~Cleoi, Oxzy's apartment~
Milo dropped the hero off near Parrway, and by the time he drove off, Oxzy had made it to his apartment with steady but broken steps. Landing safely inside, Oxzy made his way to his room. Not bothering to change or clean off the blood and dirt covering his body, he dropped onto the bed. Landing as softly as he could, he cried out a little in pain. Even with all the broken and open skin on him, Oxzy made himself as comfortable as possible on the mattress.
Everything hurt. It wasn't the first time Oxzy had been left in pieces after a fight, and it wouldn't be the last. He tried to lay still, ignoring the stinging and pulling on his skin every time he sucked in a breath of air. Sleeping it off wouldn't help, and he knew that, but it would give him the energy he needed to heal. As long as the villain stayed calm and didn't do anything, Oxzy could take the time to heal and get better.
He had to endure the pain, so he lay still on the now bloody mattress.
A small padding sound came from behind the hero, followed by a dip in the mattress in front of him. Opening his eyes, he saw Cirilla May sitting before his face, leaning back to peer at her human.
"Mh..." Oxzy managed a small smile, but being too hurt to pet the creature, his smile faded slightly. The cat gave small meows for attention, but the hero closed his eyes in response.
Seeing that her owner had no energy to move or give the attention she craved, Cirilla May padded closer, leaning her head against Oxzy's frizzy, dust-soaked hair. She didn't seem to mind, rubbing against him and purring before settling her small, furry body to his right. Curling into a ball to get comfortable, the cat let her warmth seep into her owner, who stayed motionless.
~The Grubs, Pierce's home~
It was dark and cold in the home that smelled of meth. Pierce slumped on a ripped mattress in an otherwise empty but livable living room. He sighed in frustration, boredom and anger rising inside him. He was furious about the outcome of his job.
Yes, he had managed to get it done, but it had cost him a blazed shoulder and a wounded ego. He wanted badly to crush Sheriff Milo for running his play with the hero. If only he had done it—he just couldn't stop thinking about what to do to him.
The villain was somewhat indecisive about how he killed his victims. The method usually reflected what the victim had done or how he viewed them. He had never given Milo a second thought before, but now he wanted to kill him simply for getting in the way of him and Oxzy.
No one had the right to do that.
He yelled out in frustration, closing his eyes to breathe in. He thought back to the hero on the ground, remembering how vulnerable he had looked in that state. Pierce had been the only one to see Oxzy that way, the only one capable of causing it. His lips curled up, his eyes narrowing with a bright thrill of excitement running through him.
He was a deeply disturbed man. Years of killing and wielding power had likely made it worse.
But what made it worse still was losing Rosamee.
She was the girl the villain had dated throughout high school and a year into adulthood. She was killed in the huge incident that shocked the town, throwing the villain into a frenzy of depression and anger. He took it out on the town, and mostly on the hero.
She had been the one who kept him in place, keeping his outbursts and even his powers in check so he wouldn't go on a rampage and kill everything living in the damned town. But she was killed, destroying every hope of a "normal" life for Pierce.
Now the only thing that seemed to keep the villain from losing his sanity entirely was the hero. Stupid and hypocritical, maybe, but true all the same. He could keep himself steady, at least to some degree, as long as the hero was there to give him attention.
Everything about the hero excited him. He was addicted to the very thought of Oxzy.
Pierce didn't care whether it was dangerous or not. He and Oxzy were the only powerful and capable ones there. Not exactly the safest arrangement, but between the two of them, they could protect themselves better than anyone else in Whitedail.
While his thoughts fixated on Oxzy, the door to his house opened, and loud, obvious stomping sounded through the room. Pierce didn't bother looking up, already knowing who the intruder was.
"Don't, Mercy. I know you have two feet to get your own way back."
"Yeah—" the woman started, coming closer and flopping down on the sofa next to Pierce, "two feet that are bruised and bent in heels, asshole!"
She finished her words with a sharp smack to Pierce's shoulder. He didn't flinch but looked over at her with a smirk. She couldn't help but smirk back, peeling off her shoes and throwing them aside in the littered room. She sighed out in exhaustion, as if she'd run a mile, but Pierce knew that wasn't what she'd done.
It was already dark when she got back, and Pierce had returned as quick as a flash. He had transported the guy from the cell to Zella's room. She didn't like it, of course, but she didn't complain. Pierce always left the people he busted out there for his mother to deal with. He heard shouting and yelling, a few bottles thrown in anger by the mother.
