Where They're Headed
My name is Proc. I work for no one but myself, meaning I have no one to blame for the horrible shit that I've done... and will do.
What?
You think I plan to stop any time soon?
Ha.
I did work for people before. I wasn't always running solo. Those people were a lot worse than me to say the least. A special kind of crazy. I built bombs. They schemed.
You might think that I am the villian here, blowing things-people-up for money. You had to have met them though. I watched my boss laugh at the news when a troll got lose in a park and killed thirteen people. I watched my boss shove a reporter off of a balcony when he started asking too many questions. Hell, I watched my boss gouge a man's eyes out and force-feed them to him when he looked at him funny.
That make you sick?
It made him hungry.
Yeah, I worked for him. Yeah, I was a hired thug. Yeah, I broke a few ribs and killed a few guys. Yeah, I ended up a bomb-maker in his twisted lab of malicious experiments.
I never ate a pepperment after biting a man's finger off.
Of course, my boss was privilaged. He owned an entire skyscraper and was the only one who's money kept the city's goverment from spiraling into the mud. So, he got off with a lot. He filled a lot of pockets and stole from even more.
But he wasn't smart.
That's where he started making mistakes. I was simply putting him out of his misery.
Yes, I laughed when he pulled the trigger on his favorite .45 and watched it explode in his face. I was obligated to after all. Only fitting, since I rigged it.
Did I hurt the city in the long run? You bet your ass I did. But I did my best to make up for it when I set off that bomb in the forest. I was the only one who saw those trolls coming and the only one who could stop them. A faulty government is the least of our worries.
My only regret is that I didn't make the bomb big enough. This city isn't saved yet.
---
Vale has been running for a while. His feet are sore and his lungs are burning, but he hasn't lost pace.
He makes it to the treeline. A trail has already been made out for him in the form of flattened corpses and destroyed trees, with the distinct callsign of two massive tire tracks.
He doesn't question it. It isn't too late. So, he runs some more.
He arrives in time to see a confused young girl, an aging scientist who looks as though he just killed a guy and loved it, and a brutally hurt stranger who appears as though he woke up from an autopsy.
The scientist shouts with a face full of conviction and throat full of satisfaction. "Don't worry, troll-hunter. We're gonna get you to a hospital."
The stranger tilts his head at the scientist, mouth agape.
The girl and the doctor just finish loading the half-dead man into their massive armored car when Vale steps out.
They don't notice, so they drive away.
Vale sees the raven, his sister, flying high in the sky. He calls after her, for finally a moment warrants his words, and she flies away.
Although, all he can wonder is what reason she could have to follow a truck than reunite with her brother.
But, even though she was always a talker, she had reasons for her actions too. He hoped they were important.
To be continued...