Character Vignette: Reaper

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"Mommy!" the little boy ran to his mother and gave her a rather intense and mutual hug.

"Sh. Don't worry honey. Everything will be okay." That wasn't really true. She wanted to reassure him. But she knew things were not going to be okay - not with him standing in the other side of the parking lot.

Him. On any given Halloween, she would have thought his costume - especially the skull mask and scythe - was a bit over-the-top. But for the past 24 hours - less? more? - that man had been hunting her and her family relentlessly. He was a famous serial killer, a supervillain even. He had probably killed Ed, just like he had killed Ed's allies - his friends - when they had tried to help. The thought seemed unreal to her - Ed had always seemed so strong, and not just because he was bulletproof and could lift trucks. Her husband had, if anything, even more mental than physical strength. Intellectually, she could tell that the nightmarish killer in front of her had probably killed him...But it just didn't register emotionally.

"You've given me quite a chase," said Reaper. That was true. He had set out to kill the superhero yesterday - killing capes felt much more fulfilling than doing the same to norms. The family would have made a nice bonus. But they had proven...surprisingly persistent and resourceful. The cape's low-level super-speed had complicated things a lot. That game of cat-and-mouse had been one of the most interesting ones he had had in years - it had lasted so long he had even had to kill some random guy to quell his rising bloodlust.

But no more. The hero's skin could stop bullets, but that didn't mean he couldn't be killed if you were clever. He had hoped to buy time for his wife and son - but they couldn't escape Reaper for long.

But something bothered him. Was it how much effort the hero had gone to to protect his family? The devotion the mother had shown in protecting her son? The way even the little kid seemed to care more about his parents than himself?

"You've given me quite a chase," he repeated, "but in the end, I always win."

"Win?" the terror was dripping from the woman's voice, but she still mustered the courage to stare back at him as she hugged her son. "Win what, you, you monster?"

He said nothing.

"Ed w-was the best man I've ever known. Even without his powers, he was a gentle, noble soul who wanted to help everyone and loved us with all his heart. He only wanted us to be happy. R-Rob adored him," she held the child closer, "he was his hero. He...He wants to be a fireman when he grows up. He wants to help people, like his dad. He spends all of recess with his best friend, playing all sorts of games. He has a crush on that nice little girl next door, even if he won't admit it. He loves roller-skating, playing with the dog, eating hot fudge sundaes, and watching Disney movies. So what exactly do you win by...by..."

Reaper still didn't say anything.

"...I have hopes and dreams to", she went on, sounding less afraid as she progressed. "Some for me, some for him. As a little girl, I used to dream about being a ballerina. And a baseball champion. And meeting my prince charming. That last one kinda worked out. Then I found other dreams. I dream of growing old with Ed, and make a lot of grandchildren happy. I dream of Rob growing up to be a good man like his father, meeting a wonderful girl, and being as happy as I have been in the best times. Can you even understand that?"

Reaper remained silent.

"Answer me!" most of her fear seemed to have subsided, and a dose of anger had taken its place. "Our loves, our hopes, our dreams, they're real and so much more meaningful than your killing! Do you even understand what you're doing?! What you're taking away?!"

"I think I do now." His answer startled her. Slowly, he removed his mask. She gazed at his face, her fear returning. Without the mask, he seemed so...normal. He could easily have been the mailman, or the baker down the street. Was this the man who had kept her in mortal terror for so long? "I don't think I've ever really understood before. Most people think to become like me, you need some traumatic childhood or some other Freudian crap, but the truth is, I just like killing. It's never been more complicated or less shallow than that. I'm a predator at heart - if you can call that a heart. Whenever I killed someone, it was as simple as that: Hit with the scythe, the prey is defeated.

But...It's more complicated than that, isn't it? All those people I kill...They're more than just prey. They're people - complex beings with hopes, dreams, loves. Fears, nightmares, hatreds. I've never realized it before. I suppose I ought to thank you - your courage helped me understand that."

He lowered his scythe. "I don't know if it's possible for me to keep going the same as before", he said truthfully. "Everything so far has just been a game of cat-and-mouse I've played with countless people. But now, I understand that they are more than just that. If I kept killing, it would be with the knowledge that I'm destroying not only life, but also things far more precious than it. More than a predator, I'd have to be a true monster."

She said nothing.

"I suppose it's a matter of choice. Become a monster, or find a better way."

He said nothing. Neither did she. For several seconds, there was only silence. Then one swift motion, almost too fast to be seen by the naked eye, followed by a huge splash of blood as Reaper simultaneously put his mask back on and struck the little boy.

His mother stared at what remained of his body in her arms, covered in his blood. She clearly wanted to scream, but seemed too horrified to do even that.

"Guess I choose to be evil" said Reaper. He stared at the woman, her eyes as large as saucers, seemingly too shocked to even breath. "You know...I've killed your husband, murdered your son, put you through Hell and back in the process. If I left you now like this, I'd bet the rest of your life would be a nightmarish mockery of all those hopes and dreams you cherish." He considered the idea for a moment, then killed her with another swing of his weapon. "Nah. I'm a simple guy with simple pleasures."

As he walked away from the carnage, he decided to drop by their home and kill their dog too, just to see if it would be enjoyable. He doubted it would compare to killing people, but hell, why not?