Seth turned the small business card over in his hands for the millionth time, its edges now worn from the number of times he’d handled it.

Zulu Company

253-555-4321

The symbol of Hunter-33, a sword and a hammer crossed over an arrowhead, was emblazoned in silver next to those words. Seth slid open the drawer to his nightstand and replaced it before swinging his legs over the side of his bed and onto the floor. He could smell coffee from downstairs, he had for the past hour when his dad had left for work. The scent now permeated Seth’s room.

His room still held a few remnants of early childhood, his bookshelf containing some of the stories he had read as young kid next the to ones he now read on the cusp of adulthood. His desk sat next to it, laptop closed on top. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair and then down over his sleep-deprived face, rubbing circles around his bloodshot ocean-blue eyes. Another night where the only sleep was filled with feverish dreams and sudden bursts of horror when he awoke near every hour.

Naked aside from his boxers, Seth crossed to the closet adjacent to his desk and walked in, turning on the light. His normal clothes hung on the left, workout clothes on the narrow back wall, and his martial arts uniforms on the right. Seth brushed the sleeve of one of his gis. He hadn’t worn it at all in the month since he’d been back. How could he train with a sledgehammer for a leg? Even checking a kick could maim someone now. He sighed and grabbed a pair of jeans and a plain white tee, throwing both on and grabbing his phone, wallet, and pair of long socks before he left his room. Couldn’t have his augment showing.

Seth walked down the stairs at the end of the hallway and turned right, curving around the dining room and into the kitchen, where he leaned against the counter and slipped the socks on. There was a quarter pot of coffee left, just enough for his mug. His dad may have been an asshole, but he thought ahead, and that thinking ahead almost always included those around him. Seth could see the water line on the pot was exactly to the amount that would fill both his and his dad's mugs.

Seth filled it up, looking out the kitchen window to the woods that bordered their suburb. The leaves were not yet turning, and the morning twilight dulled the greenery. It was only early fall, not even homecoming yet. The temperatures had dropped maybe five degrees from the oppression of summer. His eyes darted through the trees. He could never shake the feeling of being watched. He hoped it was just his inability to settle after what he had gone through.

Seth sipped his coffee despite knowing it would yet again fail to chase away the ever-thickening cobwebs of his nightmares. Still, the taste comforted him. He inhaled the delicious aroma, and that made him feel a little bit better, too. Seth capped his mug and snatched his keys off the wall, heading to the entryway where he slipped on his gray-and-white Converse before walking out to the driveway.

Courtesy of forty total hours spent in an enclosed tube while doctors scanned his brain and exposed him to seemingly random stimuli, sat Seth’s new car. The check would have more than covered a brand new truck, but Seth associated a certain type of person with a shiny, unweathered truck and it wasn’t one he wanted to be himself. His Tacoma had possessed character--along with an occasionally leaky oil pump and sometimes questionable AC capabilities.

The deep electric blue Subaru WRX beeped as he unlocked it and slid into the leather driver’s seat, placing his cup in the holder and closing the door. Seth placed his hands on the wheel for a moment, then pressed the ignition button. The engine came to life and Seth began his drive to school with the windows down and ‘Live It Up’ by Airbourne playing over the stereo. The car was nice, but the second half of that check would now cover a year of tuition even if he didn’t get a single scholarship for college.

Several songs later, Seth parked in front of his school. First day back, despite his protests that he would have been fine attending immediately. Then again, he wouldn’t have had this car by now if he had had to fit the examinations in over the weekends. He grabbed his shades he’d left in his glove box during the drive and put them on. They were square frames, and black, from a brand that made sunglasses specifically for runners. Comfortable, and they didn’t fall off, but they did the job of hiding his eyes and dark circles.

Seth locked his car behind him and joined the crowd heading into the front doors of school. Already he heard people whispering behind his back, about the coma he’d apparently been in for six weeks. Harmless as far as rumors could go.

“My girlfriend told me he’s a cheating bastard.”

The rage buried deep in Seth’s stomach awoke and he spun around, hand snatching the collar of a shirt and slamming the stunned sophomore against the wall. Green eyes under a shock of ginger hair stared back at Seth’s readied fist in horror. “Oh god-”

Seth let go of his shirt and dropped his hands, clenching them to conceal the shaking. “Keep your mouth shut,” he growled, and turned to walk off into the crowd towards his first class of the day. He shoved his unsteady hands in his pockets and let himself fade into the flow of students. He had enjoyed that. The sudden violence felt good, natural. The thought disturbed him. He’d been ready to smash that kid’s face into pulp and scatter his teeth across the floor. Seth swallowed and kept his head down, he didn’t like who he’d become in the wake of recent events. No, he hated it. He was capable of bad, bad things now. Things only bad people were capable of. That made him everything that the rumors Madeline had started said he was.

