Apollo slipped and tumbled through the trees, garbage bag flying out of his hands as he rolled downhill on the wet earth. The world flipped and flipped until he sprawled onto his side just before a creek, underneath a bridge. Apollo pulled down his mask to catch more air in his lungs, panting, urging himself to get up quickly before police saw him. He crept to his feet and dragged his garbage bag against the jagged pebbles on the ground, each tug sending a sharp pain to his ribs.

“There’s no end to these guys,” he groaned, wiping away the splotches of dirt and water that splattered onto his goggles. He peered through the woods to see if anyone else was there. Nobody.

Apollo looked at his garbage bag and twisted his face in disgust. It was a real pain in the ass lugging that thing over your shoulder, especially when trying to gain speed as you were running. For a split moment, he considered leaving it behind, taking the risk of having no clothes to wear, but the ones sticking to his skin at the moment were filthy and soaked. How much longer he could’ve worn them without the possibility of catching a cold was an uncertainty, not to mention they too had slowed him down considerably since they had become heavier to wear. Such is life. At least nobody died … yet.

Apollo jumped to the sounds of sirens jetting across the bridge above him. Remaining idle at any spot for too long was asking to get caught. The idea of escaping this predicament relatively unscathed still burned bright at the forefront of his thoughts even though the chances of that were next to impossible.

“I’m not one to bank on religion, but I suppose depositing a bit of faith won’t bankrupt anybody.” Apollo pulled up his mask and quickly tied a knot on his garbage bag, hurling it over his shoulder. He moved his body along the biking trail with cautious urgency.

“Be on the lookout as he could be anywhere around here,” an authoritative voice was heard saying a few feet up ahead.

Apollo darted his eyes forward and spotted two police officers plodding through the bushes with flashlights in hand, the plants on the ground crunching underneath their feet as they investigated the area. Oh shit! Apollo’s heart bounced against his ribcage as he spun around, water splashing beneath his feet and onto the hems of his khakis as he bolted down the trail, across another bridge, and up toward a ramp leading up to a main road. Each stride sent a sharp wave of pain radiating throughout his abdomen.

Based on the number of government buildings, restaurants, and swirling high-rise residential condos he ran past, Apollo assume he wasn’t anywhere near the countryside where he could hitch a ride out of danger.

Apollo turned onto a narrow street, weaving past an army of pedestrians strolling along the sidewalk. A couple of blocks down, he turned into an alley decorated with graffiti, which led him out to another street, fortunately with not as many people crowding the sidewalks. Rubbing the water away from his goggles, he shifted his eyes around to get a better understanding of his surroundings while keeping his head down.

Since the Sun was buried behind gray clouds, the dark tint of his goggles made things a bit more difficult to spot, but nobody had been inside any of the parked vehicles from the little he could see. At least, so he’d hoped. The fact of the matter was Apollo wasn’t sure any of the parked vehicles had been empty, and he wasn’t willing to find out either.

More sirens blared through the air as several squad cars sped past him on the street up ahead. Apollo’s blood froze when one of them turned the corner and headed in his direction. Shit! Shit! Shit! Two officers sprang out of the car. Apollo whipped back into the alley, listening to footsteps chasing behind him down the narrow lane.

Apollo returned to the street filled with pedestrians, hoping they would’ve stalled the officers as he weaved, pushed, and shoved anyone who didn’t happen to dive or flatten themselves against the walls of various shops.

Kill them growled the voice in his head. Kill them all.

Apollo ignored it.

They’re going to catch you soon, Apollo.

A man stepped out of a doorway in front of him, scratching a lottery ticket. Apollo was late dipping out of the way, crashing into the man as he made a croaking noise, tumbling to the ground.

Apollo’s ribs were on fire as he stood to his feet, sucking in gulps of air, energy building and drumming throughout his body. Apollo quickly reached up with his mind as the two officers leaped to grab him, and pushed out a thumping bolt of force, launching one officer through the window of a convenience store and the other through a car windshield.

Beautifully done, Apollo!

It was purely instinctual. Panicked gasps and broken glass shards surrounded him as he threw his garbage bag over his shoulder, bolting away from the scene as fast as his burning legs would take him.

He charged through another alley and turned the corner coming onto a major intersection, weaving and dodging past even more pedestrians strolling along the sidewalk. Up ahead was a public square surrounded by a multitude of tall glass buildings with bright LED screens and huge advertisement banners fixed onto almost all of them.

A fleet of patrol and armored vehicles blazed down one of the streets, sirens ringing almost in unison, illuminating the area in red and blue lights.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Apollo twisted and turned, looking around in all directions; too much open space and not enough people situated inside the square to hide or even blend in with the crowd. The majority of pedestrians had been along the sidewalks or walking in and out of some of the buildings.

An army of patrol and emergency task force officers stormed out of their vehicles, guns raised high and firmly pointed at him. Patrol officers took cover behind their squad cars at the edges of the square. Task force officers marched to the center in single file formation before spreading around him, some yelling at him not to move with his hands in the air.

Kill them. Wipe them out.

More patrol and armored vehicles arrived on scene, continuing to pile themselves along the streets, blocking traffic. A mechanical roar of a helicopter rotor came thundering through the sky, hovering over the area.

