3.07

Grue, shrouded in living darkness, ordered Tattletale to handle the bank’s back door and me to assist with the van. Inside, a massive swarm of insects I’d collected spilled out, a mix of fast fliers, durable crawlers, and venomous stingers, chosen specifically for this job. Tattletale, looking drastically different in her costume, explained how she bypassed the alarm system using a secret code known only to capes and SWAT teams. Regent, in his deceptive costume, kept watch. Bitch and her monstrous dogs, now significantly larger and more grotesque due to her power, joined us as we entered the bank.

The plan was time-sensitive: we had five to ten minutes before the Wards arrived. Grue, Regent, and I checked each office, Grue using his darkness to subdue a bank employee, and Regent tripping another who tried to raise the alarm. As we moved deeper, I felt a growing sense of unease, praying each room would be empty, not wanting to take more hostages than necessary.

Reaching the lobby, Bitch’s dogs charged in, growing even larger in a horrifying display as Grue plunged the room into darkness. My swarm flooded the space, covering everyone inside. I made sure each person had several bugs on them, even the two employees we’d brought from the back. Grue dispersed the darkness, revealing a room full of terrified people.

I addressed them, my voice trembling slightly, promising we’d be gone in fifteen minutes and warning them against any heroics. I held up a black widow spider, emphasizing the danger of disobeying me, the hundred others I had brought into the room were also poisonous. As I saw the fear in their eyes, the justification I’d used for taking hostages – preventing anyone from getting hurt – felt hollow. I knew this was wrong, but I had convinced myself it was necessary. My actions weighed heavily on me, the image of the tearful man, the angry teenager, and the shaking bank employee burned into my mind. I felt like I was condemning myself, all for the sake of a plan I wasn’t even sure I believed in anymore.