@irisschuncken6604

1 year ago

There was once a villain. There was also once a hero. What is the difference between one and the other? I’ve pondered that question for years, yet I still don’t know. All I know is that they stand on opposite sides of a certain line. In stories it’s often crystal clear about the difference in definition. A hero stands on the side of good, the innocent. They help the ones in need and fight against evil. The villain is the polar opposite, evil incarnate. They destroy, hurt and are the one thing standing in the hero’s path to greatness. Real life isn’t black and white like they love to tell it in stories. There are only various shades of gray. No one is purely good and no one is purely evil. I’ve seen countless self proclaimed heroes and villains destroy each other for their own causes. They all had one thing in common: They believed they were the ones on the right side. Real life is confusing like that. You can’t point at one and yell “Evil” and then point at the other and name them “Good”. Everyone has their own story to tell and the mind likes to believe that it’s right. I don’t stand on any side. Nor do I care to. Some call me a villain, others a hero. I just do my job. Caring gets you killed in my line of work. Since I was young I have been helping out in the family business. It may be exhausting but it’s the only job I’ve ever known. Dust clings to my black coat as I make my way through the rubble. Gravel crunches with every measured step that I take and a light breeze brings the faint smell of smoke with it. A groan rises from behind one of the piles of rubble. My feet stop in front of a figure splayed on the ground and I stare down at them. Their brown hair is a matted mess, dust is smeared across their face and a gash on their cheek gushes with angry red blood. They crack an eye open and a sharp grin spreads on their face. “Come to kill me?” “It appears so.” Their other eye opens and a frown pulls at their face. They scoff, “You lot are the real fuckers, you know? Only care about your precious balance.” I don’t put in the effort to react. It’s all just different variations of the same things I’ve heard over and over. A cough rises up from deep within their chest, with it blood spews from their mouth, past their chin. Their face contorts into one of pain before they force it back into a bloody grin. “I killed them. Exactly like I was supposed to. I killed the villain.” A hysterical laugh bubbles up from within them, “I mean, I won.” “You think you were the hero?” Curiosity seeps into my voice. I wonder whether I will get a different answer today. A look of confusion flashes across their face. “Why wouldn’t I be? They were the one on the wrong side, I was doing good.” Disappointment fights for a place on my face but I don’t let it. You don’t get emotions involved with this job. I look around me. At the destroyed houses, the fires and the smell of blood in the air that’s too thick to have come from just one person. “You did this?” It takes them a while to answer. Not because they have to think, but because a coughing fit takes hold of them again. Their shirt slowly stains a muddy red, fresh blood and old dust mingling together. “Of course,” they wheeze in between coughs, “I had to defeat the villain somehow.” Really, it shouldn’t surprise me that this answer is the same as all the ones I’ve gotten before. My hand disappears into my coat. The weight of the gun is familiar as I slide it out of its holder and into my hand. “A new hero and villain gonna take up our places?” They mumble as they watch me through half lidded eyes filled with pain. I cock the gun with swift movements. “You know how these things go. You two served your purpose. Now you have to make room so the balance is kept.” They spit a glob of blood and saliva with surprising strength my way. It soars through the air and I watch how it splatters on the ground right in front of my feet. “Fuck you! Really, fuck you! You don’t get to decide who gets to live and who dies!” Wordlessly, I point the gun at them. Their movements turn more frantic when they see the weapon pointed at them. “You’re not as neutral as you’d like to think! You’re just like the rest of us and some day somebody will get to–” Bang! Bang! The body falls limp to the ground. With a sigh I put the gun back in its holster. Then I walk back. The same sense of exhaustion still clings to me. As always the same question burns in the back of my mind: What’s the difference between a hero and a villain? ~ I know this doesn't really match with the title of this playlist, but I wrote this while listening to this playlist so I thought I'd share it anyways.

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