What would you do if you were given the chance for revenge? Would you take it? Would you do so at any cost?

Would you hesitate even for a second?

I didn't.

Another painful blow landed on the man's stomach, causing him to fall to his knees. Sweat dripped down his bald head, and his brown eyes were wide. A figure with brown and dark-red hair glared at him, kicking the victim on his side.

"And to think you were the one who beat me up so many times. Well, what about now?!" He kicked the person again.

"Go to hell," the man growled. The figure kicked him again, getting blood to escape the man as he coughed. Along with what would be his last dinner. He continued to vomit his vitality before screaming in agony. A red spike was shoved into his leg, causing more crimson liquid to escape. It echoed in the dark alleyway before entering the night.

"Beg for mercy, and I might end your suffering."

"D-damn you. Damn you to hell!" the other man cursed before being lifted by his shirt.

"Oh well. Looks like our game has come to an end." The teen's fingertips became red claws, and they swiped at his victim's neck.

The skin opened.

From the cut, his paling neck painted the alleyway red in a wide spray.

The man died.

The only spot clean traced the killer's shape before he took out a curve-decorated pole and formed a blade of dark red. He licked some of the blood from around his mouth.

"A shame. I wanted to play more."

The blade came down.

------------------------------------------------------
That morning...

Autumn

I stretched as I watched the live video from the van. My blue baseball cap was almost over my eyes. In the back of the alley was a red streak with a line through it. Slit's calling card. But no matter how many times I see it, it still haunts me as most disturbing. My mother walked to the camera.

"Are we on, Dylan?" she asked the cameraman.

"In three! Two! One! We're on!"

"Now on to June with some breaking news from the Sky Pier," the anchorman finished in his report. The screen showed my mother. She wore her usual dress, her brown hair down, and held the microphone in just the right position.

"Thank you, Sam. This is June Wilson live from Sky Pier. The mysterious killer also known as Slit has struck again. He has left only one sign of a confrontation, but authorities have obtained video footage from a witness of last night's latest death."

It cut to video of a man in a black shirt and pants being punched in the face before being thrown into the alley. It cut to around the corner as a horrifying scream rang through.

"Now, it may not seem like much, but watch this last part. It's pretty gory, so viewer discretion is advised."

The video cut to the masked teen being sprayed by blood before the victim dropped dead. I paled upon seeing him take his mask off to wipe his brow, revealing blue eyes. Eyes that seemed dead.

"The one killed was an escaped prisoner named Luke Jones. His killer is thought to be Virgil Argus, the teen that vanished a year ago and was presumed dead. Either way, Slit has once again asserted his name as the Bloodletter."

"Virgil? He's alive?" I walked out of the van.

"In other news, the legendary Stone of Osiris is set to appear at the local museum for one week starting in three days, the last day a possible time for a solar eclipse, when the underworld and this world are said to come together when the Stone is raised to it. June Wilson signing off. Keeping it hot like summer any day of the year."

"And cut!" Dylan cut off the feed. "June, we should talk. Why are you making one big hell of a deal over this? Just because some guy killing people is still loose doesn't mean we have the get everyone so damn stressed out about it."

"But the people want the story. You've seen the questions!"

"Most of them are scared. And can we blame them? No because of the goddamn footage we just showed them! Unbe-freaking-lievable." He saw me. "Autumn! Sorry you had to hear that. Your mother can be a bit of a pain," he whispered. I nodded before walking to her.

"Thinking about Virgil?" she asked.

"Yeah. Mom, if he really is Slit, then why is he doing this? He was never the violent type."

"Well, some people have their own reasons for things. And sometimes, it's best not to ask."

"Still, he was my best friend... I have to get to the bottom of this." I waited for my mom to raise her voice, but she just smiled.

"That's my little reporter," she replied, ruffling my blonde hair and touching my ears. I resisted purring and moved away, putting my cap back on. I had on my headband, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Mom! Please don't do that. You know I don't wanna reveal my ears."

"Sorry. I thought you were comfortable with being a Neko now."

