Part 1: The moon hung high above the city of Crossroads as the usually busy city finally began to settle down for the night. Medkit walked down a dark alley with his teal medkit in hand. The only sounds came from his footsteps which echoed off the walls and the faint hum of neon lights above. He glanced over his shoulder anxiously. As much as he tried to ignore it, the doctor couldn’t shake the feeling that there was someone else here watching him every move. He muttered to himself, “Calm down, Medkit. There’s no one else here…” Medkit carried on walking. It was getting harder and harder to see now to the point where the only source of light remaining was the faint, teal glow of the crystal that floated between his horns. Great. Behind him, there was a loud clattering sound. Medkit instinctively whipped out his revolver with a shaky hand and turned around to confront the source of the sound. It was… A trash can that was knocked over, most likely by a racoon or some other animal running about. He sighed in relief and slowly lowered his gun. But that moment of reassurance was short lived as he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Medkit quickly jumped back and dropped his revolver, eyes wide with fear. The Broker chuckles, the faint light of Medkit’s crystal reflecting off his dark horns and he leant down to pick up the doctor’s dropped weapon. He offered it to Medkit with a mischievous grin. “I believe this is yours, Meds.” Medkit snatched back his revolver, glaring daggers at The Broker as he held it tight. “Not funny.” The criminal’s grin widened. “Oh, it was hilarious! You should have seen your face!” He exclaimed. Medkit shook his head in frustration and demanded to know the reason why The Broker even came looking for him in the first place. “Well, you see, ever since you moved here to Crossroads, we’ve been seeing you less and less at the Church! We miss you, Medkit!” The Broker paused to study Medkit’s reaction. He spoke again, this time his usual cheery tone laced with annoyance. “And besides, you came to us for protection, right?” The Broker took a step forward, causing Medkit to back away. The doctor’s hands were shaking and every muscle in his body was screaming at him to run and escape. But it felt like he was frozen in place, like a deer in headlights. “I can see that look in your eyes, Meddy~” The Broker teased, “You’ve been trying to run from our little family, haven’t you? Father Overseer wishes-“ Medkit finally spoke up, “No.” He stopped mid sentence, taken aback by Medkit’s defiance. “Did you just reject the request of our father?” No response. “Answer me, doctor. Do you really think you have that much power here? No. You will listen.” Medkit’s response was simple, yet effective at silencing The Broker. He put the barrel of his gun right up against the criminal’s forehead. The Broker’s eyes widened but he didn’t back away. He knew how many threats the doctor made, and how many he actually ended up going through with. “Shut up before I shoot your bloody brain out” Medkit spat, “I want nothing to do with your insane cult anymore. Take the damn hint and leave me alone.” The Broker chuckled, “You know Medkit, you remind me a lot of myself when I was younger. Smart… Defiant… The only difference is that when I make threats…” He grabbed the wrist of the hand Medkit was holding the revolver with and twisted it, causing him to yelp in pain and drop the weapon. The criminal put his hand free on Med’s back and pushed as hard as he could. Medkit fell to the floor with a loud thump and clatter as the golden ring that hung from his antler-like horns fell off. “I actually go through with them.”
Part 2 [Read part 1 first]: Done? The poor doctor tried to crawl away, his claws scraping against the brick floor of the alleyway, but his fate was already sealed. The Broker slammed one of his boots onto Medkit’s back, knocking the wind out of him and preventing him from continuing his escape. In the darkness of the alley, a faint glint of something sharp and metallic was visible in The Broker’s hand. A knife. He twirled the weapon in his hand like it was some kind of toy with a twisted grin on his face. “I expected you to be better than this, Medkit” The Broker crouched down, foot still positioned on Med’s back and knife still being played with in his hand. “Tell me, what should I go for first? A limb? Your remaining eye? Or maybe one of your horns?” He tapped on one of Medkit's horns with the blade as the doctor tried to push himself up, to no avail. “It would make a pretty nice souvenir for my office, don’t you think?” The doctor suddenly rolls over, knocking The Broker off. Med began sprinting down the alley while yelling frantically about how insane he was trying to kill him. But, he made one fatal mistake in his bolt for freedom. Medkit left his revolver behind. He didn’t even think to try and grab it, all he wanted to do was get away from this psychopath. But The Broker noticed. He definitely noticed. Medkit raced down the alley, his boot pounding against the floor. Sweat dripped down his face. He didn’t want to look back. Slowing down for even a moment would surely mean death. Then, a loud bang echoed off the walls behind him, making his ears ring, followed by a sharp pain in his chest that made Medkit gasp and fall to his knees. He clenched his teeth and felt for where the pain was coming from. When he pulled his hand away, it was stained crimson with warm, fresh blood. He felt dizzy. For a moment, everything seemed to stop. Everything felt… peaceful. Calm, even. He was going to die, there was no denying it, so why did he feel so happy? Medkit snapped out of it when he heard footsteps reverberate off the walls of the alley. “This revolver you have here… Fancy… Works well… And the crystals make an excellent alternative for bullets!” The Broker rejoiced as he pocketed the gun, “I think I’ll keep it.” Medkit glared over his shoulder at his attacker as his vision began to blur. “You’re bloody insane! You called us a family!” He gasped weakly. The Broker smiled, the kind that doesn’t exactly reach his eyes, “And what if I am? I’m willing to do anything if I believe it’s for the greater good” As black spots began to consume his vision, Med hissed one last thing, “I’ll see you in hell.” He took his last breath and gave out, his body going limp as The Broker shaked his head. What a pity.
