Riddley's Nightmare - Chapter 4

Riddley is taken off on an adventure with his sister.

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"Where are we headed?" Riddley yelled over the gusts of wind hitting his face as they soared through the night sky, passing over a landscape dotted with twinkling lights. The sensation of soaring without visible means was surreal to Riddley; it almost seemed like he was flying under his own power."

The illusion was broken when Riddley attempted to fly in a different direction, no longer following the straight line set by his little sister tugging at his side. Once again, he realized he wasn't flying on his own power but instead being controlled by Lindsy's mental abilities. She had him on a figurative leash, guiding him through the air.

Lindsy glanced behind her, her hair being tossed around by the strong wind. "Do you hear that, brother?"

"I don't hear shit but the wind!" Riddley scowled, but the moment he did, he began to experience a shift in his auditory perception. Like a door was being opened, and he suddenly was able to hear all the things taking place in that room.

Riddley's eyes widened in amazement as he turned to face Lindsy, whose grin stretched from ear to ear. "I think I can hear people conversing with each other many miles below us!" he exclaimed, excitement evident in his voice. "If I focus, it's like I'm standing right next to them in the same room!"

"Pretty amazing, right, dear brother of mine?"

"Is it like this all the time for you?"

"Hell no!" Lindsy said. "I think I would lose my mind if that were the case. Imagine hearing every sound in a miles-wide radius 24/7; such an avalanche would push anyone to insanity. I can turn this ability on and off just by using my willpower. Just like I did with you."

Riddley looked puzzled, "W-wait, you can give other people abilities?"

Lindsy nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. "It seems that way. I can make us both fly high above the clouds, so I figured I might also be able to grant you my heightened sense of hearing."

Riddley perked up. "I hear gunshots!"

"Yep." Lindsy hovered in the air as she gazed down at the city below. Riddley noticed her squinting and assumed she was using her superhuman vision like Superman, able to see things in detail even from a distance. "There's a robbery happening down there," she informed him. "Some thugs just held up a bank, and now they're being chased by police cars."

"Really?" Riddley looked excited.

"Come."

Riddley's look of excitement morphed into a look of apprehension. "You aren't really considering checking things out down there, are you?"

"I'm not considering anything. My mind's made up already. I'm going to explore, and you're coming with me."

As his sister blasted off, Riddley let out a scream as he was yanked along like a puppet on a string. In mere moments, they were floating above an alleyway where a violent gunfight was raging below. The dark street echoed with the sound of gunfire and the cries of those involved. None of the participants had seen them, as they were too focused on surviving against the barrage of bullets whizzing around them.

Riddley gave his sister a questioning glance. "Am I here to witness your first courageous deed?" His voice carried a hint of envy that he couldn't hide.

But his sister simply shushed him, placing her finger against her lips as if to say, "Wait and see."

The police officers were severely outnumbered, with two already taken out by gunshots. One lay lifeless on the ground while the other cried in pain, taking cover behind a dumpster. The thugs were advancing, clearly intent on surrounding the remaining two cops, and it seemed to be working.

Riddley clenched his jaw, his eyes darting back and forth between the scene below and his sister. "If you were waiting for the right moment, sis, it has already passed!" he sneered.

Riddley gave a curt yelp when one of the thugs pulled the trigger, and a bullet pierced through the injured cop's head, silencing him forever.

One of the cops managed to shoot the thug in the leg, but not before taking a bullet through his chest from one of his buddies.

With three down and only one left, the remaining thugs laughed excitedly, knowing they had all but won this battle. The lone cop now stood surrounded on three sides, with the thugs also determined to take him out.

Riddley's emotions boiled over, and he grabbed his sister's shoulder, shouting in her face: "Do something!" Lindsy just stared back at him, a small smile playing on her lips. A gunshot rang out, followed by a scream of triumph. The fight was finished.

"Come, dear brother. The show's over."

"No, it's not!" Riddley let out a screech of frustration as he watched the victorious thugs make their way to their vehicles with their stolen goods under the cover of darkness. "Stop them! Or I will!"

Lindsy wagged her finger and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "No time for such nonsense. We're off. I smell some fire not far from here."

