5 First Blood!

It was a dark moonless night and three youths, Sammy, Tim, and Nathan, were walking toward the Orǎga'aon Institute of Space Science and Technology. They are holding a beer can each in their hands.

"Sam, do you think that nerd will ever stop being close to Diana?" Tim asked as he gulped a mouthful of beer.

"Humph! He better be this time. Otherwise, I will really kill him for not knowing his place." Sammy replied grimly.

"Come on, Sam. Don't be such an asshole. Even though that kid is a Defect, if you kill him openly, then we will all be in trouble. Just forget it... Oh, and don't you worry, if he becomes so stubborn, then we will deal with him accordingly, in secret. " Nathan suggested.

As they were almost about to reach the college campus, suddenly all the street lights nearby lost electricity and the surrounding became dark. Then a dark silhouette appeared before them and started beating them all at once. It was pretty quick. The silhouette took down the three youths with just a punch each.

The three youths were currently on the ground, covering their heads with their hands.

"Argh! Stop hitting us, you asshole!" Sammy shrieked in pain.

Whereas Nathan asked amidst their groans, "Sir, please stop. We'll surrender everything we got."

But the beating didn't end there, so he asked again, sensing something odd, "Sir, why are you doing this to us?"

"I heard you guys love bullying others. So, how do you feel now?" A high-frequency machine voice spoke.

"What's so wrong about beating some defects? Stop bullying us, you dickhead!" Sammy yelled.

"Huh, I understand your logic." The mechanical male spoke calmly. "Anyway, in my eyes, forget about Defects. You scums are worth, lesser than a mosquito." Then he kicked each of them on their behinds once.

"We made a mistake, sir. Please, spare us this time. From today onward, we'll stop bullying others." Tim and Nathan pleaded. But Sammy still holds his ground, grinding his teeth.

His attitude enraged the man in disguise, and a strong killing intent sipped out for a second.

Feeling the overwhelming sense of death approaching them, the three youths went timid as they shook their bodies. And Tim even peed on himself out of fear.

"Urgh! What is that smell?" said the man in disguise, in a mechanic voice, and continued, "Disgusting! These spineless idiots! " At that moment, he sensed someone approaching. So, after kicking on each of their behinds one more time, he disappeared. After the silhouette left the scene, the street lamps started lighting up again.

"Sammy, is that guy already left?" Tim asked timidly.

Sammy slightly turned his head and looked around and found no one there.

"He is gone," said Sammy. Then the three youths stood up and tidied up their dusty clothes.

"Who the hell is that man?" Nathan asked. He was the one who wet his own pants out of fear.

"You are asking us. But who will we ask about that then?" Tim retorted and continued, "That asshole seems to be some sort of vigilante working for those Defects."

  "Hey, do we offend anyone this week?" Nathan asked.

"Nope! I don't remember us bullying anyone this week." Sammy replied, thinking very hard.

"Hey, have you guys forgotten already? Then let me remind you, Sammy, it is you that beat Bobby in the college playground today. Now, I understand this matter must have something to do with that Dork." Tim spoke while brooding.

Farther away, that silhouette appeared abruptly in the corner of a gully. He looked at the corner and said in a mechanical voice, "Miss, you can come out now." Diana came out from the shadow. She dashed toward the silhouette and spoke. "Look into my eyes and stay still."

The silhouette looked at her red eyes and remained still as she said.

"Why are you beating those three youths before?" She asked.

"It is because they are bullies." A mechanical voice replied obediently.

"Who are you?" She asked again.

"I am the Night Owl." the mechanical voice replied again.

"So, you're the infamous Night Owl who helps the Defects. Alright, let's see who's really under this mask," Diana said. She stretched out her hand to take off the mask.

Suddenly, her hand was caught by the others.

"Eh! Why aren't you under my, Mind compulsion skill?" Diana exclaimed, freeing her hand from his grip. It was the first time her Mind compulsion failed.

"Girl, you must be from the Carver family. How is your grandpa, Peter Carver?" The mechanical voice asked.

"You even know about my family. Who are you?" Diana asked cautiously.

"Ho ho ho! Alright, tell him. I greeted him. Goodbye, little girl," the mechanical voice spoke and vanished.

*****

After a hellish day, the three bullies approached their dorms, limping with their broken legs. Just as they entered their dorms, a kitchen knife flew out of nowhere and it went straight through Sammy's neck. Puchi! He died instantly.  The other two caught his dropping bodies.

Placing on the floor, Nathan put pressure on his neck, which was oozing with red merlot. 

"What happened?!" asked Tim in fright.

"Hmm, he's dead!" Responding with a long sigh, Nathan looked around to see a youth sitting on the rocking chair leisurely. Pointing at him, he yelled, "Bastard, it's all of your doing. You'll pay for it, freak!" 

The two ran toward Bobby.

In response, Bobby put on a transparent gas mask and tossed a smoke bomb. 

Kaboom! With a loud banging sound, a thick pungent greenish fog filled up the room. Tim and Nathan tried covering their noses. But it was too late, as they had already inhaled a breath.

Bobby stood up and said as the two started coughing: "Ku hahaha, now do you feel the intense burning sensation in your chests."

"Bastard, do you think poison will work on us?" Nathan cried as he rushed toward him. But just as he was a step away from him, he tripped, losing his strength.

"No-no-no, it's not just any poison. I invested three years of work in creating this beloved Devil's Snarled! Hehehe, how do you like the taste of it? Oh, one thing, just don't try using your Chi, it will only react more vigorously because I made it only for you people." Bobby said while making a devilish grin.

Nathan and Tim started convulsing on the ground as the poison started rupturing their organs. It was a gradual process. So they started wailing in heart-wrenching pain as they even asked for his mercy and his forgiveness.

Instead, the youth walked back to the rocking chair and continued watching their miseries for the next two hours until their last, whimpering breaths.

"My Devil's Snarl really is effective in killing those bastards!" Only, after that, he walked out of the room. "My humiliation ends today!"

(Edited: 19 January '23)