How bad can this possibly be?

It was a late night. The moon was in its Gibbous phase and shining down on the beautiful and quiet forest below. Two individuals trekked through the trees, flashlights in hand and surveying the surrounding area.

The two individuals were environmentalists. Devoted to defending and protecting this forest which resided in a large nature preserve. The preserve was large, and filled with flora and fauna, and the two individuals smiled at the sight of it all around them.

But they weren't there to just admire the trees.

They were investigating. They'd received an anonymous tip that industrial waste was being dumped into the lake that supplied water to the preserve. And if these serious allegation rang true then actions had to be taken immediately.

So they persevered and soon they cleared the trees and came upon the lake. The light of the moon reflected off its still surface and they both smiled at the beautiful sight.

But their smiles faded as they peered across the lake and at a noticeable glimmer of light gleaming across the waters at the opposite shore. At first they believed it was perhaps a campfire, but opted to investigate. They began to trek around the lake, keeping their eyes on the light as they went.

But the closer they got to it, the more they took note of the changes to the flora around them. Trees were bare of leaves, which was strange given the time of the year. The bushes as well were devoid of foliage and the forest was dead silent. And the closer they got the ground itself seemed to grow greyer and dull.

They eventually came upon the lights, finding it to be a small company of vehicles. There were several large tanker trunks, one of which was near the lake's edge. And they could both see the black substance being dumped into the lake, likely industrial waste.

The two environmentalists exchanged a glance before one of them pulled out their phones to begin recording. They were gathering evidence, making sure to get everything to ensure they would stop this now. They zoomed into the logo on the trucks too, that way they knew who to blame.

Unfortunately in order to get as much evidence as they could the one recording had stepped into the open ever so slightly. And in a stroke of bad luck one of the many men happened to spot them out of the corner of their eyes.

The alarm was raised that they were being watched and the the men with the trucks charged to apprehend the two environmentalists. The two had run, trying to get away so they could expose the crimes happening to the preserve. But they were caught. The numerous men grabbed them roughly, snatching away their phones before dragging them back to the trucks and surrounding them.

They were shoved to their knees while being held by the men. They looked up and around, wondering what was in store for them when the men before them parted to allow another figure to step up to them.

The man was tall and thin. Unlike the men dressed in simple black clothing he wore an extravagant green striped tailcoat with a tall black top hat. He wore long gloves and black pants and expensive black shoes. His eyes were concealed behind pitch black sunglasses.

He walked up to them, fingers pressed together in contemplation at this probably unexpected development. And then suddenly gave them a smile. "Hey there folks. Nice night isn't it?" he said in greeting. The two captives remained silent, confused and apprehensive.

"Now I bet you're wondering what this is all about," he said as he gestured around at the entire scene. "Well, I'm just doing teensy little off the books waste disposal," he said with a shrug.

"Now, down to business," he began as he reached into his coat and pulled out a small booklet and a pen. "How much is this going to cost me to keep you both quiet on this?" he asked the two of them. There was a moment of silence as he awaited their answer. When none came he pressed.

"Come on now. Name your price. Seriously, I'm loaded," he insisted.

"You can't buy our silence," one of them said in defiance.

"We're going to tell people. You're killing the forest. This is bad," the other one said loudly.

The man's smile faded. He put away his checkbook and pen before staring at the two of them in silence.

"How bad can this possibly be?" he asked rhetorically, shrugging as if what he were doing wasn't doing any damage. He suddenly raised a hand up and snapped his finger. A few of his men came up to the environmentalists.

Their mouths were grabbed and pried open, and as they struggled something was shoved inside their mouths. There were forced shut and made to swallow the foreign objects. They blanched for a moment before suddenly night became day, the sky turned pink, and they felt better than they had in their whole lives.

Daze smiled split their faces as they ceased struggling and forgot why they were here and what was happening around them.

The man in the suit called out to his men, "Drop them off at the city and get back to work!" he ordered. His men obeyed. The man went to the tree line as he observed their work. He stood beside a tree and reached a hand out to lean against it.

After a moment the spot where his hand was touching the tree began to turn black. It spread, circling the trees trunk and spreading upward and downward. The bark began peeling away as the tree became weaker and weaker before it was dead, rotted away from his touch.

"I'm not bad," the man said to himself lowly. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at nothing. "Am I?" he suddenly asked, beginning to wonder and doubt his own words.

Of course not, suddenly said a voice that only he could hear. You're only doing what's natural. And how could that possibly be bad?

The man smiled, mind put at ease. "Yeah. Of course," he said in agreement.

Soon you'll have all you ever wanted. And everyone else will see things the way you do.

"Yeah. What was I thinking. Bad, pshhh. Yeah right."

And just like that he waved it off, not caring about the harm he was causing. Only what his efforts would ultimately get him in the end.

New Night Fury/Frost story