A Lone Wolf Is Born

Svenne14

Summary:

Daniel's starving. He doesn't want to, but he has to... leave his brother's side. Just for a while. Get some food, come back. Shouldn't be any trouble.

Except... there was trouble. Bad... trouble.

Notes:

Ok, so a fair warning here. Read the tags, check the rating, all that stuff. Puerto Lobos isn't... good for him.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

A few days after Daniel's arrival in Mexico…

Daniel had tried, for hours. But not even the ocean would take him away from the pain that is his life. He didn't want to live, because he had nothing left to live for. Still, he didn't want to take his own life. It just felt… wrong. Doing so would mean that Sean died for nothing. But then again, what really, did Sean die for? Getting his brother to Puerto Lobos? A place where he's miserable, longing for the relief of death? Sean never would have wanted this for him. But it doesn't matter. It's too late to turn back now. He's here forever, alone.

Daniel still hasn't had a single bite of food since crossing the border. Today, he realized that he needs to find some food. He had to leave the closest thing he had to a safe space, and move closer into town. After a thirty-minute walk, he comes to a small marketplace. Vendors selling burgers, tacos, virtually anything. Daniel was so hungry it hurt. He didn't think, he just… did it. He ran towards a vendor, grabbing a greasy burger out of his hands. Then, he kept running while eating simultaneously. For about three seconds. The vendor caught up with him, grabbed his wrist, and slapped him in the face.

"Si te atrapo de nuevo chico, estás muerto." Daniel understood what "Muerto" meant. And it wasn't good. He kept on searching for something, anything, he could steal. But everyone seemed to be on their guard now, he's got no chance. He can't steal any food, and he doesn't have any money to buy it either. What the fuck is he going to do? Ultimately, he's so exhausted that he sits down in a corner, back against a wall. Daniel looks over the marketplace, thinking about his next move.

"Only use your powers as a… last resort, Enano." He remembers Sean telling him. This, if anything, is the last resort. But he doesn't want to. He never wants to use it again. But it would be so… easy. No one would notice it.

"I'm so sorry, Sean. I don't want to… but I have no other choice." Daniel sighs, and walks behind a corner, out of sight. He sets his eyes on the asshole vendor from before. With ease, he makes a burger fly back to him. And some fries. Then a soda. Then a second burger, and a third. He ate so much and so fast, he was out of breath. He almost felt like death caused by a food coma was about to happen. Then, he heard a voice. A familiar voice.

Esteban.

No, not his father.

Kid-Esteban, the asshole that stole his stuff and cut him in the face.

Daniel had actually felt good for the last few minutes. Now, the anger came back. He got up and followed the sound. It took him no more than a minute. There he was, surrounded by other kids in his little gang.

"HEY!" Daniel approached them, feeling his anger about to boil over.

"Huh? Go home Americano. You're not welcome here." Daniel tries to stay calm. He just wants his stuff back. Sean's stuff. That's it.

"Give me my stuff back." Ok, that's a bit… too calm. Everyone laughed at him, which just made him even angrier.

"Or what? You're gonna kill us?" Daniel hopes it doesn't come to that.

"Please, just… give me my stuff back." Daniel's fighting hard to keep his anger under control. He doesn't want to hurt them, they're just kids. Like him. They never had a real chance at life, they had no choice.

"I know who you are. Daniel Diaz, brother of Sean Diaz. He's a murderer, right?" Calm down, calm down, calm down.

"Don't… talk… about… my… brother." Daniel's fists are closed, and every fiber of his being focused on not losing control.

"Why not? He's dead. And he deserved it. He killed people and dragged you with him. I can't imagine what horrors he put you through…" Kid-Esteban smiles smugly.

"My brother hurt me too, at least he used to. But he's gone now. But he left… this, as a reminder." Kid-Esteban shows his left hand and the missing finger. Daniel's hyperventilating.

"Your brother hurt you too, I know he did. Did he beat you? Cut you? Or maybe… did he fuck-" The world went completely white for Daniel Diaz. For the surrounding kids, it went black, forever. The last thing Daniel saw was a smug smile. The last thing he heard would haunt him for the rest of his life. Fifteen kids, screaming in pain and agony, as limbs were torn off, and bones were broken.

