Shall I Add Mine? (Entry Six)

The hero went reeling back, crashing into a pillar. The villain stood over them, hand pressed to their mouth. Blood leaked from between their teeth, staining their smile red. 

The hero opened their mouth, but the villain cut them off. 

“If you’re going to give me some speech about how I won’t ever truly beat you, can it.” Spitting aside the crimson, the villain wiped their lips. “I’ve heard enough lies.”

The hero stilled their face into long-suffering endurance, but the villain was far from done. 

“You see, I’ve got you figured out, hero. I know why you stand up here wearing a smile and a white cape.”

The hero’s eyes widened, then narrowed. 

Yes. Keep pushing. 

“I know who you are. I know why you laugh and grin and refuse to be cowed by me. I know the facade that you wear.” The villain crouched in front of them, licking at split lips. “I’ve found the edge of your mask. And I intend to rip it off.”

Flat on their back on the cement, the villain leaning over them, a flash of fear flickered over the hero’s face. It was gone in a moment, but the villain smiled. 

The hero’s hand shot out and grabbed the villain by the shirt, yanking them down. The hero whispered directly into the villain’s ear. 

“Keep digging. I dare you.”

Though the hero couldn’t see it, the villain grinned. Slowly, delicately, they pried the hero’s fingers off of their shirt. They stood up and brushed off their dark coat, now splattered with red. 

“How does fear taste, hero?” the villain asked. “Though, I suppose I should call you by your real name.” Their eyes narrowed, seeking out the horror in the hero’s. “How long has it been since you’ve heard it?”

The hero was on their feet in an instant, driving a fist into the villain’s stomach. The villain staggered back, wheezing as their broken ribs throbbed. 

“Don’t you miss it?” they asked, ducking the next blow. “Don’t you want to hear who you once were?”

The hero snarled, striking hard and fast. Blood trickled down the villain’s face, painting it into a gruesome, ruinous mask. A grinning mask. 

“Don’t you want the world to see who you were?”

The hero kept pummeling, kept striking, eyes wild with rage. And the villain let it happen. They felt their bones fracture, the blood leaking from a dozen wounds. They spat out teeth and smiled through the agony. 

Finally, their knees buckled and the hero stood over them, shirt clenched in their fist. They drew back their other hand. 

“Any last words, villain?” they panted. 

The villain spread wide their crookedly snapped arms. “Just a few.”

“Get on with it then.” 

The hero was savage. Blood dashed across their face, teeth bared in a furious grin, eyes feral and furious. 

The villain swallowed a bitter mouthful, taking their time. “Clara. Patty. Sam. James. Paul.”

“What are you doing?” the hero demanded. Their voice quavered a bit. 

The villain kept going. “Mary. Lucius. Matthew.” The rasp of broken glass filled the room. 

“What are you talking about!?” 

Smiling a sunset-red smile, the villain continued. “Sydney. Josephine. John Jameson. Steven Icarus. Kate Black.”

“Enough!” The hero shouted, pulling back their fist. 

“Do you recognize these names, hero?” the villain asked. 

The hero’s horrified eyes said that they did. 

“These are the names of everyone you’ve killed. Shall I add mine?”