Mask of the Viper

[Red Viper]

Prologue

We all wear masks, be it figuratively or literally. Behind each mask is a unique tale. The Red Viper is no different. Mine is a dark and somewhat disturbing tale, not meant for the soft-hearted.

I am one of many shadows in the night. I do what I want, when I want, because I want to. What am I? A feared criminal? A roaming vigilante? Just some crazy guy in a costume? No. Behind the mask of the Viper lies Ty Wolfblood, son of millionaire parents, brother to Hannah. Just your ordinary spoiled rich kid, right? I wish...

Growing up in Pariah City wasn't at all glamorous. At a young age, I developed a crave for Adrenaline. That rush you get when in a dangerous situation. That feeling that you're on top of the world, even though you might be dead in the next few minutes. So, I did random things to get this rush. It started off as stupid childish things before evolving into actual crimes. Robbing stores, stealing cars. Whatever.

And my wealth made it all the more easier. I get a red Dodge Viper for my birthday. Every year since I turned 16.

Then, it hit me that my identity would be easily noticed, so I became the Red Viper, adopting the suit, a dagger, a sawed-off shotgun, a pistol, and the Snakebite, a two pronged, poison tipped dagger. My "adventures" became even more dangerous, such as robbing jewelry stores. Everyone talked about me, but no one knew anything. No news coverage, no newspaper headlines. After all, it's hard to have a story on someone you can't prove did anything.

That's all there is to it. But everyone has something that keeps them going. Motivation. For me, that's Hannah. My little sister, a student and artist. A good kid, who would never hurt anyone. Mom and Dad never gave a crap about us, but we took care of each other. And still do. Nothing will ever separate us. The only real family we have is each other. And she looks up to me. She can never know what I really am. No one can.

People all have differing ideas of villain and hero. It’s only in how you look at the situation. What am I? Well, I’m just a confused kid, out for a little fun…

[Red Viper]

Chapter One: Into the Night

My older brother, Ty, was always like a hero to me. More like a guardian than either of our living, perfectly capable parents ever were. He supported me; still does to this day. But it feels like…over the past few years…we just grew apart. He started sneaking out, I don't know, to see a girl or something. Regardless, it hurt; I don't see him any different, but it still hurts. I want my brother back…--Hannah Wolfblood

I walked down the stairs into the mansion's living room, as I did every evening. And as usual, she was there, sitting on the couch in her pajamas, eating ice cream and watching TV. And as usual, her Boston Terrier, Bella, was lying on the floor by Hannah's feet, just hoping she'd spill some.

"Hey bro."
"Hey, sis." I cracked a smile.

Though these days, that was usually the extent of our conversations. Tonight, I just stopped and looked at her a moment, remembering how close we used to be. She looked the same as always. Long, brown hair that came to her shoulders, thoughtful grey eyes. Artistic, thoughtful, caring. Pretty much everything I wasn't. Things just hadn't been the same since I'd picked up a double life. But I had to…I had to feed that urge. The urge for adrenaline; the sheer rush of things. I just…I couldn't help myself.

I surprised both of us when I sat on the couch next to her. She smiled, and I smiled back, genuinely this time, unlike the forced ones I usually crack.

"So, whatcha watchin'?" I asked, trying to start a conversation.
"I don't know, really. Something stupid." She shrugged. "Are you going out tonight?" she asked, and I felt my heart sink at the hopefulness in both her tone of voice and that look in her eyes.
"Yeah." Her expression sort of faltered, showing disappointment. I knew it wasn't in me, but I still felt like I was letting her down. "But not for another hour or so…we don't spend much time together anymore."

She set her now empty bowl of ice cream on the table and for the first time in a long time, I felt her arms around me in a hug, and I returned the favor. Then, we just sat and spent the remainder of the hour talking about practically nothing and laughing at the God-awful show that was on. Just like old times…

The show went off, and she yawned, standing up. "I'm going to bed, Ty. I really enjoyed that. We need to spend time together more often."
I couldn't say no. So I didn't. "Yeah, we do. Ninight, Hannah."
"Ninight." We hugged again. "Bro? Where do you go, anyways?"
"…You know, just…out."
"Oh…okay. I love you, Bro."
"Love you too, sis."

