#spoiler.

a year.

it's been just over a year since vought came. nightmares realized, fear unleashed. they had not just come for her, though. no, when there was pounding at the door of battery ram against wood, the distinct smell of blood and hatred in the air that alerted her before anything else, they were coming for everyone.

august had been prepared. when nelrathe had burst into his office, he was already grabbing up bags and taking her by the hand, leading her to a tunnel to get out. but it wasn't enough.

the fear in his eyes as he shoved the go-bag into her arms and whispered run haunts her in the hours she does manage to sleep, just before her gaze is suddenly set upon the ceiling again and the corners of her eyes sting with tears.

august had sacrificed himself so that she would not be caught, and it's taking more than a year to rescue him. to rescue serena.

but today is the day.

the ceiling is so bare here, the bunker that once housed several starlighters, but it allows the drake to ground herself when she wakes from another restless swathe of what barely constitutes as sleep. slowly sitting up, she runs her hands through her hair, immediately pulling the messy, uncared for curls into a ponytail that is wrapped around a second time to become a bun.

she hasn't bothered with much of anything in the months that have passed with what seems like nothing of merit accomplished. the flight thirty-seven video went out days ago, and tonight? tonight they are executing the ones held dear.

william is back in her life, executing his own form of a plan alongside the woman whose shelter she takes up space in. it's all coordinated. homelander will go after them, and nelrathe will slip the carlisles out of the camp a few hundred miles away while he's busy.

standing, the drake shuffles across the concrete floor, squatting down at the bag at the end of 'her' bed to shuffle through its contents. as much as there's a part of her that wants to be presentable for august when they see each other for the first time in a year, she cannot bring herself to waste the time. instead, leathers are pulled free from the bag, laid out, stared at for a time before she disrobes and begins pulling them on.

just like old times, preparing for war. only here, she isn't the most powerful thing on the playing field.

the practicality in her armor, as little of it as there is in the form of black tactical boots, thick knee-high socks, shorts and a short-sleeved body suit, is that there's easy access to her skin. a weapon she has not utilized in decades, ripe for the plucking. a belt with garter straps to keep a knife at either of her thighs is worn as well, its fasten clipped into place as she stands in front of the only mirror in the building, broken at its face.

nelrathe stares for a minute. it takes that long to make the decision.

one of those knives is removed from its holster, her hair let down with the other hand so that she can choppily rake the blade through the strands, severing nearly two feet of messy curls from herself so that all that is left is a sloppy crop that won't get in the way or be able to be used against her.

he'll hate her for ruining herself, but he'll be safe.

fingers run through the messy strands as she replaces the knife, and though she is only hours away from stepping into a den of monsters alone, her hands do not shake. she does not fear the coming battle. she salivates over it, craves the bloodshed to come in a way that knots in her stomach and makes her certain this is why she was drawn to this planet.

william and annie have given her everything they can in the form of intelligence. she knows where the camp is, how to get to it, and that she will likely have to deal with more than just the supe guards that have been posted up to keep the 'campers' in line. serena and august are housed in the building in the center of the camp. there is a lake not a quarter mile from the edge of the gates. while william and annie hold homelander's attention, she will likely have to deal with the other two of the seven that hold the most responsibility.

even as nelrathe pulls the pack onto her back that houses the little that william had said he could do for her, she is calm. he had been nervous. she could see it under all the bravado and the piss-ass attitude. the things swirling around in his chest. a pang bounces around her own at the thought of him being something he's always hated now... that she could not have prevented it. could not have done anything to prevent any of this.

fingers curl tighter around the pack's straps as the door to the bunker building closes behind her. there isn't time for her to feel sorry for herself, or anyone else. her mind has to stay on the warpath. even william had reminded her so, before she'd left to come here. threats had gone both ways. an embrace had. despite the divorce so they could pursue new loves, he would always be her husband, in some capacity. that, she reminded him of, in the way that assured him she wouldn't allow anything to hurt serena as long as she breathed.

