Apollo threw his backpack in his locker and raced down a flight of stairs, nearly tripping over a step due to his excitement. He hoped Tyron was still writing his math exam. This morning, before attending his Computer Science exam, Apollo made sure to walk past Tyron’s classroom just to see if he was there. Fortunately, he was, sitting at the back of the class.

A hall monitor sat outside the front of the classroom, arms crossed, looking both ways across the hall. Shoot. This guy could intervene with my plans. Apollo narrowed his eyes at him as he slowed his pace, turning his head to peek through the door’s narrow rectangular window. He spotted Tyron rising from his seat. Excellent!

“Can I help you with something?” the hall monitor looked at him stoically, his emerald eyes and bushy, almond-colored goatee making him look a lot more assertive than he probably was.

Apollo put on his best smile. “Oh no,” he said, looking at the tie he wore, displaying the different planets of the galaxy. “That’s a dope tie you got on there.” Hopefully, the change in subjects would ease any suspicion he may have had about him.

“Why, thank you.” The hall monitor brought his eyes down and held the tie in-between his fingers. “It was a gift from my wife on our fifth wedding anniversary.”

Apollo forced himself to laugh. “Your wife’s got good taste.”

“I concur.” The hall monitor nodded. “Being an astronomy nerd and my wife receiving her doctorate in astrophysics, it’d seemed very fitting.”

“That’s awesome,” Apollo said. “By the way, would you know if the library is open at this time?”

“I believe it is, but you should double-check just to make sure.”

“All right, thanks.” Apollo waved his goodbyes and started toward the library. He looked through the glass window and saw several students using the computers, and a few walking through the aisles.

Apollo entered and pretended to look around, pulling and pushing books he had no interest in reading back where they belonged. He hovered around the entrance to see exactly when Tyron exited the classroom. About a minute later, goosebumps covered his arms as he watched Tyron step into the hall, hoisting his backpack over his shoulders. It looked like he was heading toward the back entrance of the school. Perfect!

Apollo had to take several deep breaths to contain himself before exiting the library. The constant mental rehearsal of how he was going to erase Tyron from this world caused his heart to dance. The panic across his face while he begged for mercy was going to be magical. Only a few more minutes and lunch would be served.

Apollo slowed his pace and paused just as he reached the corner of the wall. He poked his head out to see Tyron grab his camera from his locker. Instead of exiting from the back entrance, Tyron continued down the corridor toward the side entrance that lead to the parking lot. Apollo crept his way forward, sneaking up against another wall, poking his head out again.

The hell is he doing now? Tyron seemed like he’d caught the attention of someone in one of the classrooms. He jerked his thumb and bobbed his head toward the exit as if to tell them he’d be waiting outside. He’s obviously not waiting for Bishop because he was still writing his exam when I left. So who the hell could he be waiting for then? Tyron escaped through the double doors. Apollo wrestled with the idea of following him or waiting to see who he was talking to inside the classroom.

A few minutes went by when the door opened, and Cassandra walked out, a great big smile resting on that bitchy face of hers. The hell are you so happy about? Apollo sneered at the sight of her exiting through the double doors. Was Cassandra the one Tyron was waiting for? If that’s the case, I’ll just have to dispose of her too. After all the terrible things she’s said and done to me in the past, she’s more than deserving of it anyway. It’s not like she’ll be missed.

Apollo made his move.

The summer breeze that caressed his body once he stepped outside had never been so soothing. The sun stood bright, and the skies were lush and blue as a Blue jay’s feather, punctuated by white fluffy shapes of layered clouds. What a perfect day to take out the trash. Now that Cassandra had joined the party, Apollo took his time running different scenarios in his head of how he wanted to kill them as he tracked their whereabouts, giving him enough of a distance that was considered safe and not at all conspicuous.

After Tyron and Cassandra exchanged pleasantries, both of them started to move in the direction of the woods, Tyron bursting out into a roar of obnoxious laughter. Simply hearing such noise caused Apollo’s stomach to roll. You two won’t be laughing for much longer.