We went upstairs together. She went left, to her room, I went right, to mine. Though, while she was going to bed, I was going for another reason. I shut my door; no need in locking it since everyone was asleep, and Hannah knocked first. I pulled a small trunk out from under my bed, and opened it.

I looked down at the contents a second. Red tights with black markings and a matching mask. On the forehead of the mask and chest of the shirt was a silver snake-head emblem. I slipped out of the tee shirt and jeans I'd been wearing and slipped on the tights. Then, I put on the last item in the trunk; a black belt with a gun holster, a knife, and a small pouch full of black smoke bombs. On the buckle, was the same silver emblem.

Then, I snuck out of my window, and into the garage, hopping into one of my three red Dodge Vipers. I fired up the engine and sped off into the night. I was no longer Ty Wolfblood. For the duration of the night, I was the Red Viper. Doing what I wanted, when I wanted, however I wanted to…

[Red Viper]

Chapter 2: Blade and Flame

MARKUS LIKE CANDY—Pyromaniac

…I continued driving down the street, engine roaring over the dead silence of the night. Then I saw smoke in the distance, and out of instinct, I drove toward it. I parked about a block or two away and walked the rest of the distance, so my car wouldn't be pinned to where I was.

When I reached the source of the smoke, I saw my favorite candy store, up in flames. My heart sank even lower, as if it wasn't low enough from the realization that my choices were pushing my sister—no, she was more like my best friend—farther and farther away with every passing second.

"Damn…that was my favorite candy store…"
"Guess you'll have to find another place to fill your sweet tooth. What are you supposed to be? " I looked to see a girl, probably an older teen. She was dressed sort of like...well, like a jester would if her costume had been tossed into a dumpster, ripped apart, sewn back together, and ran over. Her skirt, shirt, and hat were all a very dirty, faded purple.
"Red Viper. Remember it." I paid no regard to her. I was still focused on the store.
"Why? You ever made the papers?"
"Well…I have a paragraph or two. Sometimes."
"Not interested."
I sighed. "Look, I don't make the papers because I don't get caught. They don't know shit about me. Hard to make an article out of Jack shit, no?"
"Not interested, Snakey. Call me Jester though."

---

Meanwhile, at the same site, Viper and Jester were being watched from two beings in the shadows. A large man, built like a mountain, and another, small man, with a look of sheer evil in his eyes.

"Look at people…Markus kill?" The big one spoke. He stood about seven feet tall, 350 pounds. He wore a black outfit with red flames and a matching mask over his eyes, and his head was heavily tattooed. He had the entire store's stock in several burlap sacks, slung over one shoulder. In his other hand was a half-eaten all-day sucker he'd gotten all of twenty minutes ago.

"No, brother. Not tonight. We've got…fun…elsewhere. Eat your candy…" The smaller man's hand seemed to melt, elongate, as his fingers became knives.
"Let's go, brother…we have….things…to do…" With that, the two beings silently slipped away to do God-knows-what to God-knows-who…

---

The air was soon pierced by the sounds of sirens, so I got the hell out of there, as did the mysterious Jester. On the plus side, some lucky bastard with a camera caught me leaving the scene and I made the front page as Red Viper, allegedly burning down my favorite store.

Behind every mask is a person, behind every person is a deep dark secret. Covering every secret is a mass of lies. But how do you know when the lies are too much?

[Red Viper]

Chapter 3: Sneaking Out

I am more than just what you see. I am a man, shrouded in mystery and confusion. Hell, I even confuse myself half the time…--Viper

I lay in bed, trying to sleep, but I was restless. I wanted to rest; go to sleep, take a break from being the Red Viper for a night. But I couldn't. The urge to go explore, do something stupid, whatever…it was tugging at my very being. So, I had to go. I pulled the all to familiar trunk out from under my bed, and punched the combination into the lock. I slipped into my gear, before tossing a pair of jeans, a green shirt, and a black leather jacket over it. Then, I opened my window and stared out into the darkness, ready for whatever the night had in store for me.

"Bro?"
I jumped, hitting my head on the window. I turned to see Hannah, looking at me; I could tell she'd just woken up. She still had that dazed expression on her face. But mixed with that was a look of confusion.
"What are you doing up, bro?"
"Oh, uh…I was cold, so I opened the window." It was a lie, and not a very good one, seeing as how I was fully dressed.

