The Green Lantern Ring – Chapter 6

Mission revenge begins. But it doesn't go as smoothly as I'd planned.

Two and a half months after receiving the ring:

I waited for the right moment, when there was nobody around, and flew up to the roof of the building. No cameras on the roof. I unzipped my backpack and took out a green hoodie and a Guy Fawkes anonymous mask.

This was the best mask I could find on Amazon, the others all looked like horror movie props. I’ve always liked the anonymous movement anyway – the fact that they all disguise themselves with the same mask is pretty cool.

I took off my black hoodie and crammed it in my bag. I put on the mask and the green hoodie, and pulled the hood over my head. I also retrieved a small black leather case from my backpack and attached it to my belt. Then, I walked over to the opposite side of the rooftop and crouched down just before I reached the edge. I opened the leather case and pulled out a compact monocular that I bought in preparation for this mission.

Mission revenge.

I aimed my monocular at the second floor of the building across the street. I looked at the only two windows of the office I used to work in – the window of my ex-boss’s room and the window of a meeting room that’s usually empty. Didn’t see anyone at the windows, so either my ex-boss was sitting at her desk or she was not in her room at all. Good, good, good.

I quickly skimmed through the other windows of the building to make sure no one was looking outside. The building was as tall as the one I was crouching on – even if someone looked out the window, they’d probably not have noticed me, especially with most of my body hidden behind the parapet. Also, people usually look down at the street when they look outside, not at the roof of the other building, don’t they?

Of course, you never know for certain. Someone might suddenly step to the window and look in my direction. It was a bit risky, but that’s why I had the green hoodie and the anonymous mask on. I never wore a green hoodie to work. I ordered it two weeks ago from a web shop based in Denmark. So, if anyone noticed me and told the police, they won’t find any local employees who could say “this guy bought a green hoodie from us two weeks ago.”

Next, I pointed my monocular at the entrance of the building. That’s where many of my ex-colleagues would smoke and gossip about others. I only saw two women who work on the third floor, so I needed to wait. Damn, I hope that asshole comes out today.

I was in the same spot two days ago, three days ago and a week ago as well – my target wasn’t at work the first two days and, on the third day, I couldn’t get myself to do it. But I’m back again and this time I’m ready to strike. Ready to punish. It was 11:30, which is around the time they usually come out to get some dinner and smoke. I waited a few more minutes, sitting on the rooftop with my back against the parapet.

I was a bit nervous. Doubts were constantly rushing through my mind: am I doing something stupid here? If anyone sees me and the police can somehow trace this back to me, I will be in big trouble. Not only for what I’m about to do, but also because I have a magic ring and superpowers. Is revenge really worth the risk of getting caught?

But then I thought about all the planning I did and the time I spent thinking this through. It’ll be fine, they won’t be able to trace this back to me. No way. I also remembered what it felt like to be humiliated by that fat fuck. And they got away with it – no consequences. Now that I have the power to do something about it, should I just let it slide? Hell no!

I slowly raised myself just enough to peek over the parapet again. Looking through my monocular, I still did not see the boss in her room. Quick scan – no one seemed to be looking out the windows. Then the entrance – there he is! His fat ass was standing there, smoking a vapour and talking to one of the other editors. But wait, this other editor is a piece of shit too… what should I do? I was only planning on punishing the fat asshole, the one who gossiped about me after he saw me in the toilet. But this other bitch is a terrible person as well. I have a chance to hit both of them now!

What did she do to make me want to exact revenge? A number of different things. For starters: she questioned my intelligence. After I started working there, I didn’t say hi to everyone going in and out of the building, because most of them were strangers – I had no idea the people working above us, on the 3rd floor, were part of the same company. I was never introduced to them. No one told me. Finally, one of these people complained that the new guy (me) didn’t say hi to her. When the asshole editor heard about it, she said: “it’s part of basic intelligence to say hi to people when you enter a new place.”

What a fucking whore. I lived half of my life in other countries, speak several languages on a high level, have a master’s degree, and this Hungarian idiot – who probably doesn’t even speak proper English – questions MY intelligence… because I didn’t say hi to some strangers they never introduced me to? Absolutely ridiculous.

