WINGS • a short story bundle

Hilda

TW!

- Blood

- Fire

- Psychopaths<3

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Hilda

A short story by Senna Staal

    The chosen one, is what they call a hero chosen by destiny. The one who will save life from death, who will save skin from blood slowly flowing down like waterfalls into their river. They will be the one that wins in the end, that will end the villain by locking them up, maybe even worse than that.

    The world will bow down on their knees for them, begging for them to give them a hug, a kiss, maybe a t-shirt with their signature. Kids will look up to the chosen ones, kids will say to their mom 'look mommy, there she is, the hero, I want to be just like her when I'm older!'.

    The whole city around her is screaming her name, clapping in an exhausting rhythm. They're watching her taking the last child out of the orphanage. The burning orphanage.

    Blue doves orphanage is located in the middle of the town. Next to the Cloveres park where the people hold picnics while watching their children play in the grass. The Blue doves Orphanage takes every child in, from babies until 17 year olds. They take good care of their children, give them food in exchange for respect. The children are happy, help the older people around town buying their groceries, help clean their homes so they don't live together with dust and mice.

    Delle is the daughter of the prison's boss. She's the city's hero, been it for years. She's trained as a special agent so she can help the people around. People who are stuck in their house or maybe on their roof. People who get robbed, she'll put the thiefs in her dads prison. She's fast, smart and amazing. Young, only twenty one. The hero. The chosen one.

    But what about the villain?

    What about the little girl who's watching the orphanage burn down with a smile on her face from the rooftop of the skyscraper across the street. She's leaning against the railing, hanging dangerously far over the edge. A long black jacket perfectly following her figure. Black jeans, but you can't see those because of the long, also black, leather over the knee boots. Her big black hat with a silver buckle that shines in the moonlight.

    She's watching Delle taking her so-called friends out of the burning orphanage that is now only a little bit of stone, no wood anymore. Mother Jody and Mother Odette, the ones who took care of her while she grew up in the orphanage that helps people. They actually give the kids a good life, its not a story where the villain is slowly growing because of abuse.

    Hilda is different. She hates mother Jody for calling her sweetheart, she hates Mother Odette for saying that she needs to pray before going to bed. She hates Delle for keeping the city safe. She hates that old Jack around the corner can only live because she cleans his house and buys him groceries.

    Her black wavy hair is flowing in the wind, covering the grin on her red painted lips. And god, it's not lipstick.

    Flames catch the building just like the other three she set on fire this month. First the grocery store, so she did not have to see the dead fish and meat laying in the coolers in the back of the store. Meat was Old Jack's favorite, even with his old age, 93, he still ate meat. His teeth weren't that good at his age, he couldn't get through the tough flesh easily anymore.

    Hilda is a vegetarian, she hates everyone who eats or sells meat, so everyone who was working in that grocery store had to die. That's why she sended the store into the flames of her lighter she uses to light up the candles in her room. She did it after the store closed, so no customers would be there, only employees cleaning up the last stuff. Everyone survived, except the manager.

    She made sure he died, that cruel man. Influencing other people to eat once living animals that had to suffer before they died. She made sure he died with the knife she always had in her left pocket. The knife wasn't big, but sharp enough because she had dragged it with stones from the garden of the orphanage.

    Second, she burned down Old Jack's house. He was already old and didn't do anything with his life except game night in the theater at friday evening 7 pm. He somehow did not die, maybe old people are just immune to fire.

    Of course the hero saved him. Della saved him from the smoke getting inhaled in his lungs. Hilda watched them get out of the house. Together. And he walked, for the first time in two and a half years. He has not walked since his wife died on June 30th, he was always low on energy. Hilda tried to do him a favor, give him the death he needed to see her again in the afterlife Hilda did not believe him even though she prayed every night.

    Then, she burned down Della's house. She saved old Jack, so she had to die for him. He had to die, but didn't, so now she had to take his place. She in fact, did not take his place.

    Hilda lit the fire in the attic so she wouldn't notice it until it was too late. Della was downstairs, watching tv. She got a phone call, ran out of the house before the fire could kill her. Hilda watched her run to her motorcycle. The gas made smoke going in the air, mixing with the smoke that was already coming from the roof.

    Even though she knew Della wouldn't die, Hilda watched the house burn in the light of the night sky. The orange flames left sweat on her face, but she didn't care. Della wouldn't have a home to go to after she finished whatever she needed to finish.

    Again, she watched on the rooftop of a skyscraper. Feeling the flames in her face, the wind blowing through her shadowy black hair she painted with box dye from the dollar store three blocks away. When Della came back, the only thing she did was looking up, towards the rooftop of the skyscraper. Looking Hilda directly in the eye even though there was 148 meters between them. Those meters did not matter, Hilda grinned.

    Della cried.

    And this, this was her last revenge. Burning down the orphanage. She can finally be free from prayers, grocery shipping and old people.

    Because the only reason she lit the Blue Dove Orphanage on fire is because of the office on the first floor.

    The place where she had a conversation with Mother Judy and Mother Odette. Where she held her little pocket knife in her left pocket, slowly took it out and killed them.

    She had to hide their bodies.

To be continued...