At 1 in the morning, David woke up, interrupted from sleep by something. So with a pissed breath and malefic eyes, he woke up grouchy and a little angry. In the bathroom, he slowly brushed his teeth and remembered that he didn't take a shower. So it once again became a fuming space that almost hushed his breath and closed his eyes, but he fortunately fought the battle against the shampoo and conditioner with difficult ease. He also plugged in his laptop, still in the bag, to an outlet on the counter because he forgot to do so yesterday. He ate a quickly-made PB&J and a warm glass of milk, taking his pills with the same vessel.
And then he woke up two or three hours later, altogether five or six hours of sleep. Bad, but at least he clocked something rather than nothing. He got dressed with a second set of the uniform, brushed his teeth again and took the clothes out of the washer into the dryer. He took Lyft to work that day, leaving Kaylon and Luca by themselves with the SUV's. Bored as they were, they were sleeping somewhere else in different rooms.
It was at least a few minutes before Kaylon looked up and started to make pancakes. The only thing that he knew.
While David was at work, he was focused solely on work to just get over it. His eyes were burning holes on the screen of his computer, just solely focused on work and nothing else. He hated work in the deepest part of his gut and the ironclad times he had to be there, so he just focused and focused so he could get some sleep. Any sleep, at all. And that focus had a downside as well.
"Hey, Dave." A co-worker named Adam said to David, in his cubicle.
David's wolfish eyes just peered at yet another person, eager to get back to his work as fast as possible. Eye contact was onerous as always with Adam, just always manipulative or so he thought.
"What? I'm busy." David silently barked at him. I swear...
"I know, I just wanted to ask yo--"
"I'M TRYING TO WORK, YOU LAZY FUCK!!! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY FACE, YOU COCKSUCKER!!" And just like that went into an explosive rage and almost caused damage to the office complex, but thankfully his words were the punches he never threw.
And everything was quiet for once. Something that David got, but not in a respectful way. But he cherished his few minutes of silence either way before he went up to get a drink from the water fountain. At which it looked like Adam wanted to fight or at least get his emotions riled up once again, but his wish was never fulfilled.
And everything went by the last few hours of work or something. Just focus, nothing else. And his constant battles with sleep and their hands.
Tuesday was not a little bit horrific, it was terrible. Thankfully, there was a miracle.
Seeing his work ethic during the two meetings, his boss, being probably the only lenient one in the workplace, just contemplated David's behavior and his psychological battles. There was one moment, a couple of minutes. Just for a few moments, there was a sleeping wolf knocked out like a boxer then a half-awake wolf with plastic focus to impersonate someone he wasn't currently.
Stating his predicament and what he did yesterday, he earned himself extra time, reluctantly, to work that day, meaning that he would get the next day off to sleep and recuperate from his lack of health. He worked on the laptop for the workplace at home, until a quarter till twelve in the evening and then brushed and flossed his teeth, changed into his pajama attire, put away his work clothes in the hamper, took his pill and slept. On the couch with no blankets or pillows, mostly because he just wanted to sleep.
And he smiled in defeat.
—
Afternoon, on a Wednesday, everything was quiet as it was before. Luca was in her bedroom, reading a book. Kaylon was in David's bedroom. And in the moment, David woke up and stretched out his limbs, yawning out a assuaging breath that dissipated soon after. As usual, he went into the kitchen and took his pill with a few gulps. He then gripped his dirty uniform and hurled it into the washer, dispensing some liquid detergent and starting it. With the dryer, he took out his uniform and put it away in his closet.
He sat on a chair facing towards the counter, with some cereal and milk in a separate glass. He took a few bites of his cereal before Kaylon walked in, still shirtless, descrying him in a normal sort of relaxation.
"Good afternoon." Kaylon called to him, getting himself some water.
David looked at Kaylon in response, who was standing right before him. In front of the kitchen counter.
"Good afternoon." David replied.
"How are you feeling?"
"Fine." A pause. "Did you dye your hair?"
Kaylon stopped, dead still. He was replenishing the spacious glass with water from the sink. And he most certainly did not expect him to notice that fast. If he was a wolf, his ears would've perked up by now.
"Yeah. Do you like it?"
"I do, it fits you."
David chuckled a bit.
"What is it?"
"It's just that you look a little like.. Cashmere Cat."
A smile. "Oh. I dunno." A pause. "Yeah, I guess I can see what you mean by that. Anyway, are you feeling ok?"
Another pause. "What do you mean?"
"You just looked like you collapsed when you got home, when you were sleeping."
David took in a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine." He ate a couple of bites from his cereal and washing it down with a sip of milk. "I didn't get a lot of sleep yesterday. I had much more work then I had the day before."
Kaylon nodded, going back to filling his own glass of water. He took the entire load in a few gulps and continued. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"
"I got a day off."
They both went silent and no one spoke a word. David then remembered something that he had been wanting to do. He grabbed his phone from the charging pad and then remembered the key that he gave Kaylon.
"Hey, do you have the key that I gave you?" David asked, briskly.
