IT WAS RECESS TIME AND STUDENT WERE HEADING to the canteen. Blind-Jane left to the Girls’ Room – Paul was listening to Alicia, as she pushed the wheelchair…

“Way-no-way… I was there at the concert – THIS IS ‘FAKE-NEWS,’ that they are spreading about Charlotte…”

The news of 49 monkeys escaping the zoo ‘had-reached’ Stamford High – the-hardcore gossipers were now ‘talking’ about…

… Charlotte Thompson ‘WAS’ BITTEN by one of ‘those’ monkeys.

“That BTS concert ended at 10 PM – while those zoo-monkeys escaped after midnight – and Charlotte could ‘not’ possibly be bitten by one of those monkeys – but a different one!”

Paul was nervous as the rabid-virus WAS ‘GETTING’ PREVALENT …

… from the man on the street, to a girl in his school…

… he was worried for the front-liners ‘facing’ the inception of the zombie outbreak – especially his inspector-MOM’S ‘SAFETY, who was involved in this chaotic crime cases.

-O-

After reaching the canteen, Paul thought…

‘… it-sucks… I don’t have money to eat…’

Alicia noticed him stalling…

“Pauly, aren’t you coming?”

He made an ‘excuse’…

“No, I’m ‘not’ hungry – I’ve been gaining weight, I’m on a liquid diet,” grinning-silly, Paul showed her a small mineral water bottle.

“What…? Since when? You are the boy who always complains he is hungry, even after recess break.”

“… no worries, you go-on ahead… it’s Friday, and, I’m fasting today.”

“Hey what’s wrong with you – it's not’ Lent-season Friday – what is with the fasting BS…?”

Blind-Jane joined them – and Alicia told…

“Janey, Pauly is ‘not’ eating – he’s fasting it-seems… when it isn’t even Lent season.”

“What is Lent season…?” the confused blind-non-believer asked.

The Chinese Buddhist girl WAS EXPLAINING TO her atheist BFF, that it was the holy-season wherein Catholicism – when its followers fasted on Fridays, for penance imitating Jesus Christ’s 40 days of fasting in the wilderness…

… Paul was chuckling nervously while hearing – that she was comparing the ‘practice,’ to the Muslims during Ramadan, who even too fast as the Christians do.

“But Janey, its ‘not’ the Lent season yet – and Paul is fasting.”

Blind-Jane was ‘even-more’ confused…

“You mean-to-say… in your belief, by going ‘hungry’ – makes one a good-person…?”

“It’s a belief… just a generalised ‘generational-practice’ – you don’t have to rationalize that, haha…”

“If that is ‘so’ – you’re eating with us, come-on, let’s go Poe-pee-Poe…” chimed Alicia.

The hesitant Paul finally confessed – with a ‘white-lie’…

“… err… actually – I had ‘forgotten’ to bring my wallet today…”

“WHAT!!!” both the girls exclaimed…

… before ‘scolding’ him, for his religious ‘excuse’…

“You make the both of ‘us’ FEEL BAD – like we don’t care for you…” said Alicia.

Seated quietly on his wheelchair – Paul was grinning in guilt…

“Yes, Pauly – why didn’t you ‘say’ so… all you have to do is ask…?” asked Jane.

“Ya-lo… it is even ‘written’ in his Bible – Ask and You’ll Receive, and Seek You’ll Find…” preached the Chinese girl.

“… no worries… no big deal… I didn’t want to impose…”

“Nonsense! I’m buying you a meatball-spaghetti – and you’re eating with us!” Alicia said, and left.

Paul saw Jane taking out her wallet – her fingers ‘searching’ the secret compartment – to retrieve a ‘contingency’ A$20 bill…

“Hey-Jane, that is ‘not’ necessary…”

“Take it!”

“No, I’m fine…”

“Take it – if you love me…”

Paul sighed – and took the ‘lent’ money…

“… thanks… I’ll ‘return’ it tomorrow…”

“… no worries… but… I’ll ‘charge’ you interest…”

They both chuckled…

“… well… how ‘much’ would you charge me…?”

