Antiheroes 27

Eric scanned the cafe, anxious, already regretting his decision. He couldn’t believe he was actually meeting a stranger from the internet. And not like a Tinder-style stranger, but an actual proper stranger from some weird forum about, what, people with special powers? He was definitely going to get murdered. This was like some cyber safety video from 2003, and he was a cautionary fucking tale for a pack of thirteen-year-olds.

Technically, he had done all the right things. Public place, middle of the day, and Neil knew where he was, if not what he was doing. If Eric hadn’t gotten in touch by 2pm, Neil was under strict instructions to call the cops — though Eric hoped it wouldn’t come to that, since an argument with Neil about whether these precautions would be required for a date with a girl (his initial story had, in fact, been the Tinder-style stranger) had ended with Neil believing Eric was buying drugs, which was not a story he wanted getting back to law enforcement, even if it was for his own good. But basically, he had made himself as safe as it was possible to be in such a stupid, obviously unsafe situation. Still, the words you fucked up you fucked up you fucked up circled around and around inside his head, until he looked around again and noticed a tiny young woman with rainbow-streaked blonde hair waving furiously at him. She had to be the stranger from the internet.

Suddenly Eric felt better. She didn’t look murder-y, and even if he turned out to be wrong about that, he was pretty sure he could take her in a fight. He wasn’t bigger than many people, but he was bigger than her. She looked like a goddamn doll or something. Comforted, he hurried over to her table.

“Are you Maggie?” He asked. She smiled wide.

“Yep!” She said. “Eric?”

He ducked his head, a little awkward nod, and reached out a hand. She took it, shook it firmly, and then gestured for him to sit down.

He wondered whether he should bother with small-talk, but decided that they were probably already beyond that. “So, why did you want to meet me?”

She shrugged. “I just want to know what’s going on. Guess you do, too.”

“You might be disappointed. I’ve got no idea what happened to me.”

“Me neither,” she told him, a slight note of frustration colouring her tone. “No-one seems to know anything, honestly. But would you mind telling me what happened anyway?”