Pierce didn't care. He got the job done, and the mother got what she wanted: a chance to let her anger out on the man in her business.
The villain looked over at the woman beside him, seeing her bottom lids red. His lips formed a smile. "Got any left?"
Mercy cracked a smile, sitting up and motioning for him to do the same. He did, wincing a little at the pain in his shoulder. Mercy noticed, her smile fading into a sneer.
"How the fuck did you get hit?"
"Officer had some balls tonight," the villain replied, shaking off the pain and putting on a joking smile. "Thought he'd drained them after seeing you."
"Oh, shut up and turn." Mercy didn't wait for a response; she turned him toward herself so that his shoulder came into view. He made no move to stop her as she pushed his sleeve up to reveal his bare shoulder. The cut was covered with a messy patch that barely fit around his shoulder blade.
Mercy couldn't help but give him a deadpan look. Pierce glanced around, feigning ignorance about his own handiwork. Neither of them knew anything about medicine, but Mercy had seen him get hurt so many times that she knew the protocol by now.
Even though the villain wasn't exactly human and could heal himself, he was still prone to infection and could get sick and weak. Neither of them wanted that, so Mercy took it upon herself to make sure it didn't happen.
She returned after a few minutes of scrambling to find useful bandages, along with some alcohol he kept hidden from his grubby father. Sitting back down, she took a quick swig of the drink before pouring some onto the wound. Pierce hissed, managing a small smirk when Mercy mocked him for it.
She tied a knot tightly, securing the bandage so it wouldn't slip off his shoulder, then let out a sigh and fell back against the sofa. "Should be fine now."
"Was fine to begin with," Pierce replied. He stretched his arm, feeling a tight sting, and let out a small sigh of annoyance. He turned back to his friend, who was taking another swig from the drink, then leaned back as well, and she handed him the bottle. They sat in silence, only the sound of distant sirens and faint shouts filling the hollow air.
Mercy let out a breath, turning her face toward him. "How was it?"
"What? Getting shot?" Pierce replied jokingly.
Mercy rolled her eyes, turning to her side to give him a serious but playful look. "I mean, how was seeing Oxzy? The great hero was injured, wasn't he?"
"You watched the whole thing, didn't you?" Pierce replied with a smirk.
"Nothing else I could do. You left me after Oxzy appeared. I can't help but feel a bit jealous."
Pierce snorted lightly, crossing his arms and taking another drink from the almost empty bottle. "Jealous? You know very well how I view the hero. How I love the thought of him."
"You are mad indeed, I knew that already," she replied, turning her head to the roof that was crumbling away with mold and rot. "You just seem to rely on him."
"Me?" the villain replied in a mocking tone. "Tell that to the creatures who abuse what he gives them. They rely on him more, because if he weren't here, they would all be dead."
"I am one of those creatures," Mercy replied, a bit of snark in her voice.
"Yeah, but a favorite," the villain shot back, keeping his eyes closed with a relaxed expression on his face. Mercy gave him a small sneer in reply, catching her tongue when she was about to respond. She turned her head, feeling stupid when she realized who she was about to bring up.
Bringing Rosamee into this will only fuel him more. She sighed, leaning on the far side of the sofa, closing her eyes and intending to rest.
Pierce chugged the rest of the bottle, looking into it when he realized it was all gone. He groaned in annoyance, wanting something to distract him from what plagued his mind. Only nothing could help him with the incoming thoughts of the hero, shifting back and forth from his lost girlfriend.
Deciding to ignore it, Pierce stood up and headed to the top floor, lying down on the mattress to look at the sky. The roof was still broken, offering a perfect view of the dark, calming sky. Pierce closed his eyes when calmness finally took over him.
~Hallway side, near the Grubs~
A group of siblings ranging in age from 33 to 12 made their way past smokers and murderers. The two oldest yelled at one another, debating something the other four didn't seem to care about.
The oldest, Octavia Imber, let out a sigh of anger, pushing her brother aside and stepping in front of them all. "Let's stop bickering. We already decided to go there, so there is no point."
"You're one to talk!" the second oldest, Corbin Imber, shot back at her, earning a growl in his direction. "I don't want to see that fucking asshole!" He motioned to the bright, large burn on his face, covering his left side and melting his skin together. It had healed, but compared to his older sister, he had the worst burns on his body.
Octavia crossed her arms, covering the burns on both forearms that trailed up and down her pale skin. She gave a scared look but covered it with determination. "We have to. I'm sure Pierce got over it long ago. As long as we don't provoke him, we won't be hurt..."
