The Hero, I will become

The rain-swept streets hid their true colors on that night, no longer bathed in the blood of battles once fought, they now looked strangely pure, as if the rain had just washed it all away, all the history, everything that had transpired on those busy streets. On this night, as the rain pelted down upon everything in its sights, a man would be seen, walking beneath the emerald green lights, his entire body covered in shadows, disguising his identity.

The black attire the man was dressed in was entirely appropriate for the situation, as, the entire city was in mourning, for the death of its hero. The flags lay half mast, the women and children shed their tears for his death, yet, at the same time, his death counted for nothing, it was a death in vein, for, even at the late hour, the vices and sins of the city still lay within it, like a cancer, embedded deep, and now the life support had been cut. The city was dying.

The man’s movements were fast, yet staggered, like a wounded cub making his way back to the pack. But there was no pack, not anymore; he was alone in the world, for the hero had died. He would move quickly down the street, his feet splashing against the puddles upon the curb, while more rain pelted upon his back. His lungs, exploding, his breaths, labored, the man would come to a pause bending down and clutching at his chest, as if to concede, to give up, to merely drop down and let the worlds evils embrace him. But then, he would stand back up, shake the drops off his back and continue running into the night.

“My entire life has been a marathon, in that I’ve always been running. Right now, I’m on my last legs, my strength has been drained and it looks as if the end is near, so, I write you this, I leave this story to you all. This is how I die.”

“For the last few days I’ve been running. I’ve confronted death, I’ve seen all the horrors the world can turn at you, I’ve had everything I’ve ever believed in be destroyed in front of my eyes.”

“Yet still, I run.”

“It’s like I’ve become some sort of divine joke to the powers that be, it’s as if they’ve implanted within me this inability to stop running, this inability to give up, and at the same time, they’ve piled boulders on top of me, just to see me crawl back out and ask for a second helping.”

“But now, they’ve hit me where it truly hurts, I’m being crushed, and I just can’t get out, not this time. This time, they didn’t hurt me, they hurt the hero, and now, they expect me to take his place.”

“To step up.”

“To grow up.”

“To be the Rising Star.”

“In a world, fuelled by the evil, I am expected to act as the beacon of light, a man, not deterred by mortal traps of lust and greed.”

“They expect me to act like the hero.”

“So I run.”

The man would continue to sprint, running off into the distance, leaving the welcoming glow of the city and moving further into the shadows of darkness. In the distance stood a skyscraper, dominating the background and pushing high into the heavens. The man would continue to run towards the building, before stopping, turning around, and coming to face the bright lights of the city in his wake.

“Everywhere I look, I’m confronted with it, with that disgusting inevitability, that my race of men are dying out, that soon, the virtues I’ve fought for will disappear and be replaced by vice.”

“Why is it that they turn to me?”

“I’m just a kid!”

“I shouldn’t have to undertake this!”

“This isn’t my job!”

“I’ve never had to do anything like this ever before.”

“I’ve always had someone else above me, someone who could look down, flash an all-knowing smile and tell me that it would all be okay. I always had someone who could shoulder all the pain and suffering, yet still fight on, a true pillar, the rock of which we could build our resistance upon.”

“And now he’s gone.”

“Disappeared.”

“Lost like so many men before him, died fighting, died when he should’ve lived on.”

“And now they need someone to take his place.”

“And I was chosen.”

“They expect me to save this world. To be the light that sends the darkness away.”

“But everywhere I look, I see it. This city has long been corrupted by power, now, the darkness is so thick that not even the heroes light could defeat it.”

“What chance do I have?”

“It’s in these moments that I wish I could just lie down, curl up into a ball and let the darkness win, allow someone else to continue the fight.”

“I’m not big enough for this fight.”

“I never will be.”

The man would turn away from the city, and run off once more, allowing the distant green glow of city lights to slowly fade away behind him. Appearing in front of him, dominating his vision, is a large skyscraper, unnaturally dark, no lights on within, as the man moved towards it, his gaze would turn to a look of fear, and as he moved closer, he would begin to shiver and chill. He was standing before the heart of the darkness.

