Chapter 16 Part 2

(For the sake of the timeline this chapter and the next chapter will both be from Matias's POV rather than Samuels since Samuel is literally unconscious right now)

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Matias laid Samuel down in the backseat of the car before climbing in next to him.

He pulled his hoodie off over his head, ignoring the pain from a large cut in his arm that he didn't even remember getting. He lifted Samuel up and laid the jacket beneath his torso before pulling the sleeves up.

He tied the hoodie around his stomach, the knot pressing into his wound. The blood slowed significantly, but Matias was almost certain you weren't supposed to stop blood like that.

The cop started the car and in no less than a second the lights were on and they were speeding down the road.

The movement of the car made Matias's head pound. He had already been drowsy from not only fighting but also stress, so being in a speeding car only made things so much worse.

His eyelids fluttered up and down, fighting to close. His head began bobbing as well, sleep pushing at every corner. The only thing keeping him awake was the unconscious man beside him. He couldn't just leave him.

"You are under arrest. We will be taking you to prison after he is taken to the hospital" the officer spoke abruptly

Matias took longer than normal to process the words the man had just said.

"I'm making sure he's okay" Matias managed to respond.

His voice was flat and dry, but it took all of him to prevent it from faltering.

He saw the officer give a confused and probably judgmental look in the mirror, but paid it no mind.

The officer very obviously had something to say, but kept his mouth shut.

In only a few more minutes they were pulling into the hospital parking lot, cars clearing the way as they pulled right up to the door. There were doctors already waiting by the door along with cops circling the area.

"This really necessary?" Matias questioned, annoyed, to the man who clearly informed them of the situation.

As soon as they came to a stop a female officer yanked open the door. She had a sharp scowl on her face and wasted no time grabbing tightly onto Matias's arm. Hell, she probably would've dragged him out of the car if the hero wasn't partially rested on his lap.

She gave him enough moving freedom to exit the car without hurting Samuel, but practically dragged him away as soon as he was standing outside the vehicle.

Matias spun around only to be met with dozens of cops with guns pointed right at his face and shields held up to their chins. They genuinely thought he was that much of a threat.

"Put your hands behind your head and lay down on the ground!" One of the officers shouted through a megaphone.

The woman who had pulled him out of the car was now steadily backing up to join the rest of the crowd that circled around him.

He knew it wasn't a good idea, but Matias couldn't help but turn around to see what they were doing with Samuel. They hadn't taken the mask off, thankfully, and he was being situated on one of those beds on wheels that they carry people around the hospital in.

"Don't move! We will shoot!" The same cop yelled even louder through the megaphone.

All of the police had stern looks on their faces, but were very clearly terrified. Matias could see them shifting and fidgeting, freezing up whenever he tried to look them in the eye.

None of them dared to get closer. If they had, Matias wouldn't be able to fight back, but that did nothing to sooth their fear.

Matias raised his hands slowly, bringing them up and behind his head. He webbed his hands together and swayed a bit, his urge to sleep only growing.

"It probably doesn't mean much coming out of my mouth, but I only want to help" he began, becoming dizzy from projecting his voice.

The cops became tense. Some lowered their guns by only a centimeter while others gripped it tighter and adjusted their aim.

"Do you really think I'd fight that psycho and get my ass beat just for kicks? I'm doing all that I can to help if you would just let me." Matias pleaded

He examined the crowd, noticing the cameras recording behind the crowd for the first time. The circle of cops became more and more deformed as some inched closer while others scooted away.

"Get on the ground" a different voice came through the megaphone

This voice was of a man, and seemed oddly calm. Maybe not calm exactly, but he wasn't yelling as loud as he could like the person before.

"We will shoot if you don't get on the ground"

Matias steadily turned around to face the voice. He was met with a bald man who appeared to be middle-aged. He had stepped up multiple feet and was only a couple of strides away from Matias.

"That won't do you any good" Matias nearly mumbled.

Had everyone and everything else not grown quiet the man probably wouldn't have heard him.

The officers face was stern and expressed no emotions at all. Matias glanced behind the cop to the doors of the hospital. Samuel had been wheeled inside and was nowhere to be seen.

The officer stood silently, waiting for Matias to elaborate.

