WARNING! GRAPIC SCENES OF TORTURE! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

The Unloved

In a darkened room, a figure stood over a woman, gagged, screaming, and bound to a metal table. The bound woman was dressed like a superhero, all spandex and body armor. On the other side of the room was a row of televisions, each showing a different news channel for a different city.

The figure was welding a set of knives with the dexterity of a practiced butcher, the gleaming grey steel of the knives dipping, in, out and through flesh, blood pooling and spurting as the woman behind the gag whimpered and yowled like a scalded cat.

The figure began to talk compatibly as the dissection continued, their tone friendly, as though the person on the table was just an old friend they hadn't seen for a while.

"My apologies for my inelegant work, but I haven't held a blade in quite a few years," They began in a conciliatory tone, their voice like warm honey. They gestured at the T.V. screens on the other side of the room, most of which were showing scenes of disaster from the slaughterhouse 9.

"But when my name, my legend is misappropriated by such plebeians!"

Blood spurted from a cut artery, high into the air, and falling to spackle the figures body with fine drops.

"Well, then, it becomes time for me to ensure that the world does not forget my name…"

With that, the figure continued to work, occasionally switching knives as they slowly and methodically worked across the still living body.

Muscles were removed from the bone, cut, and filleted.

Entrails and other organs were removed through cuts in the abdomen, but just as the figure was picking up what looked like a hammer and chisel, they stopped.

On one of the screens across the room, there was a scene form a small local news station. In it, it detailed the escapades of a new villain, a new member of a small group of thieves called the undersiders. The show had even managed to get a small snippet of video where the villain spoke.

On the other side of the room the knife wielding figure slowly smiled, a smile so pure and sweet, it would have been angelic, if not for the blood and bile staining their face.

The woman, still alive on table whimpered, but in a flash, the figure plunged a knife into the woman neck, severing her spine, and finally killing her. Then they leaned in close to the now cooling corpse, and spoke, their honeyed voice a snarl.

"Be quiet now poppet. Cant you seem Im trying to listen to the news?"

With that they straightened up, and walked closer to the screen that was still playing the local news from the town named… Brockton Bay?

Interesting.

The figure paused the T.V. on a close up of the new bug themed villain.

"Skitter huh? Thats a surprise. Well… Just wait my little Valentine. I think its time we met…"

With that, the figure turned and walked away, humming under their breath.

'Oh my darling… Oh my darling… Oh my darling Valentine, what would I do without you, oh my darling Valentine…'

And then shut the door behind them, leaving the corpse behind in the darkness, with only the light from the T.V.'s, showing blood and madness, to illuminate her cooling, pale corpse.