《Villainous: A Tale of Retribution》


 -Prologue-

    Prologue


    Inside a worn down building there was a young man sitting on a couch who was watching the television. With his chiseled face, blonde hair, and sky blue eyes, he was like a carving of the greek god Zeus. On the television, stood a well dressed lady in front of a mansion.


    ¡°Peace-Keepers have gone missing left and right for the past few weeks. Some say that they are dying because of their supposed power radiation. Others say that they¡¯ve just been going into early retirement and are now in hiding...¡± a police officer walked out of the mansion and she scurried up to him while shoving her mic in his face.


    ¡°Sir! Do you know what has happened to the Mr. Hawkins?¡±


    He looked at her for a split second and then covered the camera with his large palm. ¡°No questions until further investigations are made.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough t.v. for today.¡±, the man turned off the television and walked towards the bathroom. Once inside the bathroom he put on a mask that looked like one of those plague doctor masks where there was a long beak protruding out of it. He then proceeded to put on a leather jacket before heading outside and taking a duffel bag. ¡°Time for work.¡±


    Once outside he made a sharp left turn at the corner of the block. After doing so he then made way towards an old warehouse that was even more tattered than building he just came from. Entering the abandoned place, he closed the gates after flipping a switch. He then turned on the lights to reveal someone tied down to a chair with a bag over their head.


    He crept towards the person he put down the duffel bag next to the chair and slowly crept his hand to remove the bag. Then as he took it off quickly, he revealed the person to be a pretty, middle aged woman whose makeup was messy from crying, her long brown hair all messy from the rough handling by the young man. Her mouth was gagged with a black piece of cloth.


    Wow¡­.I thought she used a lot of makeup on t.v. but¡­.Whatever, I¡¯m not here to judge her on looks.


    ¡°Oh! Why hello there! It¡¯s such a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Krowley.¡±


    ¡°Mmmph Mmmph Hmmm¡±, Mrs. Krowley however shook about, the piece of cloth muffling her words.


    ¡°Oh what¡¯s that? Sorry, here let me get that for you.¡±, he took out a knife and cut the piece of cloth on her mouth. ¡°There, now isn¡¯t that better?¡±


    The woman immediately spat in his face and shouted.


    ¡°Let go of me you sadistic bastard! Or my husbands gonna fucking kill you!¡±


    ¡°Well, that was rude.¡±, he took out a napkin and wiped his mask with it. ¡°You¡¯re lucky that I¡¯m wearing a mask. Otherwise, I don¡¯t think I could¡¯ve kept my composure Mrs. Krowley.¡±


    ¡°Composure? Ha! You think that just because you put on a polite tone you¡¯re a gentleman? You¡¯re all just the same to me, sadistic cowards who don¡¯t know how to face people head on.¡±


    ¡°Whoa there Mrs. Krowley. Getting a little ahead of ourselves aren¡¯t we? I haven¡¯t even done anything to you and yet you¡¯re assuming that I¡¯m even going to. Isn¡¯t that a little presumptuous?¡±


    ¡°You just kidnapped me dumbass. How does that not count as ¡®doing something¡¯.¡±


    The young man just chuckles and goes through his duffel bag and takes out a saw blade.


    ¡°Well, enough talk. Let''s go down to business shall we?¡±


    ¡°D-do you think that scares me?¡±, Mrs. Krowley tried to sound tough but failed to do so and ended up sounding frightened, despite what she said earlier.


    ¡°No¡­¡± He twirls the knife in front of her face. ¡°I think it¡¯s going to kill you.¡±


    She screamed as he grabbed hold of her.


    <hr />


    At the front of the worn down warehouse, a middle aged man was standing. He had his black hair slicked back and stood tall with a fancy suit on. He had brass knuckles on his fists that spelled out justice on the surfaces.


    He raised his leg and kicked a giant hole in the gate. The hole was just large enough so that he could walk in.


    ¡°...You know there¡¯s this thing called knocking don¡¯t you? One would think that the great Adam Krowley would have manners.¡±


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    Adam just stares at the masked man angrily and slowly stepped towards him with a bit of jagger in his walk. ¡°There¡¯s also this thing called NOT KIDNAPPING SOMEONE''S WIFE YOU PSYCHOTIC BASTARD!¡±


    Adam sped up out of nowhere and at an inhuman speed he instantly arrived in front of the masked man, grasped his neck and choked him.


