked up details he'd never noticed before. The slight mustiness of the shower curtain. The lingering traces of his family members' various soaps and shampoos. The faint mineral deposits in the pipes when he turned on the water.

The hot water felt incredible on his enhanced skin, though he had to be careful not to use his full strength on the faucet handles. Everything seemed more fragile now, requiring conscious effort to handle normally. He'd already cracked the bathroom doorknob slightly, though hopefully no one would notice.

He scrubbed himself thoroughly, watching as the last traces of blood and gore swirled down the drain. His enhanced sense of smell let him track his progress - the sharp metallic scent of normal blood, the more alien smell of monster gore, the lingering scent of dog... He tried not to think too hard about that last one.

The soap's artificial fragrance was almost overwhelming to his heightened senses, but he used it liberally anyway. Better to smell too clean than to risk any traces of his earlier activities remaining. His enhanced healing factor had already taken care of any cuts or bruises, leaving his skin unmarked despite the day's violence.

"Could get used to that part," he muttered, examining himself in the steamy mirror. The transformation had definitely changed his body, though not as dramatically as during the heat of battle. He looked athletic now, with defined muscles that hadn't been there this morning. Nothing too obvious - he could probably pass it off as a recent growth spurt - but definitely different.

His face was largely unchanged, which was a relief. Same hair, same eyes, same features he'd always had. No obvious signs that he'd spent fighting monsters and... doing other things he'd rather not think about. He looked tired, maybe, but that was understandable.

The hot water was starting to run cold by the time he finished, his enhanced senses telling him he was finally completely clean of blood and monster residue. He dried off carefully, still adjusting to his increased strength. The towel felt fragile in his hands, requiring conscious effort not to tear it.

Back in his room, he dressed in clean clothes - loose-fitting ones that wouldn't draw attention to his slightly altered physique. His enhanced hearing continued to monitor the house and surrounding area, but there was still no sign of his family returning.

"Where are they?" he wondered aloud, checking his clock. It was well past dinner time now. His mother was usually religious about family meals, insisting everyone be home unless there was a very good reason. "This isn't normal..."

He considered calling around - his mother's friends, his siblings' usual hangouts - but realized he'd have to explain why he didn't know where they were. That would lead to questions about where he'd been all afternoon, which... no. Just no.

"They'll come back," he told himself, trying to ignore the growing unease in his gut. "They have to come back. And when they do, I'll just..."

He trailed off, realizing he had no idea what he'd tell them. He obviously couldn't tell them the truth or half truth. What to do? what to do? Before long, he dozed off. 

It was a much needed rest after all that had happened.