6 weeks before the incident…

***

“Damn it, Void, get over here,” Cimex growled. “You left the mayo open again.”

Void winked, licking the leftover mayo off of their fingers. “Too bad.”

Cimex closed the mayo jar and set it back into the fridge that was in short supply. “We need to go grocery shopping, so get off your lazy ass.”

“We barely have enough money to buy a happy meal,” Void threw back, settling deeper into the beanbag that they were lying upside-down on. “How would you expect me to buy us groceries?”

“But we’re supervillains,” Cimex frowned. “Let’s just go rob a bank or something.”

Void scoffed. “It’s not that simple. I could get caught.”

“You love to get caught by Glacier,” Cimex teased, laughing, their long hair falling in their face.

“What are you talking about?” Void mumbled. “Glacier doesn’t even know who I am.”

“Are you kidding? Everyone knows who you are! ‘The famous fire villain Void,’ they call you! You’re, like, the most wanted criminal in the city!”

“You say that like it’s a good thing,” Void said. “It’s not.”

Cimex pouted “I’d kill to be the most wanted criminal. I don’t even have a reward for my capture!”

Void rolled their eyes, flipping over on their side on the beanbag. “I have to admit, it is a bit funny to watch when the cops run around like headless chickens. Not to mention that dickhead Glacier acting so high and mighty and yet failing to capture me every damn time.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Cimex cheered, clapping them on the back. Cimex rummaged in their pockets, brought out a pathetic wad of dollar bills, and rubbed their hands together. “If I pickpocket along the way, I think we have enough to buy some groceries,” they mumbled thoughtfully.

“Don’t get caught,” Void said, gazing around the room for the TV remote. “And don’t you dare forget potato chips this time.”

Cimex laughed, assurring Void that they wouldn’t dare.

Void was left behind, staring blankly at the television, watching something with plenty of screaming. However, Void was buried in other thoughts.

And then there was a knock on the door. Void failed to notice, engrossed in their dark pondering, until the knocking came again.

“Open up!” a voice called. “It’s the police!”

Void sighed. They’d been found yet again.

“That’s the second time this month,” they complained, slipping an already packed bag over their shoulder and grumbling to themself. They were always prepared, at least. Being a supervillain meant moving constantly. They would have to leave a note to Cimex why they had to leave. So much for groceries, they thought. They rummaged through the fridge, picking out the few edible things and stuffing them into the pack. There was nothing else, really, that they had to take with them. The fact that both them and Cimex could fit their belongings into one bag might be sad to some, but such was the life of a criminal.

They snuck out through the window, tying a rope of bedsheets and attaching it securely to the armrest of the couch. They climbed down the three stories, careful not to be seen by anyone. If anyone did see them, well, they’d deal with that later. They heard the banging of the police breaking down the door to the apartment and snickered. They sprinted away from the apartment, pushing past the bustling crowd of people. There would be no way that the police would find them now, not in this huge crowd of people. They cackled to themself again, tripping passersby and bumping shoulders.

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“Hey!” a voice called out. A pretty lady wearing a full winter outfit, which was rather peculiar seeing as it was the middle of August. “Careful where you’re going!” Void ignored her and flipped her off, sticking their tongue out.

Void continued running until they came to the city park. Their stomach growled. They wondered where Cimex was with the stupid groceries and groaned despite themself. They were weak, hungry, broke, and tired. They just wanted a rest from their life on the run. They didn’t even bother thinking about how the cops found them, as they weren’t the most secretive villain. Those stupid pigs had been onto them for months but, fortunately for Void, they had gotten nowhere. Or at least the police thought they had gotten nowhere, since they had never caught Void, which was just as good.

They searched in their pockets for some cash, anything. Their emergency money rations had ran out long ago and they certainly weren’t making money. They considered pickpocketing for a second but then decided against it just in case they got caught and thrown into a deeper pile of shit than they already were in.

Void felt their phone vibrate in their pocket. It was Cimex.

I’m at the supermarket, come here ASAP. And bring your supersuit.

Void cursed under their breath. What could have happened at the supermarket that Cimex would need them? In their supervillain costume?

Void dashed into an abandoned alleyway, slipping quickly into their suit. They adjusted their mask, covering their entire face. It resembled a plague doctor mask, and their entire suit just screamed “I’m a supervillain,” which was really convenient when heroes tried to find them, and not so convenient for walking around civilians. They took a deep breath and walked out of the safety of the alleyway while civilians gasped and screamed in terror. It gave Void a rush of adrenaline and they flew through the park to the supermarket, flames rushing behind them. They weren’t really flying, of course, but the explosions of flames propelled them forward at an alarming speed.

Void heard the wailing of police cars and rolled their eyes. They didn’t stand a chance. They’d burn all of the people to the ground without mercy and the citizens knew that, keeping a strong distance between themselves and Void.

Void soon arrived at the supermarket, which was now a strange sight. There were bugs everywhere, roaches, ants, flies, bees, beetles, hornets, ladybirds, every bug you could ever dream of was there. Cimex, Void thought, impressed, you’ve done good. Void was still in awe at the amount of scuttling insects flowing like a devilish river through the automatic door when they peered inside the window.

“Cimex!” Void shouted, making their way inside and side stepping insects. “Cimex, I’m here!”

The sound of a man screaming filled his ears. “Don’t kill me!” he cried, his voice shaky. “I’ll give you the money but please don’t kill me! I have a wife and daughter!”

Void made a mental note to smack Cimex right in the face later. They always told Cimex not to cause trouble and yet here they were. Cimex certainly had a flair for the dramatics.

Void looked towards the screaming man and found him covered in bugs by the cash register, shaking in fear, the bugs encircling his throat and choking him. Void scoffed. “Cimex,” they chided, facing the bug commander. “I told you not to cause trouble.”

“But Void,” Cimex whined. “He wouldn’t let me take the groceries because I was two bucks short!”

The man whimpered. “I don’t think that deserves death. Maybe just leave him alone,” Void suggested. They didn’t really care either way, but the fact that Cimex was causing trouble out in the open when their house was just burst into was unsettling.

“Fine,” Cimex pouted, setting the man free and he tearfully sprinted away.

Void caught the man by the arm before he exited the store, though. They looked him threateningly in the eyes. “I think it’d be best to keep this just between us, alright?” they said in a terrifyingly soft voice. The man nodded. “If word of this gets out, I’d be forced to kill you and your wife and daughter, okay?” Void murmured, smiling. “So I think it’d be nice to just keep this on the down low.”

“Yep,” the man squeaked. Void let him go, waving cheerfully.

They turned back to Cimex, fuming. The bugs were escaping through small cracks in the building. “I told you to get groceries, not kidnap and almost kill a man!”

Cimex held up a plastic bag full of food. “Well I did get groceries,” they mumbled.

Void scowled. “Fine. I have a bit to catch you up on.”

They told Cimex the story of what had happened.

“What the hell! That's the second time this month that they broke in! You’d think they’d give us a break.”

“That’s what I thought too,” Void sighed. “Now we ought to find a new hideout.”

Cimex pondered this for a moment. “I don’t think I have any friends who would let us stay at their place. And we’ve exhausted all of our abandoned warehouses. We don’t really have anywhere to go.”

Void shook their head, groaning frustratedly. They didn’t want to go there, but they had no choice. “Well, unless sleeping in the streets sounds appealing I know a place—”

Cimex clapped their hands, bouncing on the balls of their feet. “Yay!”

Void ran their hands through their hair. “—but they might not let us stay.”

Cimex raised an eyebrow. “What do we have to do?”

Void’s expression was grim and they wrung their hands when they responded. “We can’t let him know that we’re supervillains.”