One second.

Hold your breath, count "one thousand and one", and it's gone, it's in the past in the time it takes to become aware of the present.

One second is too long.

Close your eyes for one second. Imagine your enemy close. Think of how many ways you could die in one second...

*****

The safe in the air, arms in the air, the body vulnerable as if it had surrendered. The demon of the Devil's playground

saw a collage of colors flying like fire and broken butterfly wings, tasted blood, and smiled at the image. At his prey.

Not afraid. Such a fool. The safe was thrown, as he knew it would be.

One second for it to clear the distance.

The chain in his hands.

In the air.

The safe was in the chain. His weapon now. His strength added to the strength of his enemy. He spun the safe back

to the man who had thrown it...

One second had passed, and now it was his turn to lead the dance.

Smile.

The Black Fury's lips split into a crimson kiss.

We have all night.

The edge of the safe cut into his right eye

Just you and me, and an audience watching their worst nightmare come to life...

The cell phone cameras caught it all.

There were no secrets anymore...

Except of course, for Them.

And They were everywhere.

*****

Marigold listened to the phone ring. It was about the demon, of course. That is why she didn't pick it up. She was the only one who could hear the phone ring. She held the plug in her hand, studied it as if it were an unwanted mouse.

911 was offline.

Next to her, April had unplugged hers as well. Sarah's phone was the only one still connected, because she had been the last. She simply ignored it's ringing. All three nodded at each other, though there really was no need. They were family. They just knew things...

They knew it was important for the police to be late.

For the demon to make his mark.

For people to be afraid to enter the Devil's Playground again.

The sound of knocking.

The door to the office shook as the officers tried to break it down. They would be too late, by just a second.

Or two.

All three smiled.

It was really just one smile...

The Demon's Cheshire grin splits the darkened face like a lightning bolt cracking the sky, a step forward turns into a full on charge. A colossus wild swing turns attack into desperate retreat, words broken in German sends a series of abuse at it's target, the Cheshire grin grows wider "Sticks and stones...sticks and stones..." he thinks. The chain lashes out and ties itself around a light post, a new charge. A charge masked as a retreat. The Demon dashes and lets his feet leave the hallowed ground. In mid air he lets centrifugal force do it's thing He hears the sound of the chain rotating around the light post, he hears the steel links untangle and he feels his circular motion be replaced with forward motion.

In m id air the world holds it's breath for the age of collision, David against Goliath, skill against force, the immovable object against the irresistible force...

*****

Casey looks up, he feels a strange rush of power in himself. Without thinking about it he lends his strength to the night.

Morena looks up at cars with potential customers passing her street corner for a split second the sound of wind fills her ears and the feeling of being airborne consumes her. With a determined look on her face she lends her force of will to the dark.

Aiuma looks up from her painting and sees a large, dark object on her canvas, she sees it seem to grow larger and in an instant she gives her determination up to the twilight.

****

Eyes, a multitude of eyes watch, the eyes shine with a mixture or horror, awe and hope. Each and every eye shows the same raw emotions, they watch an elemental clash about to happen. Slowly, as if in slow motion they see force moving towards object, they see irresistible flying towards immovable. The winder whispers the thoughts of the multitude of eyes, it whispers their thoughts and the outcome they desire.

Tonight, in the Devil's Playground, the eyes, Casey, Morena and Aiuma got their wish.

Force met object, David clashed with Goliath irresistible connected with immovable...and on this night, irresistible won round 3.

The impact throws Black Fury onto his back, such an incredible force overcoming him. His whole body felt numb immediately. Slowly, he stood up…which was amazing even for him, who normally had incredible strength and toughness.

“It’s the end of the line for you,” the Demon, Nightfall, spoke.

“Don’t think you’ve won just because…unngh…you struck one good blow on me…!” Black Fury charged once again, this time bare handed. The chain lashed out at him, but Black Fury caught it this time, and attempted to use it against him, trying to pull on it and throw him.

No such luck, as Nightfall tugged right back on it, canceling out that attempt. A tug-of-war occurred, as both hero and villian attempted to reel each other in.

And hero won out, pulling Black Fury’s weakened body slowly in, before delivering a hard fist straight to his face, sending him flying a few yards back, his body leaving an imprint in the asphalt.

Nightfall moved in, preparing to deliver the finishing blow.

Black Fury had less than a second to make his choice.

He lept from his downed spot, running away…no, not simply running away, running towards a young brown haired teen who had been a spectator.

Now turned hostage, as Black Fury wrapped his arm around his neck and secured him, as he cried out. Even at less than half his strength, he could hold a normal human with no problem.

“Damn…!” Nightfall swore.

“The second you try to follow me, he dies. We’ll meet again, Nightfall…”
Black Fury ran off into the night. If he followed him, it would probably result in the death of the hostage. But if he let him go, it would probably result in the same thing…damned if he did, damned if he didn’t. What was he to do?

The answer came in the form of a slender young man in a black body suit, with two katanas at his side.

Black Fury stopped before the man, but grinned.

“Wanted to save the day? You just sentenced this guy to death. Good job!”

Hell Razor’s eyes widened as he saw the muscles tense in Black Fury’s arm. In a split second he would be killed!

Except that split second should have passed already. Black Fury stood before him, frozen in the moment in time, arm a hair away from pulling the trigger on the young teen’s death…

---------------------------------------------------

Somewhere far away, a little girl prayed for Hell Razor’s success, without even knowing it.

---------------------------------------------------

Hell Razor’s katana sliced clean through Black Fury’s arm in an instant. To a bystander, it appeared as if the katana had moved directly from it’s start to end point with no swing inbetween, and Black Fury’s bleeding arm had dropped on the ground. The teen was free.

“Grraaaaaaaaaaaagh!” Black Fury cried, clutching his bleeding stump. “You son of a…”

In another instant, Black Fury was spun around, and then promptly dropped with a punch by Nightfall, before he deftly wrapped his chain around him carefully to bind him. The two heroes stared into each other’s eyes.

“So you’re the Demon of Devil’s Playground.”

Nightfall nodded.

“I like it. Want me to get that for you?” He pointed at the downed Black Fury.

“No thanks.”

“As you wish.”

They stared at each other again for a bit, an arkward silence. This was the first time Hell Razor had met an unregistered transhuman hero like himself…they weren’t so different.

Hell Razor finally broke the silence. “Farewell,” he said, and ran off into the night.