"The evil one, right by my side." Shake off Your Flesh; The Huntress and the Holder of Hands.
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"Wait...so what are we waiting for?" Stark asks and Ren sighs, looking at her group of companions as they sit around a small fire in the center of the battlefield. The night sky looms over them as the sounds of the dead groaning can be heard off in the distance. Surrounding Ren is; Stephen, Tony, Loki, Steve, Logan, Lucifer, Mazikeen, Mephisto, and Azazel.
"We're waiting for Crinitus and Oscula's signal," the succubus explains, and Tony nods.
"Alright, you guys have 'smores in the zombie apocalypse?" the Avenger quips, and Ren huffs a laugh and shakes her head.
"No." Ren looks around her, distracted by the nostalgia of the scenery.
"Can you tell us about it?" Stephen asks, and Ren tilts her head at him.
"Tell you about what?"
"The battle that took place here," he inquires, and Ren purses her lips in contemplation for a moment before relenting.
"Alright...Years ago, this place was a battleground between the communities of Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom against a group called the Saviors, led by Negan...and myself. I was originally with Rick and his group...for years, actually...that was before I found Negan. I had met him once before all this shit happened, the end of the world. We had a moment, it was...a celestial sign of sorts with the ways our energies interacted with one another," Ren begins, her voice soft and distant as she recalls the memories. "I loved Negan, still do, but the man had his way of running things that didn't go over too well with others. For better or worse, he was basically a tyrant. He ruled with an iron fist, demanding half of everything the other communities produced. In return, he promised not to attack them. But it was more than just resources he took. He took lives, as a show of power, to keep everyone in line. His methods were fierce, but this world isn't fuckin' fit for shit to be anything but. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten...literally. His methods were effective...for his own people, that is." Ren sighs.
Steve, always the moral compass, questions, "But at what cost?"
Ren smirks. "Survival isn't pretty, Cap. Negan understood that. He knew that to bring order, you had to show strength. And sometimes, that meant making tough decisions. This isn't your world, this place...we don't have those kinds of fuckin' rules here."
"So, how did it all come to a head here?" Tony asks with intrigue and Ren nods.
"It was a culmination of many events. Minor acts of rebellion, secret alliances, and covert operations. The communities had had enough of Negan's shit and decided to take a stand. They formed a coalition and planned an attack on the Saviors."
"What was the plan?" Steve asks.
"It was a multi-pronged attack. Distract and divide the Saviors, then take out their outposts one by one. But Negan was no fool. He had spies everywhere and knew about the impending attack."
"So, what happened?" Stephen asks.
"It was the final showdown. The communities had banded together, thinking they could take on the Saviors. But Negan was always one step ahead... until he wasn't. It was brutal. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. The Saviors had the numbers, but the communities had the element of surprise. It was a game of cat and mouse, with ambushes, surprise attacks, and betrayals."
"Sounds like my kinda fight," Logan grunts and Ren huffs a laugh and nods her head.
"Oh, it was. The communities had managed to corner us here, on this very field. It was an intense standoff, with both sides waiting for the other to make the first move."
"And?" Stephen asks.
Ren sighs. "Rick tried to reason with Negan one last time. But Negan, being Negan, wasn't having any of that shit. Just when it looked like all hope was lost, Rick made a bold move. He got close enough to Negan and fuckin' slit his throat."
Loki, raising an eyebrow, comments, "Quite the dramatic ending."
Ren nods, "It was. I lost my shit. I mean, I get why they did it...but..."
"You love him," Cap says, and Ren nods.
"Yeah, anyway, that's when I gave him my invulnerability and saved his life. Negan survived. He was captured and imprisoned. The communities won the war but at a great cost. Many lives were lost, and the landscape of the region was forever changed."
"And you left him imprisoned?" Tony asks.
"Yes...seven years. I spent a lot of my time with him in his tiny little cell. I could have released him, fuck I wanted to release him, but he urged me not to." She sighs, "Then...someone," she begins, glaring over at the red-tailed demon, Azazel. "Decided to possess a country singer and co-lead a group of walker-skin-wearing psychopaths," she explains, and Azazel smirks. "One of the community members released him in secret so he could help fight."
"You're welcome," Azazel says, and Ren rolls her eyes.
"I don't think you realize just how important some of those people you killed were to me," she says, and Azazel shakes his head.
"I didn't kill anyone. It was all Alpha. I just...encouraged the situation."
Ren glares at him. "Enid didn't deserve that. She was just a kid...Ozzy, Alek, D. J, Frankie, Tammy Rose, Rodney, Addy, Tara, and Henry...they didn't deserve that. Fuck, Siddiqu showed me what happened, you sick, twisted fuck," Ren says with tears in her eyes and Azazel's smirk falters as a frown crosses his face at the sight of his niece's distress.
"I didn't realize they meant so much to you," he admits, and Ren shakes her head.
"This world...isn't kind. And when you do find kindness, you take that fuckin' shit and hold on for dear fuckin' life... They were kind," she whispers and the group falls into an awkward silence as they stare into the flames and Stephen sighs as he places a gentle hand on Ren's shoulder.
"Negan...told me to ask you about your home. I must admit, I didn't exactly understand why, but now I realize..." he begins and Ren nods.
"I'm not adapted to live in a society with... rules. I'm adapted to survive and protect those I care about. This world is a never-ending war," she says, and she looks over to Stark, "That is exactly why the lines between who is evil and who is not are so blurred. In protecting those I care for, I damn others; others who are simply trying to survive on their own terms. The Saviors weren't just an army of deplorables. They had kids, and families, living at their compound. Negan fought for his people first," Ren explains and Tony nods. "I want you to think about that next time you're fighting, 'just another villain'," she finishes, and another silence falls over the group, each processing the revelation, as the fire crackles and the distant groans of the undead serve as a haunting reminder of the world they currently inhabit.
The silence holds on for only mere moments, however, when Ren and Stephen perk up at a sudden energy rushing through their bodies. They look at one another for a moment before looking back at the group. Ren stands up and looks from her companions to her demon army and nods.