"We shouldn't have to be so worried..." the third oldest, Buck Imber, said irritably. "Why can't he just leave us alone? Why can't he go to his own house and stop staying with Mother and Father so we don't have to see him every month!" He yelled the rest out in frustration, earning a few giggles from the two youngest.
Kinsey Imber smiled at hearing the oldest act so scared. Holding onto her backpack, the 12-year-old paid no mind to the trash that covered the ground as she walked further into the most dangerous part of town.
For her, it was normal. No fear or worry crossed her mind the whole time she stayed in or stepped foot into the Grubs.
The main reason for her lack of fear was that she knew her older brother was the villain. The most feared man there—she believed she was safe. Because she was. No matter how cruel Pierce was, he never hurt her in any way.
Mostly because she was forgotten all the time.
The fifth oldest, Brit Imber, rolled her eyes, giving a light smack to the little girl's head. "Enough, Kinsey. Don't provoke others." Brit had the young child live with her in the Hallway side of town, close to the Grubs but not in them. Kinsey lived with Brit and her boyfriend, who made sure the girl had some sort of normal childhood. Unlike the rest.
The others kept bickering as they walked further and further into the Grubs, drawing stares and sneers. Only one person in the group received a few smiles in return.
Felix Imber, the second youngest, smiled back a bit too warmly.
~The Grubs, Imbers' home~
The siblings arrived at their parents' home, entering without knocking and setting their things down. Zella was already there, sitting and putting papers away in messy stacks. Her husband opened his arms in welcome to his children, giving the younger ones close hugs as the oldest ones recoiled.
"Look how big you got!" He picked Kinsey up, earning a giggle from the little girl. She hugged him back just as warmly, ignoring the smell of alcohol coming from him.
Brit took Kinsey from her father, scolding him. He only laughed out loud, calling her out. Azeral turned to Felix, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. Felix smiled back, grabbing the alcohol from his father. "How have things been here?"
The father let his 24-year-old son take a drink from the bottle. "Things have gotten pretty boring since you've been gone. Like, really? Taking the best men with you?"
"Hey, Pierce didn't want them, so they followed me instead." Felix shrugged as he responded, handing the drink back.
Azeral couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You're gonna turn out to be a great leader! Everyone respects you here—you've got that in you." Finishing his sentence, Azeral chugged the rest of his drink before heading back to his wife in the kitchen.
Felix gave a tugging smile, feeling a familiar slight rise in his chest after his father left. Ignoring it, he went and sat down on a couch in the middle of the living room, turning to the kitchen where his oldest siblings were talking seriously with their mother. Zella paid no mind to her second-youngest, discussing matters with the oldest as though Felix didn't exist.
So Felix turned to the other side, where Kinsey and his father sat at the end of the couch. Kinsey was showing the old man a few drawings from her backpack, and he smiled, looking at them closely. Brit sat at the edge, looking at her phone but keeping her body close to Kinsey.
The peaceful, ordinary atmosphere bored Felix. He leaned on his hand, elbow propped, hoping his brother Pierce would come. As if the villain had heard him, the door was pushed open with no hand on it, forcing its way in.
In came Pierce, his hands in his pockets, looking somewhat interested. A bit of light lit up his face when he saw his whole family in the room. Seeing the burns on his oldest siblings made his smile grow more sinister. Both siblings shrank away, trying to hide behind their mother. Zella gave a slow nod in Pierce's direction, and the villain stalked over, leaning on the fridge and looking down at the papers sprawled before the family.
Felix got up and walked over to stand close to his brother. Pierce didn't even glance at him.
"You're a bit late, Pierce..." Zella gave a slight glare in his direction. Pierce rolled his eyes.
"Got caught up with something at the police station after getting the junkie out." The villain shot a glare back at his mother. "So you can blame yourself," he almost spat, causing the room's atmosphere to shift with tension. The father got up, walking from the couch to the kitchen.
"Hey now... let's not get off topic here..." He wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder, trying to ease the tension. Luckily for them, Pierce was in a good mood. He dropped the tension and gave a smile.
"Continue with the conversation. You wanted all of us here. Right, Mother?"
Zella coughed, moving the papers and tossing some trash off the counter. "Right... right..."
Pierce kept his head low and his smile steady. Felix couldn't help but soak into the tension, into the scary intimidation his brother gave off with just a look. He felt no fear like the rest of his family; all he could do was look up in admiration, wanting nothing more than to be just like him.
Be just as cruel. Be just as evil and vile and hated.
If only Pierce would notice him...