The rest of the day was one of much confusion for Sam. He'd always been a bit of a loner, keeping Aubrey as his only friend. He assumed Aubrey was the same, since Sam was also Aubrey's only friend at the time.
And as such, relying on just each other, their bond was quite special. However, even still, what Sam saw was a happy Aubrey who had managed to blend in seamlessly.
He wasn't jealous, neither of Aubrey for his ability to blend in, nor of his friends for "taking" him. It was true surprise that Sam felt, seeing his likewise loner friend integrate normally into the world.
Sam continued with the day, eventually ending his first day at school off quite quietly, deciding to head home and decline the group's offer to hang out. His reasoning wasn't too grand; it was actually just that school was a bit burdensome on the unemployed Sam.
The tall man was used to working gigs, which usually took a few hours to complete, but he always knew that he'd get enough money to live once he was finished, so it wasn't that bad. However, starting school, he realized that he had to do this every single day, and thus was quite burdened.
He went home to a tiny, cramped apartment, just as he always kept it. Upon arrival, he immediately plopped down onto the couch and yawned, not even undressing.
"Ohhhhh man…"
He laid with his arms as pillows, closing his eyes and reflecting on the day.
His new group's not so bad. They're chill, and usually decently funny. I like them. Nico in particular is a cool guy.
…Still, what is this feeling inside me?
Thinking was something Sam didn't like to do. It was tiring, and irritated him to no end when he couldn't solve a problem his brain told him to solve.
I guess it's… surprise, or shock, or whatever. Aubrey just seemed so… callous, I suppose. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's just weird.
"Ah, whatever," Sam said, yawning deeply and rolling over to his side. "Who gives a fuck? Don't matter ta' me, don't matter ta' me…"
His body slowly drifted off to sleep, and—
"Ring, ring, muthafucka! Ring, ring—"
His annoying call notifications coming on, he grabbed his phone and answered.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"We have a job for you, Sam. One which we believe Aubrey cannot participate in alongside."
"Eh? And what's that?"
"A superhuman like yourself is causing trouble; we want him dead."
The blunt objective being delivered, Sam sighed and accepted that.
…
He arrived due to Fate's help, an empty street that night on the roads allowing him to run at 120+ miles per hour, alongside security cameras being turned away to keep him from being caught.
He completely reached his destination in an hour, having turned on a music playlist to pass the time before he arrived inside a new city. He walked around with his hands in his pockets, eventually stumbling into someone.
"Huh. I was wondering why the streets are empty tonight."
The fellow superhuman, a decently tall man with bright orange hair and pale skin, looked up at Sam.
"Turns out it was because you were after me. How scary."
The superhuman snickered, and Sam kept a small smile on his face.
"And what's your name?" Sam asked, turning on a special playlist where the songs were all sped up by 10x speed. "I'm Sam, by the way."
"Eh? Why would you need—"
The world was not brought to a halt. Instead, within a flash, everything slowed down. The opening and closing of the superhuman's mouth would take around 5 seconds just to happen, to which Sam walked towards him.
His music at a comfortable speed, Sam saw the superhuman rush at him at what would be a normal speed for a human being. Sam moved out of the way, and punched the man in the face.
With strength being speed and weight, the incredible speed in and of itself made him powerful, absolutely rocking the superhuman and sending him flying back. The human body's weight was overcome with the force, akin to a car crash sending one flying out the windshield.
His opponent crashed into a wall, and Sam yawned.
"Don't be scared, I ain't afraid~" Sam sang, running over and jumping into the air, delivering a ground and pound. "Just like that, come my way~~!"
Sam grabbed onto the orange hair for a solid hold with his left hand, and repeatedly reeled his right fist back, continuously smashing it down onto the superhuman's nose. It was done repeatedly with full force, Sam letting out hard grunts with each strike.
Though, from an outsider's perspective, about 7-10 punches a second would look to prioritize speed over power, it was actually the opposite, Sam merely having the speed in addition.
And, quite quickly, the superhuman, without being able to even use his ability, fell unconscious, his brain having been rattled from the back of his head bashing against the concrete with each punch—totalling up to 54.
Sam got to his feet, cracking his back and going back to normal.
Just like how every fight for a speedster, with a few exceptions, should end—it was an overwhelmingly easy victory.
Sam once more slowed down time, having forgotten the real mission. Since it was his job to kill him, Sam simply stomped on the superhuman's throat until it was crushed, preventing airflow. He flipped the man around and stomped on the back of his neck until his spinal cord was snapped as well.
That oughta do it.
Wiping the blood from his face and fist on the man's clothes, Sam dragged the man into an alleyway, tossed him in the dumpster and called the HPC to let them know it was finished.
He decided to explore the new city, simply walking around.
So, I killed yet another human. Apparently he was causing trouble, so I guess that means he kind of deserved it.
"Meh," Sam said aloud, "I've killed for less."
So there's no need to feel guilt. I do feel guilty of my earlier murders, so I don't think this one is something to feel guilt over.
Sam continued walking, seeing a girl walking down the sidewalk.
A monster?
His instinctual thought, one shaped by experience and logic. The entire street was empty, with the exception of this woman. Well, and—
She continued walking, as a man turned the corner to follow her. Sam kept an eye on the scene, for about two seconds before he shrugged his shoulders with "Not my problem" running in his mind.
Then, he heard a soft, high-pitched scream for just an instant. He turned back, seeing the woman being dragged into an alleyway.
Scary. Gosh darn it, I know it's not my problem, but…
To Sam, rescuing her would be incredibly easy. It was as simple as giving maybe one or two punches and calling it a day.
It was akin to opening a door for someone carrying a heavy object in terms of how easy it was.
I literally just killed a guy. Why am I even bothered? If I was still in middle-school, I probably would have ended up killing her myself.
Yet…
"Gosh, this is such a hassle."
Sam turned around, and quickly went into the alleyway, giving the man a rough slap to the face which, at such speed, ripped the flesh from his cheek, before picking the girl up and setting her back on the sidewalk, running away quickly after to avoid small talk.
He lifted up the skin on his palm, dropping it on the ground and decided to head home.
…
Look at me, I'm a superhero or something.
Chuckling, Sam laid in bed, thinking before he went to sleep.
I'm hungry… nah, it's just a short after-school nap. Haven't taken one of these in years, shit.
Though, actually, why didn't they want Aubrey to kill the guy with me? Oh I don't know, maybe because he isn't a murderer, and I am? Plus he's a monster, so something bad might happen if he kills a human.
Though, if he came, it would've been way easier if I could've rode in his car or motorcycle. Too bad I never got my driver's license. That aside…
If he killed someone, how would he feel? In highschool, he might've cried a lot or something. Nah, he was never much of a crier. Maybe more like… he would've sulked. But from what I'm seeing now?
I don't know. I really don't know.
'Nuff thinkin' 'bout him though. Off to sleep I go.
Closing his eyes, Sam drifted to slumber.