Superhero by Victor Methos Read Free Book Online Page A

shoes?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Yeah, Jack, not all of us are DEA hitmen and can run through the jungle with no shoes.”
    Jack turned away from him, staring off into the distance.
    “I’m sorry,” Hank said. “I didn’t mean the hitman thing.”
    “It’s all right.”
    “So, when you settling down and finding yourself a good woman?”
    “I’m still trying to adjust right now. For a long time it was just me, or me and my partner. When there were other people, they didn’t know who I really was. Being back takes some getting used to.”
    Jack looked out over the crowd as he spoke and noticed two men walking toward them. They were hooded, wearing jeans and boots though the temperature was approaching a hundred degrees.
    “Well, if you’re interested, there’s this gal at my work. Cute as a bug. She’s newly single.”
    “Uh huh,” Jack said, not taking his eyes off the two men.
    They were approaching quickly. One of them looked directly at him and then they turned away and into one of the souvenir shops. Jack’s gaze finally broke free and he realized that Hank had been speaking the entire time.
    “And so her husband just left, just like that. You believe that?”
    “No, that’s amazing.”
    “Yeah,” Hank said, staring off at some kids that were running around.
    Movement caught Jack’s eye. The two men had gone through the back door of the souvenir shop and were looping around toward him. Jack looked over and the men broke into a run.
    Jack shoved Hank to the ground as the men pulled out handguns from their pants and opened fire. Jack jumped behind a nearby statue as the park filled with screams and people began to run.
    He sprinted out from cover as he saw that the men circled around from opposite directions. He kept his head low as he jumped over the railing to a children’s ride and sprinted through to the other side. A Star Wars ride was inside a building and he ran for it as shots echoed behind him.
    A hallway and then a ramp as he sprinted down and turned into a small room, flipping the lights off. The people in here hadn’t heard the gunshots and they were still walking around talking and laughing. He slid down the wall close to the floor, and waited.
    After a few seconds, he heard someone yell, “Holy shit they’ve got guns!”
    People panicked and ran for the exits. Jack kept his eyes on the floor. The clatter of running and screaming filled the building but it soon emptied until just the sounds of R2-D2 and a short film playing somewhere remained. He could see a shadow cast on the floor and then the shadow began to fade. He held his breath.
    The shoe came first. It casually stepped in front of him and as it did Jack jumped to his feet and glanced out. The man wasn’t more than a foot away from him, his hood off and his dreadlocks hanging down around his shoulders. He looked surprised and Jack moved. He grabbed the weapon and twisted it up, enough so that the man clutched it with both hands and raised his arms to try to keep hold of it. Jack slammed his elbow into the man’s windpipe, causing it to collapse.
    Choking, the man let go of the weapon. Jack could see the second man outside. He stood guard, making sure no one would get in. He saw what was happening and opened fire.
    Jack twisted the man in front of him so that he spun like a top, bits of bloody flesh flying away from him in chunks as his companion’s rounds tore into his body. Jack pushed the man, keeping his head low behind him, and ran at the one firing. A round grazed his shoulder and his thigh but didn’t penetrate.
    When Jack was close enough, he threw the first one into the second and jumped on him. The man swung with his gun, using it as a hammer. Jack leaned back far enough that the blow missed him and came up with his foot, smashing it into the man’s groin. The man didn’t even flinch.
    He swung again and Jack palmed him in the nose before completing the strike, knocking the man off balance. But the man didn’t feel,