The Villain Wins/Were There Ever Any Heroes To Begin With?

Photo by Gianni Zanato on Unsplash

*This is a short that may or may not be everyone's cup of tea...proceed with caution!*

It's a pure, unadulterated lust for destruction. What's wrong with that? Some people want to drink their lives away, some want to work their fingers to the bones, some want to waste away on video games... I want to destroy. I want to destroy everyone and everything. I really don't see why my desires are any less valid than anyone else's... Everyone goes on and on about "morality" and "doing the right thing." It's all a bunch of bullshit.

Where did morality ever get anyone? What good has doing the right thing brought to my life? Ah... who really gives a damn about any of this SHIT!? It's time to watch it all burn like it should have long ago. There's been others, of course, that were of a mind like me, but they lacked follow through and capability. They lacked the will to do whatever it took to see their missions through to the end.

Well, where they fell short I will succeed.

The city looks beautiful tonight. I hate it. I hate it so much. But it's okay. My dream is about to be fully realized! I've waited so long for this day. I can almost taste the blood that will be spilled, feel the burning fires of hell on my face. This was always the ultimate destination. I think that on some level I always knew that. Sure, making bombs was fun. Hearing the screams of the innocent as their world crashed down around them... It was fun, for a while.

Hell, I even still enjoy the feeling of warm blood pouring out of a still living body all over my hand as I sink my knife as far as I am able into the unsuspecting victim's torso. But it had come time for something new; something more. The random killing, while pleasurable, just didn't get me to where I needed to be emotionally. How could it? How could small scale stuff like that every truly satisfy me? No, I would bathe in the blood of the entire world before I would be truly, utterly happy.

The people below have no idea what I'm about to do to them... They know nothing of the months spent in torturous agony to reach this level of power. All for this moment did I allow them to experiment on me. I still don't even really know what they did to me, but it feels good now. I've become more than human, stronger than the wastes of space cluttering the streets down there...

I could barely hold in my excitement. I'd planned on waiting for the sunrise to set the world aflame before decimating it, but I can't contain myself anymore! I know! I'll just pick a few off for now... Yes... Something to whet my appetite until the sun shows its gloriously burning face...

I push off of the ledge at the top of the behemoth skyscraper, jumping into open air. The ground begins to rush up at me swiftly, too eager to receive its due punishment. The only sound as I reach the ground is the air occupying the space I want to be in being quickly displaced. All around faces turn to look at me in shock.

"Yo man, did you just freaking jump off of that building?" someone asks. I look at him, soaking in the complete stupidity oozing from his pores.

"Yes." It’s all I say before pulling my twin katanas from their sheaths on my back. The sweet sound of steel on leather is the prelude to the dance of death that begins with my questioners head rolling. I bend over to pick it up by the hair, hoisting it in the air for all to see.

"Don't you have some running and screaming to do?" I ask the crowd. The first scream comes from someone out of sight, but sets off a cacophony of desperation. As if they stand a chance, everyone starts running; tripping over each other. The dance is one of glee for me. I easily keep up with my targets, slicing and stabbing and cutting and killing to the rhythms of the screaming.

Someone pulls a gun, as if he can stop me. Fear radiates from him like heat from a fire and before he gets the weapon aimed at me his hand hits the pavement, gun clattering to a stop a few feet away. His shrieks of pain, momentarily adding to the music, stop short as I spread my arms wide and swing my blades toward each other, slicing through the man's torso like a butter knife to butter.

There is no one who can stop me. I lose track of time as the music sweeps me away into ecstasy... Gurgling, squelching, screaming, thudding, crunching... These are the sounds that make up my song. A deep, full laughter escapes my throat as I revel in the bloodshed. There really isn't anything like it in the whole world...

Limbs are flying, heads are rolling, blood is splattering...

After what feels like just a few moments, I notice that my surroundings have begun to brighten ever so slightly. Sunrise! I look around and see absolutely zero living souls anywhere near. The streets are literally piled with bodies. It's glorious! I take a deep breath, inhaling the scents of death, and begin to float upward. A minute more and I'm high above the city, the wind whipping me about as if sent by Mother Nature to stop me from killing her and her children.

Too late, Mother Nature. You should have thought about that ages ago...

The first rays of sunlight peak over the horizon and I stare on in awe. The sun, now that was true burning power. The wind continued to get stronger as I floated, enjoying the view. Well, now is as good a time as any. I look down at Planet Earth.

No one knew what was about to happen... It was kind of sad, to know that not even one person would get to enjoy this with me... Not that sad, though. Not sad enough to not do it. How much like child's play this really is... My power has become immeasurable! And now I will glory in the knowledge of the destruction of this cesspit at my hands!

I fly higher still and pull a specially saved cigar from my pocket. Even with all the killing it hadn't been bent at all... I snap my fingers and a flame sprouts from my finger tip. I use it to light the cigar and take a long drag. They say you aren't supposed to inhale cigar smoke; that it's worse than cigarette smoke, but I don't give a shit. I sit on the air, the cold wind blowing madly around me. It doesn't affect me, of course. How could it?

I put my hand out to the side and summon a cold coffee stout. There isn't anything quite like a cold coffee stout and a good cigar... Getting anxious, I shout "FUCK IT!" I toss my beer out into the open air and watch it plummet toward the Earth below. One more drag on the cigar, a deep inhale, and I flick it out ahead of me. In my mind, as the cigar nears the ground, it transforms, growing, burning hotter, and becoming a little sun unto itself. And as it happens in my mind, so too does it happen in reality. Is there really any difference in those things?

The flaming ball of hellfire makes impact with Earth with a shattering explosion. Finally, my dream is being realized... Here and now I will actually witness the utter destruction of humanity! What will I do after this? The thought begins to plague me... After this? What will I do? I know! I'll kill some more! But... who? Who will I kill? There won't be anyone left... They're all dead!

I speed back down to the ground. Maybe I can save some, to kill later! But, no, the ground is burning - everywhere... They're all already dead... But... What will I do now? I have to find someone to kill... The only person left... is me. My heart begins to beat faster.

Ah ha! I thought this was the ultimate destination, the final goal! But I see now... It's me! It's me I have to kill! I've never felt such joy before! All this time, I could have just killed myself and felt true satisfaction... It took killing everyone and everything on Earth to realize that.

Talk about having a thick skull...

There's only one thing left to do, now... I float slowly down the rest of the distance to the burning ground. The soles of my feet begin to sting, but I embrace it. My last thoughts, as I fall, landing on the liquefied pavement, and as my flesh and bones melt into nothingness, are of peace and release.

-end- This will undoubtedly get mixed reviews, but I think that there is an interesting story here. Or rather, there would be if the protagonist hadn't killed himself and everyone else... ;) Until next time, -JP