Chapter 138: Homecoming
Faust glanced at all their guns. He wasn’t faster than a bullet, but he could move far faster than any of them could fire.
"One of our leaders is negotiating with you guys," Faust said frankly. "You fire those and you’ll destroy the negotiations. Your superiors won’t like that."
The soldiers glanced at their guns, confirming his suspicions. But then they started chuckling.
"These aren’t for you, kid," the squad leader corrected. "We like money, but we don’t shoot kids. There are a lot of criminals moving around these days, abusing the stream point system to empower themselves. These are for protecting you."
He pulled out a shock baton from his back holster and clicked it on. The baton sparked ominously and released an electric whine.
"Human tasers won’t work on me," Faust countered.
"These are modified to kill bears," the squad leader corrected once again.
Faust chuckled and stepped forward faster than they could even perceive. He grabbed the sparking baton and felt the electricity course through his veins, stiffening briefly.
’Bolster.’
His body immediately loosened and he gasped in the squad leader’s stunned face. "That’s quite the rush. I like it. But it seems I’m a bit stronger than a bear, too."
The squad leader backed up as Faust released his baton, studying the monster in front of him. "You’re not in the top 100... top 10?" His eyes finally landed on Faust’s red hair.
"Sorry. But I’m number one."
The forest quieted down for a moment. Then the squad leader turned back to his men and made a motion.
They parted way for him and went back to their hiding spots.
"Thank you for cooperating."
The squad leader shook his hand. "Name’s Raid, by the way. I have a feeling we’ll catch up soon."
Faust raised an eyebrow but just moved. In a flash of movement he was gone, leaving Raid alone in the dark forest.
"These guys are going to cause a bloody mess," the soldier muttered to himself.
◇◇◇
Faust made it back home in five, soaring from one rooftop to the next. The world blurred beneath him—a stream of lights and people.
Everything was so loud here. Cars honked and braked loudly. People shouted and argued. And there was just a hum to the air. A hum of electricity, generators, engines, and transformers.
Their house was in the suburbs. A large driveway with three cars and a neatly manicured lawn his dad obsessed over every Sunday.
But there were no cars in the driveway, and the grass was overgrown and weedy.
Faust frowned and scanned the house: the bright blue paint he always hated, the porch, and the garage. But the garage had been forced open recently, and one of the windows was broken.
A grim look formed on his face as his heart started pounding. Faust reached into his bag and pulled out his blood-red war axe. It looked out of place in the normal world. A shade too vibrant.
He didn’t bother being discreet, marching up to the front door and pushing it open with a bang.
But he didn’t even need to see his dad to know they were alright. He smelled his stepmom’s cookies in the air, and the fear in his heart deflated instantly.
The hallway from the main door had the stairs to the bedrooms upstairs, then the doors to the living room, kitchen, and guest room.
The twins popped out from the living room, staring at Faust with bewilderment; their mom rushed out from the kitchen with a knife and a raised frying pan.
"Faust!" Bonnie and Bryan chorused as they rushed to their older brother, wrapping their tiny arms around his legs.
"Bingo! Bango! So good to see my favorite siblings again!"
"Don’t call us that!" Bryan protested.
"And you don’t have other siblings," Bonnie pointed out.
Vicky, Faust’s stepmom, also rushed forward, careful not to cut him with the big-ass kitchen knife she was carrying.
"I’m so glad you’re safe, son," Vicky spoke like she was releasing a breath she had been holding for too long. "Now. Who left that door open?"
The twins shrank under their mother’s gaze. But Faust quietly reached back and broke off the door handle.
"My fault, Vicky," he said immediately. "I thought you guys weren’t safe."
"Is that why you’re scratching my door with that ridiculous axe?"
He grinned sheepishly, putting away the axe as she scolded him. He winked at the twins, who thanked him silently. Soon footsteps from upstairs turned Arthur downstairs.
The twins excitedly pointed at Faust and pulled their dad forward. Vicky was silent, watching them anxiously.
His father looked a lot older. His dark hair had flashes of gray now, but his blue eyes were still as sharp as ever. They both scanned each other, noticing the small differences.
His dad had been in a fight recently. Someone with a knife. He was still alive, so Faust guessed Arthur won. There was also the subtle way he glanced outside when he came downstairs.
They were all prepared for danger.
’I need to talk to Bingo and Bango later about leaving that door open. And coming to check the moment someone breaks in? Hahhh, they need to be smarter.’
Vicky turned between both of them. "Can you guys stop standing there and hug already? You’re making us nervous."
"Sorry, honey."
"It’s a pleasure to scare you, Vicky."
They both hugged awkwardly and shared a nod. Arthur wouldn’t speak now. He had to process his words first, but Faust knew they’d have a long talk soon.
"Close the door," Arthur said. "Let’s go have some cookies."
"Finally!" Bryan yelled.
"We’re so hungry," Bonnie said. "We could eat a whole Faust."
’Ahh, I missed that one joke she uses every single time we’re about to eat.’
"And I could eat a whole Bango."
"Don’t call me that!"
Vicky raised a hand to get their attention and pointed at the door. "He kind of broke that."
"Oh, don’t worry." Faust waved his hand. "If anyone comes here, i’ll kill them."
His parents turned a sharp look on him, and Faust knew he was going to get a lecture on that later.
"I mean... I’ll have a nice conversation with them," Faust said, especially to the twins, winking at them conspiratorially.
