Tension was in the air like a wool blanket, heavy and suffocating.
Everyone had eyes on the assassin — weapons raised, fingers twitching on triggers. No one dared breathe too loud. They were all waiting to see what he'd do.
Then he shifted, one hand moved slowly to his side — and that's when they saw it. Why his silhouette looked off. Michael clung to him. Small arms locked tight around Kageoni's neck, face buried against the shoulder of a man soaked in blood.
The room went still. Silence fell over them as they realized, out of fear, they put a child in the way of gunfire. The only sound now was crying. Choked sobs coming from the boy holding the assassin.
Angel's stomach dropped. She began to understand why Michael hadn't trusted them. Why he clung to the assassin like they were the bad ones. Grimford cops had a rep — they didn't save people. They either killed or hurt them.
And what had they done the moment they barged in? Opened fire on the one person who protected him.
A deep voice shattered the silence, making everyone flinch.
"Michael," the assassin said. With a serene amount of calm in his voice, like he didn't have multiple guns aimed at him. "Go to them."
"No!" Michael sobbed. "They're gonna kill you! You saved me from Scarface! You're a superhero! Why are they shooting at us?! You stopped the bad guys from hurting me and my sister. You didn't do anything wrong."
Seconds passed in silence. Then the assassin spoke, "I surrender," his voice cold enough to chill the marrow. "So long as no harm comes to the boy. If any does… I will kill each and every last one of you."
Everyone in the room shivered as they heard the assassin's words. Even with their guns pointed at him, they didn't feel safe.
Kageoni, turning to David, spoke, "Take the boy."
Everyone held their breath in silence watching David's next move. Then, slowly, David stepped forward.
"Michael," he said gently, reaching. "Come on, it's okay. You need to let go."
"No!!!!!" Michael started screaming. "They'll kill you like they killed my dad! Don't let them take you!"
A deeper silence crept in, thicker than before, as the room soaked in Michael's fear — and his hate. His tiny fingers clenched tighter around the assassin's body, holding on with desperation.
David leaned forward, reaching for him, but Michael pushed his hand back. "Stay away from me!"
The kid twisted, flailed — and his elbow slammed right into David's forehead with a loud thud.
David, caught off guard by the blow, reeled. One officer, reacting to the sudden movement, instinctively raised his weapon—
WHIZZ.
A silver blur tore through the air.
There was a kunai lodged in the wall behind him — and a line of blood trailing down his cheek.
His scream came a second too late. He dropped to the ground, clutching his ear — cut in half, face split open from his cheek to ear like a ripe fruit.
He turned, and Kageoni stood there with his arm still extended, gaze focused on him, disregarding every other person in the room.
"I advise you," the assassin said, his voice icy cold, chilling the bones, "to point that object at the actual threat in the room."
Everyone froze.
They were aiming — but they weren't aiming with confidence anymore. Hands shook. Fingers hovered on triggers, but no one wanted to pull first.
Everyone just saw what happened. If he wanted to, that officer would be dead. He missed his eyes on purpose.
Barry quickly moved, slapping two cuffs onto him before he threw another kunai — one that actually met its mark.
> CLACK.
Michael screamed, struggling harder. "NO! Let go of him! Don't take him! Don't touch him!"
David tried to grab him again, but Michael jumped off Kageoni, kicked David in the leg, and bolted.
The boy took off running, tears streaming down his face, rage and fear written all over him.
One of the officers twitched — just a twitch, barely lifting his weapon — but he didn't dare aim again.
No one wanted to see what Kageoni could do even while cuffed.
As Michael vanished down a corridor, Kageoni stood still, watching as the boy ran, and sighed.
Angel, caught off guard by how fast everything moved, finally stepped forward, attempting to read him his rights.
Kageoni didn't look at her. He stared at the ground where Michael had been.
"He thinks I'm a hero."
He looked up slowly, eyes locking with hers.
"Don't make me prove him wrong."
Angel shuddered at the killing intent she felt from his words. She watched as the SWAT members surrounded him, guns pointed but shaky.
She genuinely wanted this night to end — the thirty minutes spent in the warehouse felt like a day.
David walked up to her. "I hope they know the only reason those cuffs are on is because he let us. Before they get too cocky and do something stupid."
Rubbing his eyes and sighing quietly, "I'm gonna look for the boy. Can't have him stay in this building any longer."
"Sure. I'll go check out Scarface's office, see if I can find anything. Hopefully something to make this rollercoaster of a nightmare worth it."
David nodded, acknowledging her silently as he walked toward where Michael ran to.
Shaking off the urge to leave and avoid seeing the bodies, Angel walked back to the corridor door and opened it.
The stench of blood assaulted her nose, its coppery, tangy scent filling her nostrils.
The horrid sight of the mutilated bodies, gutted like fish and killed like cattle, churned her stomach as she tasted bile.
She walked past quickly, feeling her shoes sticking in the puddles of semi-dried blood. Looking away and increasing her pace till she reached the office.
Opening the door, Angel saw Scarface's body and remembered he was still there. Still alive. Barely.
Angel picked up her radio.
"Unit V5 to medics at scene. 10-52, 10-15, 10-23. Suspect critical condition. Priority transport requested. Over."
Angel gazed ominously at the hanging body that was barely breathing. A sadistic sense of joy filled her at the karma that he was suffering.
Realizing she was supporting the actions of a criminal, she quickly tore her eyes away and began looking around the office, leaving his fate to the medics that were coming to save him.
There wasn't much to see. Only an office table filled with junk and disappointment.
