̇ɹǝɥʇǝƃoʇ 'ɹǝʇʇǝq ǝɹ,ǝM
¿ǝǝɹƃɐ noʎ ʇ,uop
Her fingers scrabble at the edge of the window as she cries out. She can't stop shaking as her vision darkens. Penny twists, trying to get up, but her legs just collapse under her. Tears sting at the corner of her eyes as she struggles to stay awake, stay present.
Everything hurts. Everything hurts.
Everything ̴ɥű̴ɹ̴ ͙ t̷͡s̸͂ͅ ͈̯̝̲̘ ̺̹͍̻͍̀ ̣̜̖
͐͆̄͐ ̢̧͈͓̣̹͒͌͋̔͢ ͟ ̡̟͇͇̙̌̑̊̈́̒̚ ͐ ̮̌̊̾̈͘̕͡͝͞ ͝ ̭̺̻̼̇̓̋̓͘̚
ʎuuǝԀ 'noʎ ɹoɟ ƃuᴉɥʇʎu sn ɹoɟ ƃuᴉɥʇʎu
The sound of glass breaking is all that registers after that the voice whispers against the back of her mind.
--
.͊̏̓̽̂͑ ̇ ̍ ̓̇̈́̋̋ ̔̌̓̊͋̒̉̀̓́ ̍͌ ͛̽̒̄
̻̘̯̄̓͗̃͂̄̇̽̐̊͐̇̽͐͋̈́̕͡͞͡͝ ͗̌̈́͒̄ ̛̛̛̃̈̒̏̾̂̐̑̉̀̾̒̊͒̽̊̊͌͋̀͒͗̎͑̇̓́̕͞͠͡͡ ̛͎̻̳̇͛͋̔͂̈́̿͊̏̋͘̕͟ ̜͖̼̽͛͊̐͑̍̀̿̔́͘͠ ̎̒͋̿͌͒ ̒̈́̍̏̅̿̎̽̔͘͠ ̛͑̔̋̌̉͛̂̍̒͐͐̄ ̤̳̲̗̜̻̃̈̇̉́̉̄̍̏͆̈͜͡͞͠ ̂̊͒̍ ̩̳̫̞̟̹͌͒̓͂͛̌̌̊̓̅͟͟͞͡ ̛̣̜̥̹͙̗̏͑͂͂̓͆́̓̓͒͂̑̊͗̉̊͐̏̑̚͡͠͞͞ ̔͐̈́͠ ̛͆̇̈́̽ ̒̂̈͋̀ ͊̓͗̒́̀̕ ̢̛̭̝̮̹͓͛̆̍̐̅̉͆̄̾̇̌͟͡͠ ̇̾ ͆ ̶ ɹ̮ ̩ ǝ̢ ̝ ̮ ̚ ɥ́ ʇ͜ ͟ ̋ ̧ ̞ ̦ ̧ ̲ ǝͅ ͟ ̓ ̠ ƃ̧ ̗ ͐ o ̚ ʇ̴ ̢ ͟ ͎ ̧ ͇ ̲ ̡ ' ̽ ̺ ͅ ̏ ɹ͈ ͈ ̡ ǝ̳ ̚ ʇ̴ ͟ ͜ ̰ ͇ ̡ ʇ̤ ǝͅ ͟ ̣ ̻ ͍ q ̌ ̸ ǝ͜ ͟ ̩ ̫ ̨ ɹ̸ ̗ , ͡ ǝ̸ ̤ M ̴ ̒ ̟ ̇ ̈́ ̷ ɹ͖ ̸ ͓ ̟ ǝ̸ ̪ ͆ ̶ ɥ̚ ʇ̷ ͅ ͅ ͓ ̳ ̪ ̨ ǝ̧ ͕ ̮ ̱ ̡ ƃ̢ ̢ ̙ ͔ ͎ o ̈ ̸ ʇ̣
̡̧̢̧̢̨̡̛̺̼̲̣̺̘̮̘͓͔̠͕̯͈͚̺͍̠͖͇̭̤͓̮̞͓̟̜͚̲̥̬̖̣̘͓̗̩͈͇͓̬̞̹̺̼̻̱͓̝͎̮͚̞̣̯̭̝͎̘̩͔̥͇̤͇͕̪̺̼̱͈̼̘̳̲͍͇͍͔̯̥̱̪̩̖͓̘̅̓̊̎͋̓̊͋̋̏̉͆͑͑̆̏͑͐̊́̀̊̎̿̋̓̒̽̂͑͌͂̒̌̊̽̔̊͂͊̓̓̆͂͒̐́̓̍̒̃̇͌̈͋͌̏͒̔̍́̀̑̂͌̒̓̽̅̈́̈́̆̏͒͒̂̌͋̽͐̽̔͆̓̆̿̅̓̎͆͗̉̓̓͂͗̾̔̾̈̈̄̒̂̌̄͂͐͘̚̕͘̕̕͘̚͢͢͢͢͜͟͠͝͠͡͞͠͡͞ ̧̹̣̺̗̫̼̳̪̮̺̲̰̯̼̭͇͎̹̗͍̲̖̣̲̥͍̩͓̩̞͖̯͕̃̆̋̂͒͢͢͝͠ ̖̬̦͇͔
̵̐ͅ ̇̋ɹ̶̱͖͉͋͜ǝ̛͕͂̈́̋̕͠͞ɥ̯͝ʇ͕ǝ̴͖̗̀͂̏ͅƃ̣ơ̌ʇ̡̞͎͇̍͟͟ '͞ɹ̢͕̠̈́̇̅͘ǝ̧̡̰̮̳̒͜͞ʇ̢̢̙̦̟ʇ̵̧͇͔̘͟ǝ̡̞̱̉̎̔̚͞q̍̔ǝ̷̧͇̒̇͒̕͠ɹ͎͎̐͟,͈̋ǝ̵̡͕̺͂̔̍̕͞M͓̄̍ ̥ ̞
