Twisted and Accursed, Chapter 29

The lights flickered back on, casting harsh shadows across the blood-soaked room. Taylor Hebert, standing in the midst of it all, wiped her face with a trembling hand. Alice hovered by her side, a silent specter, her claws retracting into ghostly fingers. Bodies of the mercenaries lay scattered around the room, their weapons discarded, blood pooling on the cold floor. Alice had certainly done a number on them, slicing off their limbs, their heads, bisecting them, or tearing apart their organs.

One guy was sliced in half, from head to groin.

Taylor’s heart pounded as she stared down at her father, who remained huddled behind Liam’s monstrous form – not that her dad could see the ghost. She could see the terror in his eyes, the disbelief. The love, too, but it was overshadowed by the horror of what she had become.

She forced herself to step forward, her body moving sluggishly as exhaustion began to creep in. Liam stepped aside, allowing her a clear path to her father. She knelt, placing a hand on his shoulder. There were spots and blotches of blood on his clothes and skin, but none were his. His skin felt cold under her touch.

“Dad,” she whispered. “We have to go. Now.”

Danny Hebert was pale, his eyes wide as they flicked between Taylor and the carnage that surrounded them. “Taylor… what- what happened?”

She didn’t have time for this. The PRT or whoever sent these killers would be regrouping any moment now. More soldiers. More heroes. More people who would try to contain her, try to stop her. More people who thought they could control her... bully her. She couldn’t let them.

“I’ll explain later. We don’t have time.” She tugged him to his feet. “We need to get off the Rig.”

Danny shook his head as if trying to wake from a nightmare. “Escape? But how-?”

“Just trust me.” Taylor’s voice was sharper than she intended. She glanced toward the door, listening for the sound of approaching boots or the hum of Tinkertech devices. Nothing yet. But they wouldn’t wait long. Were they trying to kill her? Were these people even a part of the PRT? Why bother with this farce in the first place? Taylor gritted her teeth. “I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

Her words, meant to reassure, seemed hollow even to her. There was no guarantee she could protect him, not with the chaos that followed her every step. Not with Sukuna laughing at her from the back of her mind, mocking her efforts. And definitely not when the abilities of her ghosts were on cooldown.

As if on cue, his voice slithered into her thoughts. You're running, again. Like a coward. So predictable.

His chuckle was low, dark. But where will you go, little sorcerer? The sea? You think you can outrun them? Kill them all. They can’t defeat you – they can’t defeat us. Let me kill them all. It should be pretty fun.

She ignored him, gripping her father’s arm tighter. The door had been kicked open, at least. Getting out of this place wouldn’t take too much effort on her part. “Alice, can you scout ahead?”

Alice didn’t speak, but her form shimmered briefly before she vanished, slipping through the walls, since she was technically intangible – or she could be if she wanted to. Taylor only had moments before more reinforcements arrived. She could feel the building tension in the air, the weight of the fight that was coming. But, she didn’t wan to fight or kill any of them. She just wanted to get out of this place, before anyone else died because they somehow thought it was a good idea to try and kill her or her father. Alice was deadlier than she’d initially thought, her claws able to pierce through seemingly anything – so far.

The doors leading to the hallway hissed open with a rush of stale, recycled air. Taylor stiffened, pulling her father behind her as figures appeared in the corridor. The lead figure – a woman in an immaculate white uniform, her hair pulled back in a severe bun – stepped forward, flanked by a group of PRT officers and capes.

“Taylor Hebert.” The woman’s voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. “This is a misunderstanding. The ones who attacked you are not at all affiliated with the PRT.”

Taylor’s eyes narrowed. She looked oddly familiar, someone she might’ve seen on television before. Was she trying to negotiate? Taylor thought it was a little too late for that. It was a little too late for a lot of things, honestly. She just didn’t want to be here. She wanted to be anywhere but here.

“I’m not going back into a cell,” Taylor growled, stepping forward. The air around her crackled with energy, tendrils of cursed power flaring at the edges of her vision. Not that anyone else could see the Cursed Energies anyway. That was, perhaps, her greatest weapon – no one else could perceive what she could perceive.

The woman held up a hand, signaling her team to hold. “You don’t have to. We can work something out. You’re safe now. We’ve dealt with the other mercenaries. There’s no need for more violence.”

Taylor glanced at the soldiers behind Renick. Their eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and determination. Some of them flinched when her gaze met theirs, but none of them backed down. She could feel the tension rising, the inevitable clash building with each passing second, something she desperately needed to avoid, since a clash would definitely end with Sukuna taking over. And if that happened... then a lot of people were going to die.

And she’d probably die too.

“Liar,” Taylor spat. “You’d throw me in the Birdcage the first chance you get.”

The woman’s eyes didn’t waver. “We’re not here to hurt you. We’re here to help.”

Taylor’s hands clenched into fists, her cursed energy swirling more violently now. She could feel Sukuna stirring, eager for a fight. The urge to let him out, to unleash his power on these people, was almost overwhelming. But that urge did not come from her. That was all him.