After all of this flashed through my mind on the rooftop, there was no doubt left: punishment is here, you cocksuckers, and I’m ready to deliver it to you! I placed my monocular back into its holster, made a fist with my right hand and pointed my power ring in the direction of the two assholes smoking in front of the building. I could see them well enough without the monocular to do what I was about to do – I practiced this a million times over the past month. But I could only do one at a time.

I focused on the fat one first. He was priority number one. I spread green light all over his body, taking hold of him that way. By the time the other editor noticed and said something to him (I’m guessing along the lines of: what is that? you’re glowing green!) I lifted him off the ground and raised him almost as high as the rooftop – I stopped just before, to avoid him noticing me. He was looking down towards the ground, shouting to his colleague: “what the fuck is going on!? help me!”

Through the green energy that held him in the air, I could feel his body trying desperately to claw its way back to the ground. But there was nothing to grab onto, nothing to claw on. He was as powerless as I had been when he made fun of me in the office.

I lifted him high enough so that he would break some bones when he crashes into the ground, but not high enough to kill him. He began looking around frantically, trying to find a way down, so I dropped him.

I heard a loud crack… his bones.

He shouted in pain. “Úristen [oh my god],” said the other editor as she hurried to him. Cars stopped and people got out to help – I’d dropped him onto the middle of the road… oops.

My shirt was drenched in sweat and I was already feeling exhaustion coming on. But I have to punish this other bitch as well, I thought and took a deep breath. I focused on her and began the process of covering her in green energy.

She noticed almost immediately and reached out to some guy standing next to her. I lifted her in the air as she let out a scream. The guy she grabbed onto was trying too pull her back down. More people arrived at the scene and I noticed some of my ex-colleagues running out of the building. Too many people and I’m too tired. I tried to lift her a little higher but it wasn’t working. Then, I noticed someone looking and pointing in my direction. Fuck, they noticed me!

Collecting all my remaining strength I gave her a final push – it was enough to drop her onto the windshield of a nearby car. I heard the glass break. Hope this damaged you, you fucking cunt. I fell to the ground and pushed my mask up slightly. Air, I need more air. My heart was racing. Sweat was pouring down my face. I have to get the fuck out of here. Immediately.

I looked at my watch: after a minute had passed, I forced myself to pull the mask down, stand up and start walking in the direction I came from. The police are not that quick and they’re not sending helicopters anyway. People don’t even know what the fuck just happened. One of them saw some figure on the rooftop, so what? I can still get away without problems… I hope.

I tried to run, but it was more like fast walking. I had already mapped out an escape route to get far enough from the crime scene. Far enough where the police wouldn’t be looking at camera footage in connection to this incident. The plan was to fly from rooftop to rooftop until I get there, since most rooftops don’t have any cameras on them, at least in Hungary.

There was only one problem: I’d drained all of my energy. I hadn’t planned on lifting two people and I’d wasted my remaining fuel on trying to punish the other editor as well. In the adrenaline of the moment, I forgot that I needed the energy to fly from building to building to escape quickly.

Before I jumped to the next rooftop, I stopped and rested for two minutes. Trying to summon energy somehow, I jumped. Made it. Four more to go. I rested before each jump and I increased the rest time by one or two minutes before every jump.

I think it’s working, I only need one more jump… plus I have to fly down from the last building. I started feeling nauseous, like when you train too hard and need to throw up. I sat down, pulled my mask up again and started breathing slowly and deeply. Thankfully I still had some water in my backpack, so I drank that. Sirens. I suddenly heard sirens.

Fuck, is that the police? I didn’t know if it was the police and whether it had anything to do with me at all. I still had the hoodie and the mask on – if anyone saw me in these… I need to change quickly and descend from the next building. I’ve got to keep going.

I forced myself to stand up and go for the jump. I took some deep breaths and tried to focus on lifting myself with the ring’s energy, like I’d done the previous times. I began to run as quickly as I could… then, I jumped.

Flying over the gap between the two tall buildings, I suddenly blacked out.