WE ARE JUSTICE!

[Authors note: this chapter starts off a bit slow, but about halfway in it picks up!]

"Justice can be healing, but it can also be harsh. The one thing that remains the same is, we desperately need more of it in this world," - Jay Seahaze.

***

The room was hot, almost suffocatingly so. Two dusty fans blasted air at Zeph and her three newly found friends at maximum speed, but there was no air conditioning. They were all staying at Kyle's house, the youngest of them all. He was a tall seventeen year old boy with a dark brown permed haircut and light blue eyes. He wore a basic black t-shirt covered in white fur from his family's dog as well as a piece of rose quartz hanging on a thin silver chain around his neck. Zephs bright green eyes gazed at the tv, watching as the old movie slowly but surely progressed. There was a pleasent aroma in the air, the smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that Kyles grandmother just made. Anne, the grandmother, came walking into the living room with a hot tray of cookies and a kind smile. She set the tray down on the table, directly on top of an oven mitt.

" Let them cool of at but before you eat them!" Anne spoke. She took a seat back on the couch. Zeph had met her new friends just two months ago at her highschool. They were all in the same grade as her, twelfth. However, this was their first time actually hanging out. It all started in horticulture class, first period, when Kyle and his popular friends were sitting at a table with one chair that was unoccupied. She had asked to sit with a group of girls, but they just glared and gave her looks of hostility. After the disheartening rejection, Kyle stood up and said she should sit with them. At first things were awkward, as new connections usually are. Zeph was as by no means popular, in fact, she was an outcast most of her life. Over time, they all grew closer. Zeph loved how funny they were, and especially the compliments Kyle would give her almost every day. When she realized she was making the other girls in class jealous, she felt good, like she was finally part of something. 'Fuck them. They've always been bitches' , was what Zeph thought about the girls at the time. So, that is the story of how they met.

After a while, the movie was wrapping up and there was only one cookie left untouched. " You should have your cookie dear, you look like you don't eat much! You'll faint in this heat if you starve yourself," Anne said in its raised eyebrows. ' well don't sugarcoat it...' Zeph suppressed a small laugh and kept a straight expression.

" Grandma! I'm sure she eating fine," Kyle sighed. He stood up and faced Zeph. " You want anything to drink? We have lots of soda," He spoke

" Yeah, you got any diet sodas?" Zeph questioned. Kyle nodded. The grandmother shook her head disapprovingly but said nothing. Kyle walked over to the doorway and paused.

" We've got Diet Pepsi," Kyle held out his hand, palm open towards the roof. " And we've got Diet Mountain Dew," Kyle spoke, putting out his other hand. " Which one do ya want?"

" Pepsi please," Zeph said, playing with the black hair tie hanging off her wrist. Kyle went to the kitchen, and returned in about a minute with a can of soda. " Thanks!" Zeph smiled gratefully. Kyle extended his arm out to hand her the soda. The cold can good on her sweaty palms. She took a few massive gulps.

" Well, it's eight. Your friends should be getting home," Anne spoke. So Kyle took the tv remote off the black coffee table and used it to pause the movie.

" Thank you for having me," Zeph said to Anne.

" Of course honey, you be safe out there!"Anne stood up and gave Zeph a hug. Once Zeph and the others were outside, they looked up at the night sky to see the silver crescent moon surrounded by twinkling stars. She took a deep breath and smiled. She hadn't had any friends since elementary school, so having some again was wonderful. They walked down the long stone pathway that led to Kyles car. Zeph sat in the back with Brian, an eighteen year old guy who  wore a white tank top and a chunky golden chain, Zeph fastened her seatbelt and rolled down the window. Loud rap music started playing from the speakers at the front of the car.

" I'm gonna miss you guys, I don't wanna go home Zeph spoke sadly.

" We can stay out a little bit longer. I'll just tell my mom I stopped in at work to help out a little," Kyle said.

" You know what sounds nice?" Brain spoke up.

" What?" Zeph questioned.

" A night walk," Brain said.

" At this hour?" Zeph laugh dryly.

" Yeah, that does sound nice. We're just fifteen minutes away from BeaverCreek Hollow," Kyle smiled and put his hands on the steering wheel.

"Sounds fun to me," West shrugged. Everyone looked to Zeph with eager eyes.

" Ok fine, but if we get murdered that's on yall," Zeph let out a tiny laugh. Kyle backed out of the driveway and pulled out onto the road. He gained speed rapidly until he was speeding down the roadway at 70 mph. Zephs heart rate began to race.