̩
̨̧̧̨̛͎̩̤̥̤͖̹̰͖͍͍̹͚̟̱̩̦͔͇̱̹̻̫͍̤̣͖̠̘̻̥͓̣̝͚̼̭̗̹̞̤̤̣̼̹̹͎̭̘͔͚̙̰͖̬̟͙̻̫̪̖̥͍̝̱̦͚̣̫̝͔͙͚͍͈̣̙̫̬̠̻̼͖͓̳̪̣̣͈̬̜̯̳͙͓͔̾̒̓͛̌̒͆́̾̊̋̈́͒͛̿͒́̽̾̓̋̊̂͑͐͑̎̂́͒͋͒̔̑̊̎̊̀̌͛̓̃̎͆̿͊̍͐͆̄̑̓̊̎̇͛̓̿͑͐̉͋̒̆̉̓̿͌̅̄͊̀̆͒̀͑͋̐͘̚̕̚͜͝͡͡͡͝͞͝ ̗̗͇͉̂͒͌̿̒̂͝ ̹̳
̝ ̹ ͌ ̷ ̇ ̴ ͋ ͇ ɹ ̺ ̕ ǝ ̔ ͒ ͖ ̚ ̷ ɥ͝ ͝ ͒ ʇ ͚ ǝ̸ ̨ ̯ ƃ ̮ o ̱ ̚ ʇ ̵ ̩ ̧ ' ̈́ ɹ ̴ ͅ ̂ ͖ ̨ ͙ ̧ ̹ ǝ̷ ͡ ̧ ̟ ̥ ̣ ʇ ̻ ʇ ̵ ̧ ͚ ̤ ǝ̵ ̺ ̕ q ̪ ̾ ǝ̶ ͘ ̞ ̎ ͕ ɹ ̵ ͋ ͎ ̕ , ͋ ǝ ̈ ͉ M ̂ ̪͍͈ ̹͍ ̬͉͕͙̅̿ ̡̠̳̪͓͍ ̣̗̱̺ ̉ ̗̙̠̟̥͢ ̥̥͖ ̺͙̟ ̲͉̩ ͔̳͕̞ ͉̬ ̺͈̰ ͜͟ ̳̼̼̅ ́ ̱͕̤̣ ̮̩̥̮͎͎ ͇͍̯̩ ͖̙̲ ̦͈̥̖̬̲ ̞̙̝̝ ̼̻̩̲͉ ͙̘͉ ̗̮̺͚̰
.̮ ͙͈ ̠̠̺̮̥ ̠̦ ̘͇͈ ̺̞ ̖͉͖͎̯ ̟̩̱̦̣ ̰͔ ̣̭̭͉̯ ̝̱ .
--
The cold air feels freeing against their skin as they dart forward across the rooftop.
The night sky is beautiful. The stars practically sing a song unheard by those below. A song of somewhere distant and cold. A song of a world they are not a part of anymore.
Oh, how they want to be lost in it.
Lost, forever, lost for-ever-for-ever-fo-r-e-v-e-r!
¿ʇᴉ lǝǝɟ noʎ op ¿ʇᴉ ɹɐǝɥ noʎ op ʎuuǝԀ
ʎuuǝԀ
"I hear it!" She laughs brightly back, throwing their head back as they spread their arms wide. They spin on a rooftop, dizzied and excited all at once.
Their heart beats as one, a loud pounding that almost obscures the sounds of the stars, of the city below, of the world around them.
Together they are one.
Together they are more than anything they could be apart. Together they will make this right.
There is nothing left for her here. There is nothing left for a broken shell.
Everything is finally quiet. Everything has stopped hurting.
