FSE

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The bell rang signalling the end of the day, and as always, my heart rate spiked. The final shrill ring of the day used to be the sound of joy incarnate; the sound of freedom from the clutches of high school. It had been up until two months ago. That was about the time Jeb had decided I made an easy, docile bullying target.

It had started off as seemingly harmless verbal jabs from the coyote. Being a hyena myself, my distinct laugh usually drew attention. