Riddley's Nightmare - Chapter 5

Riddley is put to the test by his sister.

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Riddley was sprawled out on his bed, idly playing with his butterfly knife, clacking it open and close while staring like a zombie at some cooking program on the TV. Glancing down at his wrist, he noticed that the cut he made the night before was healing nicely, with a dried layer of blood forming a scab. Below it were three more scars, now fully healed with only a faint red line to mark their presence.

Riddley was planning on cutting new lines all the way to his elbow, a thing that gave him a feeling of pride, as if it was some badge of honor. Yet, at the same time, this thought filled him with a sense of pity for himself.

Self-mutilation was never something Riddley had ever considered, nor did he understand why someone would willingly harm themselves. He often viewed those who engaged in such behavior as pitiful and weak. And yet, here he was, succumbing to the same urge and becoming what he once judged.

The need to do it came a few days after his nightly adventure with his sister, whereby she purposely went searching for emergency events while forcing Riddley to watch. All the while, she did not use her superpowers to aid those who needed them. A thing Riddley would have done if he had been gifted with superpowers.

She had made it even worse on some occasions. Riddley could still see vividly the images of the poor firefighters and their trucks exploding in flames. It was all due to Lindsy's act of shameless cruelty as she blasted them to oblivion with her heat vision.

Lindy concocted this all with one purpose in mind: to rub it in Riddley's nose that he would never become a superhero.

Riddley could not understand how fate could be so cruel as to grant a person like Lindsy all the power in the world, while if it were given to him, he would do anything in his power to make the world a better place.

He would imprison the most notorious criminals, prosecute those who harm the environment, and bring tyrannical leaders to justice for their cruel actions towards helpless people.

In his eyes, Riddley was the one who deserved these extraordinary abilities. But why couldn't fate see that? It pained him to accept the reality that his spoiled sister now possessed all the power in the world.

Riddley had an intimate knowledge of Superman and was skeptical that anything could prevent Lindsy from going rogue if she chose to do so.

Riddley knew he could never physically defeat his sister, so as a final act of bravery to stop her from causing chaos, he made the ultimate threat: to end his own life. Surprised by his resolve, Riddley was genuinely prepared to slit his own throat. To him, anything was preferable to living under the control of an entitled and egotistical brat like Lindsy.

However, his sister's abilities robbed him of that opportunity as she prevented him from cutting his own throat. Riddley was confident that he could do it at this very moment, but the potential repercussions held him back.

Lindsy even went as far as to threaten to destroy an entire city if he attempted such a dangerous trick again.

But, to tell the truth, Riddley no longer felt the same bravery that had been within him at that moment.

Riddley had never seen his sister as capable of murder, but that's what she became when she killed those firefighters in cold blood. It was as if Lindsy didn't care at all about her actions.

He assumed that the bridge between killing a few to killing a few thousand people was an easy leap for someone like Lindsy., He feared it would not take long before Lindsy, in a moment of carelessness, would wreak havoc on a large scale.

However, he wondered why he even cared. Had anyone ever shown concern for his desires?

Riddley pondered, clacking open his butterfly knife and examining the glinting blade in the light.

Would he be able to gather the courage to press it through his stomach and end it all?

To hell with Lindsy! She was not worth it. Why would he take his own life for her? He wanted to live. There were still so many things left for him to experience and accomplish.

He had already come to terms with never having superpowers like Superman and being a hero. Still, it was unbearable for him to accept that his sister possessed these abilities instead.

"Nerd! Hey, nerd!" A voice – an obnoxious voice – interrupted his moment of deep thought. Riddley quickly closed his knife and sat straight in bed, glancing out the window. He could see his sister and her friends wearing bikinis and relaxing by the pool. Lindsy motioned for him to join them, pointing at her empty glass and pretending to take a sip.

Damn, that wench! She demanded another round of drinks.

With a sigh of annoyance, he got up from his seat and headed towards the backyard. Lindsy's friends were already beckoning him over with friendly smiles. Riddley returned their greetings with a shy wave but made sure to give Christi special attention by flashing her a grin while pointedly ignoring Stephie - that backstabbing woman.

With a voice dripping with sweetness, he asked, "How may I assist you, lovely ladies? Perhaps some fresh appetizers?"

"Actually, dear brother of mine." Lindsy sat straight in her lounger, removing her shades to reveal her sparkling blue eyes. "Christi here is more than eager to see what you have hidden under that shirt of yours, aren't you, Chris?"

Christi's face turned pink, and she looked away, feigning interest in her phone.

"Well, if she isn't, then I sure am!" Stephie, the conniving one, said teasingly as she rested her head on her hand and gave Riddley a flirtatious wink.

"Come on, brother, don't keep these ladies waiting any longer. Show off that godlike physique of yours and take off your shirt." Lindsy said.

Riddley's face contorted in a scowl. "I'm here to serve drinks and appetizers for you ladies, not to be some playboy!" He grabbed the empty glasses off the table and marched away, determined to refill them again.

Lindsy's laugh stopped him in his tracks. He swallowed as he looked over his shoulder in his sister's direction. They both knew that Lindsy could force him into doing anything. One mental command could tear that shirt from his torso and, with it, his dignity. He had to give something, anything, or Lindsy would undoubtedly make fun of him in front of all her friends.

He flexed his bicep in one fluid motion, proudly displaying the muscle he had built through months of lifting weights. A whistle came from one of the girls. "Impressive guns!" she exclaimed.

"Is that all you've got, powerhouse?" Stephie chimed in, sounding disappointed. "I want to see more skin. How does your abdomen look like?"

Riddley turned to Lindsy, silently pleading that his display of muscular arms was enough for her. However, she met his gaze with unwavering eyes.

With a heavy sigh, Riddley placed the glasses on the floor and started fumbling with his shirt, knowing all the girls were anxiously watching to see what was underneath. Even Christi, pretending to be busy on her phone, couldn't resist peaking at him now.

Well, here goes nothing!

Riddley couldn't resist flashing a playful grin at Lindsy's friends as they hooted and clapped for him while he displayed his tanned, well-defined abs. His gaze locked with Christi's as she returned his smile shyly.

Well, this all turned out better than he thought! Thank you, Lindsy!

However, Lindsy's expression did not reflect satisfaction at all. This was not at all what she had in mind. She had hoped to humiliate him, but her plan didn't go as intended.

After enjoying the girls' admiration, Riddley put his shirt back on, picked up the glasses, and casually went to refill their beverages.

"Nice muscles, brother." Lindsy's voice whipped him to a halt. "But I want to see what they're capable of. Are you as strong as you seem?"

"I'll go get my dumbels," Riddley said.

"No need," Lindsy said, and all her friends gasped as their eyes lit up with a fiery red glow. She unleashed a powerful burst of heat vision onto a nearby tree, effortlessly slicing through the entire trunk. The tree came crashing down with a resounding thud while nearly crushing one of her friends, chilling on a lounger. She darted away just in time.

Riddley's face showed his confusion as he gazed at his sister.

"Lift it," Lindsy ordered, pointing at the tree with a trunk almost as wide as a basketball and about four meters long, covered in thick branches and leaves.

Riddley let out a laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

"Look at my face. Do I look like I'm kidding?" Lindsy said.

"That's impossible! Not even the world's strongest man can lift that thing."

"It doesn't matter. You're still going to try." Lindsy said.

Riddley scowled at his sister. "No, I won't! I've already shown off my physique as you requested, and now I'll stick to serving drinks. That's enough entertainment for now if you ask me."

"Oh, but we're just getting started here, dear brother."

Riddley scoffed and turned around to walk off.

"Oooh, giiiiirls?" Lindsy sang. "Anyone eager to see my dear brother's wiener?"

Riddley's eyes widened in shock. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Only if you refuse to heed my request of lifting that tree."

"Fine!" Riddley angrily tossed his empty glasses onto the floor, shattering them. He marched over to the fallen tree, bent down, and gripped it with all his strength, grunting as he tried to lift it. As expected, it didn't budge.

"Step aside, weakling." Lindsy shoved her brother to the side, making him stumble upon his butt. "Observe!" She cracked her fingers. Standing in her bikini, Lindsy flexed one of her scrawny arms and propped it beneath the tree.

Within a second, she held up the entire tree with one hand. "Impressive, huh?" She beamed at her friends as they cheered for her.

Riddley lay on the ground, gazing up at his little sister as she effortlessly lifted a full-grown tree with her delicate body.

She was so powerful.