They call him the Weeper. For after he murders his victims, he draws an eye and tear as his mark in the blood of his enemies. At least, they assume they’re his enemies. They do not know why he kills, but they know the how. A dagger in both eyes, so the fallen's cheeks are stained crimson, as they lie there motionless, weeping red.
The public grasps for motives behind the Weeper: debts and disputes, quarrels and traumas. Because people fear violence without reason. They cannot defend themselves against that which they do not understand, so they ignore the simplest motive of all―that the Weeper relishes blood and flesh, and they are little more than bags of meat. Such things, they would say, do not happen in our civilized world. But I have seen the truth of humanity, and it is written in chaos. Such things happen every day.
And always, people distract themselves with drink and dance, work and play. Yet even those who feign disinterest have two questions. Who is the Weeper, and what does he want?
Tonight, I intend to answer both.
A Nightfall Chronicles Novella
Originally published in: The Indomitable Ten: A Superhero/Supervillain Novella Anthology
