The Knightstick Chronicles, Rough Justice

Ch14, Aftermath

I didn't get more than an hour of sleep after my escapade with Jeb and the vicious Watcher. Still suffering from remnants of last night's panic attack, I felt restless, persistent spasms and muscle twitches jolting throughout my body as I lay there. Not being able to quell my nerves with alcohol made the lingering effects of anxiety so much worse, and sleep was nearly impossible. The entire ordeal had me doubting if I had what it took to continue with Leo's crusade...

When the sun finally rose on my waking eyes the next morning, I gave up the vain search for rest and left my bed, dragging myself downstairs and across the street to Marv's for breakfast. The place was nearly empty when I entered, and Marv greeted me with a grunt from over the grill as I slumped on the stool against the bar. "Usual?" he asked. I yawned and nodded in reply.

Moments later, Ling came around. "Morning," she said as she poured me a cup. "You hear what happened last night?" she asked, looking up at the TV overhead as she passed me the mug. Lifting bagging eyes, I followed her attention to the screen. Then my skin went cold.

A news chyron affixed to the bottom of a shaky cell phone video read; "Masked man saves woman from vicious attack." It was a fuzzy clip of my fight with Jeb before the Watcher had emerged. The segment ended after I kicked Jeb across the road, then cut to a news anchor;

"-The video went viral this morning after being posted, garnering a wide range of responses on social media. While some argue the masked man is a fascist criminal, using police aesthetics to terrorize the community, others believe he is a hero, with the woman who posted the video calling him, her "knight". One clever commenter coined the Moniker "Knightstick" after noting his use of a police nightstick, which has been trending online ever since. The strange encounter has left everyone wondering, where is the mysterious Knighstick now? And where will he be sighted next?" The anchor allowed himself a smile.

While Ling watched the broadcast, I pulled my sunglasses from my head over my alarmed eyes and slumped down low in my seat.

The girl filmed it? Goddam cell phones, when did she even have time to get it out? The news anchor's words rolled through me, worsening my anxiousness. "Where will he be sighted next," he had said... "Keep calm," I coaxed myself, "no one saw your face." It was hard for me to fathom my actions getting this much attention. I had hoped creating the image of a super-powered cop on the hunt for predators would scare the bad guys, not start a damn hashtag. And what kind of asshole basement-dweller came up with that name? Knight-stick...

Even in my shock, the Irony was not lost on me. I could almost hear Maria rolling over in her grave as her surname was usurped for clickbait. I amused myself briefly imagining what her annoyed face would look like if she were here now. The thought calmed me a bit.

"Weird, right?" Ling said as she turned back, now looking over the top of my head. Her brow furrowed, and she looked down at my sunken and shaded form. "What the heck is wrong with you?" she asked puzzled.

I tried to play off my unease, "oh, nothing, just a long night," I said, shifting uncomfortably and occupying myself with the coffee mug. Marv rang the bell for my food, and Ling went to get it, shaking her head while muttering something about strange boys.

Moments later she returned and slid the sizzling plate of bacon and eggs toward me before turning to tend to another customer.

"Mmm that looks good!" A voice said from nowhere.

I jumped and turned to see Leo seated on the stool next to me, rubbing his hands together and eyeing my food. I quickly scanned the rest of the diner

"dude, not here!" I hissed.

But he wasn't listening. Instead, he set out an imaginary silver platter filled with roast vegetables and a whole turkey leg on the counter next to my plate. I gawked while Leo tucked a bib into his shirt and started cutting his meat with a set of fine cutlery.