Johnny didn't bother checking his bank account or visiting his bank to find out if the money had come in. Instead, he was driving as fast as he could back to the apartment. He silently mourned losing out on the place. It hadn't been long since he moved in there, but he was going to have to move out already. He tried to call Frank again.However, there was no answer. Johnny wondered if it was because he knew about Johnny's situation ahead of time and cut ties with him. It wouldn't surprise Johnny if he did, but it did hurt to think that someone that he could finally count on turned his back on him. Well, he couldn't blame him. Johnny would have probably reacted the same way. Helping him was the same as jumping onto a sinking boat.He reached the apartment complex in record time as he considered what he could bring with him. There was no way he could bring his car. If he took it, they would instantly know he had left. They could also track him down using his car's description. He would
"Has there been any signs of Johnny Burns going to the bank?" the scarred man asked one of his men.The man shook his head. "No, sir. We've been keeping an eye out, but he's been quiet."The scarred man frowned and muttered to himself, "It's awfully suspicious."It was odd that Johnny Burns didn't scramble to get his money. Anyone in his situation would be eager to go to the bank to withdraw the money or start spending like crazy. However, none of these things happened. Instead, the man had gone quiet. They already knew that he was at his apartment and not anywhere else. Otherwise, they might have thought the man had left the country.He didn't like it. Something about the whole situation bugged him. It scratched at the back of his mind, but his people had already done a thorough background check on Johnny Burns. There was absolutely nothing noteworthy about the man other than his last name. The scarred man wasn't sure how he had gotten away with carrying the Burns name for so long.Pe
Johnny watched from a distance as people hurried to the building he was just in. While he thought his plan had worked perfectly despite the changes he had to make to them, he still worried that something might go wrong. His original plan had been to create a fire strong enough to incinerate a body, but then he realized a problem with that idea.If there was no body, then they might be suspicious that he was still alive. He needed to at least leave something behind to convince them that he had died there, which was easier said than done. Honestly, the plan depended a lot on them not catching on or being suspicious. Johnny couldn't be sure if they were listening to him, so he had to act as normal as possible.He had made sure to pick one of the scummiest places filled with irredemable people so he wouldn't feel guilty about anyone dying. His healing power was also a huge help in altering the body. It was actually quite broken, since he didn't think it could be used like that. Of course,
Johnny stared at the young girl in disbelief as Frank said, "This is my little sister."When Frank said she was disabled, he didn't think it was this bad. He honestly didn't know how she was still alive. She literally didn't have anything below her knees or elbows. Where her eyes should be were empty sockets. Johnny would have thought he was looking at some kind of fake body if he hadn't seen how Frank treated her and the fact that she was breathing."Do you think you can heal her?" FRank asked.Looking at FRank's hopeful expression, Johnny redid his assessment of FRank. He was just as messed up as everyone else. Johnny could see why the rest of the family would want to ditch her. It was impossible for her to live without any help, given her body's condition. He was sure they did try to find people with healing powers to help her but eventually gave up when nothing worked.It would be kinder just to let her die instead of living such a hellish existence.
"What?" Johnny blurted out.While FRank had warned him ahead of time before dropping that secret, Johnny still didn't expect to hear she had been a mermaid. When Frank said inhuman, Johnny really thought he meant something like an extra limb or fused body parts. Those were cases he had heard about in the media. Fins and a tail were way off the mark."I know it's hard to imagine, but it's true," Frank said.There was no reason for Frank to lie to him, so everything he just said had to be true. However, it was still hard for Johnny to swallow. He was now getting any idea why she was missing her limbs. It wasn't a pretty image and was definitely a good reason to stay away from them since nothing good would come from staying by their side."You've probably put the pieces together, but yes. My family removed the fins and tail to make her seem normal. There are plenty of people without limbs. She would still draw attention, but it wouldn't be as bad as if she kept them," Frank said.It soun
When Johnny opened his eyes, he was momentarily confused by his surroundings. IT certainly didn't look like his apartment. IT was way too nice for him to be able to afford and wasn't his style. Then his memories from the day before came rushing in as he abruptly sat up. That's right. He had faked his death and had gone to Frank, who hid him at his place until Johnny figured out his next move.Johnny got to his feet and grimaced down at his clothes. Even though it was brand new and a gift from Frank, he had worn it for far too long. He checked the drawers to see if Frank had left him more clothes to change into. A pile of brand new clothes with the tags still on greeted him. Picking up one of them, he glanced at the price tag and instantly regretted it. He would never be able to pay it back.Forcing himself to forget he saw the price and act as if he hadn't seen anything, he cut the tags. As he was about to change, he paused and took a moment to smell himself. His nose wrinkled in disg
Johnny found himself shutting his mouth and staring into Katherine's calm expression. That was pretty depressing to hear, but it was probably better that she was being realistic about it. Optimism could only get someone to go so far. He would have thought she was too naive or sheltered if she kept holding on despite everything that had happened to her.Placing a hand on her head, he tried to feel his healing power work on her. Unfortunately, just like before, he couldn't tell if it was having any effect on her. It would be nice if his system showed up to explain what was going on. He couldn't help but feel awkward touching her head without any clue if his power was doing anything.After several moments, he awkwardly asked, "How do you feel?""I'm not sure," she said.That wasn't helpful in the slightest, and he asked, "Do you not feel anything at all?""I do, but it's hard to explain," she said as she frowned.Well, he supposed it was better than it not working at all. Unfortunately,
"You two are getting along," Frank said as he stepped into the room.Johnny and Katherine looked away from the TV to stare at him as the former said, "Hey, sorry for bothering your TV."Frank waved off Johnny's concern. "I don't mind. I did leave without saying a word to you.""Brother, welcome home," Katherine said as Frank went to hug her.Watching the siblings interact, Johnny wondered if he could have had something like that. He quickly shook those thoughts out of his head, as there was no point in thinking about what ifs. It wouldn't change a single thing, and it would only make him miserable. Well, he was more miserable than he was now. Frank and Katherine broke apart, and the former turned to Johnny."I assume that you already watched the news," Frank said.Nodding his head, Johnny said, "Yeah. It was hard to miss."Frank winced. "I really didn't want either of you to find out about that.""It's not your fault. Neither of us expected it to be on the news," Johnny said.Frank ga