His eyes snapped to attention, and without thinking, he began slapping his own face, as though trying to shake off the fog clouding his mind.
Slap!
Slap!
"C-Captain Vulture, what are you doing?!" one of the newcomers asked, his voice laced with concern.
He didn't understand what had caused Vulture's sudden outburst, but no one moved to stop him.
The rest of Vulture's team stood frozen, wearing expressions of guilt, their eyes avoiding the captain's intense behavior.
After a few forceful slaps, Vulture's face turned red and swollen, the sharp impact leaving his skin stinging since he didn't held back.
But the harsh reality of his actions jolted him awake, pulling him out of the dark spiral of guilt and self-reproach.
The weight of what had happened to Sparrow suddenly crashed down on him, and he knew he had to focus—there was no time for regrets now.