Riley Ross
Chapter 41: The Monologue

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Monologue

Riley’s words echoed in her mind, looping endlessly.

You are going to die tonight. And all you can really do... is hurt.

At first, Stephanie had genuinely thought this was some messed-up prank by Hannah—some over-the-top way to get back at her for all the things she and their old classmates had done. She even waited for Hannah to jump out, laughing at any moment, berating her for falling for it.

But no.

This wasn’t a prank.

She didn’t know how, but she felt it. And more than that, she saw it.

The pale, strange-looking albino kid in front of her was serious—he was going to kill her.

"Let... let go of—"

"Wait."

Stephanie’s scream cut off in her throat as Riley raised a single finger. Her mouth slammed shut, her lips and jaw locking tight under some invisible force. She tried to cry out, but all that escaped her nose was a panicked, wheezing whimper—and a stream of snot that burst out along with it.

"Oh?" Riley tilted his head as he saw the clear snot, then calmly locked eyes with her. "That is fine, Stephanie. I believe that is perfectly normal. Roman did the same thing when I forced a metal pole into his anus, but his was a little greener. It means you’re human—and that your tears are about to fall. What does it feel like, tears?"

He asked the question gently, almost innocently, but she couldn’t answer—her mouth remained sealed. Not that she would have answered. The only thing she could do was watch as Riley raised his hand.

"Hrkh?!" Her eyes twitched and followed his hand, but the only thing he did was casually wipe the snot from her face.

"You do not need to be embarrassed," he said as he wiped his fingers clean on her clothes. "But forgive me. I lost track. I was about to say something."

Riley let out a long and deep sigh and took a step back from her, now standing a meter away.

Steph seized the opportunity to struggle... violently. And in desperation, she shrank her waist—compressing it until it was no wider than an arm, hoping to slip free.

That was a mistake.

The grip holding her adjusted instantly, conforming to her new shape. This invisible force wasn’t just restraining her—it had already latched onto her. Every part of her. Every wriggle she made, every stretch or compression, it followed.

And now, she was stuck in a form that made it hard even to breathe, she was more trapped than ever.

"That was stupid, Stephanie," Riley sighed in disappointment. "Anyway. I was trying to say something."

He turned around, completely ignoring her trembling and thrashing, and began to walk aimlessly, gazing into the ruins around them as though he were sightseeing.

"I get it now," he said softly. "I finally understand why characters in movies and cartoons like to talk while fighting—heroes, villains... they all do it. And I get it now. It is not just ego. It’s because they want to share something. Something too big to show with fists and powers alone."

He breathed out, lifting his chin to the broken night sky.

"Dialogue is important, Stephanie."

Steph whimpered. Her breathing was shallow, choked. Her entire body was shivering. The only thing she could still move freely were her eyes—and they were now trembling uncontrollably.

"I’m very happy right now, Stephanie," Riley said as he closed his eyes, taking in another deep breath as if breathing something else than air, "I do not know if you can see it—but I am happy."

She could see it. Of course, she could see it.

Riley wasn’t aware of it, but his lips had already curled into a full smile—wide, filled with teeth, and wrong.

It stretched too far. And it looked disgustingly disturbing. It... didn’t look human.

"I am strong, Stephanie," Riley continued his monologue, once again stepping closer to her until he stood barely a foot away from her. "I am not telling you that to boast, or out of arrogance. I am simply stating a fact—something I realized the moment I awakened my abilities. I watched several videos of children my age with telekinesis... the most they could do was lift a bowling ball."

Riley looked down at his hands.

"A few hours after I awakened mine, I shaved off a section of a metal platform, at least a meter in diameter, and compressed it into a ball the size of your eye, Stephanie."

The panic in Stephanie’s eyes flared as Riley slowly raised his finger and hovered it just an inch from her face, right in front of her left eye.

"Tell me, why would the universe grant me that kind of power... and awaken something so dark in me at the same time?" He whispered. "It is almost as if the universe wants me to become... this. To erase people like you."

Riley tilted his head.

"I’m sorry, Stephanie... but you really are going to die tonight."

"N... no..." Stephanie was finally able to let out something other than a whimper, her tears now streaming freely down her cheeks.

"I took my time with Roman—tested how much pressure it took to break each of his bones," Riley said, his eyes fluttering closed as if recalling a fond memory. Then, he inhaled deeply, opened his eyes, and locked them with hers.

"But I can not do that with you," he continued as the smile on his face went even wider. "Your body is... floppy. So instead... I’m going to test your stretch tolerance. And then, we are going beyond that... Fun, right?"

"N-no!" Steph choked out.

"Yes," Riley breathed, gently brushing one of her tears away with his fingertip. "And I’m going to enjoy it, and—"

"Let her go!"

And all of a sudden, a deep voice cut through the air before Riley could finish his words. Steph let out a muffled sound, no longer one of fear, but of hope.

"Oh?" Riley turned his head.

And there, standing at the edge of the ruins, was the man Stephanie had been with in the restroom...

...and he was holding a gun.

"Uh oh. He came to save you, Stephanie," Riley whispered. "Now I realize why they say it is a bad idea to talk too much."

"Let her go, asshole!" The man ordered, gripping the gun with both hands. From his posture, his voice, and the steadiness of his steps, Riley could tell he knew how to use it.

"That is a Glock 22," Riley noted, eyes moving to the weapon and then to the holster on the man’s hip. "Police-issue duty holster... You are a cop, Mister?"

"That’s right, asshole! Now, let her go and back away from her. Now!"