Feros and the Underworld Prince by A.L. Bridges Page B

caged, naked, thirteen year old girl in their secret basement.” I explain.
    “ Wow… that is a lot different than the official story. Supposedly there was some kind of cult suicide that left the thirteen fraternity members dead… anyway, let’s go dance!” Katie exclaims as she grabs my hand.
    We start walking toward the dance area as I start feeling a sense of dread about dancing. Something answers my prayers as I see people stop dancing and scoot back.
    “ YOU GUYS! STOP IT!” Jamie screams at the two guys that are fighting. Katie immediately starts dragging me in that direction.
    “ Jamie, what’s going on?” Katie asks.
    “ Those idiots are fighting over me!” Jamie yells in an exacerbated fashion. One of them grabs a bottle and I decide that it is time to step in.
    “ Whoa, guys! Isn’t there a better way to solve this; a way that doesn’t involve ruining the party?” I ask after stepping between them.
    One of the guys nods in acknowledgment of his wrongdoing after he looks around at the situation. The other guy decides that he isn’t finished and decides to throw the bottle at me. I catch it with my right hand and drop it, where it makes a soft thud when it hits floor. I put my left hand in front of the punch that was following the bottle.
    “ AUGH!” the guy screams as he pulls his hand back.
    “ Congratulations you fucking idiot! You most likely just broke your hand.” I tell him as I grab the collar of his jacket and drag him towards the door.
    “ You will probably want to get some ice for that!” I call out as I toss him onto the lawn and return to the party.
    “ Thanks Cole!” Jamie says cheerily while handing me a drink to show her gratitude.
    “ Still unable to go to a party without being involved in a fight I see, eh big brother?” I hear Cheza ask behind me in a slightly malicious tone.
    I nearly drop my drink when I hear her call me ‘brother,’ but I chug it instead so I can buy the time I need to recover and come up with some clever comeback. I turn around and see a smug smile that tells me that she knows what her ‘big brother’ comment did to me.
    “ Brother huh? That’s funny, I don’t recall you ever calling me brother in the shower, or in my bed, or on the plane, or in the Greenlandic hotel, or that time with the beaded cat’s tail.” I state in a matter-of-fact fashion, watching as Cheza’s eyes go wide while her face turns a deep shade of crimson before she storms off.
    I hate myself.
    “ Dude… that might have been a little too far…” Katie suggests.
    “ You think so too huh…? I’m going to go get some fresh air.” I quietly say.
    “ Do you want some company?” Katie asks.
    “ No… but thanks.” I say while trying to smile.
    I take a right out of the house and start walking. About ten minutes later, I pass by the entrance of a place called Desert Arboretum Park.
    “ I’m sorry I have to do this.” I hear Jarrett say, accompanied by the sound of a gun cocking. I race towards the sound and into the park.
    “ Who are you? Why are you doing this?” a female voice asks.
    I round the corner and see five men holding a woman at gun point with M4 Carbines. As I get closer, I see that this woman has two bushy, orange and white tails, and a matching pair of ears poking out of her head. I’m not about to watch a fox-girl get shot in the head for the second time this week.
    “ HEY! LEAVE THE FOX-GIRL ALONE!” I shout as I run over.
    “ You know the orders: no witnesses. Make it look like a mugging.” Jarrett says.
    One of the soldiers pulls out a Beretta M9 9mm pistol and fires at me twice. My helmet engages as I dodge the bullets and I’m surprised by what I see: all five of the men have red outlines, but human centers of solid red, blue, or green. The helmet freaks them out and they all start firing their M4’s at once. I keep my distance while I unwrap the bandage from my arm. Recalling Tia’s lesson’s on guns, the M4 has a velocity of nearly