“… depends – I hope it compounds… and you’ll ‘never’ get to pay me back in-a-lifetime…”

“… wow… and ‘how’ much, would that-be…?”

“… just tons-and-tons of loving-kisses, should-be legal-tender for-me…” Jane giggled alone.

The cripple-tween blushed, while the blind-girlfriend flirted with him…

… they ‘glowed’ brightly, in each-others-eyes, at the crowded-canteen.

<><>

IN THAT SAME CANTEEN WAS THE ‘LONER’ PETER, minding his ‘own’ business, and eating a beef sandwich, in the ‘Irish-table’ with Terry and his Donavan brothers, and other misfit backbenchers from the other classes. They were all in a hilarious laughter-rolls, as they were poking fun of Charlotte Thompson – the first zombie student of Stamford High…

… that she would ‘bite’ her boyfriend, Bruce Bronson – the senior-student and cricket-team captain – on his cricket ‘bat,’ if ever they were to make-out.

The one-armed tween was then ‘aroused,’ by a sudden surge of ‘shared’ love-emotions – that made him angry. He turned his head over to the ‘glowing’ EMITTED BY BOTH his twin and his ex-girlfriend – seated across the mess-hall, and ‘were’ flirting.

He lost his appetite and left the table.

Walking with his dirty-tray, he gave an evil eye – to 2 ‘busy and engaged’ members of the Cursed-trio – who had a great LOVE-LIFE STINT, in this post-Treeton Perth, since the trio’s arrival a fortnight ago…

… and, being later labelled as ‘Tarzan-Poe and Jane’… as the bravery YouTube video of his crippled twin who hung-on to the raging Black-rhino’s horn, like a rodeo-bronco – till the huge beast ‘collapsed,’ and went-down into a coma.

… while Peter was ‘still’ A ‘NOBODY’ IN THIS post-Treeton – but in the ‘other-Perth’ he was a huge marketing success – as he PAIRED WITH THE ‘SAME’ blind-Jane, as the ‘Perth’s Famous Couple’ school’s tennis sensation – WHOSE FAME ‘SOLD-OUT’ the packed auditorium’s school gym when they FACED OFF THE ABLE-BODIED Doug-and-Zoe in the playoffs.

Peter begrudged Paul FOR ‘STEALING’ his girlfriend Janey…

… and his twin too had ‘interfered’ with his ‘OTHER’ LOVE-LIVES too – as in Perthland, into their teenaged-selves – when Paul had ‘disapproved’ Jezebel Crowley…

… and ‘murdered’ her, when she wanted to take Peter to the UK, and be her ailing uncle’s blood-bag – depriving and robbing Peter’s mega-fortune building plans, in ‘that’ universe… and, shooting him-too in the heart – for the Cursed-trio TO ESCAPE to the post-Treeton realm.

NOW… he was ‘stuck’ in this post-Treeton Perth – AS A LOSER…

… feeling ‘cheated’ and double-crossed by his ‘new’ girlfriend Bella Beaulieu – who had tricked him, under the influence of alcohol to PARTAKE THE HATEFUL-8’s harebrained animal activists attempt to ‘free-the-monkeys,’ at the South Perth Zoo last night.

Then, the Man Called Horse died…

… the drunk-and-foolish Charlie Ross was killed by a raging gorilla when he entered into its cage. Now… Peter was involved IN THE MURDER CONSPIRACY as his adult-counterparts, who have burnt the Horse’s body and his motorbike, to get rid of the evidence.

