Story Eleven

Believe it or not, I actually reached my 50,000 words for NaNo on Wednesday, but I also pledged to write a story a day, so I’m still at it. I actually edited this story to shorten it up for the blog, hopefully it still makes sense.

Prompt: You receive a mysterious call from a friend who asks you to meet him or her at a secret location. When you arrive, that friend reveals that he or she is, by night, a superhero. What’s more, the friend needs your help in solving the latest case. Only problem is you can’t help. When your friend asks why you reveal the big twist—you’re the villain.

It was an ordinary enough day, I went to work, flirted with the new mail guy, came home, and after treating myself to Chinese take-out for supper, relaxed in front of the boob tube. A pretty boring start to my weekend maybe, but life’s not excitement all the time. Sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy life, you know?

Right on cue, it was at this juncture the phone rang. I looked at it and considered just letting it keep ringing. And in retrospect, the way things turned out I wish I had. But curiosity got the better of me and I picked up the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Santos, I’m so glad I found you at home!”

“What’s up Walt?”

“I’m working on something big, something really big.”

“I’m listening.” I reached down and picked up my bottle of beer from the coffee table to take a swig.

“I can’t talk about this over the phone. You’ll have to come and meet me.”

“Aw, man. I was planning to stay in tonight.”

“Please, Santos! You’re the first one I thought of to help me. Let me give you directions to where I am.”

“What the hell,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t have anything better to do.”

He began to rattle off directions and I wrote them down, hoping I got them right. “Okay, Walt, I think I’ve got it. Do—”

“Just hurry,” he said, and hung up before I could reply.


I got lost twice trying to follow Walter’s directions, and I had to back track once. The novelty of him being so mysterious had totally worn off by the time I reached the end of his instructions and parked my car. I was in a small parking lot close to a wooded area. There was no sign of Walter so I leaned into my car and tapped the horn.

“Quiet!” Walter hissed from behind me.

I whirled around. “Jeez, give me a heart attack why don’t you, Walter.”

I waited a couple of minutes before asking, “So what was so important we needed to meet at night in the middle of nowhere?”

“First, I have something to share. Something no one else in the world knows.” He hesitated. “I just don’t know where to start to explain it to you.”

I leaned back against the side of my car. “Just spit it out, Walter.”

“Okay. Here goes. I’m the Avenging Angel.”

I stared at him a minute and then I started laughing. “Good one, Walt. I could have done without the convoluted trip out here, but nice to see you’ve developed a sense of humor.” I turned to get back into my car but his voice stopped me.

“I am the Avenging Angel.” His voice sounded deeper, more sonorous.

I turned around slowly, and there beside me stood the Avenging Angel, the super hero that had been in all the news for the last three months. There had been a great deal of speculation over who he might be, this strange hero in the white spandex suit with the enormous, white, feathery wings. He wore a mask over his head, leaving only a small patch on his throat bare.

He appeared suddenly, three months ago, just in time to save a female politician from being assassinated. He’d been appearing regularly, if not sporadically, ever since. The thing was, he seemed to cherry pick those he helped – the rich politician, the jewelry store owner, the high profile couple who’s baby had been kidnapped. But that was a private observation and not one the public had put together yet.

“Why are you telling me this?” I wondered. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m honored, but I don’t understand why you would share this with me of all people.”

“I’m working a case, a very important case, but I can’t do it alone. I need your help.”

“My help?”

“You’re the only one I know who can not only keep my secret, but help me in my task. You’re strong, and smart, and you’re good at keeping secrets.”

“Well,” I said after hesitating for a moment, “If nothing else, you have me intrigued. What’s this case, and how do you think I can help you?”

“I’m going after the Whirling Dervish.”

My eyes widened. “You know who he is?”

The Whirling Dervish had appeared shortly after the Angel, acting as a counter part to him. He’d been villainized by the press, accused of interfering with the Angel’s good deeds and setting criminals free.

“No,” he admitted, turning to pace. “I don’t know his identity, but I’ve come up with a way to trap him, only it will take two of us.”

“I’m listening.”

He went on to tell me that he’d studied the videos of the Dervish, and figured out his fighting techniques. He proposed to create a crime, with me acting as the criminal, and when the Dervish appeared to help me escape, I’d shoot him with a specially made dart. The serum on the end of the dart would paralyze the Dervish long enough for the Angel to swoop in with a magnetic net.

“You’re sure this would work?”

“Absolutely. Like mine, his powers manifested during that magnetic pulse that hit the earth three months ago. I’ve heard of a few others who’ve been blessed with super powers, but none as strong as the Whirling Dervish and me. He needs to be stopped.”

“It’s a solid plan,” I told him in genuine admiration. “There’s only one little problem.”

“What’s that,” he asked indulgently, as if I wasn’t smart enough to find a flaw.

I started to spin, and before he could react, I had my talons buried in his throat, the only vulnerable place on him. “I’m the Whirling Dervish,” I whispered in his ear.

He gurgled a response, which only became more pronounced as I let him drop to the ground. I stared at his cooling body. Who’d have thought mousey little Walter had been the Avenging Angel, there was just no telling about people.

Closing my eyes, I let my Dervish personae subside and became simply Santos again. That had been easier than I expected. Walter liked to pretend the Avenging Angel had been the hero of the story, but the truth was he was making a fortune getting kick backs from the stores he “protected.” Most of the other crimes had involved actors hired for the job.

Just because he was dressed in white didn’t mean he was the good guy.