The pain is unbearable. He has me by the neck, air leaving me every passing second. I throw my head back connecting with his skull. He yelps in pain, jumping away from me and clutching his head. I roll up my sleeves, getting ready for another attack. “You’ll have to do better than that!” I spit.

Blood drips down the side of his head as he looks up at me and grins. “You know, you always pretend to be the hero, the savior. What do you think I’ve been trying to do my entire life, huh? You barely try and everyone loves you. But when someone like me tries to help, they think _I’m_ the villain.”

I clench my jaw, breathing hard. “It’s because you’ve killed. Shown no mercy to anyone. You’re a _murderer._”

He laughs, the sound hollow. “And you think you aren’t? You’re exactly like me.” I gulp, the truth hitting hard.

“I’m nowhere close to being a piece of trash like you!” I scream, my fist hitting his face, blood flying into the air. He wipes it away with the back of his hand, laughing maniacally. He raises his leg to kick me, but I duck, grabbing it and knocking him off balance. He hits the ground with a grunt and I jump on top of him. He’s still laughing, the sound echoing off the dirty alleyway walls. I pull out my knife, clutching it tightly against his throat. “Kill me, darling.” He chuckles, “and prove how similar we are.”

I let out a shaky breath, anger flowing through me. “Don’t call me _darling_.” I snap.

He laughs again, the sound infuriating me. “If only the world had shown me a little more mercy…” he mutters, before closing his eyes and smiling one last time.