text: It was a pleasant night went I met her. There I was leaving another building the scent of blood heavy on my clothes. I wiped my knife off on my jacket, no need to hide stains when your already the most wanted criminal in the city. I turned the corner into an old alleyway a dunk old man was rummaging in a trash can. The sound of my footsteps startled him but it was my face that terrified him. I almost laughed at his haunted expression, the way he fell over into the garbage hopeing I wouldn’t see him. Part of me wanted to finish him off, but I was tired and already coated in blood. I turned the next corner ignoring the man. Reaching into my pocket I felt the list in my hand I pulled in out of my pocket used some of the wet blood and crossed out the top name. Then I said the next name aloud. “Kristopher Gray.” Immediately a red line appeared in my vision. It twisted around the corners and out of my sight. A new hunt was on, this was my power. By saying a mans name aloud I can track them any where I simply let the red line pull me closer. As time goes on the red line darkens and the pull becomes unbearable until I finally kill the mark. It was this skill that earned me my name blood hound, and my spot as Petersburg’s most feared supervillain. I was rounding a corner following the line when suddenly I felt a sharp sting in back. I stopped in my tracks, a smile grazed my lips; it had been a while sense anyone tried to take me out. I had been getting bored lately all my marks simply fell at my feet and begged for mercy no one had any spunk anymore. “Not a very wise move,” I said calmly the pressure of the blade increased, I could feel a small stream of blood going down my back. This excited me, finally someone brave. The pull of the red line tugged at me to countinue the hunt, but I ignored it. It had been to long sense I got to fight someone, It was time to have some fun. I quickly pivoted on my toe and in a fluid motion grabbed the gun from my holster and knocked the knife out of my assailants hand. In the next motion I fired my pistol directly in their chest, or at least where there chest should have been. But no one was there. I heard a scrapping noise and began to laugh. There was no attacker it was just a child, wrapped tightly in winter clothes, who was now chasing down their small knife that I had knocked against the wall. My laughter only grew as I watched them fumble to pick up the dagger their gloved hands struggling to get a grip. “Stop laughing at me” the child roared. “I am going to attack you and then when I win you will owe me a favor.” They finally got a grip on their knife and charged at me. I dodged easily stepping to the right and extending my foot. They failed to change directions in time and went sprawling. “Thanks for the laugh kid.” I said between chuckles. “It’s been a while sense anyone has managed to sneak up on me I’ll give you that.” Honestly the child’s ability to go unnoticed had impressed me maybe they were a super? If so in a few years they could become a threat, I wondered if I should kill them. I decided I would leave them alone see what the world made them. With one last glance I walked away, allowing the pull of the hunt to take over my senses. I thought that would be the end of it. A few days later I was walking the same alley way when I felt it again the pressure of a knife on my back. Using the same motion as before,minus the gun this time, I disarmed the tiny assailant. I was in a poor mood that day, my mark had jumped out a 15 story window befor I could kill them. I hated cowards. I waited for the child to get up and fetch their knife. It was so strange they couldn’t have been more than 70 pounds yet they held more courage in them then many of the men I had killed. But alas I couldn’t keep allowing this behavior to continue. The kid faced me again with the same knife in their hand. I could see the way they were eyeing me ready to pounce. With my right arm extended I lunged at them catching them off guard. I twisted them arm behind them and grabbed the knife out of their hand. “Stop this kid, it was funny the first time but now your starting to get on my nerves.” My voice grated with frustration as they pitifully fought against my hold. “ I’m going to beat you and then you will have to do me a favor.” The kid said, I could hear the desperation in their voice. “ What makes you think you can beat me and even if you did what makes you think I’d help you for it.” My curiosity was peaked what did a child need my skills for? I was the most wanted criminal in all of Petersburg. “ Cause you will owe me a life debt and that means you have to help. My friend jimmy says you have to!” The child still struggled in my grip. I tightened my hold until they Yelp in pain. “ What is would you use this life debt for? Taking out a bully? That’s beneath my work kid.” “I need you to kill someone.” The kids voice grew quite as they said it. “Iv tried but I can’t do it, I’m not big enough.” Their voice cracked in shame. What kid wanted to kill people I wondered? How demented must they be? “ Who might you want dead? Did someone steal your lunch money kid?” I asked as I turned them around to face me. It was then I noticed the kid was a girl, maybe 8 years old. Her face was covered in dirt and bruises but her clothes were surprisingly nice. “I’m not a kid, and I want you to kill my Dad!” The kid yelled indignantly. I never was the type of criminal with morals but something about the thought of this kid cowering in a corner made me enraged. Maybe I could pick up an extra mark tonight. “Why do you want him dead?” “Mom tries to hide me when he comes home, but he always finds me. I tried to kill him, I swear I did but I failed and now My mom can barely stand. Please just kill him.” The girl was finally starting to shake now. Her adrenaline was wearing out and fear was catching up. Yet she never broke eye contact with me. It was in that moment that I knew I was going to kill him. “ What’s your Dady’s name.” That was all I needed, just the name and in a matter of days the man would be dead. “Walter Mcgonald.” The girl whispered as though the name would bring him out of the shadows. “ Are you sure you want this? Once I say his name I can’t stop until he’s dead. Do you understand?” I looked at the child’s eyes, they needed to know that once I said his name he would be dead in a matter of days, that was the price of the hunt. After I spoke a name out loud the urge to follow the red line slowly consumed me. I tried to fight it once when I was younger. I ended up blacking out, when I came to I was covered in not just the marks blood but the blood of dozens of people. “I’m sure.” The child’s voice didn’t waiver. She was serious. “Walter Mcgonald” I said the name out loud. I watched the red line form and snake off out of view. The deed had been done Walter’s fate was sealed. “ So kid does your Dad have any powers so should know about?” Most folks had a small power, some could make any flower grow at will, others could summon small objects like keys to their hands. I once killed a man that could change the temperature of any room by 5 degrees. Most powers were small enough to be inconsequential but a few powers made killing someone a little trickier. The kid tensed up and looked away. For the first time I saw real fear in their eyes. She didn’t say a word. I began to get frustrated . “ Well I already agreed to kill them, so out with it.” I had a hunch that there power was not something as trivial as temperate changes. “ mind control, he has mind control.” The girl said. I couldn’t help but curse as my blood ran cold. What had I done I looked at the red line in front of me and for the first time in years wondered who’s blood would be shed when I reached the end of it. There was only one person in all the City with that power. The Whisper, Petersburg’s greatest superhero. I was now bound to kill him.