“Don’t move!” one task force officer yelled. “Don’t you fucking move!”

“Drop the fucking bag and put your hands where we can see them!” another task force officer yelled, his mustache screaming above his upper lip.

Apollo dropped the bag to the ground, a crowd starting to gather around them. Surely they weren’t reckless enough to pull their triggers with this many people around.

Use your power.

“Hands in the air, NOW!” the task force officer yelled again.

“Boy, if you don’t do what he says, we’ll fill your ass with lead so quick,” the one with the mustache said.

Exterminate them.

Apollo shifted his eyes around, heart thumping loudly in his ears, knees buckling under the weight of the moment.

They’ve come to take your freedom away.

The crowd grew larger by the minute, a number of them holding their smartphones out, ignoring the orders the patrol officers were giving them. All of the expressions on their faces told a story of their own: smiling faces, faces of wonder, of awe, of excitement. Nothing about this situation was exciting. Some even had the audacity to point in Apollo’s direction and laugh. Laugh at a time like this? How could they stand there and laugh!

“This is your final warning,” the task force officer said. “Get your ass down on the ground and put your fucking hands where we can see them!”

“I didn’t kill them,” Apollo murmured, trembling as he took in deep breaths. A memory of his Mama holding him in her arms, singing as she rocked him back and forth flashed in his mind. “I tried Ma, I really did. If you’re watching this, please find it in your heart to forgive me for what I’m about to do.”

The task force officers started to creep forward.

“I’m so sorry for letting you down.” Apollo shook his head, mouth quivering underneath his mask. “You were wrong about me,” Apollo said. “I was never stronger than this.” Apollo could feel himself slipping out of control, sinking toward the rage erupting in his belly. “Perhaps Odion was right. Perhaps they were all right.” Apollo’s hands started to shake. “I am the monster they’ve always considered me to be.”

That’s it, Apollo. Succumb. Set everyone ablaze with the fire that burns in your soul.

“You didn’t deserve your fate, and quite frankly, neither do I.” Apollo brought his hands up to his face, and the officers froze in their tracks, several red dots lighting up his chest and head. “I made the world a better place by eliminating a few pieces of vermin, and you want to punish me for that?” He closed them into tight fists, anger ferociously tugging at his guts, his clothes rustling and flapping upwards as if driven by an unseen force of wind. “That wasn’t justice!”

The ground started to rumble and shake, crack lines forming a series of trails along the road under the force of his anger. LED screens from buildings flashed and sizzled, setting off a sequence of sparks and thunderous explosions all around them. Windows shattered from buildings, and shards of glass poured in drenching sheets, clanging against the pavement in sharp splashes.

That’s it, Apollo, show them no mercy!

Pandemonium took place across the open square. Bodies of all shapes and sizes skittered about the place in a frenzy, screaming and falling over each other without a thought for anyone but themselves. It was only a couple of minutes ago they were all laughing; why the sudden change?

“OPEN FIRE!” the task force officer with the mustache bellowed, several gun barrels igniting in rapid succession.

A swarm of bullets froze in mid-air. Apollo twisted his face, wondering what these rodents in uniform were trying to accomplish with such futility. Didn’t they realize they were now engaged in battle with God? Apollo reached up with his mind, seizing all of their weapons out of their hands. Then he turned the bullets hovering in the air and pointed them in their direction. Gaped mouths and wide eyes stared back at him. Now there was an expression Apollo was familiar with. He constantly wore the same one as a child growing up, terrified of the world around him.

Apollo tested the range of his power and concentrated on holding every officer in position so they couldn’t move while simultaneously crushing their vehicles into scraps of steel. Nobody tarnished the good name of Apollo Biobaku and lived to tell the tale; that included officers of the law.

Excellent. Punish every single one of them for even attempting to take away your freedom.

“Over the years, I’ve been falsely accused of many violent acts,” Apollo said to the task force officers, watching them squirm like worms as they tried to break away from his mental grip. “This is the last time.” Apollo pushed out and smiled as bullets ripped through flesh as each officer collapsed to the ground in a bloody heap.

Apollo could still hear the thundering hum of the helicopter flying above, constantly circling him. He stared wildly at the hovering object, directing his energy toward it. Apollo fired a bolt of force in its direction and watched it tailspin into one of the buildings across the street with a deafening bang, exploding in a sea of hot flames, venting plumes of black smoke. Fiery pieces of the chopper crashed to the ground.

More horrified screams echoed across the square, and curious onlookers still inside their respective buildings poked their heads out to see the calamity outside. Apollo concentrated his power once more, and the ones recording the event from the space where windows used to be had their smartphones destroyed, jumping at the sizzling flash that sparked from their hands.

Apollo surveyed the hellish nightmare he’d created, then closed his eyes, tuning his ears to the terrified screams still filling the air. Each high-pitch scream complemented the other, producing a tranquil sound that rivaled a symphonic choir. It was beautiful to hear. The heat from the flames coated his skin, providing him with the type of warmth he hadn’t felt since Mama was alive. This was what peace felt like. Apollo opened his eyes and took his slow exit, away from the work of art he left behind.

The monster within had finally been unleashed.

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