    ¡°WHERE IS SHE!¡± Adam said with a booming voice.


    The masked man just laughed while taking out a remote. Adam thought it was a trap and was ready to escape in case of an explosion, but instead, when the masked individual pressed the button Adam heard a click* from above. A compartment in the ceiling opened up and a blurry object fell, hanging from a rope. The object drops and bounces while tied to the rope. When it finally stopped bouncing, Adam saw it clearly. It was the severed head of his wife.


    He saw the horrified expression on his wife, the mascara wetted from the tears, and her eyes wide open.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t-Aghk...you...say hi? Hehehe. Sorry, but she was getting a little a-HEAD of herself, hahahahahahaHAHA!¡±


    Adam stared blankly at the severed head of his wife and was in total shock.


    "Wh-Agh-at? Can¡¯t take a joke? Heheheh...¡±


    But shock turned into extreme anger as his grip on the masked man¡¯s neck tightened.


    ¡°H-hey, s-stop it...I-Argh thought...you didn¡¯t kill¡­,¡± those were the young man''s final words before his neck snapped.


    Adam dropped the body and inched towards the severed head. He removed it from the sharp object. His hands shook as he slowly sank down to the ground and sat on his knees with his wife''s head on his lap. Tears ran down his face.


    ¡°No¡­.no¡­.no¡­.god¡­.dammit.¡±


    But as he was mourning the loss of his wife, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw a knife blade protruding out of the left side of his chest. He gasped and dropped his wife''s head. While clutching his chest he turned around to see the masked man standing straight up.


    ¡°Wh-what¡­..H-how..aggh...are...you still alive?¡±


    The young man smiled underneath his mask and took out a second knife and threw it straight at Adams clutching hand. Adam grunted and tried to dodge but couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Surprise surprise! What? Not happy to see me? Well isn¡¯t that too fucking bad! Hehehehe Hahahahah HAHAHAhaha!¡±


    Adam glared at the man until he had a sudden realization and opened his mouth in shock.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re¡­.a R-Regenerator?!¡±, he gurgled his words slightly.


    ¡°Oh so you do remember us! I feel honored! Though, you¡¯re probably not feeling so good right now are you? Yeah, probably that regret for not being able to kill us all off isn¡¯t it? Well tough shit, you didn¡¯t, so here you are, dying. And here I am, laughing. Ha ha hah hah hah hah ha!¡±


    "W-what..makes you think tha-Aaaaahhhh!¡±, Adam was interrupted by a burning sensation all throughout his body and clenched his teeth in agony.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t think anything really. I just wanna find all of you murderers and either kill you or¡­.someone you love. Usually both.¡±, the man rolled up his sleeve and checked for the time. ¡°It also looks like your times up, what with the poison taking effect right about now.¡±


    Adam glared at him and took out his phone, only to have it kicked out of his hand.


    ¡°Did you really think you could pull a fast one on me? Besides, that poison¡¯s gonna eat you from the inside and dissolve your body like gelatin,¡± he turned around and began walking away.


    ¡°Sleep tight now, you¡¯re gonna need it after what you¡¯re gonna go through,¡± that was the last thing Adam heard when the man walked out of the hole.


    The young man took off his mask after walking out of the warehouse and put it in his pocket. He then took out a small notebook full of names with some crossed out and some not. He crossed out the name Adam Krowley.


    ¡°Alright then, who¡¯s next?¡±


    -Prologue Fin.

 B1: Chapter One

    Chapter One


    Carlton picked up a clipboard off of his desk with his wrinkled hands and skimmed over the paper on it. His desk was organized and had a nameplate that spelled out ¡°Principal Carlton¡±.


    ¡°Hmm, so...Mr. Greenman...Why do you want to start teaching here?¡± Carlton looked up from his clipboard showing his eagle like gaze, which pierced into Greenman''s chiseled face.


