Reaper of the Guilty: Chapter 3 – The Grind of the Fight

Chapter 3 – The Grind of the Fight

Just as I expected, I wake up in the morning to see Darcy lying beside me, holding me and staring me down with her piercing blue eyes. She looks like she hasn’t gotten much sleep, but despite that, she still appears as beautiful as always, with her long black hair and a scent of roses.

I caress her face and say, “It’s okay to go to sleep.”

“I don’t want anyone to hurt you, my love,” she says.

“Don’t worry. We’re safe here, so you can relax.”

I hold her close, and she begins to sleep soon after. Thankfully, she didn’t cover my face in lipstick like she usually does, or did anything to me while I was sleeping, or at least, it doesn’t feel like she did anything. What am I saying? She’s not the kind of woman to do anything like that. Still, she is a bit too obsessive in that she’s sleeping with me and treats me as hers, despite my not returning the same level of affection. I have to admit that I don’t mind this that much, and it is comforting to be with her like this, so I fall back asleep.

Waking up again, I find that Darcy is holding my head to her chest, and my parents are entering my room after knocking and calling for me. They’re surprised to see me the way I am, and I jump out of bed as if jolted awake by an electrical shock.

“It’s not what you think, mom and dad!” I say.

“You two seem quite comfortable with each other, and you're close. I mean, you always have so much of her lipstick smeared across your face whenever you meet,” my dad says, laughing.

I rub my face to ensure there isn’t any lipstick on it. Darcy’s lipstick is beginning to feel like a brand marking me as hers, which likely isn’t far from the reason why she always does it.

“At this rate, you might as well marry her,” my mom adds and laughs as well.

Darcy hugs me from behind and says, “That’s a great idea! Don’t you think so, Timeo?”

“We’ll see,” I grunt.

“That wasn’t a no.”

“Shut up and give me some space for once.”

Darcy and my parents laugh as we walk downstairs to eat breakfast. I know they’re mostly serious about Darcy and me getting married since my siblings are in the hospital and aren’t loyal to their parents, to say the least, so it’s up to me to have grandchildren for my parents. While eating, my parents talk about how they met, their wedding, how many children they planned on having when they were younger, and what ended up happening.

“You haven’t visited any of your brothers or sisters recently. You should make the time to,” my mom says.

“I will, when I have the time,” I say.

“You always say that.”

“Yup.”

I’m the one who put them in the hospital with my own hands, but my parents don’t need to know that. I’d care to see them when God moves me to do so. Otherwise, it’s at the bottom of my concerns. Seeing that she isn’t getting through to me, my mom switches the topic back to children and asks Darcy how many she wants.

“I think I’d like…five or more kids,” Darcy says and then grabs my arm. “That’s okay with you, right?”

She asks me this as if we’re in a relationship and on our way to getting married. Darcy laughs with my parents, who say that the number is reasonable given our wealth. I don’t disagree; however, I’m uncomfortable with Darcy’s hold over me. She acts like she owns my heart and has me wrapped around her finger, and in this instance, she does. I feel powerless to prevent us from being together, getting married, and having children at this point.

It’s funny that despite how invincible I feel as L’Obscurité, I’m too weak to act when it comes to Darcy. Maybe it’s God’s will that our hearts were made for one another, or perhaps it’s just young love that will fade after marriage. I don’t know which it is, but the answer feels like it’s quickly approaching. After breakfast, I tell my parents I need to make a call to arrange an important business meeting that I must manage in private, something that Darcy understands. Thankfully, Azeria is easy to persuade regarding a day and time to meet with all her allies.

She agrees to meet tomorrow night at a certain place in the middle-class area of the city. I relay this information to my friends and keep Chief Raymond informed, but I instruct him not to get involved and assure him that I can handle it.

“Okay, kid. Just be careful with her and her friends,” Raymond says.

Since the rest of the day is free for us, Darcy says we should spend it relaxing to prepare for tomorrow, and I can’t help but agree. We go out to a public park, and I zone out, looking at the sky without a single thought in my head and a thousand at the same time. In broad daylight, a husband and wife are beaten in front of their crying infant son, then robbed. As the thieves run away, Darcy whispers to me to go after them as L’Obscurité, but I don’t do anything. I don’t even look at her.

Noticing this, Darcy asks, “Are you okay, Timeo? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this still before.”

“Do you remember when you were in Azeria’s place? You inspired people to follow my example like she did,” I say.

“I remember. Do you think she’ll change like I did after being punished by your power?”

“Does it matter? I just realized that my powers won’t help it either way. It’s amusing that I’m invincible with them, but they’re ineffective in permanently changing the city. I say that I’m fine with the lifelong grind of crime fighting, but the three years I’ve been working haven’t put enough fear in the common criminal to stop them from daylight robbery.”

“Timeo…”

“Now, the latest enemy I find myself against again is someone inspired by my actions. It’s not going to matter if Azeria and her allies come to my side or die. It’s probably not going to matter if the next criminals I face do the same either.”

Darcy slaps and then hugs me.

“Stop it! None of what you’ve done has been for nothing. What about all the people you saved? What about the criminals who repented and are living virtuous lives now? You’ve inspired many to become better, not just through fear, but through your example, both as your normal and darker self. The city will be better through us and the legacy we leave. For now, hasn’t what we've done so far made it all worth it?”

I think on it for a second, sigh, and then say, “You’re right, Darcy. Thank you for the reminder.”

“I’ll always be here for you, now, go get them!”

Going into an alley, I transform into L’Obscurité, chase after the thieves, take what they stole, and punish them for their sins by taking their clothes, what they have on them, and throwing it to the wind and having them stand naked on the streets, unable to move for the next few hours, as their legs are bound in concrete. I return to the family, heal them, and give them back their possessions. Their infant son looks up at me and smiles as he sees a kind person behind my dark veneer. Leaving them, I find a safe place to transform back to normal and then go back to Darcy.

I kiss her on the lips, despite thinking to kiss her on the cheek, take her hand, help her up, and say, “Thank you again. Come on. We still have the rest of the day.”

“Was that a reward for me? I was hoping you’d let me cuddle up to you tonight,” Darcy says.

“Ha, as if I have a choice in that.”

“Haha! You’re right. You don’t.”

I laugh, shake my head, and continue with my day with Darcy, feeling a bit light and hopeful that everything will be okay in the end and less worried about the future.