The cold air of the dungeon felt damp, filled with an ominous tension as Skyler and Day descended the stone steps. Flickering torches cast jagged shadows against the walls, illuminating the dark path toward where Fain was imprisoned. The faint sound of dripping water echoed in the distance, a haunting backdrop to the coming storm.
Skyler's steps were slow and deliberate, each footfall reverberating with the weight of his rage. His fists clenched tightly at his sides, knuckles white with fury. The blood still dried on his hands from holding Ocean's broken body felt like a brand, a searing reminder of what had been done. His heart had long since turned cold; there was no room for mercy now. Only retribution.
Behind him, Day followed in silence, his expression unreadable. He knew his brother well enough to understand what was about to unfold, and for once, he wouldn't interfere. Skyler needed this—needed to vent every ounce of rage he'd kept bottled up, to exorcize the demon that Fain had unleashed within him. Day had no intention of stopping what was inevitable.
As they reached the heavy iron door to the dungeon's core, a guard stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Sir, the prisoner is inside."
Skyler didn't respond. He simply pushed the door open, its rusted hinges groaning in protest. The room inside was dimly lit by a single overhead light, casting an eerie glow on the figure bound to a chair in the center. Fain.
He was already bruised, battered from the initial capture, but when his eyes lifted to meet Skyler's, they widened in fear. Fain may have been a predator once, but now, he was the prey. And Skyler was the wolf, baring his teeth for the final kill.
Skyler walked forward, his movements slow, deliberate, each step echoing with the promise of violence. His eyes, usually warm when they looked at Ocean, were now cold and empty, a void of unrelenting fury.
"Skyler, listen—" Fain began, his voice trembling as he struggled against the restraints. But he was silenced by the swift crack of Skyler's fist across his face. The sound was sickening, the crack of bone unmistakable.
Skyler's knuckles were bare for now, but in his other hand, he held something far more sinister—a knuckle banger fitted with spikes. His fingers curled around the metal, feeling its weight, its power. This was no ordinary revenge. This was punishment, pure and unfiltered.
"You don't speak," Skyler hissed, his voice low, dangerous. He crouched down to Fain's level, their faces inches apart, and Fain could see the murderous glint in Skyler's eyes. "You don't get to make excuses. Not after what you did to him."
Fain whimpered, his body shaking as fear took over. He tried to pull away, but there was nowhere to go, no way to escape. The ropes dug into his wrists, holding him in place, trapping him in Skyler's wrath.
Skyler stood back up, slipping the knuckle banger onto his fist, each spike gleaming menacingly in the light. He glanced back at Day, who was leaning against the wall, a cigarette between his lips, smoke curling lazily into the air. Day's face was passive, detached, as though this was just another routine task. He met Skyler's gaze and gave a subtle nod. He wouldn't intervene.
Skyler turned back to Fain, his expression hardening. "Do you know what it's like to watch someone you love suffer?" he asked, his voice calm but seething with rage. "Do you know what it feels like to see them broken, bleeding, because of you?"
Fain didn't answer. He couldn't. Fear had paralyzed him, and all he could do was shake his head weakly.
Skyler's lips curled into a dark smile, though there was no humor in it. "I'm going to teach you what that feels like."
And with that, he swung. The first punch landed squarely on Fain's jaw, the spikes tearing into his flesh with brutal force. Fain screamed, his head snapping to the side as blood sprayed across the floor. But Skyler wasn't finished. He wasn't even close.
He swung again, this time aiming for Fain's ribs. The sound of breaking bones echoed through the room as the spikes drove deep into Fain's side. Fain gasped for air, choking on his own blood, but Skyler didn't stop. Each punch was harder, more vicious than the last, driven by the image of Ocean lying helpless and broken in that alley.
"You thought you could break him?" Skyler growled, his voice low and menacing. "You thought you could take him from me?"
Fain's cries were nothing more than a garbled mess now, his face a mangled ruin of blood and bruises. His body was limp, barely held up by the chair, but Skyler kept going. Each punch was a release of all the fear, the helplessness, the fury that had consumed him since the moment Ocean had been taken.
Day watched from the shadows, his cigarette burning low as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. He didn't flinch. He didn't speak. This was Skyler's reckoning, and there was no stopping it.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Skyler stopped. His breath came in ragged gasps, his body trembling with the effort of holding back the full force of his fury. Blood dripped from his knuckle banger, staining the floor beneath him. Fain was unrecognizable now, his face a grotesque mask of blood and torn flesh. He was barely conscious, his head lolling to the side as he gasped for breath.
But Skyler wasn't done. He reached down, grabbing Fain by the collar, yanking him upright. "Look at me," he snarled, shaking him violently. "Look at me."
Fain's eyes fluttered open, dazed and unfocused, but he managed to meet Skyler's gaze. There was nothing left in his eyes now—no pride, no arrogance. Only terror.
"You will never touch him again," Skyler whispered, his voice cold and lethal. "Do you understand?"
Fain tried to nod, but the movement was weak, barely perceptible. Skyler released him, letting his body slump back into the chair.
"Take him," Skyler ordered, his voice rough, raw from the intensity of his anger. "Lock him in the dungeon. Let him rot there until I decide what to do with him."
Day flicked his cigarette onto the floor, crushing it beneath his boot as he pushed himself off the wall. "You heard him," he said to the guards stationed at the door. "Take him away."
The guards moved quickly, lifting Fain's broken body from the chair and dragging him out of the room. Fain moaned weakly, barely conscious as they hauled him away, leaving a trail of blood in their wake.
Skyler stood there, staring at the bloodstained floor, his fists still clenched. His chest heaved with the remnants of his rage, his mind replaying every second of Ocean's pain, every moment of suffering that Fain had caused.
Day stepped up beside him, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's over, Skyler," he said quietly. "He's done. Ocean's safe now."
Skyler didn't respond at first, his mind still clouded with anger and pain. But after a moment, he nodded, letting out a slow, shaky breath. "I need to see him."
Day nodded. "Then let's go."
Together, they turned and left the dungeon, leaving the darkness and blood behind as they made their way back to the hospital where Ocean waited. Skyler's heart was heavy with the weight of everything that had happened, but he knew one thing for certain—no one would ever hurt Ocean again.
TBC. 🩵