    Greenman grinned, showing his bright white teeth. ¡°Well sir, to start, I wanted to teach here because it¡¯s probably the best high school in this city¡­.and to be honest, I heard the paycheck is good as well.¡±


    Carlton chuckled and flipped through the pages on the clipboard. ¡°Your resume here says that you¡¯re 27? Is that correct?¡±


    Greenman fidgeted and scratched the back of his blonde head. ¡°Y-Yes sir¡­.Is that going to be a problem?¡±


    Carlton calmly glanced at him before flipping through more pages and putting the clipboard down. He placed his elbows on the edge of the desk and clasped his hands in front of his mouth. ¡°No¡­.I¡¯m just wondering why such a young person like yourself would want to teach at a high school¡­Your credentials are fairly good...but I don¡¯t think that you¡¯re very suited for teaching these high schoolers just yet,¡± Greenman¡¯s face went from slight joy to disappointment. ¡°Why do you think that you¡¯re capable to teach a group of high schoolers?¡±


    Greenman took a few seconds to ponder and finally spoke. ¡°To be completely honest sir¡­.I don¡¯t...Or at least, not now. I think that I am able to relate to the kids in a way that most teacher won¡¯t and that within time I will grow as a they grow, both as a human being and a teacher. Sir.¡±


    Carlton sat there silently and tilted his head down and started chuckling. That chuckling soon turned into laughing.


    ¡°Hahahahaahahaha!¡± Carlton continued to laugh until he gradually stopped after a minute.


    Greenman was shocked and fidgeted around in his seat. ¡°...Umm, sir?¡±


    Carlton looked up and wiped his tears. ¡°Sorry...I...was just laughing at how cliched your little speech was,¡± he sat back onto his chair. ¡°I haven¡¯t had an interview like this in¡­.a while¡­.You have honesty son and I can respect that. Not a lot of decent people like you have shown up lately....¡± he stared thoughtfully.


    ¡°Does this mean I got the job?¡± Greenman looked at him expectantly


    Carlton took a glance at him. ¡°One last question.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Carlton stood up and faced the window in the back. Greenman tried to do the same but Carlton told him to stay seated. ¡°....What...do you think about the Peacekeeper Organization?¡±


    ¡°...Sir, is that relevant?¡±


    ¡°Just answer the damn question.¡±


    ¡°....Well....To be honest....while they¡¯re doing what they think is right¡­.sometimes...I think that their world views aren¡¯t for everyone...Sir.¡±


    Carlton stared at him for a few moments until reaching under his desk and pulling out a drawer. He took out a piece of paper and hands it to Greenman. ¡°This is my contact, you may use it if you have any more questions about this job.¡±


    Greenman¡¯s crystal blue eyes lit up and he shot up from his seat. ¡°Thank you sir!¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t call me sir....It¡¯s annoying, you¡¯re not in the army so just call me Carlton alright?¡±


    Greenman nodded.


    ¡°You start teaching on August 17,¡± Carlton took a glance at the calendar to the right of his office. ¡°Which is in a month or so, so you better get your lessons ready.¡±


    Greenman saluted. ¡°Yes sir-er, Carlton.¡±


    Carlton shook his head and sat down in his seat. ¡°You should get going now.¡±


    Greenman bowed and exited the room, leaving only Carlton. After stepping out of the door he stopped for a second and smiled, only, this smile seemed a little...off. It wasn¡¯t as charming as it was just a couple of minutes ago when he talked with Carlton. It was much more...sly.


    Well, looks like I¡¯ll be here for a while...Should probably take out the next one soon¡­.Lots of targets in White Heath....


    <hr />


    P.O.V: Carlton


    Carlton sat in his desk and fiddled with his pen. He had his chin resting on top of his knuckles and had a thoughtful expression on.


    Worldviews? What worldviews? Ever since that happened...Our worldviews have turned into nothing! Ah, what am I even thinking about. He¡¯s just a kid. He doesn¡¯t know what we did. We¡­.were too greedy¡­.The Regenerators could still be here if it weren¡¯t for us, helping...Hell, maybe they would¡¯ve come to us on their own.


    He took the stacked pieces of paper and wrote signatures on them, when he heard a knock at his door. He climbed out of his chair and slowly walked towards the door. He opened the door and he found himself looking at a box, the delivery man¡¯s face was covered by the box.


    ¡°Delivery for Mr. Carlton!¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you doing? We have a post office, you can¡¯t just-...how did you get in here?¡±


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    ¡°Are you Mr. Carlton?¡±


    ¡°...What did you do to my gua-!¡±


    ¡°ARE YOU MR. CARLTON? FORMER PEACEKEEPER!?¡± the delivery man shouted, interrupting Carlton.