He would move towards it, still moving with a chill and a stagger in his step, there is no resistance offered from the denizens of the building, it’s as if they rely solely on intimidation to protect them. But still, the man would move closer and closer, not yielding, never stepping back, always running forward.

Then, only footsteps from the door, the man would come to an abrupt stop.

“My entire life, I’ve ran. I’ve never been able to lead; only to be led, I’ve allowed others to lead me, to take the pain from me and shoulder it upon their own souls. I have drained them, I’ve held them back, I’ve been the one who couldn’t fight his own battles.”

“I killed the hero.”

“And now, they need someone to take his place.”

“Do I dare?”

“...”

“That’s it.”

“My entire life, I’ve ran. I’ve run from it, I’ve run from every opportunity, I’ve run from everything I’ve been given, I’ve always run from my own life, in fear, fear of failure, fear of inadequacy. Yet now, the city vests its belief in me? They believe that I am the man to lead them through the darkness and into the light?”

“No longer will I run. No longer will I turn my back. No longer will I let this city swallow me. I’ve lived my life with nothing but fear in my mind, only now, may I truly live my life.”

“The world needs someone.”

“They need a man they can trust. Someone who will never give up the fight.”

“They need a symbol.”

“They need a rock of which they can lean.”

“They need me.”

“Until my final breaths are breathed, until I cannot fight anymore, until I have truly defeated the evil, I shall never rest.”

“I shall never die.”

“I shall become immortal.”

“For every action exerts an equal and opposing reaction.”

“I am that reaction.”

“So, with the cities mighty glow behind me, and the symbol of sin standing before me, I pronounce this to you all.”

“I will be the hero.”

“I will be the Last Man Standing.”

Then, before he could think one more fearful thought, the man would cast of his coat, and run headlong towards the building. Without a fear in the world, hope dominating his mind, having cast off his self-doubt and having finally embraced his destiny, he would finally become the hero, the man that the city could believe in.

The stagger in his step would dissipate, his breaths would slow and become easy, the weight upon his shoulders, the weight of guilt would finally be lifted.

As he moved into the building, the hero would be taken aback by the expensive decorations that would confront him, hiding the true darkness that had long ago gripped the building. It was in this moment of distraction, when the man was captivated by a rather large red tapestry gripping the wall of the building, that he let his guard down.

He never felt the prickling sensation down his neck that he was being watched. His senses had been dulled long ago.

He never noticed the villain walking towards him. He never heard the footsteps.

He never smelt the thick stench reminiscent of oil growing stronger.

He did feel the fist collide with his skull, though.

As the hero recoiled from the blow, he would turn to see his assailant, a man well known within the city, a violent man, an enforcer, not the top dog, just a stray living off scraps from the kennel. The man had a tyrannical reign over the entire city, enforcing laws as he saw fit. He was the villain.

The hero would roll onto his back before standing back on his feet and raising his hands in guarding position in front of his face as the villain would move towards him.

Villain: Do ya’ think ya’ll can just waltz on into this buildin’ and not git’ noticed? I know exactly who you are and what ya’ll want.

Hero: Ah. I’m assuming you’re the one they’ve sent to battle me on intellect.

Villain: You jus’ don’t learn, do ya’ boy? Looks like you’ll need another whuppin’ before you learn your place.

Hero: I’m guessing we can’t sort this out on gentleman’s terms? And here I was itching for a game of scrabble.

That would be the line to set him off. The villain would immediately charge at the hero, pummeling him with blow after blow. The hero could do little more than to put his arms up and try to guard against the shots. With another heavy belting blow, the hero would fall backwards, hitting the ground hard.

Villain: There ya’ go, boy. All that trouble jus’ to end up a-laying there on yer’ back. Was it worth it?

The hero would merely roll onto his back and push himself back up to his feet once more.