"Hold on." Kaylon asked
He went into David's bedroom and looked on the desk for his wallet. When he couldn't find it there, he dashed into the bathroom and dug through the hamper that quarantined his dirty laundry. Delving through cascades of his laundry, he checked the pockets of a few pair of jeans and shorts until he found his wallet and headphones in the left and right pocket of the pair of shorts he wore yesterday. Opening up the wallet, he couldn't find the key there. Throwing the earbuds and wallet to the side, he retrieved the key from the desk and gave it to David.
"Thanks." David said. "You can keep it, for now."
He then started to get another slight headache, not exactly a migraine. And he couldn't think straight, for no reason as well. And he start to feel light-headed and his chest started to build up some pressure for no reason. He tried deep breaths, hustling and rushing them. Then, he opened the door and walked to the elevator, with no shoes on.
Trying to get away from them, trying to get away...
Kaylon just stood there, noticing the apartment door open and the absence of David. He walked to the door, peeking over the side and seeing him halfway to the elevator.
"DAVID!"
Without even thinking, the former walked at a faster pace then David and caught up with him, stopping him and turning him around to face him. The wolf was starting to awaken again and the cat was bugging him.
"David, are y-"
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!"
Kaylon was taken aback by this; it was unpredictable. "Dave..."
David shoved him. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FUCKING WAY, YOU COCK-SUCKING BILINGUAL, FUCKING WOLF!!!"
Kaylon just stood there in surprise, there were so many things he was thinking in his head that were not there. David, his best friend, he wasn't like this. Until now, a rage-filled monster violently fuming in front of him, a crazy wolf with no control. David was even lightly sweating from the icky sludge he spewed out at Kaylon, whose face was little with spit. He was incredibly worried, but his emotions got the better of him.
Luca, hearing the reference to someone that she knew, walked out of the guest bedroom to the absence of two figures and an open door. She walked fast toward the door.
As David turned around and took a step, Kaylon violently grabbed his shoulder and dug his nails without even a strand of reason. He whirled him around and hoped to 'talk some sense' into him.
"What is going o-"
That would prove to be his worst mistake that he would ever make.
As David faced him, his face crumpled into some angry expression. Eyes a brown whirlpool of strands looking dead at his. A dark brown soda that showed fear and worry, but a certain kind of surprise that they never expected. Easy target. He curled up his right hand into a raging, tense fist and brought it back behind him at a moderate speed. Then, hell shooting forward towards the prey. A meteor turbulently into the center of Kaylon's chest, the sternum. A swift victory claimed first by the wolf. A swift defeat given as a pity prize to the cat.
The immediate force of surprise sucked all the air out of his lungs and instantly, Kaylon fell back again onto the floor, gasping intensely for air. Crawling and kneeling on the floor, gasping for life. Kaylon couldn't even process anything. It was all automatic and he didn't even expect a thing, let alone even speak or think.
The worst mistake he could ever make.
David then gave out a large breath of exhale, a release. He didn't notice the noise he made nor did he even care about it. Then, he looked up to find Luca, in shock, near the door. She had her hand cupped to her face, around her mouth, in shock. This snapped David out of his state. He looked down at Kaylon then up at Luca, then down again. He then walked away to the elevators, without looking back at something.
—
This was bad. The third time this year he let out anger impulsively. It was impossible, how did it happen? Why did it happen? Why this week? The second time this week. And it was at his best friend, the one he knew for years. Since high school. A couple of repeated deep breaths couldn't even choke, let alone silence the thought of having to attack the one he knew so well. Without any control. Without any warning.
He tried to let it go, once the first tone had reached its end. He was calling Sky, something he should've done sooner. She needed to know what he had done. Another tone. He felt so guilty, there was no way he could pass this off as something else. There was none. A little anxious, but nonetheless, the truth was going to come out. Then another tone. And then a slight change in noise, a little bit of background.
"Hello?" She answered.
David started breathing a little louder. "Hey, Sky. This is, um... David. The one from Sunday. The one who's with your boyfriend... eh.. Kaylon?"
"What's wrong? Why are you breathing this way? What's going on?"
Another deep breath followed by one last one. "Alright. Look, can you not freak out? Please? I just need a lil'......." His voice grew quieter. "Please?"
Her voice went dead flat. "What happened?"
"I punched Kaylon in the chest."
Silence. Half a minute passed by. "why?? Why would you do such a thing?"
"Please, please listen.."
"Just, why would you do that?!!"
"I KNOW, ALRIGHT?!! JESUS!! I'm trying to tell you that I don't know! It all happened so fast and..."
"What do you mean?"
"Stop. Let me breath, please." A breath, then a minute. "What were you going to ask?"
"What
A short pause, David was pinching his eyelids together. Under unnecessary pressure and anxiety. "I was going to the elevators and then he went after me. I told him to get out of my way, I called him 'bilingual' and a 'wolf'. And after that, I just..."
A deep breath. "He grabbed me again and tried to ask me what was going on, but I punched him in the chest for no reason. And... I think that's about it."
Sky was confused. "Why?"
"I think it's because of my IED."
"IED?"
"Short for intermittent explosive disorder. It's a disorder that triggers violent outbursts basically for no logical reason."
