She watched from on top of a building. Her eyes widened in horror. The dark alley illuminated with purple fire.
"B- Blue Zipper, do something." She said in horror.
The woman ate pieces of him.
Drew odd runes on his skin.
Then she felt a scream as Blue Zipper's body folded into itself. Turning into a piece of bone.
"Too much?" The woman fell to ground laughing.
Bunnygirl bolted.
She hopped and hopped as fast as she could.
The girl was in a state of panic. Her brown bunny ears pointed behind her.
(What the hell did I just witness? Why didn't I help him? The Blue Zipper is dead.)
She skidded into a shadowed alley and threw up.
(That woman. That thing. I'd never even heard of someone with superpowers like hers before. Who the hell was she?)
Her thoughts spiraled.
(If she killed Blue Zipper that easily, what chance did I have? I'm barely a street-level hero. I do purse-snatchers. Lost kittens. Not… whatever that was.)
"I have to tell the Super Squad. It was all I could do." She hopped, faster than she ever hopped before.
****
Super Squad Headquarters.
The headquarters loomed ahead, a gleaming skyscraper crowned with the bold SS logo. The main base of the world's greatest heroes. Bunnygirl approached the massive front doors.
A scanner blinked into life.
/Hero recognized: Bunnygirl. Class: C/
/Clearance: Unauthorized/
/Vacate premises immediately/
"No, please!" She cried. "Blue Zipper is dead! Please! Let me in!"
/…Pending…/
A pause. Static buzzing in the speakers.
/"Bunnygirl? This is Starwoman. What did you just say?"/
"The Blue Zipper!" Her voice cracked. "He's… he's dead!"
The image of his body crumbling, his flesh melting, the women turning him into a piece of bone-
She vomited again, right on the concrete steps.
/Access granted. Proceed to the Super Floor via elevator. /
She followed the commands.
****
Ding.
Bunnygirl darted through the gleaming hallway toward the round meeting table. There they were some of the greatest heroes among all supers.
Ultimateman, broad-shouldered, black-haired, and bearded. His white uniform only showed a golden U. He was the man who stopped Calamity, the ender of all life.
Next to him was Starwoman, radiant in her flowing alien red uniform, her sky-blue skin and glowing silver hair did not hold a candle to her golden eyes, as calm as a mother as she looked at Bunnygirl.
Then came Spiritdeer, dark-haired, his skin a warm bronze, adorned in shamanic robes. The spirit medium of the Super Squad.
"Bunnygirl," Starwoman said gently, "we checked Blue Zipper's tracker. It's gone dark. Last we heard, he was handling a petty theft call."
She tried to speak.
"He- I- I watched…"
The words died. She couldn't force them out. Her chest burned, stomach ached.
Starwoman approached and rested a cool hand on Bunnygirl's shoulder. "Relax. You're safe now. Please, just tell us, what happened?"
She opened her mouth. Nothing came.
(The kiss. The way she peeled off his lips, the way she ate his eye…)
She vomited again, dry and shaking.
"He's… dead."
Silence.
"Was it Arsonist," Ultimateman snapped, standing. "Is he back? Tell me!"
Starwoman shot Ultimateman a glare. Then turned back to Bunnygirl.
"Bunnygirl," Starwoman said softly, "I believe you. But we need more- "
"She didn't even let him scream," Bunnygirl whispered. "Not with his mouth."
"Maybe he used Ultra-Charge?" Spiritdeer offered. "Maybe… maybe he escaped somehow?"
"No… no…" Bunnygirl broke. Her tears ran down her face. "She melted his flesh. She turned him into a piece of bone."
A strange hush fell.
Spiritdeer raised a glowing hand. "If he's truly dead… I can try to reach him. I can speak with the departed."
He closed his eyes and began chanting. "Jeremy Fast… Blue Zipper… I call thee…"
His body stiffened.
Then convulsed.
Spiritdeer collapsed, eyes wide and rolling, blood pouring from the corners. He clutched his chest and shrieked:
"Oh my queen! My glorious crow! We are your weapon! We FIGHT for you! For love!"
Panic. Alarms blared. Medics rushed in. The red alert screamed across the walls.
And Bunnygirl knelt there, silent, trembling.
(I'm not a hero.)
Her thoughts made her eyes twitch.
(Heroes don't watch their idols die. We help them. I did nothing.)
****
Later, after Spiritdeer was taken away and the room had calmed, Ultimateman stood at a console. Starwoman remained beside him.
"This 'petty theft,'" Ultimateman growled, "was it caught on camera? Any street feed Variable hasn't disabled?"
Bunnygirl approached, voice raw.
"It was… the 7th District. A boutique. I think it was called Live After Love Is Gone."
He typed fast. The feed loaded.
There she was.
A woman appeared out of feathers and crows. Entered the store. Walked out with dresses and clothes. Blue Zipper stopped her. She kissed him.
He stumbled.
She led him toward the alley.
Out of view.
"A woman appearing out of crows?" Starwoman touched her chin. "No known villain matches that profile."
Starwoman thought for a second. "Spirit deer said Crow Queen, try that."
Ultimateman searched the database. Nothing.
His fist slammed the terminal. The entire console shattered.
"I'll handle this myself," he snarled. Then flew through the window in a blur, glass exploding into glittering shards.
Bunnygirl remained, alone with Starwoman.
"Bunnygirl," she said carefully, "what exactly did you see? How did she… how did she kill him?" She tried to speak calmly.
Her throat tightened but she managed to whisper.
"She twisted him," Bunnygirl whispered. "She… burned him. And worse, I think… I think when he finally screamed… I don't think it came from his mouth, but from his spirit."
Starwoman looked back at the broken screen.
"…I'll call the others," she said, turning away.
Bunnygirl stood there, a rabbit in a room meant for the best, heart trembling in her chest, a drumbeat of doom.
Because she knew something they didn't.
This wasn't over.
This wasn't a one-time thing.
No… this was just the beginning.
Of the end.
A familiar name etched her mind.
(Calamity.)