Virtue

Rubies & Roses

Trigger Warning: Detailed Gore, Blood, Corpses, Death

I teleported myself out of the warehouse and into the dark alleyway. Ace was one of my best friends growing up. Why did he hate me now? My life had fallen downhill in just a matter of hours. It couldn't get worse, could it?

Three Years Later

After the unfortunate demise of my parents, the city went up in literal flames. The two greatest heroes of all time had been murdered causing the spotlight to shine on the villains'. Thick red blood flowed down the streets into the storm drains. The sight of the red streets reminded me of a memory I wish I could forget. When I was adopted by my parents. word quickly spread that I was no normal orphan. Quentin and Elliot had rescued me from the warehouse as my parents left me behind to take the fall. My birth parents had made me kill an older woman earlier that day. I had nightmares for years because of the trauma they made me endure. The chaos didn't end there. My mother, Harriet, set off a bomb that exploded in the heart of the city. My father didn't make it, he was shot in the chest by Elliot. As my new parents took me home, the devastation had taken over the once lively city. Mothers and fathers were crying over their children. Toddlers screamed for their parents who were never coming back. I saw the body of a young boy who hadn't survived the explosion. A crow, black as the night, swooped down and landed on the corpse. It pecked at the child's eyeball with his sharp beak. Before it pierced it, a large hand clamped shut over my eyes.

"We thought we had lost you", a strange yet familiar voice said.

Strong arms picked me up off of the ground and held me. The hand fell from my eyes and I saw them. Elliot and Quentin. Quentin was standing next to Elliot with his hand on his shoulder. Their faces and bodies were caked in dried blood.

"The city is not a place for your eyes. Not today at least", Quentin said, his face distraught at the havoc that wrecked the city.

I craned my neck around and pointed at the dead boy.

"There's nothing we can do," Elliot said looking down at the boy with a solemn expression on his face.

They carried me away from the blood and the death that lined the streets. For three years I've hidden in the shadows, on the run from Sankiri. It seemed like I was always on the run. From my past, from my future, even from myself. I rolled out of bed falling face-first into the carpeted bedroom floor. Someone stood in the doorway of my bedroom. Achilles. I sighed before standing up and brushed myself off. He stepped forward and grabbed me roughly by my throat.

"Harder", I moaned causing him to loosen his grip.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Zer?"

I licked my lips as I looked at him with a sly grin. My goal was to make him uncomfortable enough to leave me alone. He rolled his eyes before throwing me onto the bed. With my free hand, I ran my fingers through my messy black hair.

"You going to fuck me, hero boy?"

"Dirty mind."

I laughed, "Only the best."

"Zer, I know it's been a while but I still care about you. What happened three years ago?"

I took a deep breath and sighed. Why did he have to bring this up? I patted an empty spot on my bed, gesturing for him to sit down. Grinning I snapped my fingers, disappearing in an all too familiar cloud of purple smoke.

"Zero, I'm not in the mood for your games."

He spun around frantically trying to find where I had gone. Reappearing in front of him, I grabbed him by his shirt collar before throwing him down onto the floor. Ace stood up before kicking me in my shin. Pain shot through my leg as I collapsed to the floor. He stood over me before kicking me in the head. Making my vision darken.