[Civilian] ran across the street, away from the man that had tried to grab her. It was dark outside, and there wasn't anyone out on the street but the man that had tried to grab her. I knew I shouldn't have been out this late!
[Civilian] looked behind her shoulder and saw the man pursuing her. She ran right into someone else who caged her with his arms. [Civilian] tried to pry his arms off of her. "Let me go!"
"No can do," the man that had chased her, [Henchman 1] said. "You have an appointment with [Villain]."
"No, no, please, please, let me go!"
"Consider yerself lucky," grunted the man holding her, [Henchman 2]. "[Villain] doesn't meet many people in person. I wonder what ya did that made 'im so desperate ta see ya."
"Please! I don't have a lot of money, but [Villain] can take it, please!" [Civilian] shook in [Henchman 2]'s arms, struggling to get out of his hold. Her voice was shaky, like she'd start crying soon.
"Funny enough, [Villain] don't want your money, Missie. Just you." [Henchman 1] chuckled darkly. "I don't see what's so great about you though. But orders are orders."
"[Henchman 1], I'm getting tired of 'er struggling. You brought the rope, righ'?" [Henchman 2] said in a bored tone. [Civilian] whimpered when he mentioned the rope, and pulled even harder to get away.
"Sure did. Keep holding 'er. I'll do the honors." [Henchman 1] grabbed rope from his bag. [Civilian] cried out and fought with everything she had to get away. But both of [Villain]'s henchmen were much stronger than her. [Henchman 1] pulled her arms behind her back and tied an elaborate network of knots, going from her wrist to her elbow.
[Civilian] began crying and weakly struggling, pleas escaping her lips. "Please, please, don't bring me to him, I'll do anything, please!"
"You are really annoying, aren't you?" [Henchman 1] said when he finished the last knot on her wrists. "Don't worry, I can remedy that." He stuffed some cloth in her mouth and tied it at the back of her head. "That's better, isn't it?" He bent down and did a similar thing he did with her legs as he did her arms, tying rope from her ankles to her knees. All that could be heard was [Civilian]'s muffled sobs. Tears streamed down her face, which only seemed to amuse the henchmen.
"I love it when they cry," [Henchman 2] said. "Time ta take ya to [Villain] now." He threw [Civilian] over his shoulders and the henchmen walked to a car. [Henchman 1] threw open the trunk, and [Henchman 2] dropped her roughly inside. They closed the trunk, leaving [Civilian] alone in the darkness, bound and gagged.
She continued to cry during the drive to wherever [Villain] wanted to see her. What does [Villain] want with me? I'm just a nobody, why me? [Civilian] was jostled in the trunk, and couldn't stop anything from hitting her body and head. It was cramped, and [Civilian] had to share the space with the henchmen's belongings. She prayed it was all just a bad dream, or that the henchmen made a mistake, and [Villain] would let her go. But those options seemed unlikely.
After what felt like forever, the car stopped. [Civilian] heard footsteps, and the trunk was opened. [Henchman 1] pulled her up into a sitting position. [Henchman 2] was taking a call. "Listen here, Missie, [Villain] is being a bit paranoid. 'Cause o' tha', we need ya to say something to prove we didn't kill ya. Now be a good girl and use that pretty li'l voice of yours, won't ya?" [Civilian] nodded in fear. "But that don't mean you can scream. I got a taser with me, and I'm sure ya don't wanna learn what it feels like." [Civilian] nodded desperately.
[Henchman 2] walked to her and pulled her gag off. He held his phone to her face. "Say some'n." Shaking, [Civilian] tried to think of what to say. "Well, we don't got all day!"
"W-what do you want?" [Civilian] whimpered.
[Henchman 2] put the phone back to his ear. "Ya got that, right? Yeah, yeah, alright. We'll be there in ten minutes, maybe fifteen tops." He hung up and turned back to [Civilian]. He backhanded her. "We told ya ta talk, and I had ta tell ya twice!"
"I-I'm sorry!" [Civilian] hurriedly said.
[Henchman 2] hit her again. "An' I didn't say you could say anything now!" He shoved the gag back into her mouth and pushed her into the trunk. Once she was completely inside, he shut the trunk.
