Acid and Flannel
Flannels Killian held his head down in defeat. His wrists were cuffed behind his back, being helped up the steps to the police station. His nemesis, Acidity, had finally defeated him. It was hard for him to accept it, given how stealthy her attack was. She was wearing what Killian would have described as a bright yellow one-piece swimsuit and a lime green fanny pack. It was ridiculous. She stood out, yet he never saw her coming.
Some Villains Actually Retire
There was no response to his question at first. The only noise around the disheveled old man were some orioles chirping by the nearby pond. A normal person would have never noticed such a sneaky foe. Cranshaw was not a normal person. He knew his past would catch up to him, but he expected it to be more…swift.
A Henchman Screwed Up
A lone henchmen in a yellow jumpsuit paced back and forth outside his boss's office. He knew what it was about. The bank job.
It was supposed to be flawless with no casualties. They had a man on the inside and all that needed to be done was take the money. Unfortunately, not all jobs go according to plan.
Day Job
All my plans were working out. My villainous empire was growing with every passing day. Henchmen were begging to join my crew. I had so many options, we had to stop hiring in Q4. Hell, we grew so big, we had to use terms like Q4 and product viability. Everything was smooth sailing, but I asked myself why. Why was this so easy? I found out the answer was a simple one. My nemesis had a day job.
A Date With A Nemesis
"And if you refuse…wait…what did you say?" Manderand asked from the ledge of the building in order to stand taller than her. His black trenchcoat stopped flapping in the wind, as if it too was shocked by his nemesis's words.
"I said I would love to go on a date with you," Captain Hearts said in a cheery, high pitched voice. Her signature heart shaped red cape waved in the wind.
Manderand blinked several times. He thought it would be a punishment for her, but she seemed enthusiastic. There must be an angle she was playing.
Secret Identity
FrackLord: Our little superhero did it again.
ColorMeHuman: What's the damage this time?
FrackLord: Three street cameras and one cell phone video. I'm working on stopping the propagation on social media right now. Can you take care of the cameras?
A Hero’s Heart
Why do I deserve to live? Why was I, out of the billions of people on Earth, the one who had to live? I should be grateful for another day on Earth, but I'm not. It should have been him. It should have been my brother.
A Letter to Cassie
Dear Cassie,
Today did not go well. I thought since Dad had broken out of prison again and Mom was on leave for 'accidentally' throwing a villain through the Mayor's office, that it would be nice to invite them both over for dinner. Mom wouldn't try to capture Dad and I would distract Dad with my famous spaghetti. It was a recipe for a successful dinner...or so I thought.
Ethical Dilemma
It had been three years to the day that I had become a therapist. I didn't have a specific clientele I wanted to work with, unlike the rest of my graduating class. Where they wanted to work with couples or substance abuse victims, I wanted to be open to anyone who walked through my door. Little did I know the slogan, "No judgement, I'm here to help," actually brought only one type of clientele. Villains.
Anger Management
Six pairs of eyes darted back and forth from one another. They all were sitting in fold out chairs that groaned every time someone shifted their weight. The hum of the air conditioner in the window was the only sound, until Paul looked up from his phone.
"Alright, sorry about that. Had some family business to attend to." Paul put his phone in his pocket. "My name is Paul and I would like to welcome you to our first session of Villain Anger Management."
Price Check
Super-Mart was the dream job of a lifetime, at least for me. Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to be a superhero. Catch bad guys, save people from harm, get the girl. Sadly, life had different plans for me. When I was thirteen years old, I was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome. Competitive sports were out of the question and with it my dreams of being a hero. I didn't let that keep me down though, so when an opening showed up the next summer at Super-Mart, I jumped at the opportunity.
Being a ‘Villain’ is Hard
The howling of the wind roared from the entrance until the door slammed itself shut. Sakari kicked off her boots and hung her wet bomber jacket on the gold coat hanger next to her.
"Lanney? Are you home?"
Consequences of Begging
"Please don't kill me. I slept with your wife!" Kahleed cried in desperation.
Anchor Face lowered his pistol, taken aback by such a strange claim. Especially for being what would have been his last words.
"Come again?"
"I slept with your wife. Don't kill me!"
Anchor Face shook his anvil shaped head. "Wait. You think I would spare you for sleeping with my wife?"
Veggies and Meat
It had been one year to the day Lenny started working at Hero's Inc. He had accomplished his dream of becoming a full time superhero, going by his alter ego, Spinach Head. Before that, he was a grocer at a vegan supermarket. Well, grocer and mascot. His face was on every advertisement the company made because his head was green. It resembled a head of lettuce more than spinach, but Lettuce Head never stuck, despite it being a better name.
When A Villain Returns
She had been waiting for this moment. Craving the day she was ready to return. It had been 15 years to the day she vowed to return to the city. To have her revenge on her arch nemesis, Hector. To the people, he was Net Man, a hero who would stop at nothing to catch evil from hurting his city. To her, he was more than that. He was the reason for her existence.
Teacher
"Is this really necessary?" Pablo said, shaking his shackles in the back of the squad car.
"You know it is," the officer said, unwilling to take her eyes off the road. "We can't have anyone find out what you actually do."
"You know when I agreed to train your young heroes, I was hoping to actually enjoy the perks of being apart of Hero's Inc. Not still be considered a low-level villain that needed to be arrested from time to time."
"We needed to maintain your cover," she said, driving down a ramp to a bunker entrance.
No One is Bulletproof
"What do you mean you don't want to be a superhero?" Bill said.
"I mean I don't want to be a superhero. What is so hard to understand?" Lilly said, putting on her duty belt.
"You're bulletproof. You could do so much more with those talents than patrolling this beat. Not to mention a pay increase."
Mr. Chen’s Decision
“Alright Mr. Chen, just sign here,” Franz said, pushing the form across his desk.
Mr. Chen sat up in his seat and leaned over to read it. He picked up the pen and was about to sign his name when he stopped.
“No one will know about this? I can’t have this getting out,” Mr. Chen said.
Forbidden Friendship
The wind gusted, drying Lanney’s wet hair. Her soaked black trenchcoat with orange trim kept her light frame grounded, sinking her boots into the gravel at her feet. She looked out from the top of the building at the sunset over the city. A hawk swooped above her head and Sakari dropped in behind her, rolling onto the gravel. She wore a brown bomber jacket and was clutching a white towel in her red padded gloves.