Bad Things Happen Bingo 3.0 #9
I would love to explain how I fell off the face of the planet again but alas I have no explanation. Blame work and my hyperfixation on my cloudwalker series.
Anyway, here’s the next BTHB:
Chained To A Wall
Characters: Hero, Villain, and Supervillain
Warnings; Contains kidnapping, threats, and a knife wound and descriptions of blood, nudity (top half, not sexual).
Hero woke with a pained groan, keeping their eyes closed as they used to the aches and twinges of pain in their body. But why pain? What had happened? It was all so faint and blurred.
With a hiss, Hero slowly opened their eyes, wincing as the light met their eyes and stung. They groaned again, but what surprised them was that it kept going even when they’d stopped. They strained to look up, and that was when they saw Villain chained to the wall, dangling down by their arms. Hero’s eyes widened. “[V.Villain]?” they croaked, trying to step towards them. It was only then they realised they were tied the same way.
“[V.Villain]?” they tried again, a little louder this time.
“Huh,” they mumbled. “Oh… right… I remember.”
Hero managed to get their feet under them, grimacing with the pain. “[Villain], what happened?”
Villain’s eyes snapped open and they glared at Hero. “You really don’t remember your sheer stupidity that got us locked up here?”
“Well, if I did, I wouldn’t have asked,” Hero shot back. “And I doubt that I was stupid, more like you were doing something you shouldn’t have been.”
Villain gritted their teeth. “You can’t even remember and still you fucking blame me!”
“Yes, yes I do!” Hero retorted. “Now please just tell me.”
Villain grumbled and looked away, “You wouldn’t listen to me. I told you to stand down, and we could have avoided this. I told you it wasn’t safe!”
Hero was quiet for a moment, letting some memories drip back into their mind. “You did not make it sound like that at all,” Hero grunted. “I was trying to arrest you, wasn’t I?”
“Yes, I was stealing, but then I’d realised it was a set up and you wouldn’t listen to my warnings,” Villain said. They sighed and looked down. “Now we’re here.”
Hero bit their lip before they also looked away, “Now we’re here...” they mumbled. “Where… is here?”
“We’re being held here by [Supervillain],” Villain said. “So don’t expect a smooth ride. This isn’t going to end well.”
Hero swore under their breath. “What about [Hero’s Sidekick] and [Villain’s Sidekick]?”
Villain shrugged. “I’m not getting my hopes up.”
Hero sighed and looked away. They pondered apologising, but they also feared it would sound insincere, forced. Villain didn’t seem to care if the conversation continued or not.
It didn't matter. The door opened with an eerie creak, a cry of a warning before Supervillain sauntered in.
“Awake at last? Excellent. I thought you two might be growing bored, so I decided we could play a game.”
“Untie me so I can beat the shit out of [Hero] and I’ll be entertained enough,” Villain grunted. “What’s going on, [Supervillain]? I don’t recall any beef with you.”
Supervillain revealed a sinister knife. “No, it’s true we have no qualms. I suppose one of us has to start somewhere.”
Supervillain pressed the blade against Villain’s shoulder and began to dig in. Hero tensed their jaw, seeing the thin line of blood that slipped down their shoulder.
“My game is perfectly simple. One of you is going to suffer, the other gets to watch. Exciting, right?”
“Thrilling,” Villain ground out through gritted teeth.
Supervillain smirked and yanked the blade away. “But there’s one last twist. You both get to choose who suffers? The city’s saviour? The scum that crawls in the gutters? Fail to come to a decision, and I will hurt both of you. Who wants the knife?”
“Me,” Hero and Villain said at the same time.
Supervillain burst out laughing. “Oh, this is precious.”
“[Villain], no. This is my fault, I deserve this. You tried to warn me-”
“And you’re the hero, you’re the good person. The city needs you, they don’t need me.”
Hero growled. “Since when did you care about the city? Why are you protecting me?”
“Because I deserve this- for everything. Now for fuck’s sake, [Supervillain], get to it! Hurt me, make me bleed, make me scream, see how long it takes you to make me give a shit!”
Supervillain swiftly set to work, removing Villain’s shirt and using years worth of skill to draw the best cries and whimpers from Villain’s lips. Blood, like the ribbons of a dancer, glided effortlessly down Villain’s body until it dripped lifelessly on the floor beneath them. Supervillain savoured the sight. Hero closed their eyes, but every time they did, Supervillain hurt Villain more, forcing them to watch, to have no choice to take it all in.
But Hero just couldn’t dangle from their chains and endure this. This wasn’t fair! This was their fault!
“Leave them alone!” Hero cried. “Hurt me! Please, just leave them alone, please! Please hurt me instead!”
“[H.Hero]... no,” Villain groaned weakly, their head hanging limp against their chest.
Hero gulped but didn’t back down. They were meant to be a hero. They couldn’t let someone else take the blame for their mistake.
Supervillain chuckled. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”