Chapter I : Harm
"I can imagine how you feel, Mr. Hayes. I really can. Out of the kindness of your heart you took in a wayward youth, and this is how he repays you? Though I'd imagine that wayward youth isn't the exact phrasing you'd use, right? I believe your exact words were bottom feeding snot. Yes, Mr. Hayes, I heard you; I listened in on all of your conversations with Mrs. Hayes; she would try to convince you that I was a good kid, and you'd protest saying you felt something off about me…" Billy Hayes stood at the kitchen sink whilst Burt Hayes sat strapped to the wooden chair that he and his wife had hand picked when they found out she was pregnant with their first daughter, Greta, beautiful Greta, the most beautiful thing in all of his life. He could still remember the day he brought her home, the way she smelt, the way she smiled, the feeling of a new life flowing through the house and making everything old seem new again.
But now she was gone, taken away by the monster that just kept on taking, the monster who took his beautiful daughter first but now had taken the one thing that meant more than her. "… You can take some happiness in that in the end, Mr. Hayes, you were right…" Billy turned around from the sink holding in his hands something that made Burt Hayes wretch with rage, he held back the vomit slipping up his throat, knowing that with the gag around his mouth he would surely choke and die on it, he promised himself that he wouldn't die tonight, he wouldn't die because he had to avenge someone. His daughter, Greta, beautiful Greta, who brought so much joy to the house and now, now he had someone else to avenge, the woman who's head had been severed by the monster that kept on taking, the woman who's body had been defiled by the knife that scrapped a pentagram into her skin, the woman who's head was now in the hands of the bottom feeding snot that she had let into their home; his wife.
"Theirs is definitely something wrong with me." Billy held the head up so that they were looking at each other eye to eye and smiled, "But don't think it's because of you, Mr. Hayes, because believe me, it's not. I've done this to a few families now and I want you to know it has nothing to do with you, you were just unlucky enough to be kind, which isn't really a sin at all. It's your destiny to be kind, you believe in destiny, right? I do. I believe that we all have a destiny, a pre-determined plan that regardless of everything else around us we have to follow. But there's a difference in our destinies…" Billy crept towards Burt, who tried with all his might to tear free from the ropes that bound him to the chair so he could strangle the bastard that murdered his family, but it was no use. Billy stooped down behind Burt and whispered into his ear, "my destiny…involves me destroying the world…and you should feel proud…" Burt heard the flick of a knife and shut his eyes tightly, reminding himself that he couldn't die, not yet, not until he got his revenge, "…because yours involves furthering that goal." All of a sudden Burt felt the ropes that bound his arms loosen, he sat there for a moment in shock, partially paralyzed by rage and also by the feeling that he felt the first time he laid eyes on Billy Hayes.
Billy smiled to himself the dumbfounded expression on Burt's face was one that he recognised, he had seen the exact same expression on each of the nights that he furthered his goal, he slipped his hand behind his back and into the waist of his low hanging jeans, and pulled out an M1911 semi-automatic handgun and held it out towards Burt. Burt pulled the gag from his mouth and looked closely at the gun, his voice croaked as he began to speak, "W-what?"
"Take it." Billy said with a voice that would never give away that he had just torn a family apart, it was sweet and kind like a father talking to his son, "Go on, I don't need it, I've got plenty more, I usually target families who have some kind of military connecti—" Burt sprang up from his seat and snatched the gun from Billy's hand kicking the chair he was tied to back in the process, his hands shook, his entire body seemed to tremble, he briefly wondered how he was still standing when every instinct in his body was telling him to crumble and fall, but he knew he couldn't, he had one thing to do first, just one thing and he could crumble, he could mourn the death of his wife, he could mourn the death of his daughter and he could finally rest, he just had to do one thing.
"Do you…" Burt coughed and spluttered as all of his emotions surged to the surface, the shaking was worse now, tears were now streaming down his face and sweat was racing from his armpits, he pulled his left arm up and wiped away the snot streaming from his nose, "Do you have any idea what you've done! You've torn my family apart! Tore them apart! I let you into my house and all you've done is corrupt since the moment you set foot in the door!"
