Villains Aren’t Born(Darling They’re Made)

Written by Zelynn

CW: Rape, blood, graphic violence, death.

“Why are we always the villain in those fairy tales?” I asked. “It’s not fair.”

Her fingers combing through my hair, mom answered.

”We are not the villains, love. You are not reading the story.”

My brows furrowed as I turned the book upside down, not understanding her words.

”I don’t get it!”

She laughed softly, taking back the book.

”It’s alright. One day you will.”

Oh how I wish this day had never come.

Not counting the branches trying to tear at my legs, I kept running. My breathing,

shallow and my lungs, hurting.

”Get her!”

”Don’t let her escape!”

”Burn her!”

The threats were echoing in the forest where I had spent so many hours in the past years. I suddenly felt a sharp pain at the back of my head.

One of them caught me.

”I have the monster!”

I fought with all my might, kicking and gripping at every rock but he was stronger. Dragging me by a fistful of my hair to a secluded clearing.

One glance at his face was all it took to terrify me. I knew him. Oh yes I knew him. How

many times had he come to the house, begging for my company? How many drinks had I poured him to drown into? But here he was, grinning like a madman at the anticipation of torturing a seventeen year old girl. And I was the monster?

Please.

The brute threw me in the middle of them all.

Some of them I served at the tavern, some of them I sang along to their guitars and some, well some of them had acted as brothers and fathers.

I saw none of them tonight. The warm faces had turned into cold laughter and sharp

scratches. The same arms that had carried me to bed as a child were now keeping me

down. The same eyes that looked at me with care were now devouring me in ways no child should be. I felt my clothes being torn at, my body grabbed and pulled in every direction. I felt them taking a part of me. A huge, important part of myself, of my humanity.

Looking up to the sky for hope, I found her.

Two eyes staring right back at me. I used to love to get lost in them, these hypnotising

magnificent dark eyes. Loved to be the reason they glow or tear up with laughter... I focused on them, trying to forget about the claws all over my skin, drowning everything in them.

My hand broke free and reached out for her soft face I loved to cradle so much. The only

thing I could still feel was my heart. It was beating fast and violently, almost bursting out of my rib cage.

In between ragged breaths I pleaded to her. Prayed

”Please, my love...”

Hoping for an answer, a reassurance, a hand, my prayer was met with nothingness. Her

eyes turned to actual voids now, reflecting none of my despair or empathy.

“You get what you deserve, darling.”

With these words, she disappeared, leaving me to the thirsty predators still sharing my body.

My tears stopped. Not that I had noticed their start. My heart, which had never been this

loud, suddenly went quiet. For a moment, I thought it was over. That Death had come to free

me from this nightmare, but the silence didn’t last. In its place grew an even deeper dark

hole than her eyes. And this one void was the loudest thing to exist, its sound tearing my

bones and flesh but never getting out of its prison. A hungry beast raging inside.

Lost in despair, I closed my eyes, giving up any fight and abandoning myself to pain.

We are not the villains, love. My mother’s voice echoed in the darkness.

Burn her!

Something was pulling at my thoughts.

You are not reading the story. Her voice called again.

I have the monster! It screamed. Again.

Little by little, I felt my mind reconnecting with my body.

An unknown force seemed to crawl its way through my veins while my restraints became

less strong.

One day, you will.

Suddenly, the claws were pushed away and I was free. I could feel the air on my skin and

breathe it in again. I painfully pushed myself on my elbows to sit up and I looked around for the predators. They were laying all around me, licking their wounds. The younger ones were visibly afraid while the others were furious. They got back up fast and pounced at me, even more violent than before.

None of their attempts succeeded.

Previously trembling and scared, I was none of that anymore. This force vibrating inside was reassuring. As if nothing could hurt me anymore.

Good, I thought but was it enough?

For years, I lived with them. Worked, helped and laughed with them. I was good.

A monster? They should take a look in the mirror.

Slowly standing up, I looked at myself. My beautiful white night dress was torn and dirtied with my own blood. My once silky and angelic hair were now sticky with mud and tears. My skin, previously immaculate and pure, was now tainted with cuts, marks and bruises. They had profaned my body, my insides and my whole self.

Being protected wasn’t enough anymore. I wanted them to hurt. I was hungry for it.

One of the creatures tried to reach for my ankle and instead of pushing it away, I grabbed it.

Slowly turning my eyes to the sack of flesh and impure thoughts, I twisted his wrist. A

ridiculous cry came out of his filthy mouth.

I want them to die and I want it to be long and painful. I want it to be torture for them as it

was for me.

