"Fuck you," Todd responded hastily.

I've had enough. The two pledges let go when I pull my arms away from them. Todd looks surprised that I'm standing up without any help. I relax my face, letting the mask drop. I'm still buzzed, but I don't need to be stone-cold sober to correct someone else. I rotate my arms, working out the kinks from the rough treatment I've received.

"Stop looking at me like that," Todd said to me.

Ignoring Todd's words, I nonchalantly walk over toward him to get to the door he's directly in front of. I'm getting out of here before this escalates. He looks angry and a little afraid of me. I just need to keep calm and get out of here before I react poorly. I'll have to throw my hoodie in the washer as soon as I get back to my apartment. I don't want to ruin a perfectly good piece of clothing. God, it better not be stained. Just as I'm reaching for the door handle, Tood sticks his arm out to block my path. I clench my fist, trying to clamp down on the impulse.

"We're not done," he said.

"Move your arm, or I will move it for you," I said, keeping my tone even.

Every second I'm here with these guys is another roll of the dice. He doesn't move his hand. Why do you keep testing me? Clearly, Todd and the others were never taught to think before they act. It's no matter; I will gladly teach them myself. I spread my feet for better stability and send a right hook into Todd's elbow with as much force as I can. His arm audibly crunches, bending at an odd angle. He's in shock, trembling, and stuttering as he tries to process what I did. My hoodie sleeve covers his mouth to stop him from screaming in pain.

"What you're experiencing is called shock. It's caused by your brain's inability to process what I just did to you. You're frozen while your brain tries to make sense of the situation and the sudden violence I inflicted on you. But I fucking warned you, Todd," I said, driving my fist into his gut.

He falls against the wall and vomits chunks of half-digested food, alcohol, and the effects of starting something he couldn't finish. He's crying and covered in his puke. The arm is definitely broken. Maybe it'll heal, or maybe he'll have to live out the rest of his life with a reminder of this. The two pledges haven't moved an inch when I turn to look at them. Good.

"I'm sure all of us would like to forget about tonight. It's unfortunate that Todd had a bad accident after drinking too much. So unfortunate. Nod if you understand," I said.

Both of them nod, fear evident on their faces.

"Better get him to a hospital. The three of you should be more careful when you drink. You never know what kind of accident you might have. I hope this was a valuable lesson," I said, stepping over Todd's crying form and leaving the three of them.

I carefully head downstairs in search of the power I sense. It'll either be Vivienne or Aubrey, and I can get out of here. I navigate past passed-out college students, limbs draped off furniture, and bodies intertwined. College parties are very different from high school ones. I spot a bottle of rum, unopened, on the counter, and twist off the top. I gulp down the spiced liquor, savoring the pleasant burn. Tasty. I screw the lid back on and leave it where I found it, listening to the music faintly playing from some of the speakers. Besides that, the house is pretty quiet.

I cut through the kitchen on my way toward the power and stop when I see someone else awake. A guy is cooking grilled cheese on the stovetop. It smells heavenly to my senses. We both stop and stare at each other; he looks embarrassed. He's bald and has a curled mustache that must be terrible to deal with. A single earring shaped like a sword hangs from his left ear, and he's got a black pointed lip ring. He's dressed like someone's father on vacation - colorful blue shorts with white lotuses and a button-down shirt with palm trees on it.

"Hey, listen, sorry, I went through the fridge; I was just hungry," he said, laughing awkwardly.

"I don't really care; I'm not a member of Delta Sigma. But I promise not to tell anyone if you make me one, too. It smells amazing," I replied.

"Hell yeah, grilled cheese buddies. I'm Sylvester, but everyone calls me Sy," Sy said.

I take a seat at the large island, and Sy slides a paper plate with a grilled cheese on it over to me. My first bite is wonderful. It's perfectly gooey and crunchy. The greasy, cheesy sandwich is the perfect accompaniment to the booze in my stomach. I could easily eat six of these, and I must look like it because Sy slides another one over to me. Before I start devouring it, I introduce myself.