His superhero caped-inspector-mother, Insp Caroline Walker ‘had’…

… SOLVED-AND-ARRESTED the Hateful-8 ‘in’… the other-Perth…

… Peter ‘knew’ the end is near for his ‘clear-and-present’ involvement(s) of last night crimes – in the breaking-free of the monkeys at the zoo, and the death of Crazy-Horse Ross…

‘… you guys are ‘UNDER-ESTIMATING’ my mom… SHE’S ‘COMING’ for y’ all …’

He then-recalled Bella hitting his head with her helmet, just now – and insulted him, calling that he was a ‘paranoid-kid,’ who needed babysitting…

‘Rack-off Frenchie, I bloody need no bloody babysitter, I ‘know’ WHAT TO DO…! – and, Bella-bee… YOU’RE ‘NOT’ BETTER THAN ME – and, ‘my mother’ is bloody coming for you too…’

<><>

INSP CAROLINE WALKER WAS MENTALLY EXHAUSTED after 4 days of ‘straight’ dead-ends, in her pursuit of pursuing the zookeeper Hajji investigation – who was infecting Perth’s bystanders with the deadly rabid-related zombie disease…

… she came close yesterday-night when she cornered the ‘prime-suspect’ at the BTS concert that happened in the Blake Tower, that left 13 victims bitten-and-infected – but the Perth’s most-wanted-culprit had ‘escaped’ since, and now at-large…

… leaving a trail of victims – who would-then infect ‘others’ – with their serial communal disease-spread, left-by their infective-bites…

…where Caroline and the rest of her police-officers HAD TO DO THE AFTERMATH street-clean-ups…

… by tasering them, and transport the animalistic feral-victims by…

… ambulances-to-hospitals, in straitjackets-and-mouth-mussels.

Caroline ‘had’ studied Hajji’s MO – that he ‘strikes’ at night – and ‘hides’ by day…

… when, it’s been also a gruesome 84+ hours, with getting less than 4 hours of sleep a day – and, had ‘not’ seeing her twin-sons, ever-since she left to work on Monday morning…

‘… hope they behave…’

-O-

At her desk, Caroline was busy filing her paperwork reports of the zombie-pandemic attacks. Her cellphone rang-on-mute…

… and normally she WOULD ‘IGNORE’ personal calls – but ‘not’ this-one…

… it was from Dr Shelley Wilson – her good-son’s girlfriend’s mother…

… who ‘had’ also invited her and the boys over to lunch at their place last Friday, when the Walkers went over to their guilt-pilgrimage of apology, after visiting the war-veteran John Hart at the hospital.

The doctor called from her clinic – to get the inspector-mother’s consent to have samples of both of the sons’ blood, AS REQUESTED BY her brother, Dr Jack Turner of Kimura Star, – to test’ for lightning radiation ‘after-effects,’ that happened a fortnight ago at the Treeton farm…

… Shelley too said that she had ‘given’ her CONSENT THAT – HER DAUGHTER would also be ‘giving’ her blood samples.

Caroline was worried if it was ‘serious’ – and the need to be concerned about the children’s health issues – to which, Shelley replied, that it was just a ‘procedural-experiment’ for a pharmaceutical drug …

… ‘conducted’ by her brother and his scientific-research procedural team, in America – and the doctor rest-assured the inspector – there was no health danger to their 3 children –but give the test a go, to-be on the safe-side.

Caroline gave her consent permission – and Shelley told her next…

… that there will-be 2 of Kimura Star’s personnel-who would be coming to Perth, on Sunday at noon, to ‘take’ the blood-samples…

Caroline told that she WOULD BE HOME on Sunday, to ‘welcome’ the 2 American guests – who were employees to Shelley’s brother…

… that was the least in gratitude SHE ‘COULD-DO’ for Dr Jack Turner…

… who had also recently ‘donated’ a high-tech AI device for her son, Peter – SO THAT, he would ‘catch-up’ in his school studies.

<><>

AFTER A SLOW AND UNEVENTFUL SERIES OF FRIDAY’S class-periods, the school bell rang, and it was the school’s ‘busy’ weekend – because the every-other teacher gave them class assignments as homework, for the preparation to the months to the final exams.

Alicia was having her music class, and stayed back – Jane too received a ‘miscall’ from her mother that she was coming over soon, to pick-up her B-girl… to get-to go back ‘home’ after the house-construction works.

