“Man, where did آپ say this thing was, dude?”
“Over here, it’s not that far”
جے and Michah strolled through the forest, the forest hidden behind a cloudy دن in the small town countryside just beyond the school. It was a place he was certain he saw one of the students go into. He looked around at the sky, his dad’s shotgun hanging off his shoulders as they strolled through the autumn evening, the dead leaves crunching underneath their boots. Micah took a long drag on his cigarette as he looked around as he spoke, “You think those two come out here to fuck?”
“Yeah right. آپ know that he’s nothing but a giant fag. He doesn’t do anything but get railed from behind.”
“Heh, yeah, probably سے طرف کی his dad.”
As the two continued walking, they would come to a clearing in the woods, the sight of a small little house for dogs tucked underneath a large tree. جے pointed excitedly “There it is, dude”
جے removed the shotgun from his shoulder, placing it into Michah’s hands as he rushed over, looking inside the doghouse and reaching inside. Michah rubbed his hands together to warm himself from the cold, calling out, “Hey so what’s in there”
جے held his left hand out to quiet him, continuing to اقدام his hands inside before he pulled out something out, holding it in his hands.
He pulled out a black cat, one with a missing eye and tattered fur, looking up at the man holding it
“It’s a cat. Big deal.”
“Yeah, it’s that stupid bitches cat though.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I saw them wander off here every damn دن after school. Guess they come to help this stupid fucking thing.”
“Really?” Michah replied with a grin on his face, licking at his chapped lips. “What are آپ thinking?”
جے turned to Michah with a chuckle, looking at the cat that was barely fit to move. “Easy. Load the gun”
جے set the cat on سب, سب سے اوپر of the doghouse, propping it up lazily as the cat stood there sniffing at the roof of the house. جے hurried back to where Michah was as he loaded two shells into the gun, clicking it into place. He rose the gun up to his shoulders and aimed down the sights, his hands wobbling from the cold as he took aim
BANG
The bullet flew past the doghouse and missed the cat, barely striking the tree, a loud bang echoing throughout the forest.
“Wow آپ fucking suck dude” جے laughed as he snatched the gun from him
“I could have hit it if I wasn’t freezing my پچھواڑے, گدا off out here. Come on, let’s just go man. It’s like below freezing out here”
“No. Not till we’re done” جے spoke as he cocked the shotgun. “Those two, they got what’s coming to them. The class fag and the rich bitch, nah, fuck them. Besides, I don’t see a nametag on the fucking thing. Probably doing it a favor killing it”
The cat lied down as it looked at the two, curled up in a ball and staring back, his one green eye looking back as it yawned at them
“Aww, see that” جے spoke with an insulted tone. “Cocky motherfucker thinks he’s cute.”
جے raised the gun and held it steady, getting a clear shot of the cat in his sights. He was certain he’d get a shot in. And then
Crunch
The sound of leaves crunching under weight was audible in his right ear. He turned his head, seeing what was a large man standing in front of him, someone with a hulking figure, facial hair and messy brown hair, wearing a tattered جیکٹ with some stains from گزشتہ altercations. And most noticeable, the look of frustration on his face, of something far beyond any anger. His bottom lip was tucked, his brows were furrowed, and he looked almost red in the face. And he struck.
He smacked جے hard across the face, right into his nose, sending him stumbling back. Not a punch, a smack. But as جے stood up, he would smell a sense of metal and feel something fall from his nose, touching it to find a nosebleed. Confusion, anger, offense, all this boiled up inside him. And even at seeing this, the hulking man was confused
“Hey, I would appreciate it if-”
But before he could finish, Michah came over and punched him hard across the face, the large man falling back into a sit onto the forest floor. But Michah continued سے طرف کی kicking him hard in the face and sending him crashing onto his back. جے was still recoiling from the strike to his face, unable to see what Michah was doing, unable to hear the sound of another pair of footsteps approaching, these ones مزید quickly
“Fucking pussies!”
A female voice shouted in a vain attempt to get their attention, but that is not what made Michah take notice. What made him take notice was when he felt a rock fly into the side of his head and send him falling off of him. جے looked over to see this girl, this Asian girl with black hair cut short, wearing a black جیکٹ over a t-shirt of The جام and torn jeans, black boots and a beanie. She was already going for another rock to throw, unaware as جے had already picked himself up and punched her in the face, sending her back a bit, but she remained standing.
“That's all آپ got, cunt?” جے spoke aggressively
But before he could make another attempt to hit her, the large man came from behind and held him in place. The girl laughed and approached him, punching him square in the face repeatedly until his face was completely bruised and beaten inward, being knocked to near unconsciousness.
