#I saw Verna waiting in the room and went “oh” and it clicked because this was always coming | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

creator-zee · 4 years

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182

She sighed, finally her shift was done. It had been a long night. But, she reminded herself, it wasn’t over yet. She made her way to her car, limboing in the backseat. No matter how many times she did it, it was still awkward changing in her car. But, she managed to trade her work clothes for something that could take a bit more of a beating. Black pants, a black shirt and a black mask. Black vest and black belt. Black knives and black gloves. Her hair was tied back. She slipped her boots on as she left the back seat. She locked her car before heading back down a nearby alley, outside a neighboring bar.

She knew what she would find. No matter how many nights she did this there were always more douchebags. Sure enough yet another guy was leading a stumbling girl out. The girl, or woman more accurately, struggled against his grip mumbling weakly for help, but it was obvious she had been drugged.

Tami reached into the pouch on her leg, pulling out a black cloth. She stepped out of the shadows, grabbing the guy from behind and pressing the cloth to his face. He fell limp in her arms. She didn’t bother being gentle, letting him fall to the ground with a smack. She approached the terrified woman and pressed the cloth to her face. She also fell limp.

Tami was much more careful with her, setting her gently against the wall she stuffed the cloth back in her pouch, pulling out rope from a different pouch. She quickly bound the guys hands and feet, before turning back to the unconscious woman. Tami grunted as she picked the woman up. Damn she was deceptively heavy. Stupid men, stupid drugs. No one deserved whatever that man had been planning.

Tami carefully set the woman in her car, buckling her in, before getting in the driver’s seat and driving away. She stopped in front of a warehouse on the outskirts of town. She carefully brought the woman inside, laying her on a bed in a cell-like room. Cell-like in that everything was carefully chosen and secured so that the occupant couldn’t break out. But otherwise it was as comfortable as possible. Tami left the room before returning with a stack of fresh clothes in hand and another bag.

She slipped gloves on and then began. She carefully changed the woman’s clothes, setting the dirt ones aside. She then reached into the bag and carefully swabbed the woman for any DNA her attacker may have left behind. She carefully sealed the swabs in bags, before putting the clothes and swabs in a plastic bag. She checked the woman over one more time, making sure she was cleaned up, before leaving.

Tami locked the door, and set the alarm, setting the bag next to the door, before slipping off her mask and collapsing onto her own cot.

She woke up to beeping.

She turned over, slipped on her mask and silenced the alarm. Her prisoner was awake. She moved to another room, filling a glass of water, before entering the room.

The woman was already up, which was surprising. She was not as terrified as most people after they woke up in a strange place after being drugged. As Tami shut the door behind her with a click, the woman’s head snapped to face her.

“You...” The woman practically growled.

Tami was expecting that, after all this mask, this outfit, marked her as a well known villain who kidnapped people regularly and was only ever stopped at the last minute by the hero.

“The water will help the drugs pass through.” Tami explained as she offered the glass of water.

The woman just scowled at her. She couldn’t believe this was happening. This was the worst night of her life and the last time she ever went out. First she decided to actually go out at night one time, that was her first mistake. She wasn’t paying close enough attention and some guy managed to drug her drink but she didn’t realize it until it was too late and he was guiding her to his car. He would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for the Black Mask stepping in. God, the Black Mask. If it wasn’t for that damn guy drugging her drink she wouldn’t have been taken down so easily by the Black Mask. She was kidnapped and no one was coming to her rescue, after all, she was the hero.

She was surprised though that she had woken up in a comfortable bed in clean clothes and feeling much better than she had last night. This wasn’t how she found the Black Mask’s victims normally. Normally they were tied up in a small apartment on the north side. She would find them after getting a tip from the police who got an anonymous tip, combined with someone finding a drunken dude tied up in an alley with a strange story.

Realizing how parched she was, and knowing that water would help, Verna was tempted to accept the water, but how could she know that it wasn’t drugged.

“Is it drugged?” Verna asked.

Tami had watched silently while the woman argued with herself in her head. She was used to not being trusted. She knew the fastest way to get them to trust her, or at least trust the water. She tilted her mask up and sipped on the water, before holding it out to the woman again.

Satisfied, Verna grabbed the water, greedily drinking it as the Black mask readjusted her mask.

The Black Mask took back the empty glass of water, asking. “Do you think you can keep food down?”

Verna nodded, realizing that she had thrown up the contents of her stomach the previous night.

The Black Mask left for a while, Verna occupies herself with trying to find a way out of the room. But, although it was comfortable, it was still a cell. And the Black Mask had been careful to make sure no one could escape.

The door clicked and the Black Mask returned, baring a tray of food. It smelled delicious. Pancakes, eggs and bacon. Who knew they could cook?

Tami watched the women’s expression shift to surprise as she accepted the tray.

“What’s your name?” Tami asked.

“Verna.” She replied simply before eating.

She was halfway through eating when she realized that Tami was still standing there.

“Are you not going to eat?” She asked.

Tami smiled, but her mask hid it. “Hard to eat with a mask on. I’ll eat later.”

