Wings of Fire as Humans

Prologue

 Thank you all for the eager wait and encouragement!

One more thing, this is gonna be much darker than the previous one and I rate it 13+

Thanks!

~*~

The thunder crackled outside and black and grey clouds blotted out the night sky completely.

 Good. 

He didn't like it anyway.

Every Time he saw the stars twinkle innocently, or the moons smile and beam down on the earth...it made him feel as if the world was okay.

The world was NOT okay.

Not the way he saw it.

There were many that needed to be punished. Many still left that had to pay for their crimes.

He walked stiffly down the streets, the streetlamps above him flickering eerily as a rickety-old van drove right past. The man stepped away right before it could drench him in cold puddle water, not bothering to shoot an annoyed look at it, as anyone else would have.

The drains here were overflowing, and cigarette buds or broken alcohol bottles were strewn everywhere on the sidewalk. Or whatever was left of it.

Plastic roofed shops of the homeless covered half of the pathway and the rest was either broken or covered in muck or other disgusting liquids no sober man could ever comprehend.

The young man however, stopped by one such make-shift shelter, under which huddled a mother and her young child. The woman looked up at him fearfully as he came to a stop beside her. He simply blinked down at both of them, his gaze set in a unreadable stare.

The baby looked sick and hungry, while the mother herself seemed barely fed with skin that was pulled tight over her bones. They looked even more pathetic with both their bodies barely covered. The man put his hand in the pocket of the trousers, silent still, pulling out his wallet.

He noticed the women following each and every movement his hand made and sighed. Rather unexpectedly, taking out out a large sum of money, about 500$ if he had to take a guess, and couldn't help but crack a smile when he saw the women's eyes widen as he held it all out to her.

"Take it," he prompted curtly.

The women flinched slightly before extending an open palm. Her fingers were visibly shaking as she clutched the cash, afraid it would vanish or be snatched away.

As he turned to continue his journey, he could still hear the women shouting blessings at him in a complete delirium. He however simply unlocked the rickety gate of the small independent house he'd rented. The paint was chipped off and the building seemed to be in an overall decaying condition. The rain foretold by the thunder and clouds seemed to push it another inch closer to collapsing. But it would survive for the time being.

He could have, of course, chosen a much better neighborhood, but that wouldn't work now, would it? He needed to lay low.

And if that meant living here again, he could easily manage.

And the inside was a completely contrasting sight anyway. He stepped through the doorway, shutting the door behind him immediately.

Scratching his neck, the man removed his coat and hung it on the coat hanger. He did the same with his boots, keeping them in the shoe rack before walking across the bare living room and opening the door to his study. The inside was filled with all kinds of test tubes and scientific equipment. Different colors of liquids bubbling by themselves in their containers. Without wasting a moment, he put on the gas mask kept by the entrance. A necessary safety measure, due to the fact that some of the chemicals were spewing various kinds of fumes into the air present.

He surveyed the room once, making notes as he stopped by each of the test tubes or beakers. Pausing my one such glass, he squinted skeptically before shaking his head in mild disappointment. 

Another failed attempt.

Nevertheless he completed his usual round and stalked back out, heading to his bedroom this time. With one final sigh he lay down in bed and switched off the lights. The bulb seemed to flicker for a long time, refusing to give up it's light. The man simply stared at it for a long moment until it finally gave up under his cold gaze.

With the final source of light gone, the darkness was all that was left. 

Good.

The darkness was soothing. The darkness welcomed him. The darkness was all he had left him with.

And it was his namesake after all.