Chapter 5: Konrad

**The Outcasts' Anthem**

Verse 1:

In this burning city, where dreams go to die,

We walk these streets, lost souls under a crimson sky,

They call us outcasts, misfits of society's design,

But we're the unwanted generation, rising against the crimes.

Chorus:

We're the outcasts, the ones they push aside,

Beneath this surface, rebellion's burning bright,

We won't conform, won't fit into their mold,

We're the unwanted generation, fierce and bold.

Verse 2:

We live on the fringes, in the shadows we dwell,

They can't break our spirits, they can't make us sell,

With our leather jackets and electric guitars,

We'll tear down the walls, ignite the revolution's stars.

Chorus:

We're the outcasts, the ones they push aside,

Beneath this surface, rebellion's burning bright,

We won't conform, won't fit into their mold,

We're the unwanted generation, fierce and bold.

Bridge:

Through the static, a voice cries out,

We won't be silenced, in this world of doubt,

The city's heartbeat pulses with our rage,

Together we'll rewrite the stories on history's page.

Verse 3:

They say our dreams are futile, that we'll never thrive,

But we defy their expectations, keep the flame alive,

In the underground, our voices intertwine,

Singing the anthems of the unwanted, forever entwined.

Chorus:

We're the outcasts, the ones they push aside,

Beneath this surface, rebellion's burning bright,

We won't conform, won't fit into their mold,

We're the unwanted generation, fierce and bold.

Outro:

So raise your fists, let your voices soar,

In this world of chaos, we'll rise even more,

The unwanted generation, the rebels of the night,

Uniting as one, we'll embrace our forbidden light.

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'So raise your fists, let your voices sour! In this world of chaos, we'll rise even more! The unwanted generation, the rebels of the night. Uniting as one, we'll embrace our forbidden light!'

The music sang through the radio all the way to its crescendo, and Konrad listened to every word in silence. Inside, it was cold and dreary, and yet that didn't bother him. His hands felt sticky and warm, no matter how hard he scrubbed them clean. He could even smell the stinging copper that once saturated his flesh.

Konrad's eyes flickered with each passing thunderbolt. He was so close to the wall; he could practically feel the wind tearing at his skin. A thick pair of gloves warmed his hands, an even thicker leather coat draped over his broad shoulders. The long oval hat he wore was upturned at the sides, with a leather band wrapped around the base of its crown, and its cotton sweatband was stained with blood.

Another flash, another static discharge, none of it mattered. Konrad remained motionless, barely even exhaling a breath as the walls groaned from the exterior pressure. 

"I didn't listen to them… I didn't listen to them… I didn't listen to them…" He kept muttering over-and-over again. His tongue was dry, his throat raspy, but he he kept saying the words repetitively for what seemed like hours on end.

Meanwhile another voice continued to bounce in the back of his mind, a voice that wouldn't let go. It was as a malicious presence; a scaly grip reaching into the depths of his mind, torturing him, trying to break him. 

"How do we kill you…" He asked the unwanted presence in his head.

"Master, it's time. They're ready to meet." The words came from the microphone in his ear. That shook him from his contemplation, although the presence in his mind lingered.

Konrad rose from his chair, picked up the relic that served as his sidearm, and walked like a phantom out of the room. Light bended around him as he strode down the stairway, and into the streets. To anyone who would look directly at him, they might notice a faint shimmer in the air, a vibration in the light, but only if they paid close enough attention.

Walking the streets, he spied a single wanted advertisement flashing across one of the many public screens. He smirked; the bounty had somehow gone up another few thousand.

Without a hint of fear, what-so-ever, Konrad strode away, the acid rain not even burning his skin.