No Ego

“BREAKING NEWS: At two o’clock this morning, the body of Jamal Harrison, otherwise known as the regional superhero, The Magician, was found laying face-down in a pool of his own frozen blood. Police say the coroner’s office confirmed he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting. Investigators suspect that the infamous Succubus Wing gang of New Antetime is behind this tragic killing as well.”

“Vinny, Ima need you to stop comin’ around here if you gon’ keep reading the news out loud like that. Cambia said that shit’s based as fuck anyway.” I warn, turning the TV up with the remote to drown out his voice. It wasn’t workin’ though. The fuck.

“Biased. He said it was biased, not based.” Vindel corrects me. I gve him a mean side eye. “I thought my dad told you to bring him back for interrogation here at the HQ, and definitely not leave his body back at the crime scene.”

“Man, how you already assumin’ shit from the jump? That wasn’t me!” He might be as old as me and the others, but he was a baby when it came to this hood shit. Can’t believe the audacity of this kid to just put that shit on me without no evidence or nothin’.

“Assuming? Lucia, the bullets in the guy’s back were, and I quote, ‘7.62x39mm rounds fired from rifles like the AK-47 and tipped with an incendiary energy similar to fire magic and .44 Magnum rounds of condensed lightning, suggesting the bullet was lightning magic as it escaped the weapon and then transformed’” he finishes.

“Is that supposed to mean sumn?” I stop glaring at him, and lower my voice.

“You’re the only person I know who would awkwardly dual wield both of those weapons, and who has a lightning revolver to begin with. That’s aside from the fact that we were all at the briefing where my dad specifically said ‘Lucia, for the love of the community, please do not shoot The Magician down as you drive up’”

I stand up and turn the TV off.

“Dude, you really need to get over yourself if we’re gonna get anywhere with what we need to do. Your ego keeps getting in the wa-“

“Aight, Ima need you to stop right there, kid.” I turn around immediately. I can’t hold my body language back, fists curling, muscles tensing, a fire blazes in me. The strain of my narrowed, contemptuous eyes hold back the lasers I wanna incinerate Vindel with. “Say some bullshit like that again. You won’t. I fuckin’ dare you.”

“Then tell me what is it, Lucia? Tell me why exactly you went against a direct order from the guy you plucked you off these streets, gave you a home, and supported you on your come-up?” He stands up too. The kid has an inch on me, but that says nothin’ about his hairy spaghetti arms and chicken legs. The beanstalk had an intimidation factor to him anyway, the way the air starts to shift around him. He’s tryna match me and my anger. Most people try to when I get worked up. Too bad it never works. “How damn hard is it to just catch someone? Especially for someone as strong as you? If it ain’t that you’re just a selfish asshole, then what is-“

“Listen here, you li’l piece o’shit, if I can defy your dad, I can damn well snap your li’l neck and not give a shit about what he does to me.” In an instant, I have him pinned against the wall. My palm, the flesh of it dripping with fire, is wrapped around his neck. The other palm grips his wrist the same way. My face is mere inches away from his. I want his bitchass to know, “This. Ain’t. Ego.”

“When these cats from other places come to our hood to deliver some bullshit Justice, it. Ain’t. Ego. When they start workin’ with the police to bring our folks down, it. Ain’t. Ego. When I see some caped, white motherfucker on the news next to those bitchass politicians say that even though he had to kill a few black and brown kids to take down some young guys like us just tryna scrape by on dope because they have no other choice, it. Ain’t. Ego.”

At this point, my arms are engulfed in fire. Vindel is grasping at them despite the risk of getting burned. His face is turning purple. His skin is turning red. Like a switch was flipped, the fire goes out in an instant, and I release him. He falls to the floor as I step back. As he hacks a harsh cough, I let out a deep breath, pure, black smoke coming from my lungs, my anger billowing out. Small embers fall from the corner of my mouth, decorating the floor in front o’my boots.

“When I see the crowd clap for his outstandin’ work in the inner city, exterminatin’ crime, it ain’t ego.” I help Vindel onto his feet and back onto the couch we sat on. I quickly go to one of the first aid kits in the room, and take out some of the Demona’s HellGauze to relieve him of his burns.

He’s silent as I treat him, no longer whimperin’ because of the pain, no longer bitchin’ because of me. That set him straight, li’l bitch. When I finished wrapping healing bandages around his neck and wrist, he clears his throat. The pain makes him wince, but he talks anyway.

“So, when Cambia tells you to go get them, the reason you kill them-“ he pauses. He musta seen me bristle, a few of my arm hairs igniting. The kid’s got the guts to keep going anyway. “It is not...because of ego.”

“No. It ain’t.” I reply curtly. The tension in the air bothers me. I hate this shit. Makes me feel like a bad guy among bad guys, like they haven’t done some of the shit I’ve done too. I stand up to walk out the room, but just as I almost cross the threshold, he says something else.

“I…I understand. Please, take me with you, next time.”

I stand there for a little bit, processing. I don’t even bother to turn back and look at him. I keep goin’ and leave him to his breakin’ news.