"I know, Mr. Hayes. I'm sick, I'm horrible, I'm twisted, and I bet every urge in your body is telling you to kill me … but you can't, can you?" The same feeling that Burt had felt when he met Billy had returned, but this time it had been turned up tenfold, because he was absolutely right. Burt was trying to kill him, his finger was on the trigger but something was stopping him, he could feel his muscles tensing as they went to pull the trigger but final action wasn't taking place, it was as if he was paralyzed.
"What have you done to," he swallowed, "To me…"
"I haven't done anything, Mr. Hayes, maybe it's just the way you're holding the gun, oh, here's an idea…" Billy said coyly, but a dark expression was beginning to spread across his face. He put chucked the severed head of Mrs. Hayes into the sink and put both his hands behind his head, "how about you raise the gun to your head?" and with those words it happened, Burt tried with all his might to stop it but it was no use, his right arm was bending itself, moving of it's own accord towards his head. "No…!" he let out silently as he tried to force his hand back down with his free hand but it was still no use. Billy smiled, and it was at that moment that Burt noticed that his eyes had turned from their normal deep brown to a bloody crimson.
"There's no use fighting it, Mr. Hayes, telepathic suggestion is the first skill I gained from my sacrifices and I've been breaking down your will since the moment I met you, you can't resist, you're going to die tonight, Mr. Hayes, it's your destiny to die tonight." The gun was at his head now and Burt finally began to accept it, he was going to die and worse, he was going to kill himself, it was now more than ever that Mr. Hayes regretted his wife's kindness, he began going back other the arguments about Billy, wondering if there was anything he could've done or said that could've changed her mind but it didn't matter, it was too late.
"Please…Billy…" Burt forced out still trying his best to force his trigger finger to stop tightening, "Don't…"
"It's too late Mr. Hayes…but maybe this will teach you not to pick up strangers." Billy let out a slight laugh, which elevated into full on maniacal laughter as he pulled on his jacket and headed upstairs leaving Burt to himself. Burt's finger tightened, he felt a cold sweat dripping down his face, and his body was numb as if it was preparing itself for death, he felt a deep shame as it dawned on him that this would look like a typical murder/suicide and he felt his rage returning as he realised that this was exactly the way Billy had planned it to look.
The last thing Mr. Hayes heard was a bang.
Billy Hayes entered the room that for the last year he had called his, the room was dark and messy; the walls were painted black at his request during his first 3 months in the house, Mrs. Hayes had assured Mr. Hayes that all of this would help him Billy feel more comfortable in the house and indeed it did, from that day on he truly felt at home. The Hayes were easily the nicest family he had ever met, he had come to their doorstep on Christmas eve and asked if they could give him some food but nothing could prepare him for what would happen next.
They allowed him into their home, fed him, clothed him and eventually took him in as part of the family; he was especially surprised at Mrs. Hayes insistence that he call her Mom, he would later find out that this was because she had always wanted a son, but this didn't stop her from loving her daughter any less or him any more. They were both her children, and they both received a loving gaze from her, the same loving gaze that Billy received as he severed her head.
But the time for murder was gone, now was the time for business; he sat at the end of his bed and bent over sticking his hands underneath and pulling out an old worn out shoe box, the brand was unrecognisable, this box had been through all kinds of weather, from rain, to sun, to snow, it had been the one constant throughout his quest for destiny; it appeared to be a meaningless shoebox to some, 'probably has some of his treasured possessions from his first home', Mrs. Hayes had told Mr. Hayes when he inquired about it, but it was more than treasured possessions or lost memories from his past home, it was more important than items of sentimental value. He lifted the lid and cast it aside reaching into the box and pulling a small plain grey cube. He held it in both hands, cradling it as if it were made out of porcelain or some other delicate material. He was kneeling on the floor now, cradling the box, the Mother box, in his hands. He had discovered it when he was 12 years old, he had found it in a school playground, he spent the all of that year fascinated by it connecting with it, and learning it's inaudible language so that he could communicate with it, so that he could do what it asked of him, so that if could grant him powers beyond his wildest imagination. He spent the next 4 years following its orders, joining families and then slaughtering them each time become more powerful, all leading to this moment.
"They're dead…" he whispered, "Now what, mother box? What do I have to do now to bring forth the Apokolips?" The Mother Box began to glow, rising slowly into the air, Billy began to nod to himself, no noise came from the box but he understood what the voice in his head was telling he smiled to himself as he realised what was to come next, "At last…"