“Glad you’re back.”

Seth jolted and stumbled. He righted himself and looked to his left, where Jessica walked alongside him, several books clutched in front of her. She was dressed to catch eyes, as usual, skirt at the brink of the school guidelines and hair arranged in a way that was less a style and more a suggestion. Seth let out a shaky breath as they walked. “Don’t know if it’s good to be back.”

She bumped him with her shoulder. “Sure it is. Better than a coma, right?” She grinned. “I can’t believe that’s what everyone is going with.”

“Makes sense. I’m sure people know I got shot at that party.”

“They do.”

A group of students circled around a locker caught Seth’s attention. “Hold on,” he said, crossing over and shoving his way into the circle, where a kid stood with his back to the locker and a much larger student stood in front of him.

“And if that isn’t clear…”

“Fuck off, all of you,” said Seth, taking his glasses off and passing them to Jessica behind him.

The ringleader turned to face Seth. It was Eric Rivera, broad-shouldered, tan-skinned captain of the football team. Zach Olmstead stood immediately to Seth’s right, and Seth didn’t have to look to feel the heated anger radiating off of him.

“Yeah?” Said Eric. He stepped forward. At six-foot-three, he was taller than Seth, and definitely more imposing.

Seth looked up at him and met his gaze with a hostile glare. “Yeah.” He dug in with his augment.

“You fuck off!” Eric shoved Seth.

Seth stayed rooted and Eric’s unbalanced stance caused him to rebound. Seth looked around the circle. “You might want to give us some space.”

Seth’s arms were grabbed and pulled in each direction. Eric charged forward, hauling his fist back for a wild overhand, anger at being challenged storming in his brown eyes. Seth picked both legs up and kicked. All four of them fell back in different directions and Seth rolled to his feet, free of the grip. He could see cell phones already raised and a circle forming. Not this again.

No, he wanted it. He wanted to fight. This felt good, damn the consequences, damn them all.

Seth’s snapped out of his head as his augment dug hard into the side of Eric. He could feel ribs cracking under the hard metal surface. Eric fell to the side, growling in pain. Zach Olmstead entered Seth’s vision next, and Seth planted hard, throwing his hips and legs into a clean uppercut that snapped Zach’s jaw shut and knocked him out cold. The linebacker fell in a heap at Seth’s feet, but the next was already coming, lowering into a tackle. Seth pivoted out of the way and grabbed shirt collar as the football player rushed past, yanking back as hard as he could. Fabric tore, but the boy’s legs flew out from under him and he crashed into the floor. Seth raised his augment over the football player’s face.

No, no, no. Seth set his foot down, trying to quell his bloodlust. A wild haymaker smashed into his face, sending him reeling. More piled onto him, driving him back against a locker and pummeling his body with blows. The demon inside him raged, furious at being held like this, furious at Seth for not satisfying it. Seth drove forward has hard as he could in his position and headbutted one of the kids, his forehead smashing straight into an eye socket. Seth could feel delicate cheekbone crunch.

“Break it up!” Came a booming voice. Everyone froze. Principal Dean stomped down the hallway, broad shoulders swimming through the sea of students, eyes even more wild than usual.

The football players backed up and Seth slouched against the locker, bruised and battered. Principal Dean snapped his head to his left, then to his right, and then pointed at a student with their phone out. “You, show me the video. Now.”

He watched for about five seconds, the whole hallway silent, before he snapped around on a heel and shouted over his shoulder: “Seth and Eric, in my office!” He stalked back the way he had came. Seth crossed over to where Eric lay on the floor, holding his side. He extended a hand. “Come on.”

Eric looked at it for a moment, then took it, letting Seth haul him to his feet. Eric punched Seth square in the jaw, sending him reeling. Seth backpedaled for half a second, blinking to clear the stars from his eyes as the captain rushed him, then planted hard and drove his right leg up.

THUMP!

Seth’s shin dug deep into Eric’s groin and the quarterback dropped hard, the fight going out of his eyes in a second. Everyone watched, shocked as Eric lay there and whimpered, holding his side and his crotch.

You did this.

The nightmares were still there.