“Sam!” the large man spoke “Sammy, I think he’s good now”
“Nah, he’s pretty fucked up to me” Sammy spoke as she punched him again. The large man dropped him to the ground, but it did little to stop her as she started kicking him aggressively. The large man had to pull her off as he spoke, “Sam, stop. It’s over.”
“Bullshit it’s over!” Sammy said, throwing herself out of his grip turning to him. “Every fucking day. These two, every single fucking day! When’s it going to fucking be enough, Mason? Answer that.”
“I… I don’t know.” Mason said, looking at the cat that was observing the whole thing, “Look, it’s not محفوظ here. We gotta get Lola out of here.”
“And get her where?” Sammy said, “Can’t take her to your house, can’t take her to mine”
“We’ll….” Mason let out a sigh as he rubbed the blood from his nose “We’ll think of something, come on”
Sammy let out a sigh and hurried over, picking the cat up from the dog house as it rested lazily in her arms, hurrying out of the woods
The two sat at the bus stop, waiting for the last bus to دکھائیں up, both of them bruised, sore and annoyed, Sammy resting lazily on the park bench as she turned to Mason, who was sitting straight with his hands resting on his lap in a clenched fist, nervously looking around. Sammy let out a sigh as she looked at Lola resting on her lap, purring softly. Sammy took out a cigarette from her pocket and lit it, looking up at the sky as she turned to Mason and asked, “What, what’s the matter? We beat them, didn’t we?”
“You probably killed that one guy, Michah.”
“Good” Sammy کہا casually, taking a long drag on her cigarette. When she turned to Mason to see the shocked expression on his face, she pulled the cigarette from her lips and added, “He was still breathing when I saw him. Worst case is he’s probably got a bad headache and may need a couple stitches. But who’s gonna say they got their پچھواڑے, گدا handed to them سے طرف کی a girl and a big gay”
“Can آپ refer to me as something other than that” Mason کہا with a sigh
“Fine, a girl and a little gay”
Mason turned to Sammy and looked at her, his mouth open ready to speak. But as he looked at the casual stare on her face with a brow raised in question, he just started to snicker. He pointed at her face and spoke, “God, آپ look like shit, Sammy. If آپ had a mirror you’d freak out”
“I would?” Sammy said, her expression shifting to worry for the first time. “Oh god, did they fuck up my face that bad?”
“Nah, a bit of a busted lip though” Mason spoke
“Oh my fucking god, I’m going to actually murder them.”
“Assuming آپ didn’t already” Mason jokes
“I کہا they’re still alive” Sammy jeered
“You know, I got messed up too,” Mason said. “I took way مزید beatings”
“Yeah, but not everyone is gifted with your crazy mutant powers to regenerate faster.”
“Wish it was as cool as powers” Mason said, leaning back “Just good fortune that I heal crazy fast”
“Mutant powers, dude. I told you. You’re like an X-Man یا something. The Regenerating Giant”
“That’s a terrible name” Mason said
“Fuck you, Mr. Regenerator. آپ pick a better name”
“I dunno.” Mason said, thinking about it for a moment before suggesting, “Mason Immunity”
“Wow” Sammy spoke, “And آپ give me shit”
The two started laughing to themselves, taking a look at the roads as the gray clouds overhead slowly started to darken with the evening coming to an end. At the end of the gray بادل streets, Mason and Sammy could see the bus approaching, slowly coming to a stop as they stood up. The doors opened and the two were greeted سے طرف کی the regular bus driver, a heavy set old man who’s very presence in the نشست looked as if he was causing it to sink into the floor. He chewed on his own tongue looking at the two, observing their faces and especially the cat before turning his attention back to the road. The two boarded the train, Sammy making sure to slide the change into the slot and hurried to their seats at the back of the bus, out of sight from everyone else in town, as they would do
Mason would be dropped off first, waving to Sammy from the bus as he watched her fade out from the dark سٹریٹ, گلی as the night was slowly approaching. Mason walked down the سٹریٹ, گلی of roads riddled with potholes and crashes in the sidewalk, and at the end of it was his house, void of any گھاس یا vegetation and only one car, a وین that his dad would use for his freelance carpentry jobs, one that he was really poor at and would barely go to یا finish. Any money he had acquired would go to alcohol یا gambling. Mason was hoping that he would be asleep at this گھنٹہ of the night. His mom was normally out after taking her medication and immediately asleep. But as Mason walked inside, he would find his dad resting on the couch, the TV turned off as soon as the door creaked open, and his dad turned to him immediately. He was a large man, his arms burly, wearing a sweat stained painters شرٹ, قمیض covered in splotches of white paint and blue jeans, his balding head covered سے طرف کی a hat and his rugged appearance hiding the years of alcohol abuse.
“Where the fuck were you?”
