Fighting Chance 2-4 Outline (Patreon)

Chapter 2-4: A Friend in the Fire (Mid-June 2011 )

Opening: The Sound

Zain's walking back from the dojo, chain wrapped loose around his waist under his hoodie

It's late—maybe 10 PM—streets mostly empty except for the usual night crawlers

Then he hears screaming

Not the usual New York screaming (someone getting mugged, couple fighting, crackhead having a bad trip)

This is panic. Pure, raw terror

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

Zain's feet move before his brain catches up

Great. More dumb shit to get involved in.

But he's already jogging toward the sound

The Alley Scene

Zain rounds the corner into a narrow alley between two apartment buildings

What he sees makes his brain stutter:

A kid, maybe 12, on fire

Not burning. Not screaming in pain. On fire. Like a human torch

Flames dancing around his hands, up his arms, but his clothes aren't even singed

Standing in front of Fire Kid: another teenager

Black kid, maybe 14 or 15, dark skin, shaved head

Holding a goddamn stopsign like a baseball bat

The stopsign is still attached to chunks of concrete and twisted metal

Kid's muscles are bulging under his t-shirt, veins standing out like cables

Fire Kid is waving his flaming hands in panic:

"Turn it off! Dude, I don't know how to turn it off!"

His voice cracks with fear, flames getting brighter with each word

Big Kid raising the stopsign like he's about to brain Fire Kid:

"STOP MOVING! You're gonna burn the whole block down!"

"I'M TRYING!"

Zain just stares for a second

...the hell's going on here?

He steps into the alley: "Yo, what the—"

Big Kid whips around, still holding the stopsign

The moment Big Kid sees Zain, something changes

His body starts growing

Shooting up from maybe 5'5" to 6'5"

Shoulders broadening, muscles swelling

Gets a better grip on the stopsign

Big Kid, voice deeper now, like scary deep: "The fuck are you?"

Zain, raising an eyebrow: "The fuck are you?"

Big Kid: I asked first

Zain: Technically, I asked first

Fire Kid, still panicking: "AHHHHHHHH!"

Both Zain and Big Kid turn to him: "SHUT UP!"

De-escalation

Fire Kid's flames suddenly snuff out like someone blew out a candle

He staggers, looking shocked

"Oh. Oh shit, it worked."

Big Kid starts shrinking back to normal size

His breathing is heavy, like the growth took effort

He drops the stopsign with a metallic CLANG that echoes through the alley

Awkward silence for about five seconds

Zain: "...So, are you a kid that can turn older or an old guy that can turn into a kid?"

Big Kid: Fuck do you think?

Fire Kid: "Are you gonna call the cops?"

Zain: "Are you gonna set me on fire?"

Fire Kid: "I... I don't think so?"

Zain: "Then nah, we're good."

They migrate to the street

Find a hot dog cart still open (New York never sleeps)

Big Kid introduces himself first:

"Name's Elvin."

He's back to normal size now, but Zain notices his hands are still bigger than they should be

Zain: Uh-huh, but like the...

Elvin: "The growing thing?"

Zain: I mean, duh, bruh

Elvin: "Been stronger than normal since I was little. The growing thing? That's new."

Fire Kid is more hesitant:

"Vince. From Ar-kansas."

Southern accent thick as molasses

"Ran away couple months ago. Been sleeping rough."

Zain presses him about his powers

Vince: "I can... I can set things on fire. With my hands."

He demonstrates by touching a napkin—it immediately catches flame

"And I'm stronger than I used to be. Not like him," nods to Elvin, "but... stronger."

Vince's Backstory:

"My dad... he used to beat on me and my mom. A lot."

His voice gets quiet, hands unconsciously curling into fists

"One night, he came home drunk. Started wailing on me with his belt."

"I got mad. Real mad. And my hands just... caught fire."

"Touched him on the arm. He screamed and fell down."

"I didn't mean to hurt him that bad, but... but I ain't sorry neither."

"Mom started screaming at me, calling me a freak, a devil."

"So I left. Got on a Greyhound, ended up here."

"I've always been strong. Since I was like three."

"My grandma says it happened after this truck crashed near our building."

"Chemical spill or some shit. I was just a baby, crawling around outside."

"Me and my folks got splashed with some weird green shit."

He gets a weird look on his face.

"Grandma rushed us to the hospital, but the doctors said I was fine. Parents... not so much."

"Been getting stronger ever since. The size thing started a last year when i turned thirteen. "

He flexes his hand, and Zain can see the muscles ripple under his skin

"Sometimes I wake up and I've grown another inch overnight."

They're looking at him expectantly

"Y'all got code names and everything, huh?"

Vince grins: "I call myself Redneck."

Elvin: "I go by Rage. You?"

Zain sighs: "...Striker, I guess."

Not the worst name I could come up with.

They all look at each other

Zain: "So... we're all freaks."

Vince: "Speak for yourself."

Elvin: "Nah, he's right. We're freaks."

Vince: "...Yeah, okay, we're freaks."

They finish their hot dogs in comfortable silence

Then Vince asks: "Y'all got somewhere to sleep tonight?"

Zain: "Yeah, I got a spot."

Elvin (to Vince): You can crash at my place ."

Vince (shocked): What? Really?

Elvin: "Yeah, she's real nice. Can't say no to me anyway."

Elvin (to Zain): "You should come by sometime. Grandma likes meeting my friends."

The word friends hangs in the air

None of them have had many of those

As they're about to part ways, Elvin sticks out his hand

"It's good to meet y'all. For real."

Vince takes it, his hand still warm from his fire powers

Zain completes the circle

The handshake lasts a few seconds longer than normal

Just like that, they're boys

As they're walking away, Vince calls back:

"Hey, Striker! You ever wanna hit up some assholes who deserve it, hit me up!"

Elvin: "Yeah, man. There's plenty of scumbags in this city."

Zain grins: "I'll keep that in mind."

He watches them disappear around a corner

His hand goes to the chain under his hoodie

This is either gonna be really fun or really stupid.

Probably both.