Crossroads

Billy Bratton is the perfect image of an innocent child, a freckle-faced, wide-eyed 8-year-old boy with an angelic smile. His dirty blonde hair falls in careless waves, his bright blue eyes sparkle with mischief, and his youthful face is always smudged with just the right amount of street grime to evoke sympathy. He wears ragged shorts, an oversized hoodie, and worn-out sneakers, blending seamlessly into the forgotten children of Crossroads. But behind those eyes is something ancient, something monstrous. There is no warmth in his expressions, no true joy in his laughter—only the carefully rehearsed mimicry of childhood innocence. Those who truly pay attention may notice the unnerving stillness in his posture, the predatory sharpness of his gaze, and the fact that he never blinks when he smiles.

Psychiatric Evaluation Notes written by a psychiatrist prior to becoming one of the many of Billy's victims. Subject presents as a highly intelligent, prepubescent male with no apparent physical abnormalities, yet further analysis reveals a deeply ingrained psychopathy and total emotional detachment. While superficially charming, his affect is flat and rehearsed, indicating a learned mimicry of human interaction rather than genuine emotional engagement. The subject is highly manipulative, possessing an innate understanding of social weaknesses and the ability to exploit them to his advantage. He displays a marked lack of remorse or empathy, treating his victims as objects for his amusement rather than living beings. His psionic abilities, specifically pain induction and mind control, appear to be his primary tools for psychological and physical torment. The subject has demonstrated an ability to extend suffering for extended periods without inducing fatality, showing a preference for drawn-out, methodical cruelty rather than impulsive violence. Despite his eternal youth, the subject has the mental faculties of a middle-aged adult, having spent nearly five decades honing his methods. His unaging nature makes him uniquely dangerous, as it allows him to continuously refine his predatory techniques while maintaining a disarming, innocent facade. Furthermore, his ability to implant suggestions and false memories into victims ensures that even survivors of his torment are often dismissed as unreliable witnesses. Diagnosis: Primary Psychopathy, Malignant Narcissism, Sadistic Personality Disorder, Eternal Youth Psychosis Recommended Action: Extreme caution is advised. Subject is highly unpredictable and poses a severe existential threat to anyone who engages with him. There is no known method of permanently neutralizing the subject. Avoidance is recommended.

Born into squalor, Billy Bratton never had a chance of being anything but evil. The son of a nameless drifter and a prostitute, he learned early that life was about taking what you wanted and destroying what you didn't. Even as a toddler, Billy was different—cold, calculating, utterly devoid of empathy. He started small, luring alley cats into his grasp and seeing how long he could keep them screaming. Then, he turned to other street kids—ones no one would miss. His psionic gifts manifested not in insight or telekinesis, but in pain. He discovered he could boil blood, fire off pain receptors, rupture eardrums with a whisper. And he loved it. Every whimper, every cry, every ragged, final breath filled him with pure ecstasy. Then came the Riftstorm. Billy, on the hunt for his favorite prey—little girls—was caught in the chaotic anomaly. But unlike most Warped, his change was invisible. No grotesque mutations, no obvious deformities. His curse—or his gift—was eternal youth. Even Billy didn’t notice at first, not until the years passed and he remained the same while those around him withered. Now, nearly fifty years have passed, and Billy "The Kid" is still just a child in the eyes of the world. He plays the role of the lost, frightened boy, the runaway in need of a warm meal and a place to sleep. A child is harmless, after all. No one suspects the boy they took in has murdered more people than any serial killer in earth's history. Billy "The Kid" remains unseen, hiding in plain sight, slipping through the cracks of Crossroads society like a phantom. He is not part of any faction, not bound to any laws. He is a force of pure, malignant evil, a predator who has honed his craft for half a century, yet still wears the face of a child. Few believe the stories, but those who do fear him more than any warlord, any Rift-spawned horror, any crime syndicate. Because The Kid is everywhere. He could be sitting on the curb, in the alley, in your home. And by the time you realize the truth, it's already too late.