Finding Beauty (Rewrite)

Chapter 49

~The Beast~

The volume on his speakers were cranked up to their max setting. His neighbors liked to shake the walls with heavy bass every Friday night so it wasn't like they'd have any grounds to complain that he was doing the same on a Saturday afternoon.

He laid on his couch with his arms sprawled out above his head. His legs were hanging off the edge and his gaze was fixed on the ceiling. He wasn't staring at anything in particular but seeing past the ceiling and into the sky. It was the same sky that hung over Bethany but even that tiny bit of comfort was not nearly enough to mend the giant gash that ran across the organ in his chest. He had taken for granted everyday they had spent under the same roof. Now all they had was the same sky.

A box of pizza sat on the table beside him. He absentmindedly reached for another slice of pizza only to find he had almost devoured the whole pie. Only one slice remained. He grabbed it, it's cheese and tomato sauce momentarily distracting him from the melancholy lyrics of the alternative rock song.

As soon as the chorus to the song began, the drums kicked in and the guitar reached the crux of the melody, his phone chimed. It cut into the song, drowning it out for a second and then returning to the song after the best part was over. He ignored it . . . the first few times. His phone continued its inessent interruptions until he was forced to drag himself off of the couch. The news app he had was responsible for all of the noise. He swiped at the notifications, telling himself he'd have to uninstall the app later.

As he swiped it away, he read the name he had seen in the headline. Bethany. He swore he saw her name in the headline.

It was probably because she was all he thought about. He saw her name because his mind wanted him to.

That didn't stop him from double checking just in case. He opened the app and found it linked to a video from the city's most popular news channel. Her name was right there over the video player: Bethany Rodriguez. It was definitely her.

Teigan's heartbeat accelerated like he had spent the last hour doing push-ups and not over indulging himself on pizza. He had anticipated seeing Bethany on the news when she was first returned home. News channels would want to get the scoop on her experience. However, she seemed to have declined every one of them. The only second of film the news got was footage of her walking out of the police station with her mother and Grayson. She had been covering her face and her friend was helping the police push the reports back.

Weeks later, when the news had dropped the Beast and her kidnapping, she was appearing in the news. His finger trembled as he pressed play on the video.

"Breaking news coming from the NYPD. Bethany Rodriguez who had previously been held captive by famous vigilante the Beast finds herself in danger once more." An image appeared on the right hand corner of the screen. It was of Bethany. She was tied to a chair in a dimly lit room with tape over her mouth. "A group of men who run a blog about the Beast have taken matters into their own hands. In an attempt to get the Beast's attention, they have taken Bethany Rodriguez hostage, who they believe is of importance to the vigilante. Her captors do not want money. They want to meet the Beast for themselves. They have stated that if he does not arrive at their designated location within 12 hours, Bethany Rodriguez will be killed."

It was not a question of if he would act. As soon as he saw the picture of Bethany in trouble he knew he would do anything to ensure she was alright.

He passed his mother's rose which sat in a vase behind the glass doors of his kitchen's cabinets. The motivation and drive that had escaped him ever since saying goodbye to Bethany had come back in a rushing wave. He was prepared to create a garden filled with roses to protect her.

He reached into the back of his dresser and found the mask he thought he would never have to put on again. He placed it over his face, already in his signature attire. His reflection was displayed through the one mirror he kept next to his dresser. It didn't hurt as much to catch his appearance in the mirror as it once had. It was astonishing that despite everything that had happened he was still him. He was thoroughly transformed but he remained peering back at the same person.

Teigan pulled up the address of the place they were holding Bethany. He found it strange that this was publicized information but at the same time the people that had taken her hostage had made it public in the first place. He also knew that even if it was suspicious, even if it put him in danger, - even if there was a box held up by a stick with a string tied to it - he was going to go. Beth was worth the risk.

The place where Bethany was being kept was within walking distance from him. He ran as fast as his limbs would let him, taking back alleys and desolate blocks to get him there. The afternoon sun was disappearing as clouds rolled in. The gentle breeze that had been floating through his open window was now threatening to yank his hood off of his head.

He leaped over a dumpster that had blocked his path and found the building Bethany was being kept in.

Pressing himself against the bricks of the apartment building, he scanned the area for any sign of police. He knew they had to be keeping their distance so as to not scare the hostage takers into doing anything rash. Still, they had to have eyes on the building as well as a plan. He wished he could trust them enough to execute their plan but he couldn't afford to let them fail - not this time.

Scaling the building was easy. He climbed up onto the second floor of the brownstone. It was under construction with scaffolding surrounding its exterior that allowed him to swing himself up. One peek at the inside and he could see it was completely gutted with the wooden planks in the walls exposed and the floor needing to be redone. He slid in through the open window just as it began to thunder and drizzle.

The room was entirely empty with no signs of life. He crouched in place, listening for the creak of floorboards or voices. He heard none. Immediately his instincts told him something was wrong.

Static from a radio.

His head whipped to his right.

A shadow.

"Freeze!"

Teigan stood up as the police officers stepped out from around the corners they were hiding in and pointed their guns at him. There were four of them and one of him. It was astonishing to think that at a certain time that wouldn't have mattered or made a difference. With the regeneration the witch had accidentally given him, he would have been able to tank every bullet they shot at him and still been able to escape. Now, all it would take is one bullet to take him out.

One bullet to take him out of his misery.

If he did something rash, something crazy, something seen as a threat, they would shoot. Perhaps if he took out his claws and lunged at one of the officers or maybe if he simply took off his mask. All it would take was a sudden action and his life would be over.

This wasn't what he truly wanted. What he wanted was to be free from the curse and leave the identity he had as the Beast behind, not die as him. He wanted to start a new life with Bethany, see his mother again, be normal. But that wasn't an option. It was either be shot dead or be exposed for what he was or be captured and endure hell afterwards.

He took a breath - one final breath of air. He let it fill his lungs and thought of everything he hoped he had in that moment. He thought of his mother's baking, Carina's cackle, Bethany's smile, sunsets from the top of a skyscraper. Then he held onto those things for a second as he held his breath.

He promised Bethany he would find her when he broke the curse. He hated to go back on his promise but he couldn't see what he could do. This was it.

He released his breath and let it all go.