Chapter 19

Many people stood in the cemetery while it rained. The skies were cloudy, and the air was filled with sadness. Gizmo stood beside Briana and Zayna. Rob stood by Zayna while he covered her head with an umbrella. Jazlyn stood behind them with a rose in her hand. John stood silently in the background away from everyone. His hood covered his head as the heavy rain showered the earth around him. It had been a week since the attack on the city. Superhumans were once again blamed, but John knew this was something else. 

The man who called him Shadow Wolf knew his name. He didn't know how that was possible, but he knew. It had been a week since Mr. Zestro died. John hadn't been to the bunker much avoiding his friends. He spent the past few days searching for signs of Shadow Wolf. He needed answers, and he knew if he didn't get to him, then more lives would be lost. John sighed as he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned. Diane stood before him with an umbrella in her hand. She wore a black dress and black boots. John could feel himself blushing because he never saw her dressed in such fashion. He looked up at her to see a hint of sadness in her eyes.

 "You look different." John said awkwardly.

 Diane appeared to blush as she looked away. The two of them had gotten closer since they met months ago. She looked up at him now with a confused look on her face.

 "Why don't you go over there and mourn with them? This is supposed to be a time when people grow closer and comfort each other, right?" Diane asked as John shrugged, he looked over his shoulder at his friends. They were all hurting, but he didn't feel he was the one that should comfort them.

"Everyone grieves differently, Diane." John said.

John started walking away. He heard Diane turn to follow him as they walked the trail to the exit. John didn't feel welcomed at the funeral because if Gizmo saw him, then there'd be an altercation between them. Diane jabbed John in his side, causing him to look down at her.

"At least go to the memorial Gizmo is having. I'm sure Briana would want to see you there." Diane said as John let out a deep sigh as he grew annoyed. He felt Diane's hand on his arm, causing him to stop walking. She took a deep breath as she tightened her grip around his arm gently.

 "Gizmo would cause a scene if he saw me again. I'm not in the mood to be blamed for another person's death. I'll check on Briana and Zayna another time." John said as he pulled away from Diane. 

He didn't know where he was going in the rain, but walking felt like the best thing for him. People dying around John was becoming a pattern that frightened him. Another thing he had noticed was that the voice in his head was getting louder. Whenever he heard it, his skin would crawl. He was lost in thought when realized he was on the street where Zestro's pizzeria used to be. Diane walked over to the collapsed building. He looked around at all the other buildings that were affected by the attack. John here furious as he clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.    

"He's nothing but a rich spoiled brat. I guarantee that he doesn't know the meaning of accountability. You need to stop bottling up everything and allowing people to beat you down. I saw you do that when we went to Wolf Mountain." Diane said sounding frustrated.

John looked at her confused before shaking his head. He started to recall Gizmo saying something was his fault, then he remembered Melina was taken when she was with him. John frowned as he rubbed his neck uncomfortably.   

"If my powers weren't so inconsistent then Melina wouldn't have been taken. We wouldn't have to wonder what happened to her if she hadn't been with me, but she was. It's my fault she's gone, Diane." John said as he started walking again. Diane yelled sounding frustrated while trying to keep him with John.    

 "We didn't know what to expect that day, John. If your powers are inconsistent, then we're going to train. I'm going to push you to your limits whenever you're ready to train." Diane said as she raised the umbrella over John's head. 

He grabbed the handle as they walked over to another sidewalk. John walked close to the road as Diane walked close to the buildings. “Why did you come back?”

"Do you believe that my mother would recognize me as her daughter? No one even believes that I'm Dr. Lee's daughter when they look at me. I figured that would've occurred to you when Mr. Zestro asked about my relation to that Earnheart person." Diane said, sounding frustrated.

John nodded. He didn't know what to say to that because she was right. When he looked at her, he could only see a small resemblance of Dr. Lee. Most of the time he looked at her he saw someone else. He never spoke on it but it made it difficult to look Diane in the eyes. He took a deep breath as they continued walking. John stepped in a deep puddle as he crossed the street again. Diane still was by his side when he saw a berserker. It was being tortured by a group of thugs. 

The berserker was small compared to most, which meant it used to be a child. It saddened him to see what his blood could do to humans. John knew there was someone still using the tainted serum on people because more berserkers were appearing. They were worse than any supernatural creature he'd ever seen before. Their numbers continued to grow and they were evolving. John handed Diane the umbrella as he ran over to the alley where the thugs were. John grabbed one of the thugs and threw him into the wall. He lunged at the thug and slammed his foot in his chest. 

The other thugs approached him but stopped when John glared at them. There was a rage in John that seemed to grow stronger, slowly consuming him. He lunged at another thug, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. John thrust his knee into his stomach before kicking the thug in the knee. The sound of bone snapping like a twig could be heard as the man fell over.  John stood still as two thugs charged at him with their weapons raised. The first thug lunged at John with a knife but missed as John stepped around the blade effortlessly.

He took an elbow to the jaw as John spun around him to grab the other thug. He grabbed the thugs hand and twisted it in an outward direction. The thug cried out in pain as John the thug's elbow out of place. In a fit of rage, John pushed the thug in the chest which sent him crashing to the ground. He stood over the thug that laid on the ground before him.

