James woke up first as the sun came up. He rolled over on the air mattress and nudged Hunter. "Rise and shine, sweetie," he whispered.

  Hunter slowly opened his eyes and gave James a sleepy half-smile. "Good morning, love," he mumbled, sitting up and feeling around for his glasses on the floor.

  Sig’s voice boomed from outside the tent, breaking the quiet.

  “Time to wake up, love birds! We’ve got a tablet to examine!” he called, excitement plain in his voice.

  “We’re already awake!” Hunter shouted out, “Hold your horses!” He shot James an exasperated look.

  “But where am I going to get a horse to hold?” Sig replied, looking around as if there was one nearby, before packing his sleeping bag. Letting out a huff as he notices Hunter and James still aren’t out yet. Starting to pack more things as he waits.

  “Don't want to keep him waiting for too long, otherwise he might actually find a horse,” James said with a playful laugh, giving Hunter a quick kiss before they both got dressed and left their tent.

  Hunter and James stepped out and stopped in their tracks. Sig stood just a few steps away, one hand on the neck of a calm deer, the other pressed against a tree.

  Before either one could speak, Sig glanced back at them. "This deer just wandered right up and let me hold her. Close enough to a horse, right?"

  Hunter’s eyes went wide as he edged closer, moving slowly. "Sig, that’s a wild animal. Even for you, that’s risky. Please be careful," he said, stern-voiced, hands half-raised.

  Sig stopped talking as the deer bolted. He jumped back; his heart skipped a beat, and then he let out a shaky laugh. "That was rude. I thought what we had was special," he called, still holding his chest.

  James moved over to Sig, who still looked ready to bolt after the deer. He placed a steady hand on his shoulder. “Remember, we’ve got something else to do,” he reminded, shifting their focus.

  Sig spun around and started packing again. "Oh yeah, the deer distracted me," he muttered, shooting a glare at the trees. "You were going to help, right?"

  James dropped onto a log by the fire, arms crossed, wearing a smirk. “Actually, I thought I’d watch you struggle.” Hunter tried not to laugh, then helped Sig pack regardless.

  "At least someone cares," Sig huffed. James finally got up to help.

  “Hey, no one said I don't care. If I didn't care, then I wouldn't fuck with you.” James replied, giving Sig a friendly smile.

  After everything was packed, James and Sig climbed into the car and watched Hunter double-check their campsite to ensure everything was packed and cleaned up. James shot Sig a cocky smile as Hunter finally finished his check and passed by in front of the car. James hit the center of his steering wheel for a second.

  ?Hunter’s heart jumped as the horn blared; he stumbled and landed hard. Flushing, he glared at his friends. “That was mean,” he groaned, but the sting faded as laughter broke out.

  “You took too long,” James teased, “And you know you love it when I mess with you.”

  Hunter sighed, unable to hide the blush forming across his cheeks. “Whatever, I’ll get my revenge later.” Finishing his sentence with a gentle elbow to James’s arm.

  Following the trail was a bumpy ride until they pulled out onto the paved country road. The rising sun warmed their backs as their journey home began. Conversations of theories and ideas of what the tablet could imply flew back and forth. Hunter had to warn James of the sudden traffic ahead.

  Within an hour, they only moved four times. James was tapping the wheel in aggravation. Hunter, noticing this, did his best to calm him down.

  “There must be a bad crash to hold up traffic like this,” James said with a defeated sigh. “We’ll be lucky to even get home by dinner time at this rate.”

  It was only eight in the morning. Hunter placed a hand on James’s shoulder. “Give it time, sweetie. Traffic should clear.” He squeezed James's shoulder.

  Sig leaned forward from the backseat, sticking his head between the front seats. "Can’t you just drive on the grass?" he joked. Even Sig was tired of the traffic. "We live in a small town, but this feels like the Big Apple. Where did all these people come from?"

  James let out a shaky laugh. “I thought we were going to have to get out and walk,” he said, swallowing his relief as the tension melted from his face.

  “Hi-yo, silver! Onward to the tablet!” Sig yelled out, pointing down the road.

  A few hundred feet later, they reached the front. Two cars were smashed together on the side of the road. The air seemed heavier than it just was. "It’d be a miracle if anyone survived," James said, breaking the silence.

  ?

  Hunter nodded in agreement. “I really hoped they lived.”

  ?

  With the wreck passed by and that scene left behind, the trio moved on. Missing a first responder dragging a victim out of one of the cars. Neck brace already in place, he began CPR. Muttering under his breath, telling himself he can save them. Slowly, a green light manifested under his palms. Before the First Responder could understand what he was seeing, the victim’s eyes shot open. Gasping for air as his eyes darted around. “W-What happened?” His voice came out hoarse. The strange green light slowly faded from the first responder’s hands.