the trek through the woods is easy enough, the camp as broadly painted as a target on the back of michigan's landscape as if it were red paint on white paper. it's the waiting that's hard. nightfall takes far too long to come, but as ready as the drake is to charge the gates, the others need darkness.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ𝐀𝐒 𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐒 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐒 ⸻ 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑 #𝟎𝟏

delayna, cerelya e novalyn eram destinadas à natureza. as irmãs bruxas dedicavam-se ao sagrado sobrenatural, obtendo sua magia através da vida de tudo que compõe o mundo, sem nunca ousar tirá-la... até que a malária surgiu. a região em que atualmente se encontra new orleans fora um epicentro da doença que roubava vida após vida daqueles que as rodeavam.  temendo pelas irmãs e possuindo o desejo de eternizá-las para que nunca se separassem, delayna, a mais velha, recorreu à expressão, o mais horrível tipo de magia negra. atraindo os irmãos aaric e neyrene à sua tenda, ela utilizou o sangue deles juntamente do poder do único carvalho branco da região e, sem que suas irmãs soubessem, iniciou o ritual que as tornariam imortais. delayna forçou as irmãs a beberem o sangue dos irmãos dados a sacrifício e as matara com um punhal banhado pelo pó do carvalho branco, em seguida, cometendo suicídio da mesma forma. e então, em 826 d.c. elas foram eternizadas. quando acordaram, junto com a nova vida veio a maldição: a sede por sangue. para completarem a transformação, tiveram que beber sangue humano, mas, insaciáveis, drenaram a vida de todos da vila, destruindo sua existência totalmente. a decisão da irmã mais velha foi tomada por amor… mas até onde o amor por alguém consegue existir sem ser corrompido?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ⸻ 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐃𝐀 𝐃𝐀 𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐀!

“o nevoeiro era branco-brilhante e sua borda era quase tão reta quanto uma régua. era de uma alvura surpreendente. […] aquele peculiar branco, embora cintilante e de aparência límpida, não faiscava. era brilhante, mas sem reflexos. movia-se depressa, tendo eclipsado a maioria do sol. onde o sol estivera, havia agora uma moeda de prata no céu, como uma lua cheia no inverno, vista através de uma fina camada de nuvens. […] aconteceu depressa demais. o céu azul pareceu ter sido abocanhado, transformando-se em faixa, depois em um fino risco de lápis: então, desapareceu de todo." — stephen king.

a primeira bruma teve duração de 10 dias. a maioria das mutações e mortes aconteceram nas primeiras horas do evento devido ao contágio e posteriormente ao ataque de pessoas transformadas, os walkers, aos humanos. no 11º dia o nevoeiro se dissipou completamente e apenas a desgraça que havia vindo com ele ficou: uma cidade destruída pelas falhas tentativas de moradores e militares em conter a infecção e seres não mais humanos que perambulavam e devoravam uns aos outros. hoje em dia, a bruma ainda surge de tempos em tempos, mas seu caminho de destruição já não parece tão intenso. não se sabe exatamente o que a criara, porém, especula-se que algum vírus vazado de um laboratório a produzira assim que entrara em contato com o oxigênio, e, de alguma forma, durante a primeira bruma, as pessoas expostas a ela prontamente se transformaram em contato com o nevoeiro. contudo, sabemos que há algo que sempre precede sua chegada: corvos sobrevoam e caem mortos. é o aviso de que algo pior está por vir.

“Eu não fiz nada!” O garoto do Castigo encontrava-se aos berros. “Vocês tem que acreditar em mim! Eu não fiz nada! Por favor!” Ele olhou para o Rei e a Rainha e para o feiticeiro ao lado deles. Um último “por favor” embaçado pelos soluços escapou dos lábios dele antes de ser carregado por Humbert Hunter e os Defensores da Távola Redonda para longe do jardim.

I always like to believe the entire Batfamily just busts in after this photo was just taken.

Dick: jumps down from rooftop window and lands a handstand before sitting in his chair.

Jason: Crashes through the ceiling onto the floor, then getting into his seat.

Tim and Damian:*the former dragging the sleep deprived latter and props him in his chair while he grumbles at his seat, hoping this place serves vegetarian.

Stephanie: Drives her motorcycle, and looks behind her to see Cass isn’t there.

Cass: Literally appears out of nowhere, but Bruce isn’t surprised, and she hugs him.

DukeWalks through the front door, like a normal person.

Jim and Barbara: Jim Gordon helps Barbara through the door and he sits down next to Bruce, Barbara next to Dick.

Selina: Lowers herself down into her seat gracefully, Jim nearly blows a gasket being close to her, but Bruce keeps the peace.

Alfred: Arrives in a disguise too, family is incomplete without him.