Apollo began to pick up his pace as he entered the woods, another welcoming breeze fluttering across, stirring up leaves from the ground. The way the birds tweeted from the trees only added a touch of grace to the situation. Like Tyron and Cassandra’s demise was meant to happen. On this day. At this time.

Cassandra leaned in and snuck a kiss on Tyron’s cheek, wrapping her short t-rex arms around his waist. Tyron kept turning the camera lens to her as she continually held her tongue out like a dog gasping for air on a humid summer’s day.

“OOOOH!” Tyron yelled in the distance, a few birds taking flight into the skies. “I might have to cut the camera for that one,” he said. Cassandra laughed and buried her face into his shoulder like she was embarrassed. A few moments later, both of them stopped, and Apollo quickly pulled himself behind one of the trees, its thick trunk hiding his body.

Apollo poked his head out and watched as Cassandra took the camera out of his hands and placed it on the ground, pushing him back against a tree. She tilted her head and tiptoed closer toward his face as Tyron leaned to meet her lips, both of them locked in a fierce tongue wrestling match. Apollo looked away and nearly gagged. Why any girl would want to swap spit with that donkey was beyond him. He poked his head out again, this time catching Cassandra on her knees, hands already unfixing his belt buckle. I’m not about to stand here and watch this donkey get his dick sucked.

“Walk away.”

Just as Apollo was about to reveal himself, he whipped his head around to what sounded like a female voice calling from somewhere close by. Who said that? He darted his eyes left, then right, then in front of him, looking out into the distance as far as his eyes could see. He didn’t see anyone. Am I hearing voices now?

“Holy shit.” Tyron groaned. “That feels so good.”

Apollo reluctantly shifted his eyes and saw Cassandra’s head bobbing back and forth around Tyron’s crotch. It’s time to end this. Apollo crept toward them as Tyron held his head back against the tree, eyes closed, his face euphoric. A full head of Cassandra’s hair was wrapped around his palm. If I wanted to spark them out right now I—

Apollo flew face forward toward the ground as if tackled from behind. He quickly pulled the hoodie from his head, feeling a pair of rough hands grab him from the back of his neck.

“You’re mine now bitch!” someone said, throwing him into one of the trees headfirst. An explosion of pain immediately stung his forehead as he staggered back half-senseless. An elbow smashed against the side of his temple and sent Apollo stumbling to the ground. The world around him spun crazily.

The attacker ripped off his spectacles and tossed them to the side. Apollo blinked a few times, his vision a blur.

“GET UP!” he roared.

“OOF!” The attacker’s foot crashed into his stomach, folded him up, and sent him rolling around the dirt in pain, needing to gasp for air.

“Oh shit, I definitely gotta get this on camera!” Tyron said.

Apollo tried to get out of the way of the attacker’s second kick but was caught right above the fruits, sending him into another wreckage of pain.

“That’s right, Donovan, fuck him up!” Cassandra cheered.

“I said GET UP!” Donovan’s voice burned with anger.

Use the POWER! CRUSH them! KILL them!

Apollo clawed at his face soon as he felt Donovan’s hand reaching for his back again, tearing a red line across his cheek. Apollo stood up and rushed him with looping punches, hoping something would land. Donovan’s street experience proved vital as he stepped to the side and countered with a left hook to his chin.

Apollo’s legs gave out from underneath him, and the ground quickly came up to greet him. His head throbbed as Donovan wrapped his hands around his neck, whip-sawing his head back and forth, caroming it off twigs and dried leaves.

“You think I wasn’t gonna catch your bitch-ass?” Donovan said, digging his nails into his neck. Apollo’s throat burned as he tried to remove Donovan’s coarse hands. A stinging pain ripped through Apollo’s lungs the more he struggled for air. Where’s the … power? I … need … you.

He didn’t know how much longer he could’ve held on, feeling himself becoming weaker, dropping his arms to the ground.

Donovan let go and stood to his feet, looking down upon him with grenades in his eyes. “You’ve just issued yourself a death sentence, motherfucker.” His foot came thundering down to his face.

Everything went black.

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