“I-I was out with Samantha, dad” Mason spoke clearly
“For five hours? Your mom was screaming about you. Saying that آپ are just a bunch of frustration. آپ know how fucking annoying that is.”
“I didn’t mean to-”
Before Mason could finish, his dad stormed over to him, pushing Mason against the دیوار and clutching his mouth, nearly crushing his entire head as he spoke, “Don’t talk without permission. Understand?”
Mason’s eyes were wide open as he could feel the grip on his mouth and nose, barely able to breath. He didn’t dare speak, he didn’t even dare to take a single breath. He could still smell the booze on his hand as it was crushing his nostrils.
“So you’re telling me آپ were out with some slant eyed کتیا, کتيا and yet آپ come home, beat to shit and blood on your shirt? I assume she helped آپ out in another fight again, didn’t she? Do آپ know how sick I am of having to deal with that school every time آپ get your پچھواڑے, گدا beat and آپ have to be helped سے طرف کی some fucking gook? آپ really don’t think about anyone else, do you?”
Mason didn’t dare answer. He wasn’t sure if it was a trick that would end in another beating. As Mason’s breathing became harder, his dad pulled his hand away, going back to the سوفی, لٹانا and turning the ویژن ٹیلی back on
“I’m not buying آپ another shirt. Go to school looking like shit. I don’t care. Go to your room. Now!”
Mason was quick to scurry to his room, making sure not to trip over any of the furniture of the several بیئر cans that lined the floors and hurried to his room down the hall, making extra sure to lock it behind him with a heavy panting, his eyes locked to the floor and falling to his knees as he had to carefully steady his breathing
Sammy was quick to get off the bus, looking at the house that her family owned just outside of town, a large house for a family of her stature, one that was practically a mansion to an average person. She shook her head and walked inside, hoping that she wouldn’t have to talk to her family much. But unfortunately for her, as she opened the door, her parents were already there, calling to her
“Samantha, come in here”
Samantha let out a groan as she walked into the room, seeing her dad there going over reports while her mom was at the opposite end of the table, the far end, reading one of her books. Sammy walked in, making sure to gently rest the backpack onto the floor اگلے to her as she sat down, taking notice of the food that was there. She looked up and said, “What’s up?”
Her father looked up from his reports, an Asian man with black hair and a stern expression, dressed in a work suit and black rim glasses. He looked at Sammy and spoke, “What’s up? My blood pressure, Samantha, that is what’s up. Look at you, آپ dress horribly, you’re out late, and… And is that a bruise on your lip”
“Yeah, I tripped on some stairs on the way to class. Big deal” Samantha spoke as she pulled the plate closer to her, already seeing how cold it was, but she was so hungry she couldn’t care. That was until she saw her father take the plate and pull it aside. He looked at her and spoke, “You stay out late and آپ can’t even come up with a decent lie.”
“What’s there to lie about?”
“How about the fact that آپ have lied to my face with this same lie over and over again every time آپ seem to get a new bruise. You’re seeing that one kid again aren’t you”
“Does it matter?” Sammy asked
“Yes, it very much does” her father protested. “He’s a bad influence on you. The smoking, the music, the constant fights, he’s bad news. The school board told me his family is from those low income housing”
“Oh my god, you’re really doing this again” Samantha groaned, “Yes, he’s poor, but that doesn’t mean he’s bad. Why, why do آپ think that just because he’s poor he’s suddenly awful?”
“I don’t. I think he’s bad because he’s a Williams kid. Worthless men breed worthless children. And آپ are not going to be a worthless child. Now I will not ask آپ again, stop seeing that Williams kid.”
Samantha looked up at him with a stern expression and she leaned آگے from the میز, جدول and spoke clearly. “No”
Her father’s stern expression did not change. He turned to his wife and spoke, “Elizabeth, take this food, dump it into the trash.”
Elizabeth gave a nod and stood up, taking the plate from her husband's hands and leaving the room.
“Mom, آپ wanna say something?” Samantha spoke back, but was ignored as she walked out of the room
“Go to your room. I’m tired of talking to the walls” Her father spoke again, returning his attention to his reports. Sammy gave an offended glance over to her father before standing up and storming up the stairs. As she did, she would hear her father call out, “And change into something with less holes, آپ look like a prostitute”
Sammy hurried to her room and slammed the door behind her, making sure to gently place the backpack onto the ground with as much care as she could. Opening up the zipper fully, she would look down to see Lola finally jumping from the backpack, looking around the room before glancing at Sammy, who sat on the بستر lazily
“Yeah, yeah, it’s a shithole. But it’s my shithole” Sammy کہا with a sigh, lying on her back as she looked at the ceiling, putting her Spotify on to listen to The Jam, bumping her head to the tune of A Town Called Malice as she slowly drifted to sleep.
Erftolias Langus
