Will-O'-The-Wisp

Prologue

“Good morning Aurora City. I’m Mariah Dobrev, and I must say what a beautiful July day it is. Today is Friday the 15th, the sun is shining, and the skies are clear. Tonight, conditions will be perfect to see the annual meteor shower right here in Aurora. People will be swarming to town square tonight for free food, drinks, and a beautiful display of astronomical wonder, so be sure to drop by and don’t miss out.” The woman on the TV paused for a moment, before continuing in a new tone that was much less happy and excited.

“In other news, the vigilante known as Firewall has struck again. Multiple eyewitness reports say a man wearing a trench coat, that appeared to be on fire, was spotted fleeing the scene of another gruesome murder.” She looked down at her desk, clearly bothered by the news. “Two people were killed, and a third was seriously injured and is currently recovering in the ICU. There’s no news on the current whereabouts of this man, but the people of Aurora are desperate to know, when will this meaningless cruelty end?”

The woman stared into the camera and smiled. “Well, that is all the time we have right now, Catch us tonight for our Late at Eight news. This is Mariah Dobrev, Signing off.” The screen turned black for a moment before jumping to a commercial. The news never seemed to change. It was good that they focused on the vigilante. He was indeed dangerous.

Firewall flipped off the TV and turned toward his desk. He was frustrated that people were so blind to the world around them. The media would cover up every horrible moment with a party or a happy story that brought tears of joy to your eyes. People would still make plans, and walk into the streets. Clueless and unaware of the true dangers that were posed to them.

The vigilante looked down; he was unusually caught up by the images of the dead men. He wasn’t sure if people would ever see him as more than a murderous villain, but someone in this city had to take up the mantle. This place was full of loners, and people who only cared about their own agenda. Most kept to themselves and others were professionals in small talk. There wasn’t peace, and it certainly wasn’t a time for parties.

Occasionally, some rambunctious person was ready to break the silence, and it usually cost them, especially if they come across the gangsters that ruled the nights. The individual gangs would mostly stick to their own territory, but every now and then they would break pattern, and cause riots and panic. Sometimes innocent people got hurt when Firewall would join the fight, but that was just the nature of the job. He had little regret for doing what needed to be done. If that meant he needed to kill people to restore balance in the city, that is exactly what he would do. After years of murder, it starts to lose its impact, like a word that you repeat until it has no more meaning.

Firewall was sure he’d be busy tonight. It was a meteor shower after all and there was a party full of people who wore masks to blend in with society. With so many living bodies around, who would really notice if a few turned up dead or missing. Most likely no one until the gathering under the astronomical event had ended. Of course, there would eventually be consequences, but regardless, he had a job to do. Once his mission came to an end, he would rest as he did every night before. He knew tonight he would once again sleep soundly with fresh blood on his hands.