Odion massaged the sides of his head, wincing at the drumming pain radiating from his temples to his forehead. He rarely suffered from headaches, however, this one was different. Unexplainable. Sharp. Sudden. He took a closer look in the bathroom mirror, turning his head to each side, inspecting for anything abnormal.

Nothing. That’s a relief. He turned off the lights and exited the bathroom.

Just as he was making his way downstairs, keys jangled from the other side of the entrance door with the click of the lock turning. Apollo stepped inside, soaking wet. His face was still, and his eyes looked to be in a constant state of shock and awe. He didn’t even wait to take off his shoes before putting the milk in the fridge, leaving water footprints all over the hardwood floor.

“And where the hell have you been?” Marcella huffed and puffed her way to the kitchen like she’d just run a marathon. “Boy, what did I tell you about wearing your shoes inside the house?” She pointed to the wet floor. Apollo hastily kicked off his shoes and placed them on the shoe mat, making his way upstairs afterward. “Don’t you dare ignore me inside my house.” Her voice thundered throughout the entryway, eyes wide and hard as titanium. Apollo froze in his stride and looked at Marcella for a brief moment as if he didn’t recognize her. “If you’re not going to talk, I will make you talk so that you answer me when I’m speaking to you.”

The two of them stared at each other in silence, and Odion felt every bit of obligation to do something: to move, to speak, to take even just one step down and rest his hand against the railing, so there was motion inside the house. The stillness was unsettling, and even more so with Apollo in the vicinity. Odion swallowed, stiffness developing in his shoulders. A tense ache knocked at his upper trapezius muscles, tightening by the second.

“Th-these …” Apollo mumbled, hardly above a whisper. Odion took a silent deep breath, exhaled, and relaxed. It was a start.

“I beg your pardon.” Marcella knitted her brows together and stuck her neck out.

“These … two guys … tried to rob me.” Apollo slowly shifted his eyes away from Marcella and toward the living room. Odion followed his trail of focus. What caught your attention now?

“Nonsense,” Marcella said. “What could you possibly have that’s worth stealing? You always come up with the most ridiculous of excuses every time you know you’ve done something wrong.” She shook her head. “Two guys trying to rob you. What are you going to come up with next?” Marcella rolled her eyes, storming back into the living room.

Apollo followed her.

Odion raced down the steps to see what Apollo was up to, licking his dry lips. From the moment he walked in, something was off. The way he skittered to the fridge, seemingly in disbelief, looking guilty of doing something he knew he shouldn’t have. Apollo stood a few inches behind the couch, his eyes glued to the television. CN247 reported breaking news of two police officers tragically killed in what seemed to be a fatal collision about ten minutes away from where they lived.

“But this just happened moments ago near the supermarket,” Marcella said, grabbing the remote to turn up the volume. The news report transitioned to footage of witnesses who caught the incident on their smartphones. “Oh my God, look at the state of those two police vehicles.” Marcella brought a hand up to her mouth, appalled at how badly both cars were destroyed and set ablaze, thick clouds of black smoke rising rapidly into the sky.

“I could feel the heat all the way from the entrance of my building,” a female witness said. “It was incredibly crazy with how huge the flames were!” Her hands jumped into the air as she said it.

The news report cut to another witness who seemed to be in the area when the accident occurred. “Just as I was pulling out of the supermarket, I heard this loud bang, like an explosion going off somewhere. I quickly parked my car and hopped out to see where it came from. That’s when I seen all the smoke and the fire, just everywhere. It was scary. Real scary.”

Marcella turned to Apollo with skeptical eyes. “Where were you when all of this took place?”

Apollo seemed engrossed at the images presented on the television screen. He looked trapped in a nightmare he wanted to escape but couldn’t. Odion narrowed his eyes at him. What did you do?

“I asked you a question, Apollo?” Marcella turned her body almost all the way around. “Did you—”

“No.” Apollo’s voice escaped him. “I … I saw … nothing….” He excused himself and raced up the stairs, clicking the bathroom door locked.

“That boy is getting on my last nerve.” Marcella screwed up her face and ran her hands through her auburn hair. “Sometimes I wish he’d just disappear already.”

You and me both. “I’ll go see what’s up,” Odion said, heading upstairs.

Just as he was about to knock on the door, he heard Apollo mumbling to himself along with the sounds of soap squeaking and water splashing. It was hard to tell what he was saying with the faucet turned on, but who knows what sort of madness he got himself into now.

The door swung open, and Apollo stared at him, face dripping with water, eyes bleeding with guilt. Apollo turned his face away and pushed himself through, heading toward their room. Odion watched him for a moment as he sat at the edge of his bed, burying his face in his palms. Had he not been aware of Apollo’s deep-seated disgust with religion, he would’ve sworn he was deep in prayer.

“What happened out there?” Odion closed the door, keeping his hand firmly on the knob.

“Out where?” Apollo said into his hands.

“Quit playing with me.”

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Apollo lifted his head and took a deep breath, bouncing his feet along the floor.

“Bullshit.” Odion looked at him through narrowed eyes. He reluctantly let go of the doorknob.