"Not so loud! And I wasn't really comfort--" I paused as I saw a light in front of me. It grew brighter, and suddenly, I saw Virgil holding a red spike in midair.
A vampire.
A child scratching at a man with a pale arm.
A man in beetle-design armor.
An ominous figure holding a scythe.
And a something biting into a human heart, spurting blood everywhere.

I winced and fell to my knees. My mother ran to my side.

"What's wrong? Another vision?"

"No... Yes, but... it's different." I had foreseen someone getting run over and plates breaking in the past, but nothing like this. "I-I should look around."

"Okay. Don't go too far."

"I won't!" I called back as I ran. My blue tank top blew in the wind as did my matching skirt. My hair was down because why try to put my hair in a ponytail when I have a baseball cap on? But I was free. Free from embarrassment. Free from their arguments. Just free to run around the harbor near the waters.

Then, I heard them.

"... Yeah. So, Boris. Like the meat I brought?"

"I will be honest," a second voice I assumed to be Boris replied. "Not the best tasting. Ugh! I can taste his crimes. This is prison food!"

"Then why do you keep eating it if it tastes so bad?!" the first voice shot back.

"Well, I need some kind of food!"

"Enough!" a third, darker voice silenced the others. "If you two will stop arguing for five damn seconds, then I can take the soul."

"Right!"

I looked around the corner and saw a fanged man with black hair and dressed like a stereotypical vampire, a cloaked man, and a brown haired teen with a mask with a skull motif wearing otherworldly red armor. The teen took out a pale white sphere that swirled with a beautiful design. He gave it to the cloaked man who put it inside his hood.

"You have done well, Slit. Keep it up, and you'll have both your revenge and two completed blacklists." The man and his fanged accomplice vanished in a vortex of dust. "Now, for the Stone of Osiris..."

"Virgil?" I caught myself when a brick slipped out of the wall and dropped onto the concrete. His eyes locked onto me, and he reached behind him. Immediately, I turned tail, my actual tail falling out of the top of my skirt. I heard the thuds of multiple spikes behind me as well as splashes. I considered reaching for my phone, but I had to run. One tore at my skin, and I yelped but ran faster. But his force knocked me into the wooden pier when he tackled me. He was way too fast. I caught myself, but when I turned around, I was met with the sharp end of a red spike ready to skewer me. I felt tears ready to escape and braced myself. But he just lowered the spike.

"Who are you?"

"A-Autumn. My name's Autumn." My cap fell off of my head.

"I'll ask you. Where is it?"

"What?"

"The Stone of Osiris. I heard that it will be on exhibit. I need it."

"Why do you need it?"

"In a week, there will be a solar eclipse. I have to get the Stone to my masters before then. Only then can we defeat Bloodra."

"Bloodra..." I remembered Virgil talking about it. It's supposed to be a demon that awoke a year ago after many human sacrifices. The warehouse was where the light came from. Slit then touched my ear. It twitched. He rubbed it curiously. I felt my cheeks burning as I purred involuntarily.

"A Neko?" He let go. "Maybe..." He shook his head. "Okay. Now where is the Stone of Osiris?"

"It's coming in three days," I replied. "I was gonna say that, Virgil." He flinched.

"That's not my name."

"I remember you. And I wanted to say. To me, you were never weak." I felt the killer get off of me.

"That was a long time ago. Now, I wanna break her like she broke me."

"You mean Cora? Your mother?"

"I-I... yeah. She's the master of the cult, but... Damn it. I don't remember anything." He looked away.

"Why do you need revenge so badly?"

"You don't understand. That wench..." His fists tightened.

"Mr. Argus?! So that's what happened to him. Let me help, Virgil. You can't do this alone."

"I said to call me Slit!" he snapped. I flinched, and he looked away again. "I just don't want anyone holding me back. Eye for an eye. It's simple as that."

"At least tell me. Please." I saw Virgil's eyes soften and his hand move to take off his mask.

"Okay. I trust you."

So he told me what he remembered that afternoon.

And it all started with a boy named Virgil.