Noticing the dagger to his belt, I unsheathed it.

”No, please!”

It was the monster’s turn to plead.

Pathetic.

With no intention to listen, I threw him in the mud and climbed on top of him like he had done with me a few moments earlier. Making sure to crush his chest, the blade held to his throat, I ran it across his skin and drew blood out of his jaw.

I heard the others move. I looked up and in an instant they all froze in their movement,

unable to move, just like I was moments before. Some wanting to help the prey, the rest

trying to escape. It felt like the beast inside of me was pinning them to their spot. After

thinking for a second, I slit the throat of the one under me. The reactions were quick to

come. The screams of horror and tears of fear were all I expected. I glared at them one by one.

“If you scream at this like scared puppies, what were you expecting from my burnt flesh?” A cold voice coming from my body asked.

The dagger still in my hands, I moved to the next prey, sitting on his legs this time.

“How would you have endured the smell, the sight and my own screams?”

His limbs were numb but I could tell from his narrowed pupils that he was still trying to fight my will. Holding the weapon in both hands, I raised it above my head.

“Please, I beg you! I have a wife a-and children! Young ones! They need their father!”

The blade stopped an inch from his heart. I could hear it. Beating fast and loud similar to

mine earlier.

“They’ll be better off without a monster.”

One last beat and it stopped. Other screams and cries erupted.

The one who followed under my weight was smaller. Skinnier. A young one.

I used to play with him at midday. I think.

“Nica please-”

Their small whines and cries were annoying.

What came after was a cacophony of screams, pleads, cracks and blood.

They went through it, one by one. All of them. I don’t even remember most of their

last words or where the blade hit them but they all died, I made sure of it.

I also made sure that it was painful for each of them, longer for some, scarier for others.

I ran, jumped, held down and stabbed until no sound could be heard from any of them

anymore. Until the bodies stopped trembling on the ground. Until the light brown of the mud was tainted with red. Until my knees were swimming in this red.

”Wha- What did you do?” A terrified sound came out of behind the trees.

The few torches they had hung on some trunks lit the place enough for me to see her face.

She came back. The poor thing looked terrified. Although no parts of me felt the need to

comfort her anymore.

It was her. She had told them. It made sense after all.

A tad younger than her but so much more talented at her job. More beautiful, more innocent looking, and more liked.

She was behind them when they knocked on my door. She had been smiling.

Her shaking legs took a step back but it was too late. In the spam of an instant I was at her throat too, my knees on her arms. No need to unleash the beast in her case.

I remembered the fairy tales I used to read as a young child.

Long black hair falling on pale skin, red lips and dark eyes so deep you’ll lose yourself in

them. She was no witch and yet, their twisted image of us fitted her perfectly.

I don’t get it!

It’s alright, one day you will.

Droplets fell on her cheeks. Mine.

”Why you?”

Her eyes were filled with terror and confusion at my words.

”What did I do to you?”

My voice was no longer cold and threatening. I didn’t understand.

I loved her. We were happy in our little town, as happy as we could be. Wasn’t it enough?

”I thought we had something... Why did you tell them?” I was now screaming, tears running down my face and falling on her own.

”Y-You’re an abomination... you’re the villain of this-“

The blade cut through her collar bone and hit the ground hard under her body. Her eyes

narrowed then darted everywhere, her own breathing now ragged, searching for any air she could get. She didn’t get any.

Blood came out of her mouth.

She knew I hated this word.

Soon, her struggle stopped, her eyes ending up fixed on me. These two magnificent dark

eyes were now liveless.

I could see myself in it. Red all over my skin, I was showing no fear, no remorse and no

emotions.

I finally looked around and it was a real carnage. Bloody bodies everywhere in the mud and grass. Was there this many humans chasing me? I didn’t know anymore. But they were all dead.

Suddenly, I felt a tingle on my head. Turning my gaze behind me, to the ground, I had to

blink a few times to realise what was actually happening.

It seemed like the blood was being sucked in my hair. My once soft blonde strands were

turning a dark shade of red. The one we all share in our heart.

I tilted my head back, embracing it. When it reached my face, I felt like a different person. A different thing.

When I pushed myself up from the ground, I felt parts of the red fall to the ground.

Looking at my hands, the blood and mud had disappeared but looking further on my body, I could see that it was still harbouring the marks from the earlier fight.

Scars.

These insignificant creatures had managed to leave scars on my skin with their vile acts.

Just as the last woman I had loved scarred my heart.

You’re the villain.

We are not the villains, love.

Indeed, we are not.

Villains aren’t born, we’re made.