[Civilian]'s face stung from when she was slapped. She was sure that her face had a red tint now. She cried, knowing in ten minutes she'd be face to face with [Villain] for reasons unknown to her. Her face still hurt when the car stopped and [Henchman 2] threw her over his shoulder. [Civilian]'s vision was blurry because of all the tears. She couldn't see anything. All she knew was that she was being carried to [Villain].
[Henchman 1] threw a door open and him and [Henchman 2] walked in. "[Villain], we brought the girl, just like ya asked," [Henchman 1] announced. [Civilian] cried out when [Henchman 2] threw her down. All she could see was black boots. [Villain]'s boots. She looked up and saw the masked face of [Villain]. She whimpered and cried uncontrollably.
"Just like I asked?" [Villain] asked angrily. [Civilian] flinched at his voice. "I seem to recall instructing you not to gag her and not to tie her up! Look at her! She's terrified because of you idiots! Didn't I say something about not needlessly scaring her? Oh, and what's this? You frickin' hit her! I told you not to hurt her!"
[Civilian] cried even more fearfully, which she didn't know was possible. [Villain] was pissed. What if he takes out his anger on me?
"The only reason I'm not killing you right now is because [Civilian] will get even more scared! Thanks to you two, me worrying about her is scaring her! Now, get out of my sight!"
How does he know my name?
[Civilian] heard rapid footsteps and the door open and close. She cried harder, not wanting to be alone with [Villain]. She flinched when he bent down and placed a hand on her back. "Hey, hey, [Civilian], I'm not gonna hurt you. Don't worry, I'll make those two pay for hitting you. Hey, hey, don't cry." [Villain] undid the knot that kept the gag in place, and gently pulled the gag away. "It's alright, I won't hurt you."
"W-what do you w-want?" [Civilian] whimpered. "I'll, I'll do anything, just let me go, p-please!"
"Sh, it's alright, you're safe now." [Villain] gently scooped her up, one arm supporting her back, the other under her knees, [Civilian]'s head on his chest. [Civilian] cried out as he lifted her up. "Hey, you're okay, you're okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just taking you somewhere else."
"Hm, good question. How about I put you on my bed, hm?" [Villain] began walking out of the room and down a hall.
"Oh gosh, whatever you're thinking, I didn't mean it like that. I'm not gonna do anything to you," [Villain] said worriedly as he carried [Civilian] up a flight of stairs. "I just want you to be comfortable while I untie you and explain what's happening. And we need to be somewhere private, for your own safety. Okay?" [Civilian] whimpered in response. "I know, it's scary, and looks and sounds really bad. I'd be scared too. It's alright to be scared. You got kidnapped by those idiots and they hurt you. And now you're being held by the great [Villain]. I guess I am a pretty scary guy."
[Villain] opened a door and carried [Civilian] inside. [Villain]'s bedroom was neat and organized. There was a red and grey color scheme that probably didn't look bad normally, but to [Civilian] it was a bunch of red and grey smudges, her vision was so blurry, thanks to her tears. Before she knew it, [Villain] was setting her on his bed. "Give me a moment, [Civilian], I'm gonna grab something real quick, and I'll be back in no time."
When [Civilian] heard the door close, she hurriedly rolled off the bed. It hurt enough for her to cry out a bit, but it wasn't too bad. I need to hide! She knew hiding was pointless. She was in [Villain]'s bedroom! He'd find her soon enough. But she still looked around for somewhere to hide. Hearing footsteps on the other side of the door, [Civilian] panicked and rolled under the bed, crying.
The door opened, and [Villain] walked in. "[Civilian]? [Civilian], where are you?" He didn't sound angry but he still scared her. "I'm not gonna hurt you, I want to keep you safe, [Civilian]. Can you come out so I can untie you? If you aren't careful, you could dislocate your shoulders, the way your arms are tied, and I don't want you getting hurt." [Civilian] whimpered softly. This was just too much. "[Civilian]?"
[Civilian]'s heart pounded as [Villain] knelt down and looked under the bed. "I-I'm sorry, please don't get angry!" [Civilian] cried.