" Can you slow down?" Zeph asked Kyle. He gave no answer. Instead of easing off the gas pedal, he pressed down on it harder. Zephs mind drifted way back to when she was nine years old

***

Flashback

It was a frigid winter evening  and the roads were slick with a thick layer of ice. Zephs mom, Charlotte, was driving while she was in the backseat, looking out the window and admiring the heavy snowfall. Zeph held her purple bunny plushie close, she had just gotten it from a claw game at the mall. Suddenly, as they were going down a hill they began to pick up speed. Charlotte pressed on the breaks, but it didn't stop the car from speeding.

" Put your hands over your head," Charlotte spoke in the most serious voice Zeph had ever heard come out of her mouth. Charlotte gripped the steering wheel tightly. There was no time for Zeph to respond. Their car sped off the road and crashed down into a lower area.

This can't be happening, Zeph thought. Her hands started tingling from the adrenaline. She barely had time to be scared before it happened. The front of Charlottes car slammed into a tree. Zephs head jerked forward. Zephs eyes were closed tightly and she could hardly breathe. Her whole body trembled. When she opened her eyes, her mother was hunched over the steering wheel, completely silent.

" Mom?" Zeph spoke, a quiver in her voice. She was met with sickening silence. Zeph unbuckled herself and stood up. She leaned forward to look at her mother. When she saw her, she froze. Her stomach dropped. The image of her mom with bloody glass poking through her head, neck, and face was burned into her mind forever.

End of flashback

***

Zeph stayed silent and didn't protest, but on the inside she was freaking out. She took out her purple stress ball from her purse with shaky hands. She squeezed it for about six minutes before a strange feeling washed over her. Zeph yawned and put down the stress ball. She had gotten tired, and reality looked almost distorted, as if she was in a dream. I'm going to bed as soon as I get home, Zeph thought. As the car ride went on, Zeph felt a twinge of pain in her stomach. She felt lightheaded and dizzy even though she was sitting down. Reality became foggy.

" I think something's wrong with me," Zeph spoke. The others gave her no response. Zeph looked beside her to see Brian smiling at her. But there was something off about it. There was a gleam in his eyes.

" Are you sick? If you want you can lay your head on my shoulder," Brian offered. Zeph shook her head.

" I feel like I'm gonna puke, I don't wanna throw up on you," Zeph groaned. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Zeph spoke up again. " Can you actually take me home, I feel awful,"

" Oh cmon, don't be lame," West looked back at  Zeph. " Just push through it, you'll be fine,"

Zeph wanted to argue but she was feeling so out of it that she just remained quiet. And that was all that Zeph remembered. She passed out and entered a very long sleep.

***

When she woke up, she was in a dim and unfamiliar environment. It seemed to be the bedroom of a young woman or older teenage girl. The walls were a pastel pale pink color. Zeph lunged forward, looking around the room wildly. Someone sat in the corner. Zeph froze when he shifted his gaze from his phone to her. He smiled, warm and genuine. What the fuck...' were Zephs initial thoughts. This person didn't look dangerous at all. In fact, this young man was totally her type. He looked to be around nineteen to twenty-two years old. He sat on a purple bean bag chair. The stranger had short black hair with bangs swept to the side of his face, bright blue eyes, and facial piercings. He wore a black hoodie and light grey ripped jeans. Zeph just stared at him in confusion, unsure of what to say.

" It's ok," the man spoke gently, voice as smooth as velvet. " My name is Jay Seahaze. You're safe here," Jay reassured.

" And umm, where the hell am I? Why am I here?" Zeph questioned in a low tone.

" You're at my house, in my room. Sorry, it's the only place with in here with a mattress," Jay explained.

" You didn't answer my other question," Zeph crossed his arms across her chest. Jay stood up, Zeph did too. She walked over to the window and peered outside. 'I know where I am' Zeph thought. They were in a small town nearby Zephs city, called Riverside. Specifically, they were at Riverside Rooms, an apartment complex for disabled people. Jay joined her by the window.

" This is gonna be hard to hear..." Jay warned.

" I want to know," Zeph insisted, still looking out the window at the lake and geese floating atop the waters.

" Me and my friends were gonna go night fishing. There were some guys acting suspicious in the parking lot. So, I confronted them, but as soon as I approached em, they seemed like they were in a hurry to leave. I found that really weird, so I looked in their car and you were knocked out in the backseat. We were pretty sure that they were about to assault you," Jay spoke in a low and hesitant tone.