They leap together, cutting through the air before they land on a rooftop at their full weight. Their feet pound against the hard surface, running until they hit the edge of the rooftop and jump again. This is where they belong.
They move together through the city, through the night until they find a quiet place to curl up and sleep.
Unity dreams of a better time together. They will make everything so much better now. --
The penthouse smells the same. Expensive cologne and whiskey. Even with the cold night air and smog coming in with her, Norman is all she smells. Penny's fingers catch at the glass of the balcony door.
She lingers in the balcony's doorway just staring out into the darkness. She catches her own reflection in the glass door, staring at it briefly. Her dark hair has grown out again, a rumpled mess of curls that almost obscure her tired features. The black covering of the symboite curls comfortably against her arms and legs, but the rest of her is bare for now. When they aren't on the move, it is easier to conserve energy like this.
Her bare feet pad against the tiled floor as she finally drifts forward into the penthouse itself. Her footsteps quiet as she walks on the carpeted floor. The rest of the symboite slides back into her, gone as the cool air conditioned air hits her skin.
She can hear him breathing, hear his heartbeat. She follows the sound, the scent, pulled towards what she came for. What they came for. She navigates through the building, tasting the air as she drifts. They can taste everything he's done here. Others were here. Other women. What did he do to them?
She slows at the bedroom door, turning the knob quietly as she lets herself in. In the middle of the room is still Norman's queen sized bed. Everything is the same. Even pictures of her on the beside table. Penny can see the pain in her own smile in those photos.
Norman is curled under the covers, his chest rising and falling in sleep. Penny walks into the room, leaving the door open behind herself.
Penny sinks down at the edge of the bed. She folds her hands against her lap, listening to his breathing.
She watches him, dark eyes taking in the familiar lines of his body. He is unaware, so content in the moment. The soft sounds of his snores fill the air for the moment.
Penny reaches out a hand to coax it across his back. Norman stirs slightly, groaning a little as he twists under the covers. He always woke up slowly, but Penny can wait. She is patient.
He turns and he sees her. Recognition hits him, his expression shifting through so many things. Penny just smiles thinly back at him.
He sees them.
Norman tries to sit up, but black tendrils snap out to grab at him, hauling him up as she stays seated. He slides up the wall, knocking pictures and framed awards off on his way up. Glass shatters as it hits the floor, the award breaks into chunky pieces across the headboard of the bed.
He gasps, struggling to breath as he thrashes against their grip. She rises from her spot at the end of the bed to walk over to him. She takes her time, unbothered, unworried about what Norman could do.
Nothing can hurt them now.
He gasps out a name, the wrong name. "M-Mary-" The wrong name makes Penny angry, just as
much as it makes her feel so tired. Even now, he doesn't know. He doesn't even know. He will never know.
She stares at him, her smile dropping away entirely as she holds him in place with the black tendrils. The more he struggles, the stronger her hold becomes. He disgusts them. He ruined so much for them. He helped hurt so many people. He did so much wrong. Unity will fix this. For her, for everyone else. They'll protect New York together, forever.
She pulls him back down roughly, his back sliding across the hard surface of the wall hard enough he cries out. She uses more strength than she needs to. He wants to hurt, and she'll make him hurt.
Penny reaches a hand out to cup his cheek in her palm. She strokes her thumb along his cheek, holding his gaze as his eyes widen. Fear is written across his features as she smiles with just too many teeth. Teeth that jut strangely from places they shouldn't be.
She drags her nail across his cheek. The black symboite rises to the surface, drawing claws to the surface. She digs the claws into skin, into muscle as the man cries out. She can taste how scared he
is. She contorts and twists as the symboite surfaces completely. She is More. They are More.
Clawed fingers hook under the edge of his jaw. Norman's struggling intensifies as he tries to push himself away. The sound of his silk pajama's sliding across the wall feels almost comical in a way Penny can't quite articulate. She hated the feeling of the silk against her skin, against her hands- she can almost feel his hands on her body again.
Anger boils under her skin as she shifts her touch to trace along his jawline.
Penny just tucks the claws deeper, breaking past skin into muscle as she holds his gaze. The edge of her claw brushes against his jawline, against the underside of his teeth. He's gurgling, panicked. His eyes wild and wet with unshed tears.
She can taste how frightened he is. The air is thick with it. They
pull
p u l l
pull
p u l l
p
u l l
pull
pull
until the crack of bone breaks through the sounds of wet gurgling and his muffled screams. Symboite starts to leak out of his nose, from his eyes as his head falls back. She can feel his fear flicker out, a bright burst in the darkness.
Penny just watches as his head hits the carpeted floor under foot. She can feel the heat starting to dissipate from his body. She drops him onto the floor, amongst the glass shards and fallen pictures. She steps back as Unity crawls slides back into her, a piece of her.
They stare at Norman's prone body, his head a few feet away from him. "You should be thankful."