"I'm not angry at you, [Civilian]. Again, I'd probably do the same. Can you come out so I can untie you please?" [Civilian] whimpered in fear. "Here, how about this?" [Villain] stood up and opened the door. "Can you see me? Please answer, [Civilian]."
[Villain] pulled out his gun, and [Civilian] cried out. "No, no, it's alright, I'm not gonna shoot you. Just, look." [Villain] unloaded the pistol and threw the gun and magazine out into the hall. He then threw his knife along with it. "See, I'm unarmed." [Villain] said, lifting his arms up in surrender. "I won't hurt you, please, just roll out from under there so I can untie you."
[Civilian] didn't want to, but she also didn't want to make him angry. She whimpered as she rolled out from under the bed, stopping at [Villain]'s feet. Almost immediately, she was lifted up onto the bed. [Villain] turned to his desk and opened a drawer. He came back with a pair of scissors. "[Civilian], I'm gonna need you to stay still so I don't accidentally hurt you, okay?"
"O-Okay," [Civilian] whimpered. She stayed as still as she could while [Villain] cut the ropes on her legs. He gently rolled her over to do the same for her arm. [Civilian] cried into the pillow. When he was done, she curled up as much as she could, trembling. Looking at her arms, [Civilian] saw red lines from the rope that hurt when they were touched.
"Hey, I have this ointment that should help the rope burn. I'm going to put it on your arms and legs, okay?" [Villain] said. [Civilian] heard a bottle open and [Villain] put a cold, oily substance on her forearm. He gently rubbed it in. It did help the pain go away. He did her other arm and her legs as well just as gently. He never jerked her limb to him or hurt her. Instead, his touch was soft and undemanding.
[Villain] sighed and sat down on the bed next to [Civilian]. [Civilian] flinched and cried harder. "[Civilian]? Can you look at me, please? It will be easier for me to explain everything if you look at me." [Civilian] hid her face in her hands, shaking. "It's alright, take your time, I know, I'm really scary, I'm sorry." He rubbed her back slowly, in a motion that somehow felt familiar to [Civilian].
[Civilian] slowly looked up at [Villain], her face tear stricken. "There you go, it's alright," he said as he dried her tears. When he was done, he reached up to his mask and peeled it off.
[Civilian] gasped. She didn't expect to see the face of her older brother underneath that mask. "Y-You're [Villain]?"
"Yeah, yeah I am. I know, you probably hate me now, just, hear me out, please." He reached for something on his night stand. "Do you still love hot chocolate like you used to? 'Cause I got some for you, I even put some hazelnut in it. Is it hazelnut you like, or vanilla? Or maybe cinnamon? Or was it mint?"
"H-hazelnut is fine," [Civilian] answered as she slowly and hesitantly sat up. Is, is my brother an evil murderer?
"First of all, I am not gonna hurt you, [Civilian]," he said as he handed her a mug of hot chocolate. I don't know how you feel about me right now, but I love you so, so much and want the world for you. I'm so, so sorry about all of this. I wanted to keep you out of this side of my life to keep you safe. But things didn't work out. And I'm so, so sorry about those idiots. I shouldn't have trusted anyone with your safety. Just, please listen to me now. Let me explain all of this."
"Alright," [Civilian] said quietly, still pretty scared.
"This organization, no one knows how long it's been around. My guess is that started just over fifty years ago. I wasn't [Villain] the whole time, obviously. That position has been passed down over and over. This gang, it's done a lot of bad stuff. Violent stuff. And each leader got worse and worse. But the last one, he realized how bad it was getting, and decided to go the opposite direction. Make a group of heroes. I, uh, I had accidentally gotten roped in a few weeks earlier. I accidentally pissed off this one guy. Well, the previous [Villain] decided to make me his successor. He trained me everyday. How to fight, how to be a leader. He told me he chose me because I was a good man. Everyday I wanted to tell you because, oh my gosh, I was gonna be a hero. But I didn't because I thought it would put you in danger. I guess I was wrong."
"But, what about [Hero]? She's always fighting you? And she's a good person, she's a hero. How can you be a hero if you're always fighting her?"