The only other thing was a side cabinet with Scarface's stuff — alcohol, sex toys, lube, and a gun.
She slammed it shut in disgust and began searching other places in the office. After combing through everything and not finding anything noteworthy, Angel leaned on the wall, still considering her whole evening to be a fever dream — one she wanted to end.
Resting her eyes, she noticed a spot where the puddle was seeping into the ground. A thin line marked the edge — blood draining into something beneath.
Angel dropped to one knee, popped her knife out, and began prying. Whatever was hidden there, it was going to hurt the Grims.
---
David was walking, looking around the dark and lifeless warehouse. Taking a moment to calm himself now he was alone.
He felt fear. Deep, primal fear. Even with that child in his arms, the assassin could've killed them all — and nothing would've stopped him.
He reached into his pocket and brought out his inhaler, his hands shaky as he pressed the nozzle and had it spray into his mouth.
Taking continuous deep breaths, David began to calm down.
When the officers breached Scarface's office, he felt his life in danger before even looking into the room.
David always had a sense for danger, one that never failed him. All that assassin gave him was danger signs of certain death.
The moment the officers opened fire, the feeling spiked. That's why everyone kept shooting. The bodies had already put them on edge.
Meeting the man that killed all those people was the tipping point.
He still wondered how the assassin took them down that quickly.
The punch he got still hurt like hell, but deep down he knew the assassin was holding back.
This could've very well been his last night on Earth. His wife, his daughters — he would've been taken from them.
What monster walked into Grimford?
Steeling himself, he walked forward in hopes of finding Michael, if he was still in the warehouse.
Looking around, he started to look for signs of Michael passing. Beaming his flashlight to see small footprints leading forward through all the dust and grime.
Turning off his flashlight, he continued in the dark, hoping not to give away his arrival.
Following the prints in the dark was hard, but with enough squinting, he was able to keep up.
After losing track twice, David heard little sobs in the dark.
Slowing his walk to a crouch, creeping towards the sound, he almost missed the huge steel pipe on the floor and nearly tripped.
His current speed, added to the fact he was crouching, gave him enough time to center himself.
"Micheal, it's Detective David. I'm here to take you to your sister. She's safe and at the hospital."
The sobs stopped. Only sniffles now.
"Come on, kid. It's been a long night. I want to make sure you're safe."
Silence.
"Okay, kid. I tried words. Now it's action."
David's eyes had adjusted well enough to the dark to see confidently enough to react to whatever would happen.
He stepped forward to where he guessed the sobs came from.
Sighting a wooden crate big enough to hide Michael's body, but not wide enough to hide his shoes that were peeking through.
David walked towards the crate cautiously, only to be met by the swing of a chain aimed at his face.
Reacting quickly, he grabbed it and pulled — only to have Michael fly out, holding onto the other end.
"Really, kid?" David asked with a sigh. "Watch the glasses, kid. They're Cartier."
Michael dropped the chain and turned to flee, only to be grabbed by the scruff of his shirt.
David lifted him into the air as he struggled to escape, kicking, howling, and straining to free himself like a cat.
David waited for him to tire himself out before turning Michael to face him.
With a face filled with annoyance and fatigue that needed four coffees, he asked, "Are you done?"
"Let go of me!" Michael stammered, puffing himself up. "If you hurt me, the Shadow Demon's gonna kill you."
David blinked. "The who?"
"The superhero who saved me and my sister from the bad guys!"
David's face scrunched, equal parts done and dead inside. "You think we're the bad guys?"
"Cops are evil. None of you are good people."
David clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to yeet him out a window. "Do I look like a cop?"
The kid paused. Squinted.
"No. You're Black."
David's face fell as he tried to comprehend what just left a seven-year-old kid's mouth.
"Wha–how–phew–hmmmmm. We don't say things like that. Ever. We need to sit down and have a talk with your parents."
"I don't have parents."
David's mouth pressed into a thin line as he instantly regretted his last sentence.
Taking a deep breath, "Well I'm a parent, and you're not meant to judge people by their skin or say mean things."
Michael stared back defiantly, the fear in his eyes slowly fading — making David inwardly smile.
"You can't make me."
David responded instantly by punching the wooden crate Michael hid behind, smashing it to pieces.
Michael stared wide-eyed. "Wow, how'd you do that?"
David, pushing his chest out and striking a pose, "Shadow Demon isn't the only superhero alive."
Seeing Michael finally calm, David felt it was worth the hundreds of splinters in his hand and the excruciating pain he was feeling.
"Look, Michael, I got a daughter your age. Real pretty too. How old are you?"
"Eight."
"Well that works."
Reaching into his pocket and showing his lock screen to Michael — a young, beautiful girl was on the screen with big brown eyes and an adorable face.
"This is Oasis, my firstborn. My second is Rhema."
Opening his phone and showing another girl that looked like the first with the same brown eyes and button nose.
"They are my daughters. Oasis is pretty, isn't she?"
Michael nodded to the best of his ability.
"I'll make you a deal. You behave and come with me, I'll let you two meet. Deal?"
Michael nodded again.
"Soooooo, can you put me down?"
David, realizing he was still holding him, prepared to set him down, then hesitated.
"Promise not to do anything stupid?"
Michael nodded, and David set him down.
Looking him over, he saw a gash on Michael's knees. "We'll get that handled. Don't worry."
Michael grunted in reply as David held out his hand to him.
Michael hesitated, then held David's hand as they left the warehouse — only for it to explode into a big ball of fire.