Author : Vasudeva_AY

"Killing me won't end this, Leverage will be with you until eternity!" The man's laughter echoed through the desolate room, his twisted form laid on knees. Both his legs bent unnaturally backward, revealing fractured femurs that protruded out through his knees. His hands twisted backward, the skin stretched and torn, dripping with a rotten symphony of blood, as red flesh peeped out.

Vivek grabbed the man's neck firmly, staring into the abyss of his crazed eyes. Each chuckle sent a chill through the air, the man's broken jaw hanging from strips of attached flesh, exposing a crimson-stained maw of terror.

Unmoved by the man's deranged proclamation, Vivek's countenance remained stoic, devoid of any flicker of emotion. His face, a canvas of emptiness, betrayed no hint of humanity. Yet, tears cascaded silently down his cheeks, a testament to the depths of his sorrow, his deep black eyes like an unfathomable void, absorbing every shred of light.

"You... you're a monster," the man managed to rasp, summoning the last vestiges of his strength. "A monster we cannot allow to roam freely."

The two men, one standing while one on knee, were surrounded by piled up bodies each of them having a huge whole in their chest, as if someone ripped out their hearts, as blood flowed. Blood carpeted the floor, its coppery scent saturating the air, even the walls were painted with blood splatters, bearing witness to the carnage. The vaporous tendrils of blood seemed to caress the skin of the two men left standing, a horrifying embrace in the heart of silence.

Vivek studied the man for a long moment before breaking the oppressive silence with a simple question, his voice straightforward, with no breakage, "Why? What did they have to do with any of this?" Tears mingled with his words, a bitter taste of anguish on his tongue.

"Isn't it ironic?" the man's broken jaw contorted into a pitiful semblance of a smile. "Every attempt on your life fails, yet everyone else dies. And they, they are always your beloved."

"And...."

Before the man could finish, a thunderous boom shattered the air as a bullet tore through his skull, silencing him , as blood and mucus gushed out from his skull like a fountain.

"You were like a father to me, from when I gained consciousness. But if all my loved ones must perish, then you shouldn't be an exception," Vivek declared, his voice devoid of emotion, a reflection of the desolation within.

"You said I am a monster, but I am just the product of your creation, a monster born of your making, You could have change things." Vivek's words resonated in the eerie silence, directed at the body of the man laying motionlessly on the floor .

As smoke curled from the barrel of Vivek's gun, its acrid scent filled the air, triggering his senses. He lowered himself onto the blood-soaked floor, leaning heavily against the sofa.

"This was supposed to be the last mission, a happy ending," Vivek's expression remained stoic, yet tears continued to flow. "I promised you all a happy life, but...", his words choked in his mouth.

Turning his gaze towards the woman and child seated beside him, their lifeless eyes open, Vivek's expression remained unchanged. But now, instead of tears, blood seeped from his eye sockets.

Upon closer inspection, it was evident that the woman and child were dead. The woman's temple bore the fatal wound, blood and mucus mingling out , flowing on the sofa. Yet, her expression was that of a happiness, as a smile still tugged to her face. In death, she found solace, 'cause her final moments were graced with the confession of love to Vivek, the love of her life.

On the contrary, the boy next to her wore a visage of terror, his eyes widened and mouth agape as if frozen in a silent scream, yet he lay lifeless, his throat slashed open, a crimson river staining his innocence, as his clothes were soaked in blood. He was Vivek's son from his ex-wife.

"Leverage," Vivek's voice cut through the air like a blade, punctuated by the sound of his knuckles shattering against the unforgiving floor.

Leverage. A shadowy organization lurking within the corridors of power, masquerading as a top-tier tech conglomerate, yet its true nature concealed beneath layers of deceit. Within its clandestine depths, Leverage molded abandoned and orphaned children, shaping their minds and emotions to fashion them into obedient puppets, known as the subjects. These subjects served as Leverage's instruments of manipulation, executing assassinations, espionage, and information gathering, their strings pulled by the unseen hands of their masters.

Vivek, once a subject within their grasp, had turned rogue in the eyes of Leverage during the last mission, the organization that had shaped and controlled his very existence. The man he had just slain was none other than the head of Leverage itself.

His anger simmered not just at the loss of his loved ones, but also at the realization that dismantling Leverage was impossible. As long as even a single member remained, the organization could resurrect itself from the ashes, like a phoenix. Yet, despite the insurmountable odds, Vivek had succeeded in exacting vengeance upon the one responsible for the pain and suffering inflicted upon his loved ones, at the very moment.

Vivek rose to his feet, as his grip tightened on the gun, his eyes sweeping across the room full of dead bodies. Above them, a glowing cylindrical object hovered, its radiance casting an otherworldly glow, untouched by the bloodshed below. Crimson and gold intertwined in intricate patterns, a relic of unknown origins, a beacon of both mystery and dread. This was not just an artifact, but a weapon that he used to kill all these people, laying around.

Extracting the artifact marked the end of Vivek's tenure as a subject, a final mission that offered a fleeting sense of relief amidst the ceaseless turmoil of his existence. Little did he know, this respite would soon transform into the most tragic chapter of his life, as Leverage never wanted to let loose of Vivek.

With a heavy heart, Vivek's gaze returned to the figures on the sofa. He raised the gun, positioning it beneath his chin. A peculiar expression twisted his lips, caught between a smile and a sob. It was a smile marred by despair, a grim acknowledgment of the endless torment etched upon his soul, his eyes betraying no emotion.

"Sorry, that I was so useless to not even be able to protect you guys," he whispered, his words hanging heavy in the air, a fragile admission of his perceived failure. As the weight of his grief bore down upon him, Vivek's stoic facade crumbled, revealing the raw vulnerability hidden beneath, as he cried, while biting his lips.

"I'm coming to you guys," Vivek whispered, his voice a solemn echo in the blood-soaked chamber. In that moment, he pulled the trigger, and the bullet rushed out, a silent plea to reunite with his beloved in the realm beyond. With thunderous bang the bullet tore through his skull, splattering blood and mucus, in the air, extinguishing the flames of his anguish, bringing an end to his earthly torment.

As Vivek's lifeless body crumpled to the floor with a thud, a ghastly stillness descended upon the room, bearing witness to the conclusion of a life trapped by the scheming of fate.

In truth, this marked not the end, but the dawn of a new chapter.

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Vivek: A name of Indian origin, derived from Sanskrit, it signifies "wisdom" or "discernment".