I run up the stairs and take a deep breath once I get out of the station. The air is still dry and way too hot. Geez, I have to look awful. I'm probably all sweaty and disgusting. And that's how hot guy saw me. I shake my head to myself and slowly start walking when a few more people emerge from the Tube.

Just when I'm about to put my earphones in again, someone grabs my arm and yanks me aside. “Hey! What the fuck?” I gasp and look up. The man who grabbed me doesn't even acknowledge me. He looks around desperately. Slung over his shoulder is a woman's purse.

“Stop right there!” I hear someone shout and look around for the source.

In front of us stands no other than Visionary. The city's hero. My eyes widen. I only saw him on TV or heard about him on the radio. Seeing him up close is kind of disappointing though. Lydia is right. His outfit does look rather stupid. A yellow bodysuit with a dark grey eye on the chest and gloves and boots in the same colour. He wears a yellow mask to hide his face. I don't get it. Someone who knows the guy without his suit has to recognise him. His black hair is just long enough so he can put it into a small ponytail. I never noticed that. It looks dumb.

Suddenly, something cold presses against my temple. The few people standing around to watch gasp and when I try to turn my head the man pulls my arm behind my back. I gasp in pain and stand still.

Visionary raises his hands, his eyes fixed on the man. “Hey, calm down, okay?” The self-proclaimed superhero says slowly. “Why don't you lower the gun so we can talk about this?”

A gun?! That guy's got a gun? Wait, that's what he's holding to my head?

I try not to move while my mind is running wild.

“Leave me alone! I need the money! You don't understand!” The man cries, his voice shaking. So he probably stole it and Visionary tried to stop him. And of course I end up in the crossfire.

“I know that you use all your money on drugs.” The idiot in the costume says. Yes, make him angry. Good idea, asshole! “Drop the gun, give me the purse and I promise I'll get you help.”

The man's fingernails bore into my arm and I wince. “You can't help me!” He yells, the hand holding the gun starts to shake.

Visionary looks from the man to me and then to the gun. Without warning he rushes forward. I gasp and shut my eyes. He's going to pull the trigger. I know it. That's it. That's how I die. As a junkie's hostage.

Suddenly, a shot echoes through the air and I flinch. I don't feel any pain though. Am I dead?

When I open my eyes and look down at myself, I realise that no, I am not dead. The pressure of the gun on my temple is gone and I whirl around once I notice that my arm is free as well. The man is still holding the gun, his hand shaking. His eyes are wide, staring at something behind me.

I look over my shoulder. There's a body on the ground. No, not just some body. Visionary.

“I-I killed him.” The junkie gasps and I face him again. My mind doesn't realise what is happening when he lifts the gun to his head and pulls the trigger. Another shot breaks the silence and he falls to the ground.

I can't move. I can't breathe.

There's a hole in his head. A puddle of blood is forming under it. His eyes are still open, wide and lifeless. Somewhere nearby, a woman screams and I finally stumble away from the body. My legs refuse to hold me up any longer and I land on my butt. Pain shoots up my spine but I ignore it as I keep staring ahead.

A hand grabs my shoulder and I flinch but turn my head.

Visionary. He's alive?

“Shit” I mumble and sit up so I'm above him. There's a wound in his chest, right next to the symbol on his chest. It's bleeding and his breathing sounds erratic. “Someone call an ambulance!” I yell and several people reach for their phones and turn away.

Visionary squeezes my shoulder and chuckles weakly. “T-that won't be necessary.” He grimaces and I quickly put my hands on the wound like they do in films. “That didn't go as planned.” He whispers and shakes his head.

“Don't speak. Just breathe.” I tell him quickly but he laughs again.

“Don't bother.” His hand leaves my shoulder and he raises it to his face, pulling the glove off with his teeth slowly. I keep putting pressure on the wound and look around helplessly. Am I the only one who tries to help? Those people only watch like it's something they see on the news.

“What are you looking at, huh?” I hiss and drop my gaze again. Visionary shuts his eyes. The puddle of blood keeps getting bigger. What I'm doing is pointless.

“Here” He whispers and I look down at his hand. He's holding it out for me. I frown.

“W-what?” I ask and he wiggles his fingers.

“The ring. Take it.”

I finally notice the ring on his finger. It's big and there's a sign or an emblem on it.

“Take it.” He says again and holds his hand out towards me. His head turns and his eyes open again. He looks tired.

“Why?” Even I can barely hear my voice.

“You'll find out soon enough.”

I look down at the ring again and carefully reach out to pull it off his finger. My hands are shaking and at first it's not moving at all. Just when I feel his hand dropping, it slides off his finger and I almost let it fall.

Before I can take another look at it, the body in front of me changes. Slowly, the costume makes place for normal clothes, the mask disappears and the ponytail plops open.

And then Visionary is gone and a man takes his place. Whispers go through the crowd of people as they stare at the now unmoving body.

So he really is a normal guy.

“Get out of the way!”

I look up in time to see two paramedics push through. They crouch down next to the body and one of them starts to feel for a pulse while the other looks up at me. “Hey, kid. You okay?”

I can't look away. He's dead. I know it. Visionary is dead. I was never a fan of superheroes but when this guy showed up around three years ago, it made everyone feel a tiny bit more safe. He helped the police. He was a good guy.

And now he's dead.

When someone pulls me to my feet, I comply wordlessly.

I didn't even know him. I still feel like some part of me died. This man. Was he a father? A husband?

“Kid! Hey!”

He died while trying to help someone. Me, he tried to help me. And that idiot with the gun. He didn't want to put the guy behind bars. Visionary wanted to help him. At least, I want to believe that his words were true.

Someone leads me away from the bodies and the crowd, towards a car. There are lights flashing around me. A police car.

A blanket is placed on my shoulders. I barely notice.

“He's in shock.” Someone nearby says.

“Obviously. Stay here with him. I'll ask around.”

“Alright”

The man pushes me down to sit. I don't know how long it takes me to snap out of it. When I finally take in my surroundings, the bodies are gone and the crowd is slowly getting smaller.

“Hey, you alright?”

I look up. The police officer standing above me smiles sadly and hands me a cup. I hesitate briefly before taking it.

“Hot chocolate” He explains. “You were pretty freaked out, huh?”

I simply nod and take a sip. It's barely hot any more but I decide not to point it out.

“Never seen a corpse before?”

“Only on TV.” I whisper and the man nods and sits down next to me. That's when I realise that I'm sitting in the trunk of a police car.

“Listen, I know that's a traumatic experience. Not everyone takes it well to witness something like that. If you need someone to talk about it, we can give you a few numbers.” He tells me and smiles.

I look down at the cup in my hands and shake my head. “Thanks but I think I'll be fine. I was just...in shock I guess.”

“You don't have to tell me that. It's not the first time I comfort someone. It happens all the time. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't try to ignore it.”

I nod and slowly get up. The blanket slides off my shoulders. I turn to face the man and force a small smile onto my face. “Believe me, I won't.”