"Well, [Hero] used to be a part of this gang. When she saw how the previous [Villain] was changing things, she left. Only to come back and kill him. Which made me leader. But before I could stop her, [Hero] built herself a narrative. She stopped some crimes around the city, built herself up as a hero, then told the media that I'm a killer. The media believed her. Every killing that the media says I've done, it was her. She's framing me. And I don't even have a reliable organization, as [Henchman 1] and [Henchman 2] demonstrated. I'm still in the process of weeding out the bad ones, the ones that still want to do what they did before I was put in charge. Unfortunately, you met two of the bad ones."
"Okay, it was not supposed to be like that at all. I told them to play the part of FBI agents and tell you you're in danger, and take you here to be safe. Instead those monsters hurt you, and I can never forgive them for hurting my sister."
[Brother] sighed. "Sadly, yeah, you are. [Hero] didn't know my identity when I became [Villain]. But she found out today that I'm [Brother]. And, knowing her, I knew she would hurt you to get to me. And I couldn't let anyone touch you." [Brother] slowly traced his hand along [Civilian]'s face gingerly. "At least, I thought I couldn't. I'll never forgive myself for what happened."
"Why didn't you come for me?" [Civilian] asked as she set her empty mug on the nightstand.
"The plan was that I would distract [Hero] while [Henchman 1] and [Henchman 2] would find you and bring you to safety. I did my part of the plan, and those monsters didn't. But I'm so sorry, I should've come for you, or at least gotten people to do it that weren't idiots." [Brother] ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I'm sorry, I probably let you down as your big brother. I lied to you, kept secrets, put you in danger, and couldn't even get the right people to get you here safely. Because of me you got hurt. And I totally understand if you hate me, I'd hate myself if I were in your situation. But, please, [Civilian], let me protect you. If you were still at home, [Hero] would kill you and frame me for your murder. Or worse, she'd capture you and torture you until I surrendered my position to her. I would never forgive myself if I let you die, [Civilian]. Hate me, I can live with that, but let me keep you safe."
[Civilian] threw herself against [Brother] and wrapped her arms around his chest and cried on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry!"
[Brother] hugged her back, lightly rubbing her back. "Hey, hey, it's alright. What could you possibly be apologizing for?"
"All the times I told you that [Villain] was evil and that [Hero] needed to stop him. And, for making you vulnerable to [Hero]. I shouldn't have to be someone you worry about."
[Brother] laughed. "Look, it's my job as your older brother to worry. I've worried all your life. This just happens to be the most recent thing I've worried about, and the most life threatening. You don't have to apologize for that. As for calling me evil, well, so was CNN, and everyone else on the planet. I got used to it pretty fast. And, you were never given evidence that I didn't do it. [Hero] is good at framing people. And some of my guys are evil."
"I love you, and thank you for keeping me safe."
"Of course, I love you too. You need some rest. You were kidnapped, tied up, gagged, hit, and scared out of your mind. A good night's sleep will do you wonders." He broke away from their hug. "I'll go find you some clothes to change into. The door over there goes to a bathroom. I have a toothbrush I haven't taken from the package yet, and you can use my toothpaste. Why don't you do that while I find you some clothes?"
[Civilian] nodded and got up and walked into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and used [Brother]'s hair brush to tidy her hair. When she came back, [Brother] had sweatpants and a T-shirt in his arms. "I'll use the bathroom while you get changed, okay?" [Civilian] nodded and took the pyjamas. She changed quickly and waited for her brother.
When [Brother] came out, he smiled at her. "I kind of didn't think about what we'd do once I got you here. You can sleep on my bed tonight. I'll figure something out tomorrow. For now, drink this," he said, handing her a glass of water. "You've cried a lot tonight, and I'm sure you're dehydrated because of it."
"Thanks." [Civilian] shuffled to her brother's bed. She set the glass down on the nightstand and got on the bed. [Brother] tucked her in. "Good night, [Civilian]. I love you, never doubt that." He put his mask on, grabbed the empty mug and [Civilian]'s deposited clothes, turned off the lights, and left, gently closing the door. She heard him say on the other side of the door that she was not to be disturbed. She drank the water and settled down, quickly falling asleep.
