Page 86 of Til Def
I scan the swirling lights and shadows around us, keeping my eyes sharp. Somewhere in the crowd, I know I’ll see them.
Those spiral eyes.
Raven stops at one of the game booths, Penny already engrossed in the spectacle. I keep my distance, a cigarette slipping between my lips as a strange feeling creeps up my spine.
Slowly, I turn my head, then my body follows.
And then I see him.
Black and white spiral eyes stare back at me through the haze of carnival lights. The pandemonium around us seems to fade, the noise dulling into a low hum as we lock eyes.
He doesn’t move. Neither do I.
With a flick of my lighter, the cigarette crackles to life. I take a slow drag, side-eyeing Raven to make sure she’s distracted. Then, without a word, I start toward him.
The closer I get, the more I notice the changes. The face paint. The swirling tattoos coiling up his body. The years etched into his expression, but that aura of chaos still clinging to him like a second skin.
I lift my chin in silent acknowledgment.
He matches my movement, and wordlessly, we begin walking side by side through the carnival.
The silence stretches between us, broken only by the distant screams and laughter of the crowd. I take another deep dragof my cigarette, letting the smoke curl around my lips before I speak.
“So, you stayed here, huh?” My voice cuts through the noise. “This place is your home now?”
He tilts his head, those spiral eyes darting to the glowing lights and colourful mayhem around us.
“This is my home, Slasher,” he says, his voice is a low growl.
I smirk and shake my head. “Yeah, that's not gonna fucking stick.”
“Why the fuck not? You finally finished tearing that shitty little town apart?” he says, pulling a cigarette out of his leather jacket, lighting it with a flick of his thumb.
“I think so,” I reply, blowing out a cloud of smoke.
“Yeah,” he scoffs, his tone calm but laced with something darker. “Not sure how you come back from the onslaught you created.”
We stop, facing each other.
“I owe you.”
He shakes his head once, dismissively, and looks away. “Nah. Go live your fucking life. You killed your captors. You’re not bound to anyone, and you don’t owe me shit.”
I study him as he takes another drag from his cigarette. He seems detached, calm, but there’s something lurking beneath his eyes. I can’t quite place it.
“Why’d you do it...” I trail off as his spiral eyes snap to mine.
“They call me Hell here,” he says, and I nod before he continues. “Curiosity at first. You would’ve fucking died, Ty,” he goes on, dragging on his cigarette. “You had no one when you were going against those motherfucks. Plus, it was fun watching you go on your rampage. You weren’t touching my society, butfuck... you’re a messy, unbothered cunt. The amount of cleaners I had to call in...”
I can’t help but chuckle, glancing over at Raven in the distance.
“I’d been watching you for years,” he continues, his voice more serious now. “Heard about you killing your parents. Found out when you were getting out of that asylum. I knew... I fucking knew you weren’t gonna stay out of trouble. You have murder in your veins and you’re a mad cunt, like the rest of us. Some fuckers just deserve to be slaughtered.”
I raise an eyebrow, studying his face. “I guess that means you ended up submitting to that society you were talking about all those years ago?”
He growls before turning sideways and we start walking again, “Yeah…”
“Well, if you ever need a psychopath with his axe, call me. Darkness shrouds us, Hell and there’s no escaping it. It’s injected in our fucking veins.”
He turns his head, studying me for a moment, then gives a small nod in a mutual understanding. I tap him on the shoulder, and he glances down at it before I take steps back. His eyes flash to mine one last time, and he watches me disappear into the chaos.
…
I catch up with Raven, my arm casually draped over her shoulder as we walk through the carnival, the sounds of laughter and chaotic sounds surrounding us. I steal a kiss from her lips, hard and lingering. Penny’s running ahead, her craziness lighting up the night, free from the weight she once carried. After some time with her, she finally remembered me, and it makes everything feel whole. Me feel whole.
With Raven by my side, I feel like I can take on anything. The darkness, the fucking chaos, the mistakes—she accepts me, bat-shit unhinged and all. I love her for it. Now, we move forward together, one step at a time, not just for revenge or survival but to build the life we were denied. To make things right but also to live the lives we’ve always wanted.
Raven showed me that no matter how dark things get, there’s always something that can make you feel the light. Sometimes, it’s in the people you love, and sometimes, it’s in the strength you didn’t know you fucking had. With her and Penny, I’m finally where I’m meant to be—ready for whatever comes next. A new chapter, and for the first time in a lifetime, I finally feel,peace, even in the carnage I call home.
The End of Til Def
