Hero & Villain

Falcon | 1620w

  I had almost beat them, all twenty of them, when a bullet ripped through my wing. I fell from the sky and landed on my feet, my wings disappearing so I could continue to fight, but then one of them managed to sneak up behind me. He slammed the butt of his knife into my head, effectively knocking me out.
 
  When I woke up I was tied to a chair, my ankles bound to the legs and my hands tied behind me. I opened my eyes to see a man sneering at me.

  "Who knew the hero of the city was so weak." He taunted. It was nothing I hadn't heard before, when I had been captured by other criminals, but then he continued. "I don't need any information from you, we already know where your hideout is. Your home too, in fact, both are being cleaned out as we speak. It leaves me with a decision. Keep you alive as a... plaything, or kill you."

  I couldn't help the shiver that went through me. I could tell he was serious, that he didn't need anything from and that I had no value to him. When I had been captured before, it was always by people who needed something from me. I didn't know what to do this time.

  The man stepped forward, pulling a syringe out of his pocket. He grinned at me. "This is 4ml of GHB. You know what that is, don't you? Mmhm... and you also know that a normal dose wouldn't work on you. This amount should be enough to paralyze you, but you would still be awake. How does that sound?" He asked as he pushed my sleeve up.

I was trying to stay calm, but he was going to drug me! I started struggling, but the ropes around my wrists and ankles were too strong; I couldn't break them.

  "You'll never get away with this." I tell him, my voice raspy as I glare him straight in the eyes.

  He just smirked, then pushed the needle into my arm. He met my eyes as he forced the drug into my system, and I could feel it. I could feel it rapidly spreading down my arm and to my shoulder, making them feel weak. "You can't get out of this." The man breathed, tossing the empty syringe away and leaning over me, his hands on my thighs. He squeezed my thighs hard enough to bruise as he stared me down from more inches away.

  "You are stuck here now." He growled. "As stuck as a fly in a web." I could feel myself shiver in fear. I couldn't open my wings while I didn't have room, and I was quickly losing the ability to move at all.

  The man in front of me turned on his heel and sauntered out the door, leaving me to wonder what I did wrong to deserve this.

  He came back when I was fully unable to move, and untied my feet from the chair, then lifted me off of it. I was about to try to get my wings back when he slammed my back into a wall, momentarily taking my breath away. Me managed to tie my hands up above my head, despite having to hold me up the whole time. Not that I weigh much.

  He stepped back to look at me hanging from my wrists on the wall, then smirked and stepped closer again.

  He punched me a lot over the next day or so, and when he left the guard at my cell door liked to get in a few punches. He always made sure I couldn't move, and every time I started to fall asleep or pass out he came back in to make sure I didn't.

  He also ripped my shirt open, said he wanted to watch as my "lovely soft skin" turned black and blue.

  Then the man came in and instead of hitting me, he carefully, almost gently put his hands on my neck and started to choke me. I tried to fight, really I did, but I was still drugged and I'm fairly certain I have a couple of cracked ribs.

  I eventually passed out from him choking me, not expecting to ever wake up. But I did wake up.

  I woke up as he set me down in an alleyway, smirking at my confused look. "You've become boring to me, so I thought I'd let you go. At least, if you can get past my pets." He sauntered away.

  I managed to look around, able to move slightly. Unfortunately, I was met with the sight of three big dobermans, obviously his "pets". They're attached to chains, but it's obvious that the chains are long enough to allow them to reach me. They were coming toward me, probably thinking I'm food. I have a bunch of cuts that I don't remember getting, and they're bleeding quite a lot.

  There is one thing the man obviously didn't know about, or I doubt he would have left me with animals. He must not have known that I have more than the ability to have falcon wings; I can have the features of other animals too, even mammals. Like say, a dog. It really only gives me the ears and tail, but that coupled with the scent of their master should have been enough. I can't have any animal specifically, only one of each kind. I think I have the features of an Alaskan Malamute. I hoped it was enough.

  And it was. They didn't bother me too much as I regained enough control over myself to stagger out of the alleyway, which was when I got rid of the ears and tail.

  The only problem was that I had nowhere to go. They know about my hideout, and they even know about my home. I didn't know where to go, so I just started walking.

  I ended up at the edge of town in front of a nice house, knocking on the door. I didn't recognize the man that opened it, in fact I'm not sure why I came here. I'm having a bit of trouble remembering. That man made me forget stuff. What if he had followed me here? I covered my mouth and whimpered at the feeling of a split lip. "Who are you? Why am I here?" I asked, but it came out as such a soft mumble that I doubt he heard me.

  My legs started to shake and I swayed, feeling ready to collapse. He reached out and grabbed my arms, making me flinch away from him out of reflex. Why had I come here? I didn't even know this man. "I didn't know where else to go, I can't..." I managed to mumble before my legs gave out completely, and everything went dark.

***

  I gasp and sit up, my eyes flying open. A dream, it was only a dream. But... oh god, I have so many bruises and cuts. I groan and lay back down in my bed.

  Wait, bed? I couldn't have gone home, they know where my home is. Where am I? I sit up again, gasping and wincing at the pain from my ribs. Some of them are definitely cracked. I look around, seeing a simply furnished room.

  It takes me a moment to notice the man sleeping in a chair next to the bed. He's leaning over the bed, his face buried in his arms and hidden from view. His longish black hair and obviously tall build let me know that he's the man from last night. The one who's house I came to even though I don't know him.

  I slowly and silently slip out of the bed, not wanting to wake him up. I have to go see if what the man said is true, and if my home and hideout are destroyed. Unfortunately my body has other plans, and decides to revolt against me by falling as soon as I try to stand up. Thankfully I catch myself and avoid falling on my face, but it was loud enough to wake up the man next to the bed.

  Half a second later he's running around the bed. He hesitates when he sees me looking up at him, then he leans down and picks me up easily. He sets me back on the bed raising one eyebrow at me when I move away from him, then back into the headboard. He has piercing blue eyes, and I'm not lying when I say I feel slightly uncomfortable. It looks like his eyes are staring into my soul.

  "Who are you?" I ask, my voice wavering.

  He seems surprised. "I figured you knew, as you showed up at my door last night." He pauses. "What happened to you?" I open my mouth but he cuts in before I say anything. "I know you're Falcon, by the way."

  I just stare at him in horror until he snaps his fingers in front of my face, his expression amused. My gaze flicks away as a slight blush dusts my cheeks. "I... um..." I hesitate to tell him anything, as it could be used against me. "I just got kinda beat up on patrol..." I trail off, frowning at my lap. I'm wearing sweatpants, which means he must have put them on me. And I'm not even wearing a shirt.

  He levels a look at me that obviously says "I know you're lying". I return his look with one that says "I'm not telling you shit".

  His mouth quirks into a smile, which makes me more nervous than if he was glaring at me.