Hangman: - Nick Venom (mystery books to read .txt) 📗

the prisoners and loading them into the bunker. Lorenzo stared at every prisoner, quickly spotting the president.

“Oh, and make sure he gets the best treatment. We wouldn’t like for the president to rate his stay a one star.” He joked.

Hull scoffed in response. “As you say, sir.”

“Again, call me Lorenzo.” Hull didn’t respond, looking away from him. “Whatever, get them in.” He approached the door but stopped. He looked around, his brows furrowed. “Tell one of your teams to watch out for any wandering eyes.”

“You suspect a drone or person, sir?” Hull asked.

“Maybe not a drone, I don’t hear the usual mechanical sounds, but… it could be a person.” He said. “Tell them to keep their eyes out.”

“Understand, sir.”

“Good, now hurry up.” He said before entering the bunker. Hull and Valdez followed behind him. Lorenzo led the way, passing by Hull’s comrades holding the prisoners. He brought them down several floors using an elevator large enough to hold five bunk beds in length and width.

They reached the fiftieth floor, being directed off the elevator by Lorenzo. He led them deep into the floor, taking several hallways, before reaching a row of jail cells. “Throw them in here.” He ordered. Hull’s men looked at him and he nodded his head.

“Throw them in.” He said, repeating Lorenzo’s order. His men nodded, moving the prisoners---some of them still continuing to fight their captors---and threw them into a large jail cell. The cell door closed behind them, locking in place.

“Good.” He muttered before turning towards Hull. “You can go to him now. Tell your daddy that you’ve completed your mission.” He said, mocking him. Hull bit his lip, looking straight. He refused to look at Lorenzo in fear of letting his emotions take over. 

“Yes, sir.” He coldly responded before turning around. He left the prison with his men behind them.

With them gone, Lorenzo turned to face the prisoners. “It’s nice to meet you all, especially you Mr. President.” He said with a devilish grin. “I can’t believe I get to meet you in person.”

“Lorenzo Hills? Famed scientist and Noble Peace nominee? You’re on his side?” Brooks asked.

Lorenzo nodded. “Better on the winning than the losing side.” He remarked.

“Nominee? Color me surprised he didn’t win.” Wales remarked with a grin.

Lorenzo glared at him. “At least I was nominated. I don’t see any nominations in your past... Or future? Especially as somebody who no longer exists.”

***

Team 2 patrolled the bunker and the hill it used as a disguise. They were a five-man team that worked effortlessly, leaving very few blind spots. However, one blindspot was enough to invite trouble.

“Hey, when do you think we’re being sent home?” A member of Team 2, dressed in the same attire as the others, remarked. He stood on the hill over the bunker.

“No idea, but it won’t be soon.” Another member said.

“Aye! Quit yapping and continue your patrols. We don’t have time to waste-” Her voice trailed off as she noticed a glint hanging over both members. She tilted her head before looking around.

“What is it?” The first member asked.

“Yeah, why do you look like you saw a ghost?” The second member questioned.

“Yeah, what happened?”

The leader of the second team, a female, took off her helmet to reveal her red hair and blue eyes. She squinted at the glint, noticing that there was more than one glint hanging over them. Her eyes widened as she recognized what the glints were. They were coming from string basking in the sun.

“Run! Hangman is-” She was interrupted by the desperate gasps of her teammates. The strings hovering over them were nooses, ready to pounce over their targets - with the moment presenting itself as the leader’s remarks had stopped them in place, perfect for Hangman. He dropped the nooses and wrapped them around their necks, pulling them into the air. Their necks were swiftly snapped. 

Hangman then set his targets on the leader, appearing in front of her. One of the nooses unraveled, releasing a dead teammate, before re-raveling itself around her neck. It brought her high into the air, choking her. From her view, she saw the bodies of the last two members of Team 2. 

I want to live! She desperately wanted to yell. I have kids waiting for me! I can’t leave them on their own. They’ll die without me! They already lost their father, so please don’t take me. I have much I wanted to do with them!

Her thoughts weren’t a factor in Hangman’s decision. He snapped her neck, discarding her body with ease, before staring in the direction of the entrance. 

“R-Revenge!” He demanded. “I… I deserve it.”

***

“With your capture, you truly don’t exist anymore. Crude will put out a statement about you dying at Hangman’s hands. He’ll then credit Hull and his people with doing their best in trying to save you. They’ll be remembered as Task Force 147. Not you.” Lorenzo said before chucking to himself. “Aside from Mr. President, none of you will exist. You’ll all fade and Crude will take full power over the country. He’ll rule with an iron fist and nobody will be able to challenge him.”

“He wants to be a dictator?” Hankins asked. “With the amendments and Congress around, he can’t gather that type of power. Believe me, I would know about this since I studied dictators and wannabees in college.”

Lorenzo laughed at him. “They’ll be nothing but a reminder of the past once Crude has full power. He’ll become a dictator and forge this country in his own vision, like the founding fathers.”

“The founding fathers weren’t dictators,” Dennel said. “There were fair and revolutionary.”

“Revolutionary, yes, but they weren’t fair. They broke rules they established and ruled with an iron fist. Have you ever heard of Andrew Jackson? He used his power to kick out Native Americans from their land so he could build Mcdonalds and hotels in the future.”

“They were mostly there for the land and gold, not restaurants and hotels,” Wales remarked.