'What?' A big fiery pit appeared in Zephs stomach. A wave of severe dizziness took over. She stumbled to the floor and put her hand tightly over her mouth, holding back vomit. Jay rushed to grab his mini trashcan. He quickly held back her long black hair while she puked. Hot tears gathered in her eyes and she turned away from Jay as she struggled to breathe. A million emotions flooded through her at once. Rage, disgust, panic. Violated wasn't nearly a good enough word to describe how Zeph felt. She began to sob. Jay sat by her sides silently. After about a minute, Jay spoke. " I'm so sorry," It was as though Zeph was moving through a thick, invisible sludge. " But they won't be a threat to you ever again. Me and my friends took care of them,"

" Did the police get them?" Zeph wiped the tears and mascara that were streaming down from her eyes.

" No," Jay looked to the floor. " If I tell you the truth, you can't tell anyone else. Not your mom, not your siblings, hell, not even a therapist,"

" I won't tell, I promise," Zeph swore. Jay grabbed some napkins and handed them to Zeph. She wiped the vomit from her mouth.

" They won't be a problem because, they're not alive, we killed them," Jay spoke, pride shining in his wide blue eyes. 'He killed them? Who's to say he wouldn't kill me. Then again, it's mot like i really care about that... God knows how many times I've already tried to take my own life'  Zeph thought. Jay then continued explaining himself. " You know Dexter? He kills bad people. I think me and him are pretty similar; with my very limited knowledge of course. I've never actually watched it,"

' That's... so awesome!'  Zeph thought, her mood and demeanor lightning up a bit.

" So, you and your friends just go around killing bad people. I respect it. But, how do you get away with that? I mean, it's not exactly the easiest thing to do," Zeph questioned.

" No more questions," Jay spoke, turning around to face the door. " I can drive you home if you'd like, or I can pay for an uber?"

Zeph laughed dryly. " You're gonna tell me something as crazy as that, then expect me to just leave and carry on with life like nothing happened?" her tone was equally irritated and fascinated. Jay sighed, then turned back to face Zeph.

" You really need to rest. If you won't leave, at least sit down," Jay spoke. The two sat down on the mattress. Zeph examined the room while they continued to talk. Jay had dolls lined up on his dresser, a poster of a teal haired anime woman on the wall, and a bunch of board games tucked away in a cubby. " So, this group of yours, how many people are in it?" Zeph asked. Jay took his vape off of his lap and took a hit of it. Zeph got a smell of blue raspberry and, peach? 'Interesting combo' Zeph laughed internally. Although she was shaken up internally, she was also sitting with one of the most beautiful and interesting  men she had met in real life. She felt like a wounded animal being comforted and cared for by a stranger, a really nice one. Her eyes glossed over Jays stunning features. She watched as his mouth opened and he spoke a sentence. What had he said? She had no clue. Her eyes descended to his black hoodie with intricate skull designs on it. Zeph was quickly catapulted back into reality when Jay clapped his hands near her face. She flinched and looked back up at his face. A thick coat of blush ambushed her cheeks.

" I'm sorry!" Zeph apologized frantically,

" It's ok," Jay reassured. "You're still being affected by whatever they knocked you out with,"

" Right," Zeph sighed. A few moments of silence were shared between the two, until Zeph spoke again. " Your group- how many people are in it?"

" There's three of us right now," Jay said.

" How would you feel about a fourth member?" Zeph gave Jay a serious look.

" You want to join?" Jays blue eyes widened a bit.

" Yeah, I think what you guys are doing is amazing. You're kinda like super hero's, killing the bad guys and delivering Justice,"

" Yeqh, I guess," Jay chuckled nervously. "To be honest, I thought you would be a bit scared of me. But I mean, if you want to join, I'll have to talk to the others," Jay explained.

Zephs expression brightened. " Okay, cool!" Zeph nodded.

" I'll have to go pick up my friends. You're welcome to stay here if you'd like. I'll be about fifteen minutes. My brother Jasper is right outside the door if you want someone to talk to, he's chill,"

'Well that would have been nice to know when I woke up...'I thought our conversation was private,' Zeph thought, a little annoyed. " Don't worry, the walls are thick as hell, nothing said in this room can be heard anywhere else,"  Jay gave a small smile and walked to the door.