Whumptober 2021

Dread (17)

Cedric sat in his office, scratching away at a notepad. There was a knock.

"Come in." He called and put his pencil to the side. A henchman entered the room and Cedric sighed. "What is it?"

"You're requested in room 6-D. I'd suggest you make haste. V isn't happy." Cedric stood as Vicente was mentioned.

"What about V?"

"I wouldn't know. He sounded pretty pissed."

"What would you expect?" Cedric closed the sketchpad and shut off the lamp on his desk. "He's V. When is he not pissed?"

...

Even now, he didn't understand why V had called him. Was it to demonstrate his power? Cedric winced as he examined the hero on the floor. Blistering skin on his shoulders and arms, most likely from burns, disfigured right ankle, deep lacerations in his back...

What would have once been fluffy ears now matted with blood.

He wasn't moving. Cedric knelt down and rolled the hybrid over. Blank eyes stared back at him and he flinched back at the sight. He sighed and closed the eyes of the lifeless hero. His chest ached.

This wasn't power. He collapsed against the wall of the cell and held his head in his hands. His stomach trembled, the aching sense in his chest spreading through the rest of his body. This wasn't what they did here. They didn't... he took a shuddering breath. They didn't do this. They didn't-

He didn't, but he wasn't a sadist. V on the other hand... he ran his fingers through his hair. His hands were shaking. Not here- not now- don't do this- he bit his lip and shut his eyes. The image of the boy refused to leave his head and he weakly opened them again.

It hurt. He wished he had stayed in his office. He wished he had never came down to room 6-D. He wished he could just run, open a wormhole to a city street, and disappear into the crowds forever.

He had a soft spot towards hybrids. He didn't have the guts to hurt them, at least directly, did he? He slammed the wall. No. Why was he thinking about this? He was a villain. He wanted revenge. They deserved this.

He wasn't a murderer.

They deserved this.

He didn't want to do this.

Right?

They went too far. They went too far. They went too far. They went too far. They went too