Daniel woke up several hours later. At first, he barely remembered anything. Then, piece by piece, it all came back. Still, nothing could have prepared him for the sight before him.

"Ugh, what is this? It's all… sticky…" Daniel thought. Then he opened his eyes as he got up on one knee.

"… No." They were all dead. All of them. Fifteen bodies, rendered unrecognizable by him and his powers. One massive pool of blood, and at the epicenter, was Daniel. He couldn't contain his anger. Instead, he lost it, worse than ever before. Daniel looks at his hands, red with blood, and the blood isn't his own. His clothes are soaked in blood, his hair, his- everything. He looks around, desperately hoping to wake up from this horrifying nightmare. But he can't. It's no nightmare.

"No… no. No, no, no, no, NO!" Daniel panics. He wants to run. His instinct tells him to run. Sean… tells him "run, Enano." But he can't. He collapses onto all four, crying and throwing up, his entire body shaking. He was horrified by his own actions, disgusted by what he's capable of.

"What… what the fuck is wrong with me?" Daniel screams as loud as he possibly can. He slowly gets up on unsteady legs, covered in blood. He looks around carefully. Nobody's nearby, so… it probably means that nobody saw… it. Good. At least he thinks it's good. He's not really sure what to think anymore. Daniel now remembered the sole reason why he got here in the first place. Sean's sketchbook. Where is it? Luckily, he didn't have to search long. Sean's backpack lies in a corner, far away from the pool of blood. Time to get it and leave this place.

As Daniel is about to pick up his brother's backpack, he hears something, someone. A person… calling for help. He doesn't know Spanish, but it felt like a qualified guess. Daniel follows the sound to its source, and there, still alive, is kid-Esteban. It was difficult to tell if he was injured or not. He was covered in blood, but then again, so was Daniel. And Daniel… never wanted this. Not even close. He just… wanted Sean's stuff back. Daniel never wanted to hurt anyone, especially… kids.

"Here, let me help you." Daniel pulls him to his feet, not really sure why he does so. Guilt, perhaps? The other boy was completely different now. His smug smile, his confidence, and arrogant attitude… gone. All that was left, was just a very scared orphan. He looked around, taking it all in, breathing more and more heavily. Finally, his eyes land on the person who helped him.

Daniel.

The look on his face shifted from shock to sheer terror.

"No- no, please- don't. I- I- no, what the fuck- ow!" He rambled words that meant nothing and stumbled backward. Daniel bent over, giving him his hand again.

"NO! Don't- don't you fucking come near me! What- what the fuck… are you?" He was so scared, he couldn't even move. Daniel tried to ignore those words, he never wanted this.

"I- I… just let me help you, man." Daniel just wants to do something, anything, to prove that he's not a horrible person. If he could just help one person, at least that's something.

"Get the FUCK away from me, you- you FREAK! You- you killed them. They're all dead. You're a fucking monster…" Kid-Esteban has tears in his eyes and his voice is shaking.

Freak.

Monster.

He tried. He really did try. What little good that was left inside Daniel Felipe Diaz, died in this very moment. The last shattered remnants of his innocence and childhood died at this very moment. He wanted so badly to be… good. Was it really too much to ask for in his life? Apparently, the answer was…

Yes.

Daniel Felipe Diaz was never meant to be a good person.

"You think I'm a monster? Then… I will show you the monster. I will show you why my brother's innocent, how I cost him an eye, and later, his life. You will see why I can never… be a kid again." Daniel's voice is shaking. The other boy looks on in horror as he slowly raises his right arm. Daniel lifts the other boy slightly above the ground, without hurting him.

"What- what the fuck… is this shit?" The boy seemed to be both horrified and curious at the same time.

"This… this is my curse," Daniel says calmly, breaking the other child's fingers simultaneously. The snapping sound from the bones made Daniel feel sick. Why is he doing this? What would… Sean think? The other boy screams in agony.

"I never wanted this to happen, you know. But you refused to give me my stuff back. So I just… lost control…" Daniel looks down in shame.

"Why… why couldn't you just give me my FUCKING STUFF?! If you did, then none of this would have happened!" Daniel screams, uncertain if his voice is full of anger, shame, or regret. Perhaps, all of them.

"Please… please… I- I don't… want to die." Kid-Esteban cries, out of both pain, and crippling fear.