“Everything’s bullshit according to you,” Apollo said, pacing around the room.

“What happened at the supermarket?”

“Nothing happened aside from me getting Marcella’s milk,” Apollo said.

“You told Marcella two guys tried to rob you. Who were these niggas and what happened to ’em?” Apollo stopped pacing and kept his focus firmly on the floor. “Trying to think of another lie?”

Apollo looked up and met Odion’s gaze. “Don’t use the n-word around me. You know how I feel about that word.”

“Then answer the question, fool.” Odion raised his voice toward the end. Stay strong!

Apollo remained silent for a moment, squinting his eyes. “I killed them.” Odion had a sinking feeling he was telling the truth. “I killed them. Is that what you want me to say?”

“Did you?” Odion watched as Apollo sank onto his bed.

“You really believe I had something to do with those two police officers, don’t you?” Apollo looked at him as if he was appalled.

“I ain’t talking about any police officers, dummy. I’m talking about the two niggas …” Odion paused and corrected himself, “the two fools who tried to rob you. Unless them two clowns you’re referring to are those pigs in uniform,” Odion said. Apollo didn’t offer a response, choosing to turn his face away instead. He didn’t need to say anything. Odion knew what his silence meant. “Why’d you do it?”

“Do what?”

Odion shook his head, gritting his teeth. “Quit playing with me. Why’d you do it?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“There you go lying again,” Odion said, cutting his eyes at him. “I wonder if you believe half the shit you say. The way you can just sit there and lie through your teeth while keeping a straight face. Don’t you ever get tired of that shit?”

Apollo chuckled at the comment. “You only think I’m lying because it doesn’t fit the narrative you’ve told yourself in that stupid head of yours.” Apollo shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what I tell you. If it goes against your truth then it must be a lie.” Odion formed his mouth into a straight line. “Since you’re on a need-to-know basis, let’s say hypothetically I did kill those two police officers. What difference would it have made? Last I checked, you despise the police even more so than I do, so what changed? That’s two less cockroaches you have to worry about.”

“Ah, kinda like what you did to Margaret and Hubert.” Odion wiggled his fingers to counteract the anger building inside. “Are you still in denial of what happened that night, or is it too painful to admit you’re a soulless monster?”

“Don’t … call me that.” The words came out bitterly as Apollo closed his brows together. “I’m not a monster.”

“Truth stings, don’t it.”

“There you go making things up—”

“Bullshit!” Odion’s heart fluttered. The temptation to leap over the bed and attack him was strong, though it most certainly wouldn’t have been the brightest of ideas. “I know what I saw that night ’cause I watched you do it!

“And what did you watch me do?” Apollo curled his mouth into a frown. “You sure it wasn’t another one of them nightmares you been having? Can you even distinguish what’s real from what isn’t anymore, or has all that weed you been smoking killed whatever little brain cells you had left?”

“You ripped ’em in pieces! I was right there when you did it!” Margaret’s look of horror flashed inside of his mind. The way her husband’s blood splattered onto his face, his intestines sticking to the ceiling, swinging back and forth. Odion pressed his hands over his face, refusing to remember what Apollo did to Margaret afterward.

Apollo rose from his bed. “Maybe they deserved it.” He shrugged.

“What’d you say?” Odion squeezed his fists tight, charging a couple of steps forward.

“You want to hit me?” Apollo darted his eyes toward Odion’s fists. “Okay, I’ll give you a free shot.” He turned his cheek toward him, and that accelerated Odion’s heart rate even more. “What are you waiting for?” Apollo taunted.

Odion sprinted toward Apollo and pushed him up against the wall. “How could you?” he asked, tempted to punch a hole through his face. “They were two human beings, doing the best they could to provide for us, and you murdered ’em.” He stared at Apollo for a long while, fighting every urge in his body from doing something he’d regret later on.

“Perhaps Hubert should’ve kept his hands to himself,” Apollo said.

Odion softened his grip. “What?”

“You heard what I said,” Apollo stated matter-of-factly. “I did what was necessary to protect the both of us.”

“You’re lying.”

“Yeah.” Apollo rolled his eyes and nodded. “Margaret thought the same when I tried telling her her husband was a pedo. And therein lies the problem.” Apollo’s voice crept beyond the edge of irritation. “Every time I try and tell you something, you and everyone else think I’m lying. You know how many times that piece of shit tried to fondle my nuts when giving me a bath? Did you know I caught him one night beating off to child pornography? I warned Margaret of his problems lots of times, but she refused to believe me. Just like you! It made me wonder how they were even qualified to become foster parents in the first place. Whatever happened that night turned out to be the best thing for the both of us.” Apollo shrugged himself free, shoving Odion before gathering his pajamas. “Instead of criticizing and wanting to fight me all the time,” he stopped just before opening the door, “try listening for once and be thankful I saved your dumb ass from such terrible human beings.” He walked off into the hallway, clicking the bathroom door locked.

A pinch of guilt circulated Odion's body as he shifted his eyes to the floor. Was Apollo really telling the truth? Did Hubert really try to molest my brother?

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