Chapter 5: EP 005 – A monster under the bed

As I made my way around the bend, my gaze was immediately drawn to an aging painting that was hung haphazardly on the wall. The sun had bleached the once vibrant hues, leaving behind a faded and washed-out depiction of what appeared to be a heroic scene. I chucked, imagining myself doing heroic stuff soon.  

As I reached the apartment, my relief was palpable when I discovered that the door was slightly ajar, so I cautiously ventured inside, taking in my surroundings as I did so. The aroma of a hearty stew simmering in the kitchen immediately caught my attention, filling the air with a warm and welcoming scent. 

It reminded me the time when I was little Isabella in our little French village, and grandmas was chasing me around a room, because I as I stole candies. When I ventured further into the apartment, I found that it was relatively typical in layout, with a cozy living room containing a couch and armchair, a small dining table, and a bedroom off to the side. 

I walked around the apartment, checking each room to see if anyone was there. But as I looked in the living room, the bedroom, and the kitchen, I found no sign of anyone. That left only one place left to check: the child's room. 

 

As I stepped into the room, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness. Dimensor had called me here for a reason, and I was determined to help in any way I could. But as I looked at a young girl lying on the bed, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. 

She looked up at me with wide, frightened eyes. "You-You superhero?" 

I chuckled to myself and tried to put on a brave face. "I am," I said with a wink, hoping to reassure her.  

But the girl pointed down and whispered, "There is a monster under my bed." The way she said that was unnerving me, and I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. 

I approached the bed and got down on my hands and knees, scanning the dusty floor for any sign of the creature. But all I saw were cluttered toys and no monster in sight. 

I stood up and looked at the girl, a bit unsure of what to do. "False alarm?" I asked with a smile, hoping to ease her fears. 

But to my surprise, she shook her head and insisted that there really was a monster under her bed. "Mom doesn't believe me, but there is!" she said, her voice filled with fear and frustration. 

I couldn't help but feel a bit at a loss. On the one hand, it seemed like there was no monster under her bed. But on the other hand, the girl was clearly scared and needed reassurance. 

I took a deep breath and tried to think of a way to help her feel safer. "Well, even if there isn't a monster under the bed, it's always a good idea to be prepared," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "Why don't we look for some ways to make you feel safe in your room?" 

 

As I frantically searched the room for something to calm the frightened girl, I was startled by rustling behind me. Before I could even react, a sharp pain shot through my foot. I yelped and hopped away, trying to escape the source of the sting. When I looked down, I was shocked to see a tiny dragon toy writhing on the ground. 

But this wasn't just any inanimate plaything - it was clearly alive and moving with a quickness that belied its plastic exterior. Its little legs pumped furiously as it tried to slither away from me. I was flabbergasted. How was this possible? Was this elaborate prank or optical illusion? My mind raced to make sense of the bizarre scene playing out before me. 

I turned to the girl, who was staring at me with wide, curious eyes. "Did you see that?" I asked, still trying to process the weirdness of the toy coming to life. 

She nodded excitedly. "I knew it wasn't just my imagination!" she exclaimed. 

She went on to explain that the previous night, she had heard something moving under her bed. At first, she thought it was just her overactive imagination, but then she heard the toy walking around her room. She had been so scared that she buried herself under the blankets, hoping that whatever it was would go away. 

As the girl and I stood there chatting, we were suddenly interrupted by a loud noise coming from under the bed. Before we could even flinch, a small dragon toy came running out, spewing a tiny flame from its mouth like a dragon. 

The flame may have been no bigger than a matchstick, but it was still alarming to see a toy behaving in such an unusual way. 

We knew that we had to do something to stop this miniature monster from causing any more trouble. I quickly scanned the room, looking for anything that might help us defeat the dragon toy. As I spotted a spray bottle on the dresser, I had a brilliant idea. 

"Stand back!" I shouted to the girl, then picked up the spray bottle and aimed it at the dragon toy. I squeezed the trigger, sending a powerful stream of water towards the toy. 

The dragon toy was quick, and it tried to escape by darting back under the bed. I knew I had to act fast if I wanted to stop it from causing any more chaos. So, I focused on my superspeed powers and determined to use them to my advantage. 

In a blur of motion, I raced across the room and grabbed the dragon toy by its tail. It wiggled and squirmed in my hand, trying to set me on fire with its tiny flame. 

But, as an adult woman, I reminded myself, and I wasn't about to let a toy dragon scare me. I held on tight, determined to keep it under control until I could find a way to permanently stop it. 

The girl looked at me with sparkling eyes, clearly impressed by my display of superhero powers. "You are a superhero!" she exclaimed excitedly. "That was so cool!" 

 

I nodded and glanced at the toy. I was feeling overwhelmed, and Dimensor didn’t give me any manual. With a sigh, I quickly pulled out comcom and called Dimensor, hoping he would have some idea of what to do. However, when he answered the call, he, again, sounded irritable and annoyed. 

"Isabella? Don't tell me you can’t tie shoelaces yourself? " He snapped. 