Another pause and then a sigh, but she was clearly trying to process. "I understand. Do you believe that this is what happened?"
"Yes." A sigh. "I'm sorry. It's not an excuse."
"No, I'm sorry for just accusing first. I'm not sure if it was you ."
"It's really hard. I have to take medication and I attend therapy. So far, it's worked. Until now."
"Is this the first time this has happened?"
"No. It happened Sunday as well with Luca. As well as some times after that. It happened years before. Surprisingly, this is not the first time I've been like this to Kaylon."
"Have you told them yet?"
"I plan to. I'm going to tell Kaylon as soon as I come upstairs. I'm not sure about Luca, I just... don't know."
"Ok."
A pause. "Can you text Kaylon and explain all of this to him, just in case?"
"Ok. Thank you for telling me this. I'm sorry that you've been like this although it was wrong."
David chuckled. "Yeah. So, I'm gonna go back up now. I'm in the lobby so I'm gonna go back upstairs now and tell Kaylon, I guess. I don't know.
"I'll text him about it. Although he might be doing something else."
"K. And.. sorry for not answering Sunday."
"It's ok."
"No, I was just tired and stuff. So I wanted to apologize to you."
"I understand."
"K. I'm gonna go back upstairs. See you later."
"Bye."
He hung up and went towards the elevators, where a stranger walking in just looked at him before going up. Back upstairs on his floor, he stopped at the door to his apartment and stared for a bit. Bored, he inserted the key, twisting his hand to the left. A click and then the door became ajar. Inside the apartment, bolting the door behind, as he was walking towards his bedroom to hopefully chat with Kaylon...
...Standing there, blocking the hallway was Luca. She had a blank face, giving little-to-no expression but her eyes were engulfed in anger. She was very much pissed, overall. In her cluttered mind, the fox wanted him to feel what the wolf had done to both the cat and herself. While the wolf was just standing there, wanting to just talk.
"Luca..." David uttered.
No second chance, no apologies for the wolf. Not even a chance to respond. His mention of her name entered in one ear and exited out the other, not even a chance to explain.
Without even a doubt or second thought, she wheeled back her right leg farther than far enough. Farther than farther. Possibly into the depths of hell or whatever, she didn't care. And then, she kicked with enough force forward to deep-six whatever was her target into oblivion. In this case, what was between his legs - his testicles. He cried out from the pain and fell down to his sides hard, grasping his crotch area. His faced contorted into a known visualization of pain, something someone could understand as well.
But Luca just glared down at him, no sympathy for the wolf. And in the same manner, she talked down to him like he did to her. The old armor of revenge.
"You enjoyed it, huh?" She spoke, "Didn't you?"
"n-n.. no...." David groaned, under his breath. He was in pain.
She kicked him square in the chest with the same force. This time, along with his testicles being obliterated in oblivion, he couldn't even breathe. He loudly gasped for air and it hurt him even more.
"Liar. You little bitch."
She went to the bathroom and dumped out her clothes from her laundry hamper. Luca then clasped it and carried it to where David was wincing in pain. Bringing it up above her head, she slammed the entire object down on his sides three times. With a disastrous amount of force, unbelievable to anyone. He cried out in pain, wrung out on the ground like a used towel.
But she didn't even care, she wanted him to die.
David started to whine when he tried to speak. And he started to cry. "h..he...."
But he could not speak anymore. And no one heard him. So Luca kept hitting him with it on the sides over and over and over and kicking him in the gut and chest over and over and over. She even kicked him on the side of the head two times, like a kickball.
"YOU FUCKING BITCH," she yelled, "YOU ENJOYED IT, HUH? YOU BITCH!!!! YOU BITCH!!!!!!!"
David kept crying out in pain and kept sobbing loudly. Luca kept hitting him. Instantly, the door busted open and Kaylon was standing there, in silence. He was stupefied and befuddled, over what Luca was doing. And he saw David on the ground, bullied like a child.
He couldn't even speak or think, he only acted. He ran over to both of them immediately and removed Luca forcefully from him.
"LET GO!!!" She yelled.
"NO!," Kaylon replied, "Stop now!"
"WHY?!!?"
He pulled out his phone and switched to the text messages from Sky. At least she remembered and did that. He showed it to her. "Read that! Hopefully you'll understand emotionally rather than physically."
She read the entire message conversation. As she slowly and surely started to gain composure and the thoughts got out of her head, she slowly understood what was going in with David. She started to understand and it sunk in so horribly. Luca regretted everything she had done in just a few short minutes.
"What's IED?" She asked, "Tell me!!"
"Short for intermittent explosive disorder. He explodes for no reason a-"
Maybe time did slow after those words, but David wasn't so sure any other way.
Luca started to realize her indifferent attitude and hostility to him too late. There was no reason for her to attack him. At all. They both looked back at David, crumpled like a tortured puppet on the floor. He was sobbing and bawling uncontrollably and his eyes were red. He was hurt on the sides, gut, chest, testicles and head. And he was also gasping for air.
He only muttered one word. "Mother..."
ns 15.158.61.16da2
