Short Story: The Obvious Trap

Whumptober 2022 fill No.25: Lost Voice | Duct Tape | “You better start talking.”

Whumptober 2022 fill No.26: Separated | Rope Burns | “Why did you save me?”

Features characters from Family Secret. Follows after Bloody Timekeeping and Backup Rescue. Read those first for context.

~The Obvious Trap~

The path to their latest target was clear. Not just the room with the safety box containing the bonds they wanted to steal, not just the floor with their target, but the whole five story building.

It was obviously a trap. But Mr. Top Hat walked in anyway, because they knew who was waiting for them.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Mr. Top Hat said.

Their son remained silent from his spot on the couch. Conflicted emotions flashed across his still-pale face.

Short Story: Backup Rescue

Whumptober 2022 fill No.15: Lies | New Scars | Breathing Through the Pain

Whumptober 2022 fill No.19: Knees Buckling | Repeatedly Passing Out | Head Lolling

Whumptober 2022 fill No.20: Going into Shock | Fetal Position | Prisoner Trade

Features characters from Family Secret. Follows after Bloody Timekeeping. Read that first for context.

~Backup Rescue~

Their son’s hero friends were strong. Bite cement like carrot sticks and launch a dozen ships with one sneeze level strong. Unfortunately, against normal humans, their strength was also their weakness.

A single casualty was enough to end a super’s career. The masked men knew that, so they threw themselves at the heroes in a grapple, forcing the heroes to try and peel them off like fragile wet tissue. It was a nail biting battle.

In other words, an excellent distraction.

Short Story: Bloody Timekeeping

Whumptober 2022 fill No.10: Taser | Whipping | Waterboarding

Features characters from Family Secret.

~Bloody Timekeeping~

In a world with superheroes who could fly and supervillains who could teleport, Mr. Top Hat was just a powerless villain with a lame hat.

The public didn’t know that Mr. Top Hat was actually a husband-wife duo.

The public also didn’t know that Mr. Top Hat had a son with no superpowers, just like them, but a strong moral code, unlike them.

And because of that love for justice, that son was now streamed live, wrists tied to the ceiling and shirtless as masked men whipped angry red lines into his back.

“Your heroes are taking their sweet time to save you. Are they really coming?” the men jeered and laughed as they turned their son’s back into a tally sheet. One lash for every minute.

They were at fifteen stripes and counting.

The heroes might be their son’s rescue plan A, but every villain worth their salt knew the worth of back up plans.

They checked their equipment one last time.

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

It was time to save their son.

~Continue the story in Backup Rescue and The Obvious Trap~

Genre: family, fantasy, superhero

Short Story: Downy Discovery

If man were meant to fly he would have been born with wings.

As of two hours ago, she could no longer use that excuse to get out of her friends’ weekly paragliding sessions.

She’d heard on the news recently of people randomly developing special powers, but that was like hearing someone win a lottery. Nice to fantasize, but unrealistic. So when her back started to itch, she just thought it was her eczema acting up again.

The scraggly down feathers that burst through her skin was definitely not what she expected in the middle of the night.

Fortunately, they were experiencing a cold snap for the rest of the week. As long as she layered up, no one would be able to tell that she had sprouted extra appendages. The ruse wouldn’t last forever, but it would buy her enough time to gather everything she needed to bribe her friends so that they wouldn’t celebrate the discovery by yeeting her off their favourite cliff.

She cracked her fingers and typed in her first search term.

Crocodile slippers for adults.

~End~

Genre: fantasy

July stories: 8/21

Short Story: Superhero Family Team

His sister has the power of superspeed. His brother can control shadows. His mother can fly. His father has super strength. All excellent qualities for a superhero family team.

Then there’s him… who can create magical tassels.

It’s not a bad ability. His tassels provide a wide variety of buffs and extra abilities to their wearers, but it’s not suitable for combat. So while the rest of his family fight crime on the frontline, he’s stuck waiting in the background. Everyone knows about his family, but no one knows he exists.

The lack of awareness turns to their favour when his whole family is captured on a mission. Their captors don’t expect any backup to ruin their plans. They’re going to be sorely disappointed.

He’s not as powerful as the rest of his family, but not every battle is won by strength. He arms himself with as many tassels as he can, from invisibility to sound dampeners to anti-gravity, and sneaks into the heart of the evil lair.

~End~

Genre: fantasy, superhero