let it all go, everything, including all his frustrations, disappointments, anger, and fear. His heart pounded so hard he wondered if it may burst from his chest. Blood scorched its way through his veins on its way to Fox.
Carter screamed in agony as the hellfire within him reached an almost atomic level. Yet still he let it go. Fueled by anger at his girlfriend for leaving him, at his friends for betraying him, at the world for serving him up a pile of shit for a life, but most of all at Fox for making him do this.
"Ow...," she said. "Ouch, what the fuck!" She yelled and tried to pull away, but as she jerked her hand away it only tugged on Carter's neck as if they were one.
It was as if they were attached like conjoined twins.
"Let me go you son of a bitch!"
But Carter didn't relent. Her howls only spurred him on, driving his molten heart to beat faster, and sending more fires through his veins.
Her mouth and eyes went wide and a bright glowing light shot forth from every hole in her body. Her skin glowed orange and red as she was torched from the inside out. No scream came forth, just a gut wrenching wheeze as her lungs were fried. Her skin began to crackle and pop and boiling blood sizzled its way out of her wounds.
Still, Carter did not relent.
Fox burst into flame, but without Carter's adaptation, she was quickly roasted. Her skin blackened and flaked off. Carter caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass door on the front of the building. Her face was frozen in a look of sheer terror. He winced and looked away. The grip on his neck weakened and fell away as her hand crumbled.
Carter rolled to his side, reached behind, and tugged at the knife again. It wouldn't budge. He pulled again and again, and finally, with a loud rip, the blade came free. The blade on the knife glowed red hot from his super heated blood, instantly cauterizing the wound. He let the knife slip from his fingers and the blade clanged against the floor.
Then he saw her. Fox was frozen in place like a gray smoldering statue, forever stuck on her knees with her mouth wide. Taking slow steps, he went to her.
"Why?" he asked her. "Why did you do this?"
He hated her almost as much as he hated himself. He dropped to his knees before her and began to cry. Slowly, he raised a hand to her still smoking face and placed a hand on her cheek. Ash slipped through his grasp as her face crumbled like a house of falling cards, starting with her head and crumbling all the way to her feet.
Carter stared at the pile of ash and let out a blood-curdling scream.
#
Epilogue 1
She stared at me blankly and for the first time in the years I had been seeing her, she seemed unable to offer any kind of response.
"I guess she had never had anyone actually not resist her powers before," I said.
"I...Maybe, or maybe she had never used her powers on a scorcher before," she said.
"We'll never know for certain," I said solemnly.
"You did the right thing."
"Did I?" I asked honestly unsure.
"You preserved. That's a natural human reaction." Her normal calm and collected posture of leaning back in her high backed chair was gone, replaced by her sitting on the edge of her seat.
"There was nothing natural about what I did!" I had to check myself to keep from pounding a fist down on her desk as I finished.
She placed her hands palm down on the table and leaned over the desk for emphasis.
"Fox made her decision and so did you," she said. Her eyes were steeled with conviction.
"That doesn't make it any easier," I said.
"It's not supposed to. You have to live with what you've done, and only you know what that's like, but you have more pressing matters."
"Are you going to call the cops and tell them what I've done?" I asked.
"No, that's not what I meant. A normal psychologist probably would, but as I specialize in dealing with you User types, it's not something I do. Otherwise, I'd be calling the cops on my patients every other week," she said. "What I meant
Carter screamed in agony as the hellfire within him reached an almost atomic level. Yet still he let it go. Fueled by anger at his girlfriend for leaving him, at his friends for betraying him, at the world for serving him up a pile of shit for a life, but most of all at Fox for making him do this.
"Ow...," she said. "Ouch, what the fuck!" She yelled and tried to pull away, but as she jerked her hand away it only tugged on Carter's neck as if they were one.
It was as if they were attached like conjoined twins.
"Let me go you son of a bitch!"
But Carter didn't relent. Her howls only spurred him on, driving his molten heart to beat faster, and sending more fires through his veins.
Her mouth and eyes went wide and a bright glowing light shot forth from every hole in her body. Her skin glowed orange and red as she was torched from the inside out. No scream came forth, just a gut wrenching wheeze as her lungs were fried. Her skin began to crackle and pop and boiling blood sizzled its way out of her wounds.
Still, Carter did not relent.
Fox burst into flame, but without Carter's adaptation, she was quickly roasted. Her skin blackened and flaked off. Carter caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass door on the front of the building. Her face was frozen in a look of sheer terror. He winced and looked away. The grip on his neck weakened and fell away as her hand crumbled.
Carter rolled to his side, reached behind, and tugged at the knife again. It wouldn't budge. He pulled again and again, and finally, with a loud rip, the blade came free. The blade on the knife glowed red hot from his super heated blood, instantly cauterizing the wound. He let the knife slip from his fingers and the blade clanged against the floor.
Then he saw her. Fox was frozen in place like a gray smoldering statue, forever stuck on her knees with her mouth wide. Taking slow steps, he went to her.
"Why?" he asked her. "Why did you do this?"
He hated her almost as much as he hated himself. He dropped to his knees before her and began to cry. Slowly, he raised a hand to her still smoking face and placed a hand on her cheek. Ash slipped through his grasp as her face crumbled like a house of falling cards, starting with her head and crumbling all the way to her feet.
Carter stared at the pile of ash and let out a blood-curdling scream.
#
Epilogue 1
She stared at me blankly and for the first time in the years I had been seeing her, she seemed unable to offer any kind of response.
"I guess she had never had anyone actually not resist her powers before," I said.
"I...Maybe, or maybe she had never used her powers on a scorcher before," she said.
"We'll never know for certain," I said solemnly.
"You did the right thing."
"Did I?" I asked honestly unsure.
"You preserved. That's a natural human reaction." Her normal calm and collected posture of leaning back in her high backed chair was gone, replaced by her sitting on the edge of her seat.
"There was nothing natural about what I did!" I had to check myself to keep from pounding a fist down on her desk as I finished.
She placed her hands palm down on the table and leaned over the desk for emphasis.
"Fox made her decision and so did you," she said. Her eyes were steeled with conviction.
"That doesn't make it any easier," I said.
"It's not supposed to. You have to live with what you've done, and only you know what that's like, but you have more pressing matters."
"Are you going to call the cops and tell them what I've done?" I asked.
"No, that's not what I meant. A normal psychologist probably would, but as I specialize in dealing with you User types, it's not something I do. Otherwise, I'd be calling the cops on my patients every other week," she said. "What I meant
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