Underground Hatred - My Hero Origins (MHO)

32: Tension from All Sides

Word Count: 3028

(Kat)

 Kat's limbs were full of lead. Her bloodshot eyes stared down the wall with her bathroom on the other side, but there was a massive hole. Insulation, pipes, wood splintered across the scene. Kat, though, sat unharmed, not a scratch besides the throbbing pain in the back of her head and the empty feeling that settled in her gut. There were no tears left to cry, the well dried out. It was still, haunting.

Life... The life that drained from the intruder's eyes was plastered to Kat's brain. The pain, suffering, that switched to a limp ragdoll nearly matched Kat's stature then as she fought internally. The red tint of her eyes never left the memory. It was pure bloody red: bright, antagonizing. It matched the turmoil and fury that ignited in her soul. It matched her perfectly. That's what made her stomachache the most. She knew what she did, what she felt. The thing is that it was a freeing feeling, something that sparked excitement and ecstasy in her soul. What caused her to pleasantly watch someone writhe in pain? Was she turning? Becoming something that she never meant to be?

But what exactly was that?

A hand landed on Kat's in her lap. She glanced down to find the pale, lengthy fingers to almost encase the entirety of her hand. Lethargically, her amber eyes followed the hand to an arm to a face. Davis stood beside her as she sat on the kitchen counter, Kat blank face and lame stature. Davis's appearance completely removed the red visor that Kat knew so well, so deeply. His indigo eyes gleamed brightly, swirling their color in depths of the ocean. Both eyes were beaten and blackened, cheeks swollen. Blood remained deep in the crevices of his nose and around his mouth.

"I promise, Kat," Davis whispered gently to her. His face was splashed with water from beside her at the kitchen counter. He sucked in a deep breath, the cold water shocking him. "It'll be okay. We'll get this figured out." Another splash, another gasp. "Do you want tea? I'll get you some tea."

The sea of Davis's eyes held the imaginary swirl of blood spilling down a drain. His hair was tousled, his posture huddled over a tad, pain still clear as day. Though, concern laid deep in his countenance, a scowl decorating his lips. His dark eyebrows furrowed together with worry lines to accompany it. Kat was distracted by this expression as she had never really encountered anything so deep not superficial before.

His other hand grabbed Kat's mug from beside her and handed her the warm cup with tea in it. Lemon and mint drifted to Kat's nose, the mix of honey in the scent. Her neck muscles relaxed with the smell, but the rest of her remained just as cold and hard as before.

"Take a few more sips," he soothed her. "It'll help."

Mindlessly, Kat's hand lifted the mug to her lips. Warmth branched out from her lips to her mouth to her throat to her stomach. Even with the honey, the tea was a tad bitter. Her eyes drifted away from his watching gaze and peered at his white shirt, no longer accompanied by his usual jacket. Blood spattered across the material—namely the collar and upper chest area. It dried at that point, creating a disgusting brown that refused to remain the identity of blood.

The mug pulled away from her lips, which Kat's hand automatically offered the cup to Davis for a sip. He absentmindedly grabbed it and took a few sips of the indifferent liquid that dried the mouth.

"The first one ran off," Kat said flatly, eyes locking back to the massive hole opposite of the room from her. "Probably to tell Triton about shit."

"But we have the other one," Davis swallowed. He placed the mug down on the counter and looked behind him. His hand remained atop Kat's. "Finally get some answers about what's so important about the suit."