Chapter 1: THE SOUND OF BLEEDING
[FULL-PAGE OPENING PANEL]
A city at night.
Neon signs flicker like dying nerves. Rain pours relentlessly, washing blood into storm drains already clogged with sin. Sirens wail somewhere far away—but never close enough to matter.
NARRATION (Kael):
Cities have a sound.
Not traffic. Not rain.
Fear.
[VERTICAL PANELS – ESTABLISHING SHOTS]
— A back alley behind a nightclub called STATIC HEAVEN
— A flickering red sign buzzing violently
— Cigarette smoke mixing with rain
— Three men laughing over a kneeling courier, face bruised and shaking
GANG MEMBER #1:
"You should've run."
COURIER:
"I—I don't know anything, I swear—"
A gun is raised.
[SMALL PANEL – CLOSE-UP]
A finger tightens on the trigger.
CLICK.
Nothing happens.
[WIDE PANEL – SILENCE]
The gun jams.
The men look at each other.
GANG MEMBER #2:
"…You gotta be kidding me."
[SUDDEN PANEL – VIOLENCE ERUPTS]
BANG!
The cigarette in Gang Member #2's mouth explodes—along with his jaw.
Blood and teeth scatter across the rain-soaked concrete.
[DOUBLE-PAGE SPREAD]
A figure steps out of the shadows.
Tall. Lean. Drenched in rain.
A cracked red helmet hides his face, streaked with old scratches and fresh blood.
A pistol hangs loosely in his hand.
NARRATION (Kael):
And sometimes…
the city screams back.
[FAST ACTION PANELS – JOHN WICK STYLE]
— Kael shoots Gang Member #1 in the knee
— The man collapses screaming
— Kael grabs his collar, fires point-blank into his throat
— The body drops instantly
SFX:
BLAM
CRACK
THUD
[MEDIUM PANEL – GANG MEMBER #3 RUNS]
GANG MEMBER #3:
"WHAT THE F—?!"
He turns to run.
Too slow.
[BRUTAL CLOSE-COMBAT SEQUENCE]
Kael throws the gun—hard.
It smashes into the man's face.
Kael lunges forward, grabs his head, and slams it into the brick wall.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
The wall is painted red.
[CLOSE-UP – KAEL'S HELMET]
Rain drips down the cracked visor.
KAEL (quietly):
"…Still warm."
[PANEL – KAEL LOOKS AT THE READER]
KAEL (breaking the fourth wall):
"Don't look at me like that.
They started it."
[NEW PANEL – FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
Six more gang members pour into the alley, guns drawn, panic replacing confidence.
GANG LEADER:
"Kill him!"
[FULL-PAGE SPREAD – CARNAGE MODE]
Kael exhales.
His posture changes.
Loose. Unstable.
Like a predator pretending to be prey.
NARRATION (Kael):
Ah.
The fun part.
[EXTENDED ACTION SEQUENCE – 30+ PANELS FLOWING]
— Kael charges forward, weaving through bullets
— One round tears through his shoulder
— Blood sprays
KAEL:
"Ow."
(beat)
"Not sarcastic. That actually hurt."
— He tackles a shooter into a parked car
— Smashes the door repeatedly on the man's head
— Steals his gun mid-motion
— Fires three precise shots
— Head
— Neck
— Heart
[PANEL – KNIFE ATTACK]
A thug lunges with a blade.
Kael lets it stab him in the abdomen.
The thug freezes.
THUG:
"…Why aren't you screaming?"
[CLOSE PANEL – KAEL GRINNING UNDER HELMET]
KAEL:
"Because you're holding it wrong."
Kael forces the knife deeper, then headbutts the thug until his nose caves in.
[REGENERATION DETAIL PANEL]
The wound in Kael's stomach slowly closes—raw flesh knitting together.
Blood still drips.
NARRATION (Kael):
Healing doesn't mean painless.
It just means permanent.
[FAST PANELS – GUN-FU FINISH]
— Kael disarms one man
— Breaks his wrist
— Uses the broken arm to knock out another
— Shoots both before they hit the ground
Only one remains.
[WIDE PANEL – FINAL SURVIVOR]
The last gang member backs away, slipping in blood, weapon shaking.
SURVIVOR:
"P-please… I don't know who you are—"
Kael kneels in front of him.
Tilts his head.
[INTIMATE PANEL – WHISPER]
KAEL:
"I'm not the scary part."
The man sobs.
[PANEL – SIRENS IN THE DISTANCE]
Red and blue lights flicker faintly.
Kael stands.
Hands the survivor a phone.
[CLOSE PANEL – PHONE SCREEN]
A number already dialed.
KAEL:
"Call your boss."
[NEXT PANEL – PHONE ON SPEAKER]
A distorted voice answers.
VOICE:
"What is it?"
Kael leans close.
[FULL-PAGE PANEL – ICONIC LINE]
KAEL:
"Tell the Syndicate…
the experiment didn't fail."
He pauses.
KAEL:
"It escaped."
BANG.
[SILENCE PANEL]
The body drops.
Rain washes over everything.
[FINAL SEQUENCE – KAEL WALKING AWAY]
Kael disappears into the alley's shadows as sirens grow louder—but never close enough.
NARRATION (Kael):
Tomorrow they'll call this a massacre.
They'll send hunters.
Professionals.
A faint laugh.
[LAST PANEL – KAEL LOOKS BACK AT THE READER]
KAEL:
"Good."
"I was getting bored."
END OF CHAPTER 1