Hero: You think that’s enough to send me away? You’re like a stripper, all lead-up, no pay off. You’re not even man enough to finish me off, you’re not even devoted enough to put me down for good.

Villain: Yer’ stupid, kid, ya’ gotta know when to lay down, boy, you’ll be much happier that way, otherwise yer’ in for a rough old time if you wanna keep fighting.

Hero: Sounds like something you’d say before you raped your sister.

Villain: See? Yer’ stupid. Now you’ve gone and said somethin’ you ain’t never gonna be able to take back, and yer’ gonna be sorry you ever spoke after this.

More crushing blows, this time, the hero wasn’t quick enough. The villain would batter away at him, no mercy shown, each blow knocking the hero back further and further. A final shot across the face and blood would trickle down the hero’s nose as he fell back to the ground. His vision blurry, his face bloody, the villain would look on with a sneer.

Villain: Why can’t ya’ just be more like that other guy, he didn’t fight like this, he didn’t disrespect me like ya’ had the gall to do.

Staggering, shaking, the hero would sit up and try to stand, his arms hanging limply at his sides, his nose dripping the crimson red liquid upon the presumably expensive carpet upon the floor. Never yielding, never compromising, never allowing himself to run, the hero would move back towards the villain.

Hero: He fought you all, he wouldn’t allow you people to consume the world like you do, you people had to kill him to keep him down, and you’ll have to do the same to me.

Villain: Kill? Hah. Yer’ joking, right? We didn’t need te’ kill him, we jus’ needed to give him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Hero: There was nothing in this world that could bribe him, the same applies to me. I will never stop fighting, I will never concede to you, or to anyone.

Villain: That may be yer’ thing but it sure as hell wasn’t his! Yer’ deluded, kid, too much blood loss, that man wasn’t some god, he was jus’ a man like you or I, and all men can be tempted, itsa’ fact a’ life.

Hero: No. No. I will never believe that, I will never believe that all men can be tempted, I will never subscribe to the slander. It’s only weak men, men who give into their own desires and cast away the things that made them human; it’s only people who give into evil that can be tempted like that.

Villain: Yer’ describin’ him right now, boy.

Hero: Fuck you.

The hero would move towards the man, throwing two punches, the start of an offense that would never finish as the villain would block them, with desperation in his eyes, the hero would do the only thing he could do, spit the dripping blood into the eyes of the villain, sending him reeling away, in a mixture of pain and disgust.

Villain: Ye’ don’t get it, do ya’? You people have lost, yer’ the losing side, each day yer’ little rebellion is squashed and we’ll keep doin’ it until ya’ all give into us.

Hero: We will never give in.

Villain: We? Hah. Yer’ delirious, you’ve taken too many shots to the head, boy, there ain’t no ‘we’ about it, yer’ the only one left.

Hero: Maybe you’re right, maybe the world really is nothing more than a mine that you can simply suck dry, living with no respect to anyone but your own sick goals, maybe all of your little group are right, maybe evil is destined to win, maybe the rebellion of good men dies with me. Maybe you should just kill me, it would get me out of the way, allow you all to keep doing what you’re doing, you’d have the whole city simply to you, you wouldn’t ever have to mind anyone. Just finish me off.

Nothing would follow, the hero would stand there, waiting for the villain to attack, but nothing would come.

Hero: I’m waiting!

Villain: You ain’t worth my time, boy, you’ve been beat, dontcha’ know when its time to pack up and go home?

Hero: That’s what I’d thought, you’re weak, you’re nothing, you were never man enough to finish the job anyway, you’re just pretending to be tough, you’re nothing real, you’re nothing more than intimidation, beneath that, you’re nothing.

Villain: Listen, boy, I didn’t have any troubles with you before you walked on in here like ya’ owned the place and I don’t have any troubles if ya’ just walk on out right now and don’t bother me again.

Hero: No, it’s too late for that; you’ve got to finish me off.