Do it, Sukuna whispered. Let me handle them. It would be so easy. You know it. A few seconds and they’ll all be dead. You could be free.

Taylor’s jaw tightened. She couldn’t. Not now. Not with her father here.

But she also couldn’t surrender.

“Get ready,” she murmured to her father, her voice barely audible. Danny nodded, his face tight with fear, but he didn’t hesitate.

Taylor took a deep breath and then, with a surge of energy, she acted.

Alice reappeared in the hallway, her form solidifying just behind the soldiers. In an instant, her claws extended, cutting through one of the PRT officers like butter. The soldier barely had time to scream before collapsing in a heap. The other officers spun toward her, weapons raised, but Alice was already gone, vanishing into the walls once more.

Chaos erupted. The soldiers opened fire, their weapons unleashing a barrage of tranquilizer darts and concussive blasts. But Taylor was ready. Cursed energy flared around her, forming a shimmering barrier that deflected the incoming projectiles, a little trick she’d come up with against the Banshee. It was easier now, she mused.

She surged forward, her body moving with inhuman speed. The officer’s eyes widened in surprise as Taylor closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. She swung her fist, imbued with cursed energy, aiming directly at the woman’s chest. The officer barely managed to sidestep the blow, her expression grim.

But Taylor wasn’t finished. She spun, lashing out with a kick that sent one of the PRT officers crashing into the wall. His body hit the ground with a sickening thud, unconscious before he even landed.

More soldiers rushed forward, but Liam appeared, his spectral form intercepting the bullets and blasts aimed at Taylor. The hallway was filled with the sounds of gunfire and the hum of Tinkertech, but Taylor moved through it all like a force of nature.

Alice struck again from the shadows, her claws slicing through armor and flesh with terrifying precision. Blood splattered across the walls as she cut down soldier after soldier, leaving a trail of bodies in her wake. There was no coming back from this, Taylor thought. She’d killed too many people already. She wanted to puke, honestly. She was so scared that her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. But if she gave up now, then she’d never be free again. And so, all she could do was dig deeper and deeper, and hope there’s a light at the end of whatever hole she’d end up digging.

The woman shouted orders, trying to regain control of the situation, but it was too late. Taylor was already past her, racing down the hallway with her father in tow. He was too slow. And so Liam hoisted him up. He screamed. She ignored him. Taylor heard the pounding of boots behind her, the shouts of the remaining soldiers giving chase, but she didn’t slow down.

“We’re almost there,” she gasped, rounding a corner. Ahead, the doors leading to the Rig’s outer deck loomed. If they could reach the deck, there might be a way out. A boat. A helicopter. Anything. Or maybe....

But as they burst through the doors, they were met with a sight that made Taylor’s blood run cold.

A dozen capes stood on the deck, waiting for them. There were supposed to be hundreds of them; she didn’t know where the others were. But there were more than a few familiar faces here, including what appeared to be the entirety of New Wave – Glory Girl, Panacea, Lady Photon, Laserdream, Brandish, Manpower, and Flashbang, all of whom Taylor recognized because they were pretty famous.

Armsmaster, who stood at the front, twirled his halberd and stepped towards her. When he spoke, his voice was oddly soft. “Taylor Hebert. You’ve murdered dozens of PRT Officers tonight, excluding the armed group that broke into your confinement, which was justified self-defense. Surrender. If you flee or fight, then there will be no going back from it.”

Taylor’s eyes narrowed. And she sighed. Their blood was on her hands. Unfortunately, this might’ve been avoided if no one attacked her. She hadn’t been planning on killing or hurting anyone tonight. But they forced her hand, whoever they were supposed to be, since Armsmaster was now implying that the men Alice cut up in that room were not PRT troopers, even though their choice of wardrobe confirmed such.

What choice was there for her? Sukuna, the PRT, the Gangs... they all took her choices away. “I know.”

But she wasn’t about to give up. Alice and Liam hovered at her side. And the only option she had left was a really bad one, borne of an even worse idea that may or may not end up killing her if it failed. But, at this point, the only plans and choices left were the really bad ones. “And I’m going to kill anyone who tries to hurt me – or my dad.”

“Then, you leave me with no choice.” Armsmaster sighed. And, the fact that she felt something akin to genuine disappointment from the hero stung a lot more than Taylor would ever care to admit. There were dozens of capes here. She was outnumbered and outgunned. But, they didn’t know that. They only knew her as the girl who fought and defeated Lung at his strongest and most powerful form. They didn’t know the monster. They didn’t know Sukuna and, if they were lucky, they would never know Sukuna.

Before any of them could move, a loud and thunderous boom pierced the air. All was silent for a moment, followed by a faint, but brief whistling noise. Taylor blinked and, suddenly, there was a giant hole in her chest and blood was pouring out of her mouth. Her vision blurred. And the world spun. Her dad turned to her. “Taylor!”

Sukuna’s laughter echoed at the edge of her mind. And the only thought that passed through Taylor’s head was, Shit....