THE SONG OF MY PEOPLE - II.a.

"UMBRUM?"

Eric gasped for air, already having been overwhelmed by his superior's pristine office, decorated with gold trim and sleek silver walls, combined with equally shiny silver chairs and couches for anyone lucky enough to visit the place- HIM TO BE ONE.

"A superhero consultant being promoted to specialist might do wonders as a fresh face," Mr. Reynolds remained seated behind his inordinate desk. "I thought you outta' be congratulated for a job well done. There's not much I can offer you at this point... Except,"

He opened the folders on his desk before flashing its contents to Eric:

Reynolds explained that Umbrum had high crime rates, and is ripe for Heroes Initiative Agency expansion: "To begin, your reaction to this announcement isn't unprecedented. The City of Umbrum is in trouble. And also adding that the city is widely known for its reputation of being a 'crime capital', from thievery to organized crime to mutated superpower beasts. The societal elites are on the fence, allowing us free access to expand our hero initiative."

Eric raised a brow.

"Does that mean the city council already authorized you to raise the H.I.A.'s budget...?"

"BOTTOM LINE." Reynolds emphasized more forcefully, "We give the people their much-needed heroes en masse, someone they can look up to."

"Room and board, sir?" Eric stammered, already dreading the prospects narrowed straight ahead.

The manager rose from his station, eyes beyond the looking glass of his unfiltered windows.

In the silence, the sound of Mr. Reynolds's heavy footsteps continued to echo as the distance between them gradually narrowed, carrying out his work.

He doesn't blink often, but he made his pupils glaze over at Eric, not once, or twice, but thrice—like a sniper's crosshairs, the sight line shifting towards and out of phase with the face and onto the target. He stopped. There was no sense of movement to indicate anything, none until the blonde-haired executive gave him an earnest smile.

"What you did was foolish, taking on such a villain alone, but again, also noble. You should be proud that in the same fashion, and the grace you have earned yourself some recognition from our personnel as well."

That alone, was all Eric wanted and needed:

"Thank you."

★

The dingy apartment in Umbrum was a little bit grimier than the last. Nevertheless, a temporary bed and bookshelves greeted him in some far-removed facsimile of life, and a lot less space... because it's his- at least, for now. This place would serve its function, enough to fulfill his craving for a peaceful atmosphere where no man would dare come bother him unless need be. And, one would suppose, a safe place to hang his new garments that somehow managed to sneak into the moving boxes.

Falling to sleep had never been considered a bane for Eric until recently. Since then, insomnia seemed to nag him daily, with those endless pangs and stabs.

The cops busting down his door was a close second for reasons unbeknownst of him.

He barely got out of the sofa before they apprehended the dumbfounded.

"You're under arrest! Put your hands behind your back. You have the right to remain silent. The right to an attorney. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law."

One cop pulled out a cuffs, while the other helped his coworker subdue the man, pinning Eric down.

"Officer?" Eric asked. "Are you saying that there is reason to believe a crime's been committed? That I'm implicated in one?"

It took quite some strength from Eric's end to open his eyes and yet, struggling to keep them open. His arms and legs felt rubbery from a lack of sleep.

With nothing short of a nod, the second officer pointed his gun at the nearby closet, only for it to be unearthed with two body bags that crashed through the floor of the kitchen:

"Don't move."

Eric looked over at the bags in horror; they'd definitely been tampered with. He glanced up at the cops from his position.

No; certainly, he couldn't see what exactly had spilled out of the floorboards. As he kneeled and rolled on the bloody mat, something rather strange and inexplicable met his eyes. His mind went completely blank from confusion, wondering how both men could have been reduced to such—

"Is that...?"

At this point, the stench was unbearable.