The hero would spit another mouthful of blood onto the villain and follow it with a burst of adrenaline fuelled strikes to the stomach of the villain.

Hero: Finish me off!

More strikes to the chest by the hero.

Hero: Put me down!

The hero would empty his entire arsenal of kicks and punches all aimed centrally at the villain’s chest.

Villain: I don’t want to!

A pause in the action.

Hero: What?

Villain: Ah’ don’t want to kill you.

Hero: No, you can’t choose that, it’s not an option, we both had a choice at the beginning, we both had to choose a side, I knew what I was signing up for and so did you, when I stepped out and fought for the good in the world, I never relented, and now, you, a man who’s chosen to side against us and fight for his own selfish desires, is refusing to finish me off?

Villain: It ain’t that black and white.

Hero: It never used to be, but now, it’s become it, everything has become black and white, those standing in the middle get obliterated, we’ve all needed to make our choices, you, with your own tyranny and cruelty, have forged a city enforced by blood and it is my duty, my job, the job I undertook when my predecessor died, to fight you all at all costs, to bring the light back to the world.

Villain: There wouldn’t be any violence if yer’ kind just relented! It’s because of ya’ll and your fightin’ that we’ve had to fight back.

Hero: Then maybe you should finish me off.

Something would snap inside the villain’s mind, conflicted between his own views and his duty, he would strike the hero down with one final blow to the skull, sending the hero back to the ground, more blood covering his face.

“As I fell, I began to see things; I saw something that I had far pushed out of my mind. I saw the hero, standing across from me, as I was held down and beaten by the people who opposed it, each blow sending blood down my face, each blow putting me lower, lower, lower towards the ground, unable to fight back, unable to resist, all I could do is stand back and watch.”

“And then, I saw him standing there, I pleaded to him to help me, I pleaded for him to fight alongside me as we had done so many times before, but no help came, all that came was a sneer as he stepped back, his eyes filled with coldness, a gaze that could stare through me.”

“Everything about him was cold, suddenly; his true colors began to surface. His flaws. He drank, he womanized, I never saw these aspects until that moment when he finally betrayed us all.”

“It was in that moment that the light was drained from the world.”

“But I came and took his place.”

“And now as I fall, covered in blood, tired and bruised, I realize that this is not the end, it is only the beginning. For, no matter how many times I am beaten or bruised, I will still always get up and fight on.”

“Until tonight, I was a child.”

“I’ve now become a man.”

“I’ve now become a hero.”

“It’s often in the darkest moments, when I’ve fallen and the entire world believes my demise is right around the corner, that I can pull something special out of myself, to fight further. It’s one of those moments.”

“Get up, hero. Get up and fight.”

The hero’s eyes would shoot open as the pain in his body would slowly fade away, replaced by a feeling of numbness. He would stand up to his feet, the metallic taste of adrenaline returning to his mouth. Over by the door stood the villain, slowly walking out the front door and into the rain.

The villain never heard the hero creep towards him. Why would he? He thought he was out cold.

He never paid any attention to the dripping blood tapping against the puddles behind him; he thought it was just the rain.

Then, that voice would ring out.

Hero: We’re not done, I’m still standing!

Villain: Ya’ sure are a glutton fer’ punishment, boy.

Hero: Let’s just say I need closure.

Villain: Yer’ only gonna find a beatin’ if you follow me.

Hero: Then I leave with a beating. The way I see it, you and I still aren’t finished, how about two men step in, one man steps out, the last man standing leaves with victory.

Villain: This ain’t a game, boy, this ain’t just some phony wrestling match, this is real life, and the way I see it, yer’ a glutton for punishment, and I sure as hell ain’t holding back this time.

Hero: I wouldn’t have it any other way.

And with those final words, the two combatants, hero, villain; light, dark; good, evil; would run towards one and other, the final battle beginning. The villain, sending strike-after-strike to the hero, only to have them expertly dodged or parried, the hero would then follow it up with an attack of his own, sharp kicks to the stomach of the villain, only to have each of them knocked away by the much larger villain.