"Sy, this might be the greatest thing I've ever tasted. I'm Eryk, and you are truly a god amongst men."

Sy sits on another stool on the other side of the island with two grilled cheeses on his plate. I probably should get home and try to get some sleep before class. Or at least leave here before Todd or those freshman guys decide to do something stupid, like tell someone what happened. Despite the risk, I stay and eat in pleasant silence with Sy. He's aware enough to tell I'm too hungry to talk and waits till we're both done eating to talk.

"I'm flattered by the compliment, but I think that might be the alcohol talking. Don't get me wrong, I make a bomb ass grilled cheese, but this is just Wonder Bread and Kraft singles," Sy laughed. "Now, if I had better ingredients, like some nice sourdough with some gruyere and aged cheddar, I could make you one that lives up to the hype."

"I might have to hold you to that. So, are you also a freshman?" I asked.

"Yep. What dorm are you in? I'm over in Maverick."

"I don't live in the dorms; I have an apartment off campus," I answered.

"Oh, are you from Quinstin?" Sy asked.

"No, haha. I'm from a small town upstate that no one's ever heard of," I answered.

"Where? I'm also from upstate, so I probably know it."

"New Farford," I answered after a minute.

He scrunches his face, closing his eyes to think. When he opens them, he frowns. I told you no one would know.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"That's where that Tinkerer Massacre happened, isn't it?" He asked quietly.

So he has heard of New Farford. It isn't that the massacre didn't make the news; it did, but it supposedly only lasted a few news cycles. No one cares what happens in some tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Even more so in America, the place with more mass killings than any other country. Both before and after the emergence of Neuvohumans.

"Yep, I'm one of the survivors," I answered sorrowfully.

"Fuck. Sorry, Eryk. I, uh, damn, man, I really made this awkward," Sy said.

I'll give him an out.

"No, it's fine. I normally talk about the single worst night of my life with strangers the first time I meet them," I joked. "Don't worry about it."

"You might be the chillest dude I've met since I came here; I should've known you couldn't be a Delta Sigma bro," Sy smiled.

"I know what you mean. Some of these guys are real assholes, but they know how to throw a party. Thank you for the food, but I gotta go find my friend. I'm sure I'll see you around," I said, walking away.

"Definitely. Peace out, man," Sy replied.

I refocus on the power as I leave Sy behind and continue through the house. I go through a couple more rooms filled with sleeping people and pass a few guys doing bong rips on a faded, suede couch. I take a left toward another hallway full of posters and replastered holes. These are probably all the bedrooms for the frat. Sports teams' logos, stolen traffic signs, and more little things to show off the personalities cover the doors to people's rooms. I arrive in front of a door with a 'No Trespassing' sign and hundreds of beer caps glued to it. I hear explicit noises and a muffled girl's voice through the door. What is Aubrey doing in some random frat guy's room? I thought she and Raf were almost a thing. I knock lightly, a few raps at the door to let whoever's inside get presentable.

"Who is it?"

The only thing I hear is some laughing and then someone shushing the person. I didn't think she was the type to do casual hookups.

"It's Eryk. My phone's dead," I yelled.

Come on, Aubrey. I just want to use your phone to text Vivienne. More whispered voices and shushing commence as Aubrey and her one-off play partner scramble to get dressed. The door opens, and Vivienne appears, grinning. Her hair is down and wet, her sweater is on backward, and her lipstick is smeared. Oh, not Aubrey.

"Hey, Eryk. Fancy seeing you here," Vivienne chuckled.

"Am I interrupting something?" I asked.

"No, I was just finishing up," she said.

"Who said we were finished?" Said the tiki bar girl, half-naked, covered in sweat, and peeking around Vivienne to look at me. "Ugh. It's you again. Go away, shoo shoo."

