The Constrictor

Julio Vasquez stared at the half-finished comic book page on his drafting table, his pencil hovering just above the panel. The newsroom at the Seabrook Viking News buzzed around him—phones ringing, keyboards clattering, and voices rising and falling in hurried conversations. But Julio was lost in his own world, a world of heroes, villains, and the thin, delicate line between them.

He had always loved superheroes. As a kid, they were an escape—a colorful world where good fought evil, and the lines between them were clear. But now, as an adult and the Viking News’ cartoonist, he saw things differently. Reality wasn’t so clean-cut. Heroes could be flawed, and sometimes, villains were just heroes pushed too far.

This was the heart of his latest project: Viking Valor. A comic book starring the Viking News staff as larger-than-life heroes—except for one. In Julio’s comic, everyone had a heroic persona: Sam Ihle was The Sentinel, a bespectacled investigator with the power to see the truth hidden in shadows. Jodie Williams-Ihle became Lady Justice, a fierce advocate armed with an unbreakable gavel that shattered lies. Danny Van Hoosier transformed into The Titan, a super-strong athlete with unyielding courage. Even Katherine Evangelista, the gossip columnist, was The Whisper, using her network of informants to outsmart foes.

But Benjamin Diaz? Senior Editor Benjamin Diaz was The Constrictor—a master manipulator, able to twist truth and strangle secrets out of anyone. In Julio’s story, The Constrictor was a tragic villain—a man who had once sought the truth but had become obsessed with control, using his power to silence those who opposed him.

“Hey, Julio, you still sketching that comic of yours?” Sam Ihle’s voice broke through the noise. The young crime reporter, looking every bit like a Clark Kent knockoff with his thick glasses and slightly tousled hair, leaned over the partition. “Hope I’m still the cool one.”

“Coolest guy in the book, Sam,” Julio grinned, shading the menacing eyes of The Constrictor. “You and Jodie make a pretty awesome duo.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Jodie Williams-Ihle quipped as she appeared beside Sam. She glanced at the page. “Wait... is that Benjamin?”

Julio hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. He’s... well, he’s the villain.”

Sam’s eyebrows rose. “Ben? The villain? I mean, the guy’s tough, but…”

Jodie’s smile faded. “It’s not that far-fetched. I mean, he can be... intense.”

Julio set his pencil down and leaned back, folding his arms. “You know, it wasn’t an easy choice. But I’ve watched him. The way he pressures reporters, the way he insists on headlines that sensationalize instead of inform, the way he talks down to everyone and insults everyone instead of encouraging them… I just thought, what if that desire for control was taken to the extreme?”

Jodie and Sam exchanged a look.

“He does push for the dramatic,” Sam admitted. “But that’s just the job, right?”

“Is it?” Julio countered. “Or is it just his way of making sure his voice is always louder than everyone else’s?”

Jodie didn’t answer. She seemed troubled, but she gave Julio a smile. “It’s your story, Julio. Just... be careful. Even in fiction, people see the truth.”

After they walked away, Julio returned to his page. The Constrictor’s face loomed larger now, his tendrils of shadow reaching out, twisting around the other heroes. In the next panel, The Constrictor stood over a broken city, a king atop a throne of lies.

Benjamin Diaz adjusted his tie and sipped his coffee, his sharp eyes scanning the latest issue of the Seabrook Viking News. A seasoned editor with graying hair and a sharp tongue, he was respected—and feared—throughout the office. To Benjamin, the news was more than just stories; it was power.

And he wielded it well.

He looked up to see Julio passing by, a thick folder under his arm. “Vasquez!” Benjamin called out. “Got a moment?”

Julio hesitated, then approached. “Yeah, what’s up, Ben?”

Benjamin’s gaze was calculating. “Your comic. Viking Valor, isn’t it? I hear I’ve got a starring role.”

Julio felt a bead of sweat on his forehead. “Uh... yeah. You’re... well, you’re kind of the main antagonist.”

Benjamin chuckled, though there was little humor in it. “Antagonist? So, I’m the villain?”

Julio forced a smile. “Not just a villain. A tragic one. Someone who started with good intentions but lost his way.”

Benjamin’s smile faded. “Is that how you see me?”

Julio swallowed hard. “It’s just a story, Ben. It’s... it’s an exaggeration. A fantasy.”

“Fantasy or not, stories have power.” Benjamin leaned forward, his gaze piercing. “Be careful what you create, Julio. Because sometimes, stories have a way of becoming reality.”

Julio walked away, feeling Benjamin’s eyes on him, like a shadow following his every step.

That night, as Julio worked late at his drafting table, the office was quiet, the glow of his desk lamp the only light. He flipped through his comic pages, his pencil dancing across the paper. But the more he drew, the darker The Constrictor became. What started as a tragic villain had become something far more sinister—an embodiment of manipulation, deceit, and control.

The next page showed The Constrictor standing atop a crumbling newsroom, his tendrils of darkness wrapping around his fellow heroes. In the speech bubble, The Constrictor declared, “Truth is a weapon, and I alone decide how it is used!”

Suddenly, the office door creaked. Julio jumped, his heart racing.

“Burning the midnight oil?” a voice echoed from the shadows.

Julio spun around. It was Benjamin, his face half-hidden in darkness.

“Just... putting the finishing touches on the latest pages,” Julio stammered.

Benjamin stepped closer, his face unreadable. “Let me see.”

Julio’s hands trembled as he handed over the pages. Benjamin flipped through them, his expression unreadable. When he finished, he looked up, his gaze hard.

“This is how you see me? A monster manipulating the truth? Using the newsroom as my kingdom?”

“It’s just a story,” Julio whispered.

Benjamin’s voice was low, cold. “Sometimes, stories are the sharpest weapons.”

He turned and walked out, leaving Julio alone with his drawings—and a cold, growing fear.

In the days that followed, Julio tried to distance himself from the comic. But the more he tried, the more obsessed he became. He couldn’t escape The Constrictor’s shadow—especially not when Benjamin’s behavior seemed to align more and more with the villain he had drawn.

Assignments were twisted for the sake of sensationalism. Stories were pulled at the last minute if they didn’t suit Benjamin’s narrative. Reporters were pressured into changing facts. And every time Julio saw Benjamin in the office, the senior editor’s gaze seemed to pierce through him.

One day, Jodie stormed into the break room, slamming her notebook on the table. “He killed my piece on housing rights. Said it wasn’t ‘newsworthy enough.’”

“That’s ridiculous,” Sam muttered. “That was a great story.”

“It doesn’t fit his narrative,” Julio whispered, his hands gripping his pencil. “He’s... he’s turning into The Constrictor.”

Jodie and Sam stared at him. “Julio, that’s just a comic. It’s not real.”

“Isn’t it?” Julio’s voice trembled. “He’s twisting the news, controlling what we can and can’t report. Just like in the comic. It’s like... I drew him into becoming this.”

“Julio, that’s impossible,” Jodie insisted. “But... maybe we should talk to Pat. He has to know what Ben is doing.”

Julio nodded, but deep down, he knew it wasn’t that simple. Because in his comic, The Constrictor had another power—he could manipulate minds, twisting truth and lies until his version became the only one people believed.

And now, in the real world, Benjamin Diaz was doing the same.

But was it really Benjamin who had changed? Or was it Julio, who had let his obsession turn the senior editor into a villain?

Staring at his nearly completed comic, Julio couldn’t tell where his fiction ended and reality began.

But one thing was clear.

The Constrictor was no longer just a character in a comic.

He was real. And he was winning.