Paul accompanied his girlfriend, as they spoke of the night, of the ‘now-dead’ black panther, which had wrecked and damaged the Wilson’s kitchen window and Samuel’s bedroom window – where Paul had come – to the rescue, in that stormy Monday-night.

… Paul too wanted to go home – and called Gary Morrison, his Uber-driver friend.

The crippled-tween saw at a distance at the bicycle-bay – seeing the ‘suspended’ student Bella, wearing all-black leather, WAITING ON her superbike…

“… Peter’s girlfriend is here too – I wonder where those 2 would go? Peter… is coming late home drunk for the past several nights, now that my mom is working-late… I wonder too ‘how’ this senior-girl could get-away riding around on her motorcycle ‘illegally’…”

“We DON’T BOTHER about them – let the traffic-police ‘catch’ them, on the road…” the blind-girl said.

Paul ‘saw’ her logic – as sooner-or-later, THEY ‘WOULD’ eventually get caught…

A moment later, Jane carelessly asked…

“Pauly, where is Peter then…?”

‘… eh-Jane now, ‘WHY’ YOU ‘BOTHER’ asking about Peter – is it cos he was your boyfriend, at the ‘other Perth, eh…?’

But he did ‘not’ say that…

“I don’t know – probably back there – hanging out with Terry and gang…”

… speak of the devil – Peter then-came, from the west wing entrance …

Bella kissed him – and was putting and strapped the visored helmet onto Peter’s head…

… Jane ‘stared-and-glared’ at the red-glow – and scoffed, and mumbling to herself. And, Paul noticed her sour facial-expressions…

‘… why are you worked-up for, Jane – ARE YOU JEALOUS of his ‘new’ girlfriend’…?’

It was the ‘same’ in Perthland – where Jane DID ‘NOT’ APPROVE of Jezebel Crowley – as she ‘bitched’ that the UK-socialite was ‘exploiting’ Peter…

‘… why-you so ‘protective’ over him…?’

… NOW… it was the ‘same’ situation in post-Treeton – Jane again ‘thought-that’ Bella Beaulieu wasn’t ‘appropriate’ for his one-armed twin…

‘… so-Jane, who is ‘appropriate’ for Peter – is it YOU-YOURSELF…?’

Now… Paul too sighed deep…

… feeling unsecured himself…

… as he ‘felt’ his blind-girlfriend’s negative-emotions brewing and surging and swelling in-the-air, with a tint-of deep-orange… he backed-away…

“… sympathy for the devil…? ... your ‘FIRST-LOVE’…? ... your ‘other’ bloody bollocks ‘beacon’…?’

-O-

They both were quiet, at the school’s front door – watching the red-glow diminishing from the parking-lot… as the Ducati sped away…

Then, an Uber Nissan Almera arrived…

“Gary is here…” the nonchalant Paul said in an insouciant tone…

… blind-Jane came out-off her reverie – and she bent down and kissed her boyfriend, saying…

“… will call you later, Pauly…”

Gary got-off from his driver’s seat, seeing Paul wheel-chairing over…

“… your girlfriend ‘not’ coming…?”

“No Gary – her mom is picking her up…” Paul said softly…

“Too-bad, mate …” Gary chuckled.

Gary had driven both of the tweens before – during their ride to the zoo – and ‘caught’ in his RVM… of both were kissing at the backseat, during the Careless Whisper-song.

Paul sat ‘alone’ at the cabin backseat – and, the yellow-glow ‘waved’ – and the blue-glow ‘reciprocated’ in communal …

The Nissan drove off – playing John Lennon’s ‘Woman’ on the stereo…

Paul sighed-deep to the song’s lyrics:

… Woman

I know you understand

The little child inside the man

Please remember my life is in your hands…

<><>

THE BLUE MAZDA SUV SPED ON THE FREEWAY. In the passenger-seat was Jane, who sat in thoughts while behind her at the backseat – was her baby-brother on the bucket-seat, watching Lion King with ear-phones. Her doctor-mother, who was ‘not’ in speaking terms – was driving and humming to a song in her classic-rock station…