"Be nice, he's my best friend," Vivienne chided her.

And you were mine.

"Then, as your best friend, he should stop interfering with our fun. All I need is some water and potassium, and we can get right back to where we left off," the tiki bar girl said.

"I'd really like to, but it'll have to be another time. Sorry, gorgeous, but I gotta go," Vivienne said to her.

"Alright," she pouted. "But you better respond when I message you. You can't just fuck me and ghost."

Vivienne's face turns as red as her hair.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Anika," Vivienne responded, closing the door behind her.

The two of us stand in the hallway, not saying anything—more pretending. Relationships require constant effort and work. I didn't mind before, but the feeling I had for her is gone, and she's just like the rest of them to me. It's a chore, like with everyone else. We start walking in silence until I break it.

"So," I said, letting the obvious question hang in the air.

"After you left, the flirting became kissing, which became more and then-"

"It became you two having sex in a stranger's bed?"

"Yeah, that feels a little gross, but she was just so forward and upfront. It was fun," Vivienne blushed.

"Well, while you two were fucking, I broke a guy's arm and then had a grilled cheese with some guy named Sy," I said quietly.

You never know who could be listening.

"Damn, and I missed it? What the hell happened?"

"Some guy showed up with these other two, and they poured beer on me and threatened me. I warned him, but he blocked my way out of the room with his arm. So I punched his elbow outward into a bad angle. Then, for good measure, I gut-punched him, and he puked on himself," I answered, grinning.

"Let's. Fucking. Go, dude. I taught you that shit. You'll have to reenact it sometime, I want to make sure you used proper form. I can't have you embarrassing me by throwing a shit punch."

"I'll show it to you later. Right now, I just want to charge my phone and go to sleep," I sighed.

"I gotcha, boss," Vivienne said as we exited the mansion.

She's lucky there isn't anyone around to hear her. The crescent moon above us is visible even amongst the pitch-black sky. Something I hadn't thought about before moving is that Quinstin has a ton of light pollution; you can't see the stars at all. Most of the cars we saw when we arrived are long gone, and there's a peaceful tranquility to the cold night. I'm soaked in beer, and she looks like she's doing the walk of shame; it's a miracle we don't run into anyone on the way back to her car.

"Did I mess things up by going off and hanging out with her?" Vivienne asked once we were in her car.

"What? No, of course not. We weren't here as Cowls; I invited you along as Eryk, not Nobody. But now I do have a Cowl question: How did it go with your Skullgirl? I never saw her," I said.

"That's the point; she's not supposed to stand out. I kept an eye on her from afar as she made a couple of deals and connections. I gotta say those Delta Sigma boys love some nose candy. We made a good amount tonight," she said.

I plug my phone into the charger and open the center console to retrieve my other phone and mask. My Cowl phone has a few text messages from Isaiah and Tuesday. Isaiah says they were successful in getting The Merchants to send representatives to Quinstin, and they will reach out with the meeting time and place. I'm not marching into a place where someone has had time to set up an ambush, regardless of how neutral they claim to be. No, that won't do. I close Isaiah's message and then pull up Rorschach's number. It's 4 A.M., but she might be awake. It rings twice, and she picks up.

"Why are you calling me so late, Nobody?" She asked sleepily.

"Isaiah and Tuesday succeeded. The Merchants plan to make us wait for them to decide where and when the meeting will be; that's unacceptable. They're not from here, so I assume they'll be staying in a hotel. Find them. Whatever it takes."

"Can't it wait till morning? A girl needs her beauty sleep," Rorschach said.

"Now, Rorschach," I said, hanging up.

"Time to go?" Vivienne asked.

"Yes, I just have one other message from Tuesday," I answered.

"What'd she say?"

"She just sent me five emojis: a top hat, a bunny rabbit, a wand, a checkmark, and a winking face."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"I have no idea, and I'll deal with it in the morning," I said, yawning.

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