“Take the mask off the.” Verna urged, not completely innocently. Tami shook her head, Verna wasn’t the first to try and figure out her identity.

When Verna was done eating, Tami took the tray and left, setting the tray in the kitchen. She cleaned the tray and the rest of the dishes, leaving one plate for herself. She ate the food quickly before cleaning that as well. Knowing she didn’t have much time before the usual time for the hero rescue, she grabbed a blindfold and a length of rope before returning to the room.

Verna immediately tensed you when they saw the rope and blindfold, they all did.

“Sorry.” Tami apologized. “It’s necessary.”

Verna knew she didn’t stand a chance against the armed Black Mask, so she let the villain blindfold and tie her. She was guided (surprisingly gently) into the backseat of a car. She had no idea how long the drive was, fear distorting the passage of time. She had no idea what came next. She was led out of the car and up several stairs. Doors opened and closed, and finally the blindfold was removed. She was in a small apartment, where all the victims were found. The Black Mask was crouching in front of her.

“Sorry.” They apologized. “The hero should be here in a few minutes to rescue you.”

Verna knee perfectly well that the hero wasn’t coming, but the Black Mask seemed confident, and not worried. For all the fighting she did when Verna has previously gone to take the victims, the Black Mask really didn’t try that hard to stop her from rescuing them.

Really, the Black Mask didn’t appear worried until the hero didn’t show. They kept glancing up at the clock, growing antsier by the second. Eventually, they hugged drawing a blade and turning to face Verna. Verna gulped in fear. What did happen if the hero didn’t come?

The Black Mask knelt in front of Verna and slashed her roped off, hissing. “If anyone asks, the hero saved you. You spill a word of this to anyone and it will be the last thing you say.”

Verna nodded, startled by the threat despite knowing that the Black Mask was a villain. They had been oddly kind and saved her from a hellish night. Verna left the apartment and dashed down the stairs and out onto the street.

182.1

Tami sat at her desk, hunched over her notebook struggling with the chemistry problem that tainted her from

her computer screen. Why had she decided to try to get a degree? Oh right, because she didn’t want to work at a crappy bar the rest of her life. She sighed. She shouldn’t be so harsh. It wasn’t crappy and it did let her pay the bills.

Suddenly an alert went off on her watch. That couldn’t be right. Why the hell would she be here?

Tami had no time to prepare she quickly through her mask in and stumbled into the small entry room as the hero opened her door, or at least tried. It wasn’t unlocked like usual.

Tami sighed and opened it. She didn’t have the money to replace her door.

The hero stared at her surprised.

“Get in here before you draw a crowd.” Tami hissed, shutting the door behind the hero.

The hero just continued to stare at her blankly.

“What do you want?” Tami muttered. “I didn’t kidnap anyone last night. I was busy, so why are you here?”

The hero glanced past Tami’s shoulder seeing school work scattered on a desk through an open door. She had never noticed that door before.

“With school work?” The hero asked.

“Just answer the damn question.” Tami cursed.

“To talk to you.” The hero admitted. “You’re not the villain you pretend to be.”

“What’re you talking about?” Tami demanded.

“You save people from being raped, take care of them and then let me rescue them and take them to the police where their rapist and a pile of evidence are waiting.” The hero said plainly.

Tami pinned the hero against a wall, her arm against their neck. “Who told you? It was Verna wasn’t it? Dammit. I knew I shouldn’t have freed her. Where the hell were you that afternoon anyways?”

The hero was taken by surprise by the Black Mask’s ferocity, but managed to choke out. “Take off my mask and it will make sense.”

Tami hesitated, but she reached up with her free hand and removed the hero’s mask.

“Verna...” She muttered.

She stepped back and let Verna go.

“Why don’t we strike a deal?” Verna offered. “Let me help you. You’re obviously not a real villain. If you want to play that role, fine, I can still ‘rescue’ the woman, but let me help you.”

“I don’t need help.” Tami scowled, although the mask hid it.

Verna rose an eyebrow, unimpressed, eyes skating over Tami’s disheveled appearance.

“You caught me by surprise.” She huffed, crossing her arms. “I only had enough time to throw my mask on.”

“I can see that.” Verna commented. “Why don’t you take it off? You know who I am.”

Tami shook her head. “I’m a wanted criminal, you’re not.”

Verna shrugged. “Fair enough, so deal or no deal?”

Tami sighed. “Fine I guess. Can’t promise you’ll like the hours though. I go after I get off work which is around midnight.”

Verna raised an eyebrow, but Tami didn’t elaborate. “You can meet me at the warehouse. I’ll show you where it is later. Right now, I have things to do.”

“Can I have your number?” Verna asked.

Tami sighed, pulling her phone out of her pocket, pulling up the contacts and flipping it to face Verna. “Put your number in. I’ll text you the address tonight.”

Verna nodded, quickly typing in her number, oddly excited to see the villain again tonight.

#hero/villain #rape mention #drugs #alcohol #writing #when i wrote this i didn't know the black mask was an actual villain #not edited

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