I'm the Last One That You'll Ever Remember

Chapter 183: CopyCat Killjoys

Venetia and Lorenzo both opened their mouths to comply with their father’s terms before recalling that he wished them to stay quiet. Shutting their tiny mouths simultaneously, they held a finger over their lips and nodded to him.

“Good. Now hold each other’s hands and DON’T let go of each other.” Gerard instructed them, watching them slap their other hand together and hold on tightly. Smiling at them, he touched his daughter’s cheek and patted his son’s head in thanks for obeying without any back talk. But now it was time to leave them sitting on a haybale displayed on the charming elderly couple’s property for Halloween so he could exercise some unplanned Killjoy business.

Straightening up, Gerard placed the Darth Nihilus’s mask on and began to walk back down the steps of the property. He stopped upon remembering that he left the brimming bags of Halloween candy behind with his kids and glanced over his shoulder to see the twins eyeing those very bags longingly. Finally, they removed their little fingers from their mouths to plunge each hand into their bags, certain he wasn’t looking. Shaking his head with adoration, Gerard hollered out to them, causing them to freeze up at being caught red-handed. “And do NOT eat all of your candy before I get back.”

Not waiting for their nods of agreement, Gerard made his way to the house next door. Because it was sheltered from the moonlight by many trees, the whole two-story structure appeared completely black like some dark haunted house. Gerard wasn’t easily fearful as he strode up to the front porch. Before entering the place though, he bent down to hike up his trouser so he could retrieve his bowie knife that he had sheathed against the side of his calf. Normally, he’d keep it higher on him but he didn’t want anyone to bump into him and discovered he was armed, especially not in this clean neighborhood.

Nudging the creaky door open, Gerard stepped into the house that was completely pitch black. There wasn’t a beam of light in sight as far as he could see. Not allowing that to forestall him, he maneuvered further into the house with the reticence of a master ninja. Passing through empty living rooms, he made his way down a long hallway, his eyes having adapted promptly to his surroundings to make out shapes and walls. But what he couldn’t make out was where those two people dressed as Killjoys were. They had entered this very same house, but where they had gone next, Gerard had no clue. He couldn’t hear them which meant one or two things. One, they were as stealthy as he was which was unheard of. Or two, they weren’t lurking at all, but hiding somewhere waiting to get the jump on him.

As Gerard came up to the doorway of a room that could be an office, playroom for children or guest room, his patience was compensated. One of the Copycats Killjoys poked his head around the corner of the next room, searching for something. When he pinpointed Gerard in the hallway, he seemed to be startled by the fact that he was there and swiftly drew back into the safety of the room. That reception made Gerard believe this guy was an amateur. If he was a true Killjoy, he would have already known he was in the house with them, not taken aback by it.

Expecting the amateur to still attempt an ambush on him, Gerard drifted closer towards the wall on his left, hugging his back to it as he made his way towards that room the Copycat Killjoy was taking refuge in. He would soon appreciate his perceptive prognosis when he made it to the entrance way, and right across it into the kitchen, the female Copycat soared out to jump him instead. He was prepared for the sudden attack, but had to admit he wasn’t expecting it from the second Copycat this soon. Effortlessly, Gerard thwarted the assailant’s bat with nails embedded into it from whacking him by springing forward out of the way and landing in a roll further down the hallway, away from both entryways. The female Copycat’s bat made contact with the wall behind him instead, bashing itself through the drywall, and lodging itself there. Gasping with shock, she bucked to wrench the bat out of the wall with all of her might, but it proved no use. If the female had been on her own, Gerard would have easily tossed her up against the wall, and impaled her into it with his bowie knife right in the center of her stomach. But she wasn’t alone. There was still that male Copycat.

Out of that same room Gerard saw him hide in, the male Copycat finally emerged. He seemed once again flabbergasted that their strategy hadn’t worked and that his partner was now struggling with both feet against the wall to get her bat loose. Locking eyes on the man disguised as Darth Nihilus, the man let out a growl and rounded his partner, blocking her from his view. The male Copycat watched their target slowly straighten to his feet, two bowie knives twirling skillfully in his black leather gloved hands, never wavering in their fluid motion. “You, it’s you...you’re the infamous Poison we’ve been hearing about.”