… coincidently, it was another John Lennon’s song, named ‘Jealous Guy’ that sang:

Oh, I didn’t mean to hurt you

I’m sorry that I made you cry

Oh, my I didn’t want to hurt you

I’m just a jealous guy

The blind-girl was ‘not’ paying attention to the song – but riveted her strong thoughts to Peter – as she was emotionally-upset of feeling ‘being-defiled’ – whenever the one-armed tween was with his girlfriend(s) of, whatever-world they ‘were’ in…

… it was certainly ‘NOT’ OF JEALOUSY’…

… but of THE ‘CURSE’ ITSELF, where…

… Peter, Paul and herself ‘SHARED-AS-A-TRIO,’ TO which…

… whenever Peter LUSTED WITH his lover(s) – the other 2-Virgins of the Cursed-trio members ‘felt’ emotionally ‘violated’…

… and, the 2-Virgins have involuntary wet-dreams.

-O-

Recalling a previous dream-in-a-dream, where their ally, the RED-DEMON-MERCURY…

… had informed her and Paul…

… that Peter’s soul was ‘possessed’ by an incubus – that Asmodeus’ Blackmagic spell had manifested in…

… WHERE IN PERTHLAND…

… ‘looking’ through her 3rd-eye – the aura of tween blind-Jane had encountered the nefarious creature, in the midst of ‘raping’ her teenaged ‘host-self,’ in ‘her’ sleep…

… the sex-demon then ‘escaped’ through a ‘red’ portal at the BTS LED big-screen AFTER WARNING – that it will ‘come-again’ TO TORMENT JANE…

Jane mentally swore…

‘… bloody Asmodeus, leave us – the 2-Virgins – alone…!”

Before-long, the blue SUV arrived at the Wilsons residence – Jane was the last the get down from her car…

… she reached into her backpack, to retrieve her BFF’s gifted the retractable baton-walking stick – where…

… Alicia ‘MADE’ IT specifically for her – to ‘hit’ anyone who placed their hands-on-her.

-O-

Anthony and Lola were cleaning-and-mopping the house when they arrive. The strong smell-and-scent of the construction building-materials – like paint thinner and wood-glue were giving the blind-girl some discomfort of nausea and migraine…

Jane went upstairs to her bedroom – and swallowed a couple of children aspirins, and took a nap on her Queen-sized bed.

<><>

PAUL WAS BACK ‘HOME-ALONE,’ when he reached the House-of-Walker. He was still ‘disturbed-emotionally’ of the ‘possibility’ of losing his girlfriend to his twin…

… Jane’s first love – her ‘OTHER’ BEACON…

The crippled-twin was raged in a glowing negative, into a dim-deep-purple energy-ball – his cursed-scar in his throat, burned with hot-flowing sweat…

He got up from his chair, legs dangling – as he levitated up-above…

… to the high-living room ceiling, and repeatedly punching-in his fist…

“PETER! I will ‘NOT’ LET YOU take HER-AWAY from me!!!”

Floating like a Dr Manhattan, and he looked 360 ‘around’ the house – that their father had built – WITH ‘INTERNAL-THOUGHTS – of the Peter-versions of the ‘other-Perth(s)’…

In anger, Paul spoke his mind-aloud…

“Peter! I will ‘not’ LET YOU TO GET-AWAY with your-ways… do you ‘still’ remember ‘MY-PLAN-B,’ mate…?

“… Yeaa… I’ve STOPPED YOU BEFORE’ – remember Perthland… remember…

“… yeaa… I ‘CAME-LOOKING’ FOR YOU in that Stamford Hotel – AND I BLOODY KILLED YOU…

“… and also-your… damned Lovecraft-serpent girlfriend, and… her bloody pet-dog family-lawyer too…!

“And, yeaa… Peter! I WILL COME-AGAIN-AND-KILL YOU… in ‘this’ Perth too!!!”

