EQUINOX REQUIEM
CHAPTER FOUR: A STICKY SITUATION
Content warning:
This chapter contains a brief scene involving harassment and violence. It's an important moment for the story, but I understand it might be uncomfortable for some readers. Please read with care and skip ahead if you need to — your comfort comes first.
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"What the fuck is going on?!" Asher cursed.
Could it be a coincidence? Hale thought about Abbess. A trillion therapy sessions could never get that image out of his head. What the fuck is going on?!!
Mrs. Wren runs toward the fire and grabs the extinguisher. Just as she's about to use it, several small explosions erupt all over the house. The ceiling caves in, and debris crashes down—blocking the front door completely. Four shadowy figures flash within the flames, and each member of the Wren family drops to the ground one by one. Hale's vision blurs, his heartbeat slows, and then—darkness.
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Hale regains consciousness in a small, dimly lit room. His head throbs. His family is bound to chairs beside him, their lips taped shut.
Outside, two muffled voices drift through the door. "Ugh! There's this sexy blonde over at my shack I was lookin' forward to doing all sorts o' poses with."
"I bagged that red-haired reality show chick, but little boss had to ruin my night—"
"Little boss!" they both echo, straightening up. The door creaks open. Three men step inside. The one in the middle—tall, lean, and built like steel—radiated command. To his left stood a taller man with glasses; to his right, another just as tall, with a scar running over his right eye. The leader glared at Hale with disgust.
"So, you're the hero who messed up my operation, huh? You watch a lot of Marvel, don't you?" He kicks Hale hard in the face. Hale topples backward, and the man stomps on his chest with bone-cracking force. "You think your little Kung Fu makes you special?! Ptui!!" He spits in Hale's face. "Wake them up."
The tallest one grins wickedly and cuts Lyric's ropes. He yanks her up and slaps her across the face. The sound echoes through the room. She slams into the floor, crying. A deep red mark blooms on her cheek. "Don't worry," he sneers. "I'll take real good care of her… hehehehe…"
The scarred man, "Scar," kicks Asher's and Mrs. Wren's chairs hard. They groan, waking in pain. Scar crouches in front of Mrs. Wren, his grin vile. "Blade, I'll take this one," he says to the leader. "Don't worry, beautiful. You'll live a good life with me."
Hale's eyes turn bloodshot. I'll fucking kill you!!! He starts to loosen the ropes that bind his hands.
Lyric's muffled sobs continue as the tallest man carries her on his shoulder. He slaps her butt. "Quit squirming…"
Suddenly, Hale grabs Blade's ankle and throws him to the side, ripping the tape from his mouth. "I'll kill you all!!!"
Blade appears behind Hale in a blur and smacks him so hard he flies into the wall. "I told you not to show off your useless ability in front of me!!" Blade barked. "Both of you, drop them now!!! I was gonna give you a quick death and deal with the rest of your family later—but now, I'll make sure you learn what it means to want to die and be unable to!!! I'll torture you all to death!!!"
"Oh, fuck! You'll pay for that, brat!!" the tallest man shouted.
Just then, a scream echoed from outside—then silence. The tallest man edged toward the door. As his hand reached for the handle, something massive burst through. Before anyone could process what happened, the man's headless body dropped to the floor.
"What the fuck?!" Blade said, drawing back as he and Scar took battle stances. As the dust cleared, the intruder came into view—a giant white tiger. Its bright eyes locked on Hale… then Blade. Both seemed to notice something in it's eyes. Holy fuck!!! The tiger lunged straight for Blade, who reacted by grabbing Hale and hurling him toward it. The tiger swatted Hale aside effortlessly and continued its charge. Scar drew a dagger from his belt and lunged.
"Scar, don't!!" Blade warned, but too late—the tiger ripped Scar apart in one brutal strike.
"Damnit!" Blade hissed, pivoting to escape the room. Hale used the chaos to free his family, and they bolted out—only to be met by a swarm of thugs armed with daggers, pipes, and electric batons. Oh… fuck!!!
Chapter Four -- End.