"I-I'm sorry, Dimensor," I stammered, feeling embarrassed in front the girl. "I just found a dragon toy in this child's bedroom. I don't know what to do." 

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Dimensor let out a loud sigh. "Can't you handle anything on your own, Isabella?" 

My cheeks burned with shame and anger; I tried my best. But apparently, I was still just as useless as ever in Dimensor's eyes. "I'm sorry, Dimensor," I said, trying to keep the tears out of my voice. "I'll do my best to figure out what's going on with this toy and deal with it." 

"Fine," Dimensor said, his voice dripping with impatience. "But don't come crying to me if you can't handle it. I have more important things to do than babysit you. Like catching a hero." 

And with that, he hung up, leaving me alone with the dragon. I swallowed back my tears and tried to come up with a plan. I couldn't just leave the dragon here, but I had no idea how to deal with it. These superheroes were so useless, but only other person I could talk to was Lenna, and she was still cold and distant, and more importantly, not a super. 

 

But before I could even say thank you, the dragon toy let out a burst of flame, causing the girl to scream in fear. "No! Please!" she cried, clearly terrified by the tiny flame. 

I quickly grabbed the toy and moved it away from the girl, determined to protect her from any harm. As I held the toy firmly in my grip, I heard the sound of the door opening. 

A woman in her thirties walked into the room, a look of surprise on her face as she saw the girl standing on a bed. "I'm back, I had only taken out the trash, sweety," she said, before stopping mid-sentence as she spotted me. 

I could tell that she was surprised to see me standing there in my superhero costume, and I couldn't help but feel a bit awkward as I realized that I had intruded on her home. 

 

As I tried to explain my presence, the woman suddenly grabbed a pot from a dresser and launched it towards me with a furious scream of "Leave my child alone!" However, my superhuman speed allowed me to easily dodge the projectile. But before I could even react further, the woman stepped between me and the girl, brandishing a toy lightsaber with determination in her eyes. 

I was stunned by the sudden turn of events, and knew I had to do something to deescalate the situation and show that I meant no harm. I tried to speak, hoping to calm her down, but before I could even get a word out, she swung the lightsaber at me with ferocity. 

"Please, I'm not here to hurt anyone," I said, trying to project an aura of tranquility and reassurance. "I'm a superhero, and I was called here to help. I promise that I'm not a threat." 

As I stood there, trying to clear my name, the toy dragon chose that moment to spit out another flame. This time, the flame was more impressive - a fiery burst about an inch long that was directed straight at the woman. 

She let out a fearful cry and swung the toy lightsaber at me again, clearly panicked. I took a step back into the living room, putting some distance between us. 

"Look, this is all a misunderstanding," I said, trying to keep my tone level and soothing. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm just a superhero trying to help." 

But the woman was too scared to listen. She reached into her handbag and pulled out a handgun, aiming it at me with a trembling hand. 

"Okay, okay, let's all calm down," I said, slowly backing out of the room with my hands up. I knew that I had to get out of there before things got any worse. 

The woman glared at me with a mix of anger and fear in her eyes. "You were here last night, weren't you?" she accused, the gun still trained on me. "Scaring my child like that! You're not going to get away with it!" 

"I wasn't here last night," I said, trying to sound as truthful and sincere as possible. "I swear, I had nothing to do with what happened. I'm just a superhero trying to help." 

But the woman wasn't convinced. "Get out of my house!" she shouted, her voice shaking with rage. "And leave my child alone!" 

Just as I decided to back out and leave the apartment, I heard the sound of a window shattering and something tumbling inside. The woman let out a terrified scream and pulled the trigger on the gun. 

 

In that fateful moment, time turned to stand still as the woman pulled the trigger, the gun pointed directly at me. My body froze, unable to even flinch in self-defense. I was convinced that this was the end for me. 

But somehow, I mustered up all the strength and determination I had within me, pushing my body to its limits as I inched to the left in a desperate attempt to escape the line of fire. I ignored the fear and panic that threatened to consume me, focusing all of my energy on this one crucial movement. 

And then, as if by a miracle, the world came back into motion. The gun flared with a loud bang, and I waited in pure terror for the bullet to pierce through my flesh. But to my surprise, it embedded itself somewhere else. 

My movement was awe-inspiring, but useless in the end, because she shot the ceiling instead of me. I let out a relieved sigh, my knees nearly giving out from the weight of the relief that washed over me. I had survived against all odds. 

The woman, overcome with emotion, collapsed to her knees and began sobbing uncontrollably. The guilt and shame on her face were palpable, and I could tell that she was blaming herself for what had transpired.  

In that moment, I knew I was supposed to be a superhero, and I wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort her, to assure her that none of this was her fault and that everything would be okay. 

But before I could act on this impulse, a firm hand landed on the woman's shoulder. "Fret not, you are safe now," a man's voice declared, filled with conviction. "You were brave, and I will take it from here." 

As the man turned to look at me, I could see suspicion and mistrust in his eyes. With a stern and determined tone, he declared, "This villain will be apprehended by me, Major Brooklyn!" 

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