All the built-up of ‘negativity,’ weakened the crippled-boy – as he weakly descended to the floor – as he laid on his back, gazing above at the high-ceiling that he punched earlier…

…with regrets of ‘why’ HE ‘COULD-NOT’ control to his ‘negative’ rage…

The guilty Paul sat up, and gave himself a tight slap, to his face…

… and slapped himself again – for a 2nd time in his left cheek – as a Christian penance.

‘… Poe, what did that-SeeIn ‘tell’ you the ‘last’ time, that – YOUR ‘NEGATIVE-EMO’ breeds-and-nourishes BlackStar… who’ll THEN CREATE natural disasters to Perth…

‘… do you ‘WANT’ THAT in your-conscious too, hah-Poe…?’

<><>

EARLIER THE DUCATI SUPERBIKE ARRIVED AT MACCAS – Peter was quiet as the older Bella was plotting their ‘alibi’ of being ‘seen’ together – during the post-zoo Hateful-8’s screwups, last-night.

Peter devoured his big-bites of the Big Mac, as he too was munching slowly into his ‘own’ train of thoughts…

… playing-it-out – as he ‘mentally’ practised…

… AS IF HE was ‘interrogated’ by his inspector-mom…

‘… it ‘fits’ my ‘whereabouts,’ Mom … I’m was with my ‘girlfriend’ – yes, the ‘same’ one, the ‘one,’ whom you ‘forced’ me to go for that ‘unnecessary-confession’ with Father Brown, where ‘nothing’ had happened in the Boys Room shower… okay, ‘what’ – you WANT TO ‘GROUND’ me…?

‘… what? … for sneaking out with Frenchie on ‘school-night…? Okay-Mom, you caught me ‘red’ handed-there on that-one – BUT ‘NOTHING’ HAPPENED, Mom, we just ‘only’ talked – because I’m a Catholic first, I don’t do ‘such’ immoral acts…’

While sipping his coke – the one-armed tween further thought…

‘… hope those ‘adult-duo’ clowns don’t ‘get-caught’ – for ‘disposing of’ the headless Horse’s body and bike…’

-O-

It was mid-afternoon, after lunch-hours – when Peter and Bella stepped out of Maccas – to find middle-aged Jimbo the homeless man, had finished his wash of Bella’s Ducati superbike. The simple-minded, meth-addict tramp was wiping the tire-spokes with his ‘multi-utility rag,’ when they approached him at his rear.

“All-done – spick-and-span… my lovely-Miss Ducati.”

“Thank you…” responded Bella, as she took out her wallet…

… Peter saw her taking out a $A20 note, and paid him…

… the homeless-man was in a heavenly fit of esthetical-bliss – and Jimbo was totally-hyped – as ‘nobody’ in their right-mind would that pay him that ‘amount-before.’

“Thank you, so-so-much Miss Ducati – you have a good day!”

Jimbo looked at her one-armed boyfriend, and continued to say…

“You too, my ‘regular’ customer – I give you a free-deal of-the-day – you need ‘not’ pay me your $2 for me washing your DeLorean… hidee-ho, and away I go… I’m off for the day…”

Holding the money-note high, the laughing Jimbo next ran away to his regular drug dealer to buy ‘smack’ – and to spend the rest of the day smoking it at Kalgoorlie.

“You retard-dolt – ‘that’ SHOULD BE ‘our’ bloody in-joke…’

The one-armed tween was still embarrassed that Jimbo ‘called’ his old-mountain bike as the classic-sports-car DeLorean – that was standing shabby next in comparison to the ‘real-deal’ Ducati Panigale V4S.

Bella’s voice ‘interfered’ his chain-of mortified thoughts…

“… darling, it is too hot to go home – meet me at the motel – and we can chill in the air-cond, watching Netflix, and drinking screwdrivers…”

Peter nodded in his approval – and the one-armed Peter saw the Ducati speeding away, to be the first to the destination. As he slowly peddled behind to reach the motel – the incubus-in-him snickered…

“… I want ‘more’ that chill-and-Netflix – I want to toss your salad too…”