For Want Of An Ounce Of Mercy

20250511

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

“If only this world had shown me a little more mercy…”
The whisper was forlorn. Wistful. Slightly bitter.
Adam scowled up at the warped mass of crystalline flesh coating the ceiling of the cell. “Trying to make me feel sorry for you?”
“No.” The flesh pulsed and huddled smaller. “Trying to make you feel my sorrow. I didn’t want any of this. I can’t help being scared.”
“Scared?” Adam scoffed. “Thousands of people are dead, horribly dead-”
“I know.” The keening regret made his skull throb. “I tried to stop it, I tried. I didn’t want this power. I just… I wanted something that would make them go away, leave me alone, and then this, this…” It trailed off into a gurgling sob.
Adam considered these claims. Then slowly lowered his flamethrower. Though he kept his finger on the trigger. “You’re saying all this reality warping was an accident?”
“I was scared.”
How old had this person been? What had they looked like? Sounded like? He had no idea. There was no way to tell anymore. They had been just as warped as their victims.
“I don’t know what happened. I don’t know how it happened. I’m sorry. But it started, and people panicked and attacked, and I could feel it, and I panicked too, and…”
The mass was quaking all over now.
“I couldn’t think straight. Their thoughts got muddled into mine. Their pain became my pain and kept getting worse. And th-then you…”
It fell silent for a moment.
“I’m glad. Truly. I’m sure they would be too. They were suffering. We were all suffering, stuck together. You let them have peace. I wanted to thank you. And, and… I’m sorry.”
“…I’m sorry too.” Adam’s voice was gentle now. “Sorry this happened. Sorry the world taught you to be scared. Sorry nobody was here to help you. Sorry that the best I can offer is this.” He glanced down at the flamethrower. “Is… there any other way to stop the warping? It’s still spreading.”
“No.” That whisper held more pain than he could fathom. His heart ached trying to hold it. “If I could stop it, I would have. You have to… I need you to… stop it for me.”
Adam winced. “Is there a better way than the fire? I know it hurts.”
“It does.” The mass shuddered. “But I don’t know another way. Nothing else seemed to work.”
“Damn it.” But he’d already tried everything he could think of. And fire was the only success.
“I’m sorry.” The mass was slowly unfolding. Peeling itself apart to cover the entire ceiling. Making itself vulnerable.
“Don’t…” Adam bit his lip, fumbling for words. “Yeah, ok, this… You were, were the centre of this nightmare. But it never shoulda happened, ok? You shouldn’t have been in this… the world shouldn’t have done this to you. To us. This just fucking sucks and I don’t hate you. Ok?”
“…Ok.” The whisper was barely audible, but grateful.
“I’ll make this quick.”

Prompt was the first sentence.