Riddley let out a scream of protest as Lindsy's telekinetic abilities dragged him along, swinging like a ragdoll as she blasted into the night sky. As they reached the city's outskirts, a vibrant orange glow illuminated the horizon - a large section of the nearby forest was on fire.

"Forest fire!" Riddley exclaimed, his eyes widening as he pointed towards the blaze. "Must have been due to all the draught."

The sound of sirens pierced the night, signaling the arrival of several firetrucks racing up from different sides to curb this untamable beast. "They will never be able to control it!" Riddley said.

Lindsy shrugged. "I guess…"

Suddenly, an explosion shook the air as a gas tank near a house went up in flames. Riddley noticed a group of deer and a fox trapped in a corner by the fire, unable to find an escape route.

Lindsy flinched as Riddley's hand grabbed her face, his hot breath uncomfortably close. He hissed, "Do something! Now! Or I'll…" Riddley hesitated, knowing darn well that he could do nothing to prod his sister into action.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out something shiny. "…or I will slit my own fuckin throat with this knife!"

Lindsy's initial shocked reaction was replaced with amusement. "And how exactly would that persuade me to do anything? I mean, I hate you. You know that, right?"

"Because, deep down, wretched sister of mine," Riddley's voice dropped to a near whisper as his lips inched closer. "you care about me."

A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he saw that his words had rendered Lindsy speechless. She was momentarily taken aback but quickly composed herself. Her expression darkened as she said, "Do it then!"

Riddley dreaded hearing this answer, but considering his sister's nature, it shouldn't come as a shock. Backing down was not an option; he couldn't make an empty threat.

"Very well," Riddley said with an earnest face and brought the knife's blade to his throat. He looked his sister in the eyes to see if she was intimidated by his firm and uncharacteristic determination to sacrifice himself for a noble cause, but he had no other choice.

"Well?" Lindsy prodded, sensing hesitation in her brother's expression.

Riddley's hand trembled as the blade hovered dangerously close to his exposed throat. "Dammit!" he muttered, lowering the knife in defeat.

Lindsy couldn't help but grin triumphantly as she turned her attention to the crackling fire below, its glow illuminating her eyes. A sudden movement caught her eye from the corner of her vision.

Unable to cope with losing from his sister for the umpteenth time, Riddley let out a sigh and without hesitation, aimed the blade of his knife at his throat in an attempt to make a deep cut.

In that brief moment, Riddley's entire existence flashed before his eyes. This was the end. He had always been a coward, but now, in this crucial moment, he was ready to sacrifice his own life. He didn't want or feel prepared for it, but he did it nonetheless. As the blade flashed closer towards his throat, he could almost taste the cold metal against his skin. But then, it abruptly stopped as if hitting an invisible barrier. The knife hovered just inches from his throat; no matter how hard he pushed or struggled, it would not budge any closer.

"Oh my God, brother! You, you were really willing to do it!" Lindsy exclaimed. "like… killing yourself."

"And I will really do so the moment I can." Riddley breezed. "You cannot stop me from taking my life. Even you, with all your powers, will have a moment of weakness sooner or later."

Lindsy's expression darkened. "Just watch, brother. Pay close attention."

"W-what are you doing?!" Riddley's expression twisted into one of shock as he watched his sister's eyes begin to glow like burning embers. Suddenly, two powerful scarlet beams shot out from her eyes, causing a massive explosion that tore through a fire truck and could be heard for miles. The blast claimed the lives of three firefighters and their canine companion in an instant.

Lindsy was not done yet. She shifted her gaze towards a van riding beneath them, racing its way to escape from the inferno. The driver and his family never knew what hit them as Lindsy unleashed another burst of her heat and turned the van into a smoldering ball of fire.

"Stop it!" Riddley's hand made contact with his sister's cheek in a sharp slap. Unfazed, Lindsy continued to demolish firetrucks, one after another, illuminating the night sky before returning her gaze to its natural blue hue.

"Do you finally comprehend, brother?" she spoke calmly while far below them, injured individuals fought to survive amidst a raging inferno.

"What is there to comprehend?" Riddley yelled through his tears, his face contorted with anger. "You murdered them! You're a monster!"

"And I will continue to do so on a much larger scale if you ever try to challenge me again! Do you want to witness an entire city of your choosing engulfed in flames? Then go ahead and take that blade and cut yourself."