The Slaughter of 1999, Part 3

Nick wakes up days later in the infirmary of the Slayer Organization Headquarters.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO VIOLET?!" Nick cries as he shoots up in bed. That was the first time that Nick moved in days, and the first thing he did upon waking up.

The nurse fidgets around nervously, not knowing what to say.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO VIOLET?!" Nick reapers. The nurse is silent.

"I'm…not allowed to tell you…" she eventually stammers, turning away from Nick in fear and in shame.

"DAMNIT!" Nick roars as he leaps out of bed and dashes out of the room, ignoring the surging pain in each and every last muscle and bone, screaming at Nick to lay abc down and stop moving. Nick doesn't listen. 

"Wait! You shouldn't be moving yet!" The nurse cries as Nick rushes down the hallway, but he ignores her.

And as Nick ran, he could feel it. His legs are destroyed, not used to the speed of his Full Charge. Nick also has dozens of broken bones as well, caused by Violet's punches.

Nick keeps running. He runs until he eventually finds himself outside of the Chairman's office, and barges inside.

"Oh, so you're awake?" The Chairman calmly says with a smirk as he turns to face Nick, who's huffing and puffing at the entrance to the Chairman's office, using the door frame for support, to keep from collapsing.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO VIOLET?!" Nick cries one last time.

The Chairman pauses for a moment, not wanting to answer Nick's question, or more likely…not wanting to receive Nick's response. But eventually, the Chairman decides to speak; "Violet Reeves, Slayer Akuma, and his entire family are set to be executed a day from today on the charges of mass murder, attempted mass murder, sheltering a demon, and being a demon."

Nick's eyes widen. He wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. How can he deny Violet's punishment when he watched Violet slaughter people before his very own eyes, and listened to Violet call himself a half demon with his very own ears.

Ironically, the first thing that Nick is able to say…are Violet's own words. "Only half…" Nick squeaks out.

"Demon's are incredibly dangerous and violent creatures. Who's to say that was Violet out there and who was the Violet Demon?" The Chairman asks.

"But I saw! Violet…he was crying!" Nick desperately cries. "Violet begged me to stop him before he hurt anyone!"

"Well you sure did a poor job of that!" The Chairman laughs. "Violet must have killed over a hundred people by the time you stopped him."

"You bastard…" Nick growls. Electricity begins crackling all across Nick's body, which he uses to charge towards the Chairman, as fast as lightning, aiming an electrified punch his way.

The Chairman counters by reaching into the folds of his suit jacket with an apathetic sigh, pulling out a small notebook. With one hand, the Chairman begins flipping through the pages of his notebook, before settling on a specific page. And with his other hand, the Chairman brings it up to block as it begins crackling with electricity.

Nick's electrified punch clashes against the Chairman's electrified arm, bolts of lightning sent flying everywhere from the impact.

Nick's eyes widen. "You…used my lightning?!" He cries.

"That's not important right now," the Chairman replies as he knocks Nick to the floor, the lightning coursing around the two Slayers dissipating. The Chairman then closes his notebook, gently placing it back in the folds of his suit jacket. "But you know what is important right now? What the audience members and the spectating Slayers were saying about you!" The Chairman continues.

Nick stands back up, clenching his hands tightly into fists. "Who cares about that right now?!" Nick snaps. But the Chairman continues speaking, as if he hadn't heard Nick's response.

"They were saying: "Look how fast that boy was" and "when he fought, all I saw was a flash if black and yellow!" People are calling you The Bumblebee." And you know what they say about Slayers with nicknames aside from their codenames-"

Nick cuts the Chairman off. "Yeah, yeah, the Slayers with code names are Slayers not to be trifled with. Who cares, what about Violet?!"

"Do you remember the promise I made you?" The Chairman asks.

"That I would graduate from my squad duties if I won the tournament? What about it?!" Nick asks.

"Well, you did win the tournament after all. You beat Violet. Congratulations! You are the youngest Player to be officially recognized as an official Pro Slayer!" The Chairman booms as he begins clapping. "Now, I'd like to offer you a special position."

"What kind of position?" Nick growls in between his grit teeth.