Hannah

I looked at Ty for a moment; his shaggy brown hair, his icy blue eyes. Bella was on my heels, her clawed feet clicking on the wood floor as she joined me, her stub of a tail wagging happily.

"Oh." I frowned a little; I knew he was lying to me. It was quite obvious, actually. But what worried me was that I knew he left at night, but now he was sneaking out? I didn't know what to say. "Alright then."

"What are you doing up, sis?"
"I heard noises and came to check... thought it might be burglars. Sorry if I disturbed you." I frowned again before bending down and picking up my dog, who licked my cheek.
""Oh, I didn't mean to wake you. Sorry, Hannah," he replied, walking over and patting Bella on the head before kissing my forehead, like he used to do when I was younger. It'd been a while since he'd done that, and it brought a small smile to my face, despite the circumstances.
"Well, night, Sis. I'll see you in the morning." He let out an obviously fake yawn.
The doubt I was feeling in my own brother's words made me frown again. I gave him a one-armed hug—because of the Boston terrier in my arms, and turned, heading to my room down the hall.

I sat on my bed, listening to his movements, and waited.

One minute...

Two minutes...

Five minutes...

Ten.

Bella let out an agitated snort as I got out of bed, changed out of my pajamas, and shut the door behind me, leaving the dog trapped in the room. I crept down the stairs quietly, into the living room, and peered out the front door, which I had opened just a crack, watching and waiting.

He shimmied down the tree and started towards the garage. Then, I heard him mutter something and I ducked back behind the door, out of sight, as he climbed back up the tree and into his room, then down again a minute later.

When I heard his car engine fire up, I began debating whether I should follow or not. For one, it would seem nosy, but... I'd noticed he'd been sneaking out quite a lot and... I was afraid for him. He was my brother. I sighed and rubbed my temple, caught between wanting to give him his privacy, and worrying that he might be into something over his head; something not healthy for him.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, making my decision. I walked outside as soon as I was sure he wouldn't be able to see me and looked around for one of the Doberman guard dogs my parents had running around the property. They were hostile to everyone but me, for some reason; I'm just very good with dogs, I guess. I finally found one, and pulling Bella's leash out of my pocket, I hooked it to his collar. If anything, the Doberman- Ray, I believe it was named- would be able to protect me from thugs.

I then found my bike and hopped on, clutching Ray's leash in my hand. I peddled after Ty, down the dark streets of the unforgiving Pariah City. I knew it'd be hard to catch up, since a bike is nothing compared to a Viper... but I was sure I'd be able to find him…

[Red Viper]

Chapter 4: Cutting Consequence

"Ever since I was a child, I knew I was destined for greatness; greatness no one else could ever achieve. And when my powers manifested, that only reinforced my beliefs. Now, the only thing standing in my way are the very people who pushed me down… Now, all I have to do is make every idiot who doubts me suffer."—Switchblade

Hannah

I peddled down the streets of the business district….hopelessly lost. I'd been following Ty, but... well, his car was much faster than my bike. I started to slow down. No one was bothering me, but that was mostly because of the large Doberman, Ray, trotting beside me.

Even criminals knew not to mess with a trained guard dog. A sigh escaped my lips, taking another look around. I had no idea how to get around this city.

I looked around a final time, seeing a car that LOOKED like my brother's further up the street. The license plate was different, but maybe...

I hopped off my bike and walked it down the street towards the car, Ray at my heels. After a little ways, I stopped in front of the convenience store and looked in, letting out an audible gasp.

Inside was a man I'd read vague articles about in the papers. The window was broken, and there, taking all of the money out of the register, was the Red Viper. I stepped back, brow furrowing in a worried look as Ray barked angrily at the masked criminal.

I turned and ran, dog at my heels. I didn't know what else to do. I just hoped my big brother was okay. If he wasn't…I'd never forgive myself. I stopped in an alley, not having a damn clue how to get home. Only problem was, I had no idea this alley was already occupied.

"Well, what have we here?" I gasped and turned, seeing someone I recognized from the news. I looked at my side, and I was holding nothing but a leash. Ray had slipped out of it and ran off.

I looked into Switchblade's dark eyes, scared to death.
"Now, now…you're out a little late, aren't you, little girl?" he asked, and his mere voice sent a chill up my spine.

