The Battle in Capital City

It was an ordinary day in Capital City. Citizens were going about their business, shopping, eating in restaurants, working in offices, and all the other things that normal people do. When suddenly...

The Dark Bruiser smashed through the door of a crowded diner! Shards of glass flew everywhere as panicked patrons abandoned their lunch to seek shelter from the villain.

"You insignificant fools!" he shouted as he vaulted onto the nearest table. "Too long have I been denied the recognition that should be mine! Well, no longer! People everywhere will soon cower in fear at the mere mention of my name!"

The Dark Bruiser leapt back to the floor, and started to wreak havoc. He flung tables through the window, smashed chairs on the counter, and shattered the framed photos on the walls with a kick of his mighty foot! Ordinary citizens scrambled to find safety as the villain rampaged through the small shop, his impossibly skin-tight black leather jumpsuit a blur in the noonday glare from outside.

But soon! A cheer rose up from outside, as a familiar figure, clad in red and yellow, stepped into the shop. Admiral Amazing! Capital City’s very own caped defender had arrived to put an end to the Dark Bruiser’s rampage.

“Come along quietly,” Admiral Amazing said. “There’s no need for any further destruction.”

“You fool!” growled the Dark Bruiser. “I am not afraid of you! I know your weakness! You care for these insignificant people! You will do anything to protect them!”

“Yes,” the hero responded. “Which you know means that I will not let you continue to threaten them.”

“But if you try to stop me, I will kill everyone here. So you must let me go, or their deaths will be on your head! And to prove it, I will demonstrate my resolve!” With that, the Dark Bruiser pulled a throwing dagger from his belt and flung it across the room. With a sickening sound and a spurt of red, it sank into the neck of a man who was trying to edge his way towards the exit. The man fell to the ground, his hand on his throat, as Admiral Amazing flew through the air towards his foe.

In a flash, the two combatants were outside, duelling on the street in front of the demolished diner. Admiral Awesome was victorious once more, as always. But I was no longer paying attention. I was cowering on the ground, heedless of the shards of glass and other debris cutting into my knees as I cradled the corpse that had fallen near the ruined shop entrance. For the man that the Dark Bruiser had slain was my very own husband.

I wailed in anguish as I pressed his limp body to me. Kevin had been my partner in life for nearly twenty years by that point. I could vaguely hear the commotion from outside, but I was effectively unaware of anything but my own suffering. We had been through so much together, I couldn’t imagine life without him. But I would never hear his voice again. Never listen to his goofball jokes, his terrible puns, his awful singing as he playfully serenaded me on our old and out-of-tune piano...

That was ten years ago. It’s been very difficult to carry on since then. Our children have adjusted to life without him. I’ve managed to create the facade of a normal life, carrying on from day to day as if I were a functional, healthy adult. But beneath the thin veneer of well-adjusted acceptance lies a tempestuous vortex of misery and resentment.

Yes, resentment. Admiral Amazing has saved countless other lives, after all. But not Kevin’s. Not my husband’s. And while the other residents of this city continue to laud the hero’s accomplishments, all I can feel towards the defender of Capital City is smoldering contempt. My husband is dead. Not someone else’s. Mine.

And that translates into vehemence towards my fellow citizens. They love the superhero who couldn’t save my husband. Every day, they praise yet another feat by the red-and-gold marvel. 

And I hate them for it.

But I must continue to endure, for my children’s sake. Each day brings new trials, new indignities, new suffering for the sake of my offspring.

And that is the reality which I must countenance.

Copyright notice: Although I believe in the public domain, and I want as many people as possible to enjoy my work, please don't try to pass any of my creations off as your own. Share my art, music, and writing. Just don't claim that you were the one to create it. Thank you.

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