    Carlton felt an intense pressure as he started to sweat. He jumped back and took a fighting stance. His fists raised and his gaze turned fierce.


    ¡°Who are you!?¡±


    ¡°Are you Mr. Carlton, former hero?¡±


    Carlton paused for a moment. ¡°....Yes, now can you tell me who hell you are!?¡±


    The man set down the box and revealed his face. He was an extremely pale man, with pitch black eyes, and a smile that could creep out the toughest of men. His teeth were a sickly yellow and his hair was a greasy black that was slicked back. He was wearing a uniform delivery man outfit that didn¡¯t fit his thin, frail body at all.


    ¡°Y-You!¡±


    ¡°Good to see you Mr. Carlton! The boss has ordered me to bring you a gift.¡±


    ¡°...Why?¡± Carlton glared at him suspiciously.


    ¡°Oh! Well, it¡¯s just to give condolences for past grievances.¡±


    ¡°Cut the shit! I left the group a long time ago! I¡¯m not going to take up that asshole¡¯s offer just because he thinks he can bribe me!¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s disappointing to hear Mr. Carlton...And here I thought that we could be civil about this and do business again¡­¡± the man¡¯s smile drooped into a slight frown.


    ¡°Hah! If your boss wanted things to be civil then he sure as hell wouldn¡¯t have had you come over!¡±


    ¡°Well, I still got this to you so the boss shouldn¡¯t be too mad.¡± the man turned and walked out of the room. ¡°Have a nice day Mr. Carlton! And please, overthink our offer once more would you?¡±


    After the man left, Carlton eased up and slouched down onto his knees.


    Goddammit, I¡¯m too old for this¡­.Why in the hell did they have to send him of all people!?


    He rested for a bit before standing back up and going up to the box. He checked the note on it and it said ¡°Sorry about Jyni, I know how much he unsettles you. But he was the only one available at the time so I didn¡¯t have much choice. Again, I apologise about that day and hope we can resolve this and move on. To: Nick, From: Deyers¡±. He set the note down and covered his forehead.


    Bastard thinks we can ¡°resolve¡± this. This involves more than just me and him...We can¡¯t ever be forgiven for what we¡¯ve done¡­The¡­.things we did¡­.The things he fucking did!


    <hr />


    P.O.V: Greenman?


    Greenman walked up the stairs to his apartment and onto a narrow walkway on the second floor. As he searched for his door number a girl with long, red hair blocked his way. She was cute and petite, and her pale green eyes reminded Greenman of the grass in the spring.


    She was having a heated conversation on the phone. ¡°Look Gabby, I just don¡¯t want to get hurt again, alright?....Yes, I know that but¡­.Look, after what happened I just¡­.Ok, fine, you¡¯re right on that but....Yeah, but I just want to play things safely ok?....I have you, isn¡¯t that good enough for now?....Yes, but I-,¡± she noticed Greenman and sidestepped out of his way. She stared at him, which got him to look back at her.


    She smiled to which he reciprocated by smiling back. He was about to enter his apartment which was numbered 13 until he heard the girl mutter something and interrupted him by tapping him on the shoulder.


    He turned his head to face the girl.


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re new around here right? My name¡¯s Rayna¡± Rayna said in a friendly, charming manner as she raised her hand, implying a handshake.


    Keyfer smiled and shook her hand. ¡°Yup, I just moved in a few days ago. Name¡¯s Keyfer.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you...Well, how do you like White Heath so far?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s ok so far I suppose. I haven¡¯t really gotten the chance to see around yet....Which actually reminds me, do you know a good restaurant by any chance?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well there¡¯s this new indian place that opened up nearby! I was just talking about it with my friend.¡±


    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll look into it later,¡± he unlocked the door to his apartment. "Nice meeting you."


    ¡°Yup, nice meeting you too,¡± Rayna waved Keyfer goodbye.


    After entering his apartment, Keyfer sat on his newly bought couch and slouched in it. He took out a laptop and opened it up. Turning it on, he then went onto google search. He also took out a small handbook and flipped through the pages.


    Alright then, who¡¯s getting hacked today?


    To be continued