The Dwelling of a Shadow

It had been a month since the raid at King Pharmaceuticals. He had gotten the message for the meeting/diner. However, the shadow mutant had chosen not to attend. It wasn't his type of place. Plus, he still had memories after the first one.

Sting! Pain. Was that remorse he was feeling for his fallen leader? Shade didn't think he had it in him. Of course, maybe that was why he hadn't been seen except for a few strangers in the last month. He was running from the thought, dwelling in a state of purgatory, not wanting the reality of the situation to set in, just catching bits and pieces on the happenings going on around him through the thin walls and door of his room.

However, it appears that reality had finally caught up to him. The sting of pain now began to swell in his chest as the shadow mutant found it hard to breathe. He grasp at the shirt he had been wearing for three days as his breaths can in short, raspy grasps. Then the pain slowly subsided. It didn't entirely disappear. Shade could still feel the sharp prick of pain at the end of his breath, but it was managable.

The whole episode took the total time of about thrity seconds. However, it cleared the fog that had been covering Shade's eyes for the past month. After a much needed shower and change of clothing into his classic dark cloak, the shadow mutant was ready to face the world again, that half-smile cocked snugly on his face.