Chapter Text
Amy trudged along the cracked sidewalk, her hands shoved deep into the pocket of her hoodie. Mom had ended up calling Vicky home, which left her alone with Taylor, who would likely turn this into an impromptu jogging session.
“This is stupid.” Amy muttered, glaring at the gray sky as if it had personally offended her. “I could be home right now, or, you know, literally anywhere else.”
Taylor walked beside her with her hood pulled up and her thin frame hunched against the wind. She didn’t seem nearly as bothered, though the corners of her mouth quirked upward in the faintest hint of amusement. “You said you needed to go to the bank.”
“I said I had to.” Amy corrected, rolling her eyes. “Not that I wanted to, there’s a big difference there.”
Taylor gave her a sidelong glance. “You could’ve gone alone.”
“Yeah.” Amy grumbled. “But then I’d have been alone and bored. At least this way, if I’m miserable, you get to share it.”
Taylor’s laugh was soft but genuine. “You’re a terrible friend.”
“Thanks.” Amy said flatly, though the corner of her own mouth twitched. “You’re the one who volunteered to come with, so that’s your fault.”
They turned a corner and the bank came into view, a squat, modern building of glass and concrete, its brightly lit interior visible even from the street. People bustled in and out beneath the overhang, umbrellas bobbing like colorful mushrooms.
Amy slowed her steps, frowning. “It’s crowded.”
“It’s a bank.” Taylor said with a shrug. “Kind of comes with the territory, dontcha think?”
Amy grimaced, slowing further as they reached the crosswalk. “Yeah, but why does this many people need to be here right now? Don’t they have online banking or something?”
Taylor smirked faintly. “Maybe they like standing in line, like someone I know.”
“Sounds like masochists.” Amy muttered under her breath.
“I hear masochists and sadists get along very well.” Taylor chirped as she opened the door.
They stepped inside, immediately enveloped in the warm, too-bright atmosphere of the bank. The smell of coffee mixed with faint disinfectant, and the low hum of a dozen conversations filled the space. People shuffled forward in an orderly line toward the counters, some with impatient looks, and others chatting quietly.
Amy’s shoulders hunched automatically as she scanned the room. A mother with a stroller near the front, a pair of businessmen in suits murmuring to each other, and a bored-looking security guard standing by the door, one hand resting on his belt.
Taylor noticed her tension and nudged her lightly. “Relax. We’ll be in and out. Do whatever you need to do and maybe we’ll grab a coffee on the way back home.”
Amy let out a sharp exhale. “Fine, let's just get this over with.”
They shuffled into line, Taylor fiddling absently with the cuff of her sleeve while Amy fished out her deposit slip. The curly haired girl glanced around the room, her eyes staying on each person for a bit too long.
Amy caught Taylor staring. “What?”
“Nothing.” Taylor said quickly. “I’m just people watching.”
Amy snorted. “Creeper.”
A rather large television sat off to the side, playing the news. On the screen, the news anchor’s voice carried a note of reverence as they spoke over a live feed. The footage showed Clark in his full heroic attire, standing knee-deep in thick, muddy water. Villagers clung to the wreckage of what had once been their homes as rain continued to pour in sheets from the gray, storm-choked sky.
Clark moved quickly, lifting fallen trees and boulders as though they were little more than driftwood, creating pathways for rescue teams and clearing roads for emergency vehicles. At one point, the camera caught him shielding a group of terrified children from a sudden landslide, his broad frame taking the brunt of the impact as if it were nothing. When the mudslide settled, he gently ushered the children to safety, even taking a moment to kneel and speak softly to one boy clutching a soaked teddy bear.
The caption at the bottom of the screen read. 'SUPERMAN AIDS REMOTE PHILIPPINE VILLAGES AFTER LANDSLIDE DISASTER.’
Of course he was, ironic considering his speech about Amy not overworking herself. She scoffed internally and shook her head with a small smile.
The line moved forward. They were halfway to the counter when the first subtle rumble passed through the floor beneath their feet. Amy froze as she turned towards Taylor.
“Did you feel that?” She asked, her voice low.
Taylor’s eyes widened slightly as she nodded “Yeah.”
Another rumble, stronger this time. The pens on the counter rattled, a distant coffee cup tipped over, and someone near the front gave a startled yelp.
Then the front doors blew inward with a deafening crash.
Shadows exploded into the room, thick and suffocating, plunging the lobby into pitch black. Screams erupted instantly, overlapping with the shrill alarm of the security system.
“Everyone down!” A voice bellowed through the dark, commanding and cold. “Hands where we can see them, now!”
Amy’s heart lurched. She grabbed Taylor and shoved her to the ground, throwing herself over her friend as chaos erupted around them.
Out of the darkness came the growl of massive creatures, wet, guttural snarls that sent a jolt of terror down Amy’s spine. The stench of wet fur filled the air as heavy paws struck tile.
Amy’s breath caught in her throat as she held Taylor even tighter. The noise in the room dissolved into pure panic, shouting, crying, the frantic rustle of bodies hitting the ground.
Somewhere to the left, something growled again, deeper this time, almost mechanical. The sound of claws scraping against tile echoed through the oppressive darkness.
“Dogs.” Taylor hissed under her breath.
Amy blinked, confused and terrified. “What?”
“They have dogs.” Taylor whispered back, barely audible over the chaos. “Big ones.”
The stench of wet fur grew stronger as the growls circled the hostages, one on each side of the room. A terrified scream rang out, cut off abruptly by a yelp and the heavy thud of a body being tackled.
A cold, sharp voice boomed through the darkness. “Nobody moves unless you want to lose a limb! Everyone stay down and stay quiet.”
A shadow began to coalesce near the shattered doorway. Amy squinted, trying to make sense of the swirling black mist. It wasn’t just darkness, it was alive, tendrils of pitch-black fog twisting like smoke given purpose. Out of it stepped a tall figure clad entirely in black motorcycle leathers and wearing skull-faced helmet that gleamed faintly in the dim emergency lights.
Taylor’s breath caught. “Grue.”
Amy turned toward her. “You know him?”
Taylor’s lips tightened, her face pale. “Everyone knows him.”
Huh, Amy didn’t know that Taylor was some cape geek, considering she had no idea who Amy was when they first met. She formed a small frown. Amy didn’t know much about this Grue, only that he was a part of some small team of thieves. Several more figures emerged from the shadows.
The first wore tight leggings with a loose fitting white shirt, their identity hidden by a Venetian style mask and a coronet. Beside him was a girl in a skintight black and lavender suit, along with a domino mask that revealed her green eyes. She had a large, sardonic grin as she scanned the room.
“That’s right people, if you do what we say this’ll all be over by dinnertime.” The girl said, as two more figures appeared behind her. One wore a heavy jacket with a cheap dog mask, and the other was some hodgepodge of a machine.
“Hellhound.” Taylor mumbled, keeping her head down as they crawled closer to the other hostages, under the watch of the Twink.
The girl in lavender grinned wider, hands resting on her hips as she addressed the terrified crowd as the dogs corralled them. “Here’s how this is gonna work, folks. My friends and I are gonna take what we came for. You all get to keep your lives, assuming you play nice. Anyone decides to be a hero-” She gestured lazily toward the snarling beasts circling the hostages. “-and Fluffy and Fang here get some extra playtime. Got it?”
Amy bit the inside of her cheek.
Where was Vicky and Clark when she needed them?
A/N
Happening at the same time as Dinah’s kidnapping.