“Have you heard of hyperboles before, son? If you have, then get your ears checked.” He said before turning away. “Well… good luck to you all. I’ll be back with your execution dates, so be prepared for that. Hopefully, the kid who thinks he’s funny dies first.” He left them behind, all flabbergasted. 

They looked at each other in silence. They knew that they didn’t exist, but to be in a jail cell and be told that again by someone with the power to make them disappear nailed the final nail in their coffin. They slump to the ground or remain standing, trying to wrap their heads around the situation and any solutions to deal with it.

Meanwhile, Wales shot a glare in the direction Lorenzo went in. “I knew what hyperboles are… I do. Yeah, of course, I do.”

***

Lorenzo left the underground prison, leaving several of his personal guards in the prison, and went towards a room in one of the hallways they passed through earlier. He knocked on the door several times before it opened slightly. A redheaded man appeared, glaring at him. “I have a nasty headache, what do you want?” He said as he opened it further upon recognizing Lorenzo. He wore a black tunic with a gray poncho cloak wrapped around him. He resembled a stereotypical noble but with fewer ruffles and a sterner expression. 

“They’re here. Get to work, already.” He remarked.

The man smiled. “Got it, got it, got it.” He said before walking past the doorframe. On his back was a katana inserted into a coffee-colored sheath. “I’ll do my job since you’re paying me.”

“Crude is paying you.”

“Yup and the pay is pretty good. Anyways, lead them to me.”

Lorenzo glared at him for a few seconds before looking away. “Follow me.”

The man nodded. He followed Lorenzo for a hundred feet before stopping. He felt that something was off, quickly snapping his head around for the cause of the feeling. “He’s in.” He muttered.

Lorenzo turned around to face the man. “Hangman? So soon? How can you tell?” 

“I told you that I am a Monster Hunter, right? I have a sixth sense for it.” The man said. “Stay behind me or else-” He was interrupted as he noticed a sparkle some distance above Lorenzo. “Damn… drop now!” He ordered as he brandished the katana and charged forward. He sliced at the string, nicking it but not breaking it. 

Lorenzo, who managed to drop in time to escape the string wrapping itself around his neck, looked up as the man fought the string. The man sliced at every glint and sparkle coming from the near-invisible string. 

“Enough!” Hangman shouted, materializing in front of him. “I… I deserve revenge.”

“I could care less. I’m being paid to protect some certain people and to defeat a meddling monster, so… sorry can’t let your plans happen since they intertwine with mine.” He pointed the tip of the katana at Hangman. 

Hangman glared at him. “B-Brooks… he poisoned my... village’s water and his men enslaved the s-survivors. I e-escaped… I. Deserve. Revenge.”

Lorenzo furrowed his brows. “Enslaved survivors? That was never in the file. It only said everybody died from the water.”

Hangman shook his head slowly. “T-They… came in and t-took them. I will… fulfill my… revenge.” He declared. Lorenzo stared at him strangely, caught off-guard by the new information. However, the katana man could care less. He charged forward, slicing at every glint and sparkle he saw. He was quickly closing the distance. 

Before the katana man could strike at Hangman, he disappeared through a tornado of darkness. The tornado retreated, giving up ground. It vanished around a corner, teasing the man. 

“Damn, he thinks he can escape me.” He growled. “He won’t.”

“Wait, Hakim. Don’t chase him, he’s most likely leading you into a trap!” Lorenzo exclaimed.

Hakim shook his head. “As a Monster Hunter, I must rid this world of monsters. I won’t leave this bunker until Hangman’s neck is in my grip. I’m not worthy of this title if I leave him alive” He declared before charging forward, chasing after where the tornado disappeared, leaving Lorenzo on the floor.

“Damn you, idiot hunter. All you’ve done is laze around and waste resources. Go to hell!” He muttered before turning in the opposite direction of Hakim. “A damn monster and lunatic is running loose in the bunker. Where’s Hull!” He thought to himself. “I need that damn lackey. Hull, where are you?” He headed towards the elevator, entering the large room and pressing down on the ‘first-floor’ button. The elevator began moving, taking him to ground level.

“Damn you all! I won’t die like you all. I have better stuff to do in my life than die in this depressing bunker! All go to hell!”

***

Chaos erupted outside the room holding Dennel and the others. They overheard screams, shouts, and curses from guards positioned outside. The highest-ranking guard evicted the other guards and ushered them outside to deal with the cause behind the nasty sounds. They were quickly adding to the chaos.

“Damn, what the hell is happening!” The Last Guard shouted, brandishing his pistol. He pointed at the only door to the room, staring down the iron sights with great intensity. “Who the hell is there!’

The door, which had been closed by the Last Guard, opened suddenly. A silver-bladed scythe was heaved through the open door, flying towards the Last Guard and splitting his head upon contact. Last Guard fell to the ground, landing violently. Blood spurted out of his split head, creating a puddle where his head lay. The scythe embedded itself into Last Guard’s skull, cracking bone and piercing his brain. 

A man walked into the room, glancing at the sight he caused. He approached the body, ripping the scythe out of his head. He brought the blade of the scythe up to his eyes, which weren’t blocked by the face mask he had on, and stared at the blood. “Good,” He muttered before turning around, wiping the blood off his weapon by slicing at the air. The blood flew off the blade, splatting on the ground in