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  The first responder did his best to explain while another checked his vitals. They determined, with the victim's lack of neck pain, to remove the neck brace. This resulted in his neck breaking and severing his spinal cord. His body dropped suddenly, with no one able to explain what was happening. The initial power usage masked the victim’s pain. His neck was already slightly broken and had less support to hold his head up without extra focus. The first responders attempted to continue working despite this traumatizing event.

  ?

  “So I’ve been thinking about this tablet story. If it’s real, should we actually try to find where he’s imprisoned and set the powers free for everyone?” Sig asked from the backseat. “It’d be like an anime!”

  Hunter giggled, “Sig, I get that superpowers would be cool, but this guy didn’t sound like the best person after getting power.”

  James interjected, “He did sound nice... before the powers.” He rubbed his neck. “But yeah, we don’t want someone like that with those powers.”

  Sig grumbled and sat back in his seat. “No Fun Allowed here, I guess.”

  James stifled a laugh. “Sig, if you do manage to find it, I’ll help you fight the guy if it comes to it.”

  Sig shrugged. “Best case? Someone else does all that work so the rest of us can have powers. Imagine being able to fly or shoot fire outta your fingers.” He finished with a classy finger gun out the window.

  After what felt like another hour, traffic finally got a clue and started to thin out. Their cheers echoed down the country road as they started to pull into their small town. Passing Cafes and shops they knew well. Too engrossed in their conversation and radio volume to notice or hear the chaos outside. A couple of fires and a few bodies lying still on the ground as they headed home. The outside world had fully manifested its powers by then, and the result of uncontrolled, untrained powers was unleashed. Horror stories were already spreading over the internet before news stations could even string together a single headline.

  James pulled into the driveway. Hunter and Sig barely waited for the car to stop before grabbing their bags and running to the front door. It was locked. The calm of getting home vanished as Sig set his bags down by the door, rolled his eyes, and went back to the car for more gear. "You could’ve unlocked it, so I wasn't holding this stuff forever," he said, awkwardly balancing camping gear as he came back.

  James fumbled with his keys and unlocked the door. "Why didn't you do it, Hunter? You live here, too." Asking since Hunter was still standing by the front door.

  Hunter smiled innocently. “Forgot my copy inside.” He slipped in as soon as James unlocked the door, leaving James and Sig with the gear.

  Once the door swung open and they stepped inside, Sig immediately dropped onto the couch, turned on the TV, and grabbed the bong. "I gotta be high before I see this tablet," he said, chuckling as he packed it.

  James pulled Hunter into their room. "You had it in here? And I'm just now hearing about it? How many secrets do you have in here?" Hunter asked, watching James drag a big, heavy box out of the closet.

  “Just this one, I promise. I never even meant to hide it from you. I just never really thought about it after I put it here.” James admitted, with a slight blush of embarrassment across his face. He blew off the dust from the top. Dragging it out further so everyone could see it better. Grunting as he slides it. “Forgot how heavy this thing was.”

  Hunter grabbed the other end, and together they dragged the box into the other room. Sig was already taking a hit. He flipped through channels, but every one showed the same news. "Your TV busted or something, James?"

  James looked up at the box opening. “What do you mean?” he asked, eyeing the working TV. His voice faltered as he noticed the red bar. “Wait, breaking news?”

  All three froze, eyes locked on the red ticker at the bottom of the TV. None of them heard the anchor’s voice.

  “Breaking News: Multiple disasters are happening around the globe.”

  The trio exchanged worried looks. “Turn it up, maybe they were talking about it.” Hunter grabbed the remote and cranked the volume, catching the reporter mid-sentence.

  -recent reports of actual superpowers being discovered. Most are leading to many injuries and deaths. If you have any information on what is happening, please get in touch with us or another local news station. For now, most discoveries come from emotional distress or outbursts. Please keep your emotions in check until we can find a permanent solution.” The news station repeated the same info.

  Hunter stumbled back, breathing fast, hands shaking. Panic flashed across his face as he clutched his chest and looked at James for reassurance.

  James opened the box fast, his hands shaking as he pulled out a plain stone tablet. It was about four inches thick, the size of a sheet of notebook paper. Each side was smooth except for a few chips and cracks. "Something bad is happening, guys." James’s voice shook. He stared at the tablet, eyes wide, looking between his friends and the blank stone in front of him.