Virtue

Sapphires & Bones

Trigger Warning: Blood, Murder, Detailed Gore, Homophobia

My name is Zer, short for Zero. I am a nineteen-year-old orphan living in a world with heroes and villains. I didn't call myself a hero and I never would. My parents had lost their lives because of my stupidity. I had always fought injustice with violence. One day I lost all self-control, the day my parents died. Elliot and Quentin Huenbeck. The two greatest superheroes to ever live. Everyone looked up to them as they had saved many lives. As a kid, I wanted to be just like them. I wanted to help people just like they had. They had saved my life as well, I just wish I was able to save theirs. The thing that hurt the most was that fateful day I had run home to tell my parents the great news. I was excited to come out to them as I knew they would be accepting of me. I ran up to the mailbox and yanked it open, ripping open an envelope with my name on it.

"Dear Zero Huenbeck,

We are happy to inform you that you have been accepted to attend Justice in the fall. We hope to see you soon as you begin your journey to becoming a great hero."

"FINALLY", I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I had been waiting for this letter all week. Justice was an academy for wannabe heroes who wanted to train. Hero training wasn't easy at all. It took a lot of strength, both physical and mental strength. Rushing to the door, I turned the knob finding it unlocked. The kitchen lights were on which was strange since it was noon.

"Elliot? Quentin?"

I called my parents by their names since it was easier than saying, Dad or Father. Others might find my family strange but this was my normal.

"Are you guys home? I have awesome news!"

No answer. I tried to breathe slowly as I began to panic. I walked through the house making my way to their bedroom.

"You two better not be fucking because I'm about to open this door", I chuckled.

"I'll give you five seconds. One... Two... Three... Four... Four and a half... Four and a quarter... Five..."

I kicked open the door screaming at the sight that waited for me. My hand flew to my mouth as I collapsed to the floor on my knees. Elliot and Quentin lay in bed with a gunshot wound on their forehead. They both had smiles carved into their skin. From the corner of their mouth to the bottom of their ears. Blood dripped down from their empty eye sockets. It was all too much to bear. I ran to the bathroom and threw up my lunch into the toilet.

"Oh god. What the fuck. Why."

I collapsed on the bathroom floor, curling up into a tight ball. This had to be a nightmare. Nothing more than an illusion caused by my insanity. My hands shaking uncontrollably, I took my phone out of my back pocket and dialed 9-1-1. The ringing of the phone caused me to panic yet again.

"Pick up. Pick up. PICK UP YOU BITCH."

I felt so hopeless. I knew that they were already dead but some part of me still hoped. Hoped that tomorrow I would wake up and see them in the kitchen laughing and drinking their morning coffee. A deep-voiced man finally picked up the other side of the phone shocked me out of my fantasy.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"My- My parents", I gasped holding back my tears.

If I said it, it would make it real.

"Tell me what is wrong with them as best as you can."

I explained as fast as I could what had happened, trying to hold back my emotions. Then I gave the dispatcher my address before throwing my phone onto the bathroom counter. The screen cracked as it fell into the marble sink. I knew deep down in my heart that they were truly gone. There was nothing more that I could do besides live. I walked over to where they lay on the bed before sliding the wedding bands off of their ring fingers. The police would take it for evidence before putting it in a museum as a sick and twisted tribute. I put them on the empty chain that lay around my neck. I wanted to have a piece of them by my side forever and always. Quentin and Elliot had saved my life, I just wish I had saved theirs.

"Goodbye, Quentin. Goodbye, Elliot. Thank you for always taking care of me. I love you both."

Wiping the snot and tears from my face, I walked over to the closet and pulled out a big backpack. I didn't want to leave them alone but I didn't want to be placed into the foster care system. The siren's wail got louder as I ran to my bedroom. Throwing clothes into the bag, clean and dirty, I ran out of the room.

"POLICE, OPEN UP."

"Shit", I muttered, remembering I had one more thing to grab.

Running back to my room I dove under the bed and grabbed a dusty stuffed duck.

"Sir Quackers", I happily exclaimed before hugging him. Doing a quick inventory check of my belongings, I made my way to the back screen door. It was locked and no key was in sight. The front door banged open as I heard heavy footsteps come towards me. Having no second thoughts, I ran headfirst into the glass screen door. Tiny glass shards rained down upon me like knives. I winced in pain as the glass cut into my skin. I took a running leap over the fence before landing with a painful crack on top of my left arm. Before I had left, I had grabbed a note that lay beside the corpses of my family.

"Dear Michael."

I put aside the urge to crumple up the letter, she had used my dead name.

"It's time for you to come home."

Listed below was an address that I was supposed to head to. Noon turned into dusk as I walked towards my doomed past. The reason why I was adopted was that I was born into the care of the evilest villains in my city. They were a power couple to be feared. Their victims never lived to tell the tale of the horrendous torture they endured. By the age of four years old, I had been trained to kill. Elliot and Quentin had gotten word of my existence and had prepared a "rescue" mission for the sake of my sanity. I finally came across my destination, pulling a fully loaded pistol out of my back pocket. Carefully opening the door to reveal an older woman waiting for me in the middle of the abandoned warehouse. Her hair was jet black with silver streaks showing her age.

"Hello Michael", she called out to me, causing me to flinch at the sound of my birth name.

I sneered as I stepped towards the woman.

"Harriet", I said through gritted teeth, "what the fuck do you want?"

"Excuse me? That is no way to talk to your mother young man."

I rolled my eyes before shooting her directly in the forehead. I had no remorse nor guilt for what I had just done.

She called out to me. "You'll never be the hero you've tried so hard to be."

And with that, my mother bled out. Slowly. Her power was strength, now that was her downfall to a painful and torturous death. Her lifeless violet eyes stared up at the ceiling. I collapsed on the floor as I tried to catch my breath. The metal door creaked open as a tall shadow made its way over to me.

"Zero Huenbeck. You are under arrest for murder." 

Achilles, also known as his hero alias, Sankiri, made his way over to me. I looked up at his beautiful emerald green eyes and beach blond hair. He pointed a pistol at me while grabbing a pair of handcuffs from his belt.

"Ace- I'm sorry."

I snapped my fingers, disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.