The Saviour
Dee cursed herself for leaving her bike at home. She should've never let Duke go back alone.
She pulled her phone out to call a cab—dead. Of course.
"Great. Just great," she muttered, throwing her hands up. "Do all bad things just have to happen today?"
She glanced around. The road was nowhere in sight. She'd walked too far into the quiet part of town—exactly as Duke had planned. A peaceful spot, he said.
Yeah, peaceful her foot.
With no other choice, she started walking, hoping to find her way back. Ten minutes in, she was still lost. Frustrated, she punched a wall nearby.
"Ugh! Where the hell am I supposed to go now?!"
Just then, movement caught her eye. A group of ten guys were coming down the alley.
"Finally," she sighed, relieved. "Maybe they can help."
But that hope died fast.
She saw them shoving a girl between them—laughing, mocking, pushing her like she was a toy.
"You've got to be kidding me." Dee's fists clenched. "Is the universe done yet?"
Without thinking, she marched up. "Hey! Leave her alone!"
The guys turned to her, smirking.
"Well, well, what a lucky day," one said. "Two for one!"
"She's mine," said the one who looked like their boss, dark eyes glinting.
"I'll say it once more—leave her alone. Or I'm calling the cops." Dee pulled out her phone, pretending it still worked.
"Ooooh, we're scared now!" another guy mocked, fake trembling. "Please don't call the police, ma'am!" Laughter exploded around her.
Their leader flicked his hand, and one guy stepped forward. He grabbed Dee's shoulder.
Bad move.
She twisted, kicked him hard in the stomach, and slammed her fist into his jaw. He dropped with a groan.
"You deserved that," Dee hissed.
Two more came at her. One grabbed her arms from behind. The other swung a punch at her face.
Dee ducked, yanked herself free, and kicked the guy in front. Then she delivered a brutal backward kick, hitting the guy behind square in the ribs.
"Who's next?!" she shouted, charging at the rest.
She landed a couple of solid punches—until crack—a wooden plank smashed into her head.
Her vision swam. "What the—?"
Blood. Warm and thick. Her hand came back red.
"I'm gonna—" She tried to kick again, but her legs gave out.
Pain exploded in her head like fireworks. The world spun. Her ears rang.
Then the gang circled her, raining kicks into her stomach. She barely felt them over the pounding in her skull.
Is this it? Am I gonna die here?
She was slipping—until a voice cut through everything.
"STOP RIGHT NOW!"
A tall man stepped into view, all in black. Dee couldn't see him clearly, but his presence was enough. He moved fast—too fast.
He kicked one guy, and suddenly the rest started… fighting each other. Like puppets on strings.
Dee blinked, trying to stay conscious.
The mystery man rushed to her, lifted her gently, and carried her away. She blacked out before she could see his face.
---
Dee woke up to the beep of hospital monitors and the smell of antiseptic.
Am I dead?
She looked around. Blue curtains. Nurses. A hospital. Not dead.
Then a familiar voice broke through.
"Hey, Daphne! You're awake! DOCTOR! She's awake!"
It was Duke.
Her head throbbed, but the pain had dulled. "W-What happened?" she asked, holding her head.
"I left, but I realized your book was in my bag. Came back to give it to you… and saw them attacking you. So I fought them off and brought you here."
Dee stared. "So... you saved me?"
He nodded, all smiles. "Yeah."
Before she could respond, a female voice shouted from outside.
"Where's Dee, doctor?!"
Uh-oh. Ayat.
I'm dead now, Dee thought, sitting up straighter.
Ayat barged in, rushing to her. "Dee! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine. Just a scratch," Dee muttered.
"What happened? Tell me everything."
"Nothing big—"
"She got jumped by some gangsters," Duke chimed in.
Dee shot him a glare. Traitor.
"But I saved her," he added proudly.
"So he saved you?" another voice asked, colder this time.
Rayyan.
Oh crap.
"Yeah," Dee said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "He did."
Ayat thanked Duke, but Rayyan wasn't buying it.
"How exactly did you save her?" he asked, eyes narrowing. "You don't even have a scratch."
Dee quickly interrupted, trying to end the tension. "I saw him! He beat up the guys. Then, I don't know how, they started hitting each other…"
Rayyan didn't say a word, just glared at Duke like he could set him on fire.
"Anyway," Ayat stepped in, "thank you, Duke. We'll take care of her now."
Duke nodded awkwardly. "Okay. Uh, bye, Daphne."
After he left, Dee turned to the others. "You guys can go too."
"You're not a kid, huh?" Rayyan snapped. "Then why do you get into trouble like one? And don't even think of being friends with that guy."
"I can be friends with whoever I want!" Dee yelled. "And maybe thank him instead of interrogating him! You embarrassed me in front of him!"
"I'm just saying—"
"You're saying too much!" Dee shouted. "Don't come near me again!"
Rayyan's face froze. Then he quietly turned and left.
"Dee… that was harsh," Ayat whispered.
"I'm not in the mood, Ayat. Please, just go."
Ayat looked hurt but nodded. "I'll come back later."
---
Outside, Rayyan was punching a guy in the parking lot.
"Rayyan! What are you doing?!" Ayat ran over and grabbed his arm.
"Let go!" he snapped.
He raised his fist again—but Ayat shouted, "FREEZE!"
Rayyan's body locked. He stopped mid-swing.
"I said stop!" Ayat shouted. She helped the beaten man up, apologized, and sent him running.
When she touched Rayyan's arm, he relaxed. "Don't ever use your powers on me again," he muttered.
"You went too far!"
"I was there, Ayat. I saw Dee. Blood everywhere. I wanted to rip those guys apart. And I did save her. I used my powers, made them attack each other. But then she ran—with that brat."
"So… she doesn't remember it was you?" Ayat asked.
"She must've blacked out. But what I don't get is… why did Duke lie?"
Ayat's eyes widened.
"And when I used my power," Rayyan added, "something blocked it. Like someone else was controlling me. The moment Duke took Dee's hand, I felt weak. My powers vanished for 30 minutes."
Ayat slammed the brakes. "WHAT?!"
"Drive properly, please," Rayyan said, gripping the seat. "I can't die before making up with her."
"Rayyan… That means Duke is not normal."
"I know. That's why I acted like that at the hospital."
"So what now?"
"We protect Dee. No matter what."
"We can't act reckless. She cares about him."
"She thinks she does. But I won't let that liar near her again."
"We have to be smart. We'll watch him from a distance. But first, we need to fix things with Dee."
"She hates me," Rayyan muttered.
"She's mad at me too," Ayat added with a sad smile. "But we'll fix it. Together."
"Fine," Rayyan said. "But only for now."
Ayat dropped him home and drove off, heart pounding.
They had bigger problems now.
And Duke was not who he claimed to be.
---