Strike-for-strike, blow-for-blow, both men would match each other’s attacks for what felt like an eternity. Soon, the breaths of both men became labored as the pair battled in conditions nothing short of cinematic, the rain pelting down in the foreground, the bright emerald lights of the city in the background, both men would’ve paused to admire the beauty of it all if they weren’t so embroiled in the fight, completely focused on fighting the other.

As the battle drew on, both men began to let more and more blows past their defenses as fatigue finally set in, the hero being caught with several more strikes to the skull, and the villain being caught off-guard with a sharp kick to the face. The fight immediately lost all graceful movements and parries in lieu of more straight fighting and desperation.

Then, just as thunder and lightning began to strike down upon the horizon, a break came in the battle with both men pushing one and other off and beginning to circle one and other, the villain couldn’t believe the hero had put this much of a fight, he couldn’t believe the man could continue to get up, the disbelief was mutual, with the hero unable to remember the last time a man simply brushed off blows like the villain did tonight.

Then, with a burst of speed, the hero would catapult himself over the villain, wrapping his legs around the villain’s throat in the process, the blood was in the water, the hero was going in for the kill.

Hero: Just give up!

Villain: (In between struggled breaths) No dice, if yer’ adamant about keepin’ yer’ legs wrapped around like that I might jus’ decide te’ drop ya’ on yer’ head, might kill ya’, might knock ya’ out, either way, ya’ won’t be walkin’ outta here.

Hero: If you drop me, the first thing I’ll do is try to free my legs, by flexing back and breaking your neck, don’t think this is as safe an opportunity as it looks.

Both men would struggle with one and other, the villain trying to escape the hold while the hero would feverishly attempt to finish him before the status quo changes. Another crack of lightning in the horizon and both men would release the holds they had upon one and other and immediately resume fighting.

It soon occurred to both men that the fight wasn’t soon finishing. The rain became heavier, becoming thick bullets falling from the sky, weathering away at both men as they each tried to fight off one and other’s blows with successive strikes of their own. But finally, as the rain became it’s heaviest and the men were at their weakest, another break in the battle arose.

Villain: (Panting) This ain’t gonna end, boy, it’s just not gonna end unless we stop it.

Hero: (Panting) I’m not going to concede, not to you, or anyone.

Villain: (Panting) Yer’ not conceding, yer’ slapping a “To Be Continued” on it. I jus’ know that if we keep fightin’ like this, we’re both gonna go down and there ain’t gonna be a man standin’ at the end of it.

Hero: (Panting) ...Fine, but I promise you, I will never stop fighting against you. You and I have made our choices, there will be no mutual respect between us, you and I will fight until we can’t fight any longer, agreed?

Villain: (Panting) Agreed.

In between heavy breaths, a nod would be exchanged between both men, and, as if in perfect unison, they would turn from one and other and walk back to their respective homes. The villain, walking back into the dark skyscraper behind him, re-entering the heart of darkness as the hero would walk back towards the city, his body being bathed once more in that green glow of the city, a glow that had become a trademark of his home.

And as that man would walk back into the city that he had once let down, he would see that he was welcomed home a hero. As he found himself surrounded by the men he once knew as friend, people he thought had been long defeated by the evil that still had its stranglehold upon the city, he could only manage a few words in between those heavy labored breaths.

“I promise you, I promise each and every one of you that I will never allow evil’s rule to be absolute. I will never give into sin and none of you have reason to, either, you have lost many freedoms after sin took over, but you have gained a hero.”

“The tyranny ends here. It is time for a true Hero, a true Icon to rise up and fight.”

“And he will be the figure standing tall as the bell tolls.”

It never ends.

OOC: Now again with the symbolism I know, however I hope people will see the interest behind this, not one mention of Leon or his opponent, yet I hope I drove the symbolic codes and obvious references of both of them into this...

Hope you enjoy...