I screamed, but his hand soon clamped itself over my mouth. "No no no, we can't have any of that. Then, the fingers on his other hand seemed to…melt. Into long, metal knife-like blades. I jumped, feeling one of them pierce the skin on my left upper arm. He dragged it down my arm, to just above the elbow, and I let out a muffled scream into his hand.
He only laughed. Tears ran down my face; I was going to die here. I knew it, I was going to die…

Ty

I'd parked the car about a block or so away, and just started walking. The car I normally used for this was rigged with a device that swapped between four license plates, each registered to a different person out of town. That little number cost me a fortune. But it didn't matter.

I slipped into an alley, stripping down to my Viper gear and dropping the normal clothes into the car. Then I headed to a convenient store, smashed the window, and began to rob it. Just for the sheer hell of it.

Suddenly, I froze, hearing a dog barking. I spun to see none other than Hannah with a large, black and brown Doberman; one of the guard dogs. My eyes were locked on my little sister for a moment. I can't believe it. She…followed me? How much does she know? Man she's got guts… Thoughts kept racing through my mind, but I simply pointed in the direction she'd come from. She turned and ran, proving she probably didn't know it was me.

I snatched up the cash and headed out to the car, and saw a Doberman running towards home. Ray. Then…I heard the scream. My little sister's scream…

In a flash I was running as fast as my feet would carry me. When I got to the source, my blood boiled. What I saw was Hannah, with…Switchblade. What I'd really noticed though, were the tears. And the blood that was freely trickling down her arm.

I rushed in before he could see me and spun him around, tearing his grip away from my sister at the same time. Then I hit him in the mouth, full force. "You got a problem with this kid?"

He stumbled, letting out a sickening laugh. "What, do you? Hey, I'll leave her for you if you hate her that much."

"Why you--" Hannah fell to the ground and clutched her arm where it was bleeding, tears still streaming down her face, though she was absolutely quiet now. This only fired me up more. My heart raced as my face flushed, the whites in his blue eyes becoming blood-red.

Reaching down by my belt, I grabbed my dagger and briefly glanced over at her again. I wished he could say something to her, but couldn't. Hannah was the only real friend I had, and she was hurt on account of me...

I focused back on Switchblade with a glare that could almost cut through one's soul. He slashed at me with his hand, but I blocked it with my own blade. He was going to pay for this…
I threw a kick to his face, but it was blocked, sort of cutting my ankle in the process. But then I saw Hannah. She was now lying on the ground, losing consciousness. I put my dagger away and scooped her up. "We'll finish this later." And then I ran to the car, changed, and sped home before doctoring her wounds.

Hannah

I don't remember much of what happened in that alley, to this day. All I remember is Viper, and blacking out. When I came to, I was on the sofa, at home, arm in a bandage, and my head resting on Ty's lap.

"Br--bro?" I whispered, a small smile on my face as I looked at him. But it quickly faded as I remembered what had happened to me earlier.
"How'd I get here...?" My eyes darted about with scared, worried look; seeing if that.... monster was still there. My entire body quavered in a shudder.
"Some guy carried you home. Called himself the Red Viper." He ran a hand through my hair.
"I saw the Red Viper... he was robbing a store... I got scared and ran..."

I swallowed, holding back tears. "But I ran into that...monster…Switchblade…His hands…turned into blades and he…he cut my arm." Another shudder went through my body as I attempted to sit up.

Ty put his arm around me. "It's okay now, sis. I've got you." For the first time I remembered, I saw tears flowing down his face. "I'm just glad you're okay..."

I hugged him as I let out a choking sob, pushing myself closer to him. I hadn't cried like this since she was eight, but... I felt like I couldn't take this. I'd never really cared about crime before, but that had been horrible. To think, someone could just... do that to a person and not care, even get a thrill from it... it wasn't human.

I closed my eyes and let the tears flow, letting it all come out...I just needed to cry.

Ty

I'll never forget that moment. I pulled her as close as I could, and we cried for what seemed like forever.

I felt guilty. Guilty because what had happened tonight was my fault. I was directly involved in what had happened, and the blood that was spilled was on my head.

I didn't know what to do. I knew he couldn't turn back and give up being the Viper. I needed that. But, right then and there, I silently made a vow. As long as I'm nearby, innocent blood will not be spilled again...