“And what’s it to you?” Poison growled back, his teeth white against the black paint on his face under his mask. He felt a surge of excitement to spill blood again, but it wasn’t anything like it had been before he met Frank. It had been an addiction, a fix that needed to be sated with the screams of his prey as soon as possible. Now it was just a sheer excitement, like playing a new video game, or going to the movies with his family. It was an awesome feeling, but something he could evidently live without.

“I’m on the hunt to spill some blood tonight.” The male Copycat informed him, grinning himself as he unsheathed his knives from behind his back, presenting the sharpened blades off before pointing the very tip of one towards Poison. “And you...are tonight’s special straight off the menu.”

“Bring it on then! Show me what you got, Starburst.” Poison chuckled, inviting him to make the first move with a sweep of one of his large bowie knives.

That was enough talk between them. The male Copycat’s smile dropped the second before he came charging at Poison, swinging his arms in wide horizontal arcs in order to slice him into pieces. Unfortunately for him, his opponent was able to fend off every move, ducking here and there at the precise opportunity.

Killjoys were smarter than most people. They were trained to wait patiently for an opening that would allow them to get past their prey’s defenses without breaking a sweat. To be impatient, or to be forced to make an opening to take their foes down was much more treacherous, but if it had to be done, so be it. This Copycat clearly didn’t pay attention to one of the first lessons Kobra gave his pupils.

Kobra.

Poison hadn’t even stopped to contemplate if his brother had something to do with these two imbeciles coming after him tonight. If that was the case, Poison would soon find out because one of them was going to end up confessing to him as soon as they were done playing this cat and mouse game.

The male Copycat was beginning to tire himself out, his attacks becoming slower and slower. By the time it finally dawned on the man that all Poison was doing was evading his every move, he finally understood why that was. Taking the opening, Poison dived from another move and rolled behind him this time. Coming up on his feet before the man could whirl around, Poison stabbed his knife into his right side in an upward angle that forced the blade through the ribs to puncture one of his lungs, causing it to fill profusely with his own blood. In his ear, Poison whispered. “Looks like dinner is served.”

The man gurgled in response, blood permeating his mouth as Poison shoved him off of his blade and onto the floor face first. A screech of fury gained Poison’s attention next. Turning his head, he spotted the woman who had bombarded him first. She had finally managed to get her bat out of the wall and was now zooming towards him, swinging it madly. Once again, Poison sidestepped her with ease, taking note that he was fighting with full emotions right now. That was another lesson Killjoys learned, not to fight with their emotions. Emotions got you killed. Poison continued to elude her bat, purposely backing himself towards a pillar in the living room. One more swing, and one more duck was all he needed to get that bat stuck once more, this time in the pillar.

“GODDAMNIT!” The female Copycat cursed, not believing that she had made this mistake again.

Poison was back on his feet, and took a slice at her arm straight through her red leather jacket. He relished her cry of pain as she deserted her bat to get away from him. Jabbing one knife into the pillar, Poison sent a fist flying directly into her face, the crunch of her nose breaking resounding throughout the room and the force sending her plummeting onto the floor with a shriek. Strolling over to her rolling around in pain, Poison stooped down beside her and captured a handful of her hair so she’d look at him. “Who the fuck sent you two?”

“Go fuck yourself!” The female Copycat snapped, attempting to spit blood in his face but missing because he tilted back in time to deflect it.

“Fine. Have it your way.” Poison whispered, pressing his blade on her pale throat. He watched her dark eyes balloon with alarm at what he was about to do.

“No, wait wait! PLEASE, DON’T!” The female Copycat begged him, beginning to bawl for her life.

“You made a terrible mistake.” Poison stated before slashing the blade across her throat. He observed her drown in her blood. Wiping the blade on his pants, he listened to her slowly expire as he retrieved his other knife, sheathed them both and casually made his way out of the desolate house.