"Well you…took care of Violet rather well out there," the Chairman begins to explain. "So I was wondering…if you would want to become an Assassin? A type of Pro Slayer that serves as my "secret service," which specializes in the assassination of other, corrupted Pro Slayers?"

If Nick grit his teeth any tighter, they would crack. If he clenches his fists any tighter, his knuckles would pop. "BECOME AN ASSASSIN?! YOU THINK THAT I ENJOYED HAVING TO FIGHT VIOLET THAT WAY?! BECAUSE I WON, HE'S GOING TO BE EXECUTED!"

"Hachi, Slayers of the Assassin Branch are Pro Slayers of the highest degree," the Chairman calmly explains. "With your speed and intelligence, you would be the backbone of this Organization. My shadow right-hand man.

"Screw your shitty position, I'm done with this!'' Nick snaps as he storms out of the Chairman's office.

The Chairman frowns. "A day from today, after you attend Violet's funeral, return to the Headquarters and meet me in my office on the top floor. And only then will you give me your true answer!" The Chairman calls after Nick.

But Nick doesn't look back, he keeps walking. Certain that he would decline the Chairman's offer.

***

Ever since Nick's first Thunderbolt from the Heavens, the skies remained gray, the clouds black, with pouring rain and trembling lightning. Nick dressed in a black suit with black dress pants, a white dress shirt, dark brown -almost black- dress shoes, a yellow tie with a black lightning bolt going down the middle, and a yellow belt, so long that it hangs off of Nick's waist, like a tail.

Nick makes his way into the first arena of the NYIC. In the middle…lays three guillotines. In those guillotines, are Nick's best friend and rival, Violet the half demon, as well as his demon father and human mother.

"Even the parents…" Nick softly whispers.

Nick takes his seat in the audience. The audience is filled with people. People who were victims or the families of the victims of the event now known as The Slaughter of 1999, all screaming in a rage at Violet and his family.

An executioner walks onto stage. He asks Violet if he has any last words. They were; "I love you, mom and dad," and; "I'm sorry, Nick." The executioner pulls the lever.

When Nick was fifteen years old…he witnessed the death of his best friend.

Nick refused to see the Chairman after this execution, and spent the next few weeks crying non stop. Crying for Violet. A demon. Something...that was unheard of. But one day, the crying stopped.

Nick made his way to the Slayer Organization Headquarters and stepped inside the Chairman's office.

"Have you made up your mind?" the Chairman asks.

"Having to call that demon friend, treating it like it was one of us…it was sickening," Nick replies, faking a toothy grin. "I'll accept your offer."

The Chairman smiles, ignoring Nick's obvious rouse. "Great! Starting tomorrow you are no longer Nicholas Boras. You're Slayer Hachi, an Assassin Slayer. The Bumblebee. No one knows who you are or what you do. A shadow," the Chairman explains.

 Without any more words, Nick exits the Chairman's office.

"The Bumblebee." Nick despises that name and how it was given to him.

***

Assassin…Violet Reeves…The Slaughter of 1999…Nick's half demon friend… too many thoughts are racing through my brain at the moment to keep track of. My wind is scrambled. My head hurts.

"What will…happen to me?" I finally manage to choke out in the form of a whimper.

"Truthfully, I don't know. It seems like the Chairman knew that August was a half demon and welcomed him with open arms, so I have no idea what will happen to you now," Nick answers. But one thing is for certain; I will lay down my life to ensure that you don't die, Luis."

Tears begin to well up in my eyes. I'm scared…" I whimper. "I never really enjoyed life until I became a Pro Slayer. My life never meant anything to me, but now… I don't want to die…"

Nick stands up and pats my head. "I know, Luis, I know. But you won't die. Not on watch. I promise," he says.

I wipe the tears from my eyes. "What's going on in the tournament right now?" I ask, attempting to lighten the mood. Attempting to make myself feel better.

"The finals are happening right now, they're probably about to send any second now," Nick answers.

"Who…who's in the finals?" I ask. I hope it's Grover. God how I hope I get to see Grover kick August's ass. Not just for my sake, or Mikey's sake, but for Grover's sake, and Nick's sake, and the sake of the rest of our squad, as well.

"Well I'll tell you…" Nick answers.