"I know much more than you do about damn near everything going on here. The only other person who knows whats happening as well as I do is the hero" he proceeded "and we all saw the condition he's in"

A few whispers and breaths came from the crowd, but still nobody spoke up. The bald man's face changed but still displayed a look that was unreadable.

"why were you fighting her?" The man questioned

Matias forgot about all the tiredness in his body.

"Why did I fight her? I'm pretty sure your hero fought her twice before I did"

Matias knew it was no time to be getting sensitive, but he couldn't help it. They didn't ask what he knew or why she was fighting. No, they asked why he, the villain specifically, was fighting her. Even after he had saved their hero, they still thought he was working with her.

"Your colleague. Why would you fight your own after the hero" the officer continued with zero regard.

Matias clenched his fists and bit down on his lip. He let his hands fall to his sides, no longer behind his head.

The sound of guns rattling filled the silence as every one of the officers regained their grips on their weapons.

"She is not my colleague" Matias spat "I would rather die to her hands than work with someone like her"

Vivid images of all the blood and bodies flashed in his head. That's how cruel these people thought he was. They thought he could do something like that so brutally and have no regret.

"We were never colleagues" he continued, lowering his voice to sound calmer.

"I can explain every last bit of this another time, but I won't leave the hero here all alone"

The officers each gave their own strange look at Matias. At the villain.

The bald man lowered his gun for the first time. He still held it tight in his hand, but it was now pointed at the concrete.

"Explain it now." The man ordered "and then you can go see him, under our strict supervision"

Matias stood wide eyed for a moment. He hadn't actually expected them to give him a chance, but maybe cops could have sympathy too.

"Where do you want me to start?" He asked a bit sarcastically.

He knew he didn't have the time to explain everything from the last few years, but leaving bits out could be bad.

"Why is the new villain causing chaos?" A woman behind the bald man spoke up

Matias scoffed, trying not to seem too annoyed.

"I don't know. We have never worked together or even talked to one another. I hadn't even really encountered her until today" he explained, fighting the anger out of his voice.

The police stood quietly for a few seconds. Some of them began to sway and most of them had lowered their weapons.

"Why are you choosing to help now" another female voice asked from behind him.

He spun around to look at her face to face. She seemed pretty young. Young enough to make Matias wonder why they would send her out to do something like this.

She cowered back a bit when Matias looked at her.

"I mean, after your... history" she quivered, her voice getting quieter and quieter.

Matias sighed once again. It was a valid question, but it was a hard one to answer.

"For the sake of saving time I'll summarize, but you all will just have to trust me"

Silence.

"This whole 'hero and villain' ordeal started a few years ago when people saw me kill a few people walking the sidewalk. But it wasn't me, I didn't kill anyone"

He paused as a small murmur swept through the group.

"I'll explain the whole misunderstanding whenever things calm down... but I never killed anyone" he continued to explain

"I didn't kill them and I didn't commit any of the other crimes that I've been accused of"

It was a small lie at best. He had actually stolen from people long ago and he did fight the hero, but nothing else.

He glanced around at all the faces which each had their own unique expression. Some were wide-eyed and shocked, others seemed more confused. A few even seemed angry as their eyebrows knitted together and they became tense.

The silence continued, but Matias stayed still. What else was he supposed to do anyways?

"I'll escort you to the hero's room" the bald man stepped forward once more, breaking the silence

He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and reached for Matias's wrists. Matias, of course, pulled away in a fraction of a second. He had mixed feelings toward police, but he sure as hell didn't trust them to handcuff him.

"It's a busy hospital" the man explained "you're going to frighten people more than necessary if you walk in there like this"

Matias hated the idea, but knew it was true. Even while he was beaten up and maskless people still feared him. And he had a feeling that fear would never really go away.

He held his arms out to the cop and he clicked the handcuffs on loosely.

"Just remember" the man began "we now know your identity, if you try anything we can and will stop you"

Matias didn't have much of an identity anyways, but he didn't bother to tell them that. He only nodded and let the officer lead him towards the front doors of the hospital.

Despite how uncomfortable he was walking past the cameras and with all the eyes looking at him, he let the officer escort him to the front desk.

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