"You should be happy about that. At least you got something to live for. I don't. Not… not anymore. I don't fear death. I welcome it." Daniel snaps his fingers, and the other boy's arms and legs shattered, the bones ground to literal dust. The child screams and screams, begging for somebody to save him. But nobody's coming.

"… please… just… kill… me… please…" Daniel stopped for a second. He could almost feel Sean's hands on his shoulders and hear his voice in his ear.

"Don't do it, Enano. You're better than that. You're… good, I know you are. Don't lose hope." Daniel starts to cry.

"I tried, Sean. I- I really did! But you're wrong… I'm not better, or good. I'm… nothing." One brief motion with his hand and kid-Esteban fell to the ground, dead. All nine fingers, broken. Both of his arms and legs, filled with a white powder that used to be bone. One massive concussion, courtesy of Daniel losing control earlier. Finally, a broken neck and spine. A young boy, no more than eleven or twelve years old, was tortured to death. By Daniel. For the sole reason that he did the very same thing, Daniel's been doing for the last year. Trying to survive, and hurting other people in the process.

Daniel sighs, moving towards his brother's backpack. Good, it's all still here. He takes the backpack and runs. As fast, as he possibly can. He doesn't know where he's going, or if it even matters, he just runs, like Sean always did. Daniel doesn't care about the heavy backpack he's carrying, the physical and emotional pain inside him, nothing. He runs until there's nowhere left to run anymore. He ends up at the very edge of a cliff. Had things worked out like they were supposed to, this would be where he and Sean would dive into the ocean. But things didn't work out, did they? He looks down at the ocean. His father used to say that the ocean is "beautiful, but treacherous. So never let beauty deceive you, Hijo."

Daniel sheds more than a few tears, remembering that quote. The ocean sure is beautiful. But also, strong winds equals strong currents, then there are all those rocks below. Daniel's mind goes to darker and darker places.

It wouldn't be considered suicide… right? He just… went for a swim, wearing a very heavy backpack. It would be so… easy. So… relieving. No more pain, no more misery. He wouldn't hurt anyone, ever again. Well… he would hurt himself. But he wouldn't hurt anybody… important. Anybody… he loved. Anybody that… mattered. Not a single person around. He could do it, right now. Nobody would notice until he's already… free. Daniel sits down, taking his shoes off, letting his feet dangle over the edge of the cliff. This is it. Now, Daniel Felipe Diaz will be… free.

"I love you. No matter what happens. You hear me, Enano?" Daniel heard Sean's voice inside his head.

"But… but… you're not here, Sean. You're not here…" Daniel whimpers as tears pour down his face.

"… you're… you're DEAD! YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD, SEAN!" His sorrow, now turning to anger, hatred, and despair.

"You left me here, Sean. Alone, in this HELLHOLE! What the FUCK am I supposed to do?! Fucking ANSWER ME!" Daniel knows fully well that nobody will answer him. But he's completely lost it. Whatever was left of the innocent boy from Seattle, is now officially, dead. When nobody gives him an answer, Daniel screams. He screams loud, and he screams long. He doesn't even notice how his powers activate, pulverizing the cliffs below him. When his voice went hoarse and screaming were no longer possible, Daniel takes off the backpack and lets his body fall to the ground. It hurt, but it's not like he cared anymore. He doesn't want to live, he wants to… die. But… he's too afraid to actually… go through with it.

He lies there, looking up at the sky. Daniel Diaz… that's who he is. But… what is he? He's a first-degree murderer, god only knows how many people. He's a liar, a thief, and he's a… criminal. Realizing this, he sobs even more. The sole reason they ran away in the first place, was because they weren't criminals. Now… it's different.

"I'm so sorry to everyone. I- I failed… I failed you all." He says, hoping that someone, somewhere, can hear him. This… this is his life now. It's full of pain, misery, guilt, and grief, but it is his life. Now, it's time to figure out what the actual fuck to do with it.

For better or worse…

Notes:

I'm continuing to explore how an average day could be for Daniel in Puerto Lobos, had Sean died. Obviously, there isn't much good. For now, I'm gonna see how this plays out in the long run. I'm writing shorter standalone fics since I don't have a "long-term" plan for this story. So any feedback would be appreciated. Is this something worth to continue exploring/or not?

Hope you can enjoy (well) this, no matter what.