"For once in your pathetic lives have the decency to put something out of its misery? How'd you feel if I tortured you death?" John questioned as he stomped on the thug's chest before turning away. 

He walked over to the creature that laid on the ground wheezing. John's heightened senses allowed him to hear its fading heartbeat. He shook his head as he knelt down next to the creature. John gently placed his hand on the creature's head as it reached out to him before taking its last breath. Diane stood next to John as he stood up with a frown on his face. She placed her hand on his shoulder as she looked at the creature.

"Maybe, I could try to come up with a cure, but I'll need you." Diane said, causing John to look over at her. 

He nodded slowly as they turned away from the lifeless creature. John stopped walking as he looks down toward Diane. “What exactly would you need me to do?" He asked.

He noticed Diane looking at him mischievously. Her facial expression reminded him of Dr. Lee, causing him to be creeped out. A faint smile appeared on her face as she looked away.      

“I don't need you, just blood samples to be specific. We have a lab in the bunker so it's time we used it." She said as she placed her hand on John's head before turning away. 

John followed her silently down another alley as he started to worry that she'd end up becoming like her father.  Although, he knew his fears were unnecessary because she was nothing like her father. The only similarity she had to him was being a genius, maybe.       

"How long do you think it will take to make a cure?" John questioned as he continued to follow her further into the city. They'd been walking for at least forty minutes since leaving the funeral. He still wasn't sure where they were going now that she took lead.            

“It will take some time, but in the meantime, you should go see the Zestro's at Valentine manor." Diane said in a demanding tone, causing John to become annoyed. 

He didn't want to go to Gizmo's mansion again. He hated the memories and the constant confrontations with him. John knew that if he went, then he'd be forced to fight Gizmo over something trivial.    

"If it will get you to shut up, fine. What are you going to do in the meantime?" John asked as Diane faced him with her mischievous look again. 

He was starting to worry about her at this point. What could she be planning in the twisted mind of hers? “You've been worrying a lot lately, and it's making me think that you have a caring side." 

John stared at her emotionlessly. She rolled her eyes as she started walking again causing John to look up at the sky and wondered what the future held. A hand jerked his arm pulling him forward as he realized it was Diane. She seemed worried as she urged him to follow her. He followed her as they ran over to another alley where they found another small berserker. John looked at her confused wondering what she wanted. 

"I guess we're capturing berserkers now?" He questioned as she nodded slowly.

He grunted as he dashed over to the creature. It turned toward him as it screeched loudly. John smacked it in the head, causing it to fall over. He turned to Diane as he picked it up and walked over to her.   

“I didn't expect you to take it out that easy. Well, let's get it to the bunker and put it in the containment room." Diane ordered.

 She started walking in a different direction. John looked down at the creature before he started walking. He took a deep breath as he bent his knees preparing to jump. John leaped in the air, but he didn't take off like normal. The jump was like a human's jumping ability. He clenched his fist in frustration as he wondered why he couldn't do it. Since his powers awakened back in March, they remained inconsistent. He walked silently after Diane feeling defeated. 

"Focus, you weakling." A voice said, causing John to look around. 

He realized it was the voice he constantly heard in his head. Whenever he called out to it, he got no response. John grunted as he bent his knees again while taking a deep breath. He imagined himself leaping over the tallest building. After a minute of standing in an awkward position, the ground beneath him shook, and the air around him shifted. He yelled as he jumped high into the air and slowly ascending over the city. He glided over zone A and landed in the forest. He looked around shocked that he leaped that far with one bound.      

"What the hell?" John questioned as he took a deep breath. 

As he stood in the forest, he heard the berserker starting to stir. He took off running in the direction of the bunker. John ran in a hurry as he felt the creature starting to move. He took no time prying open the hatch when he got to it. John climbed down the ladder while closing the hatch over his head. He was breathing nervously as he continued running until he was at the top of the stairs that lead to the commune room. Rena, Celina, and Celeste were sitting around playing cards. He marched down the steps causing them to look over at him. Rena screamed when she saw the berserker in John's arm.

"Why would you bring that thing here?" Celina asked as she stood to her feet. 

Celeste appeared to be on edge as she stared at the creature. Her eyes seemed unable to turn away.          

"Now's not the time to ask those questions, where's the containment room?" John questioned as Celina rolled her eyes and started walking. 

He followed as he started to struggle with the berserker. It screeched loudly as John dragged it down the hall behind Celina. They walked for some time before they got to a door with a keypad beside it. Celina pressed four buttons, causing the door to slide open. John took no time throwing the creature inside as Celina pressed another button. The door closed just as the berserker reached the door. John could hear it pounding on the door from the other side as he breathed heavily. Celina stared at him confused as he stepped back.                                

"Why would you bring that thing here?" Celina questioned with an aggressive tone in her voice. 

John continued to breathe heavily as he worried that there was no hope for the berserkers. What if the effects of his blood were irreversible? This would eat away at him if he didn't find a cure for them because knowing his blood caused this made him feel responsible. He stood upright as he stared at the door, continuing to wonder. 

“Diane will fill you in whenever she gets here." John replied.

 With a wave as he walked away. He scowled as he thought about going to Gizmo's mansion. If he didn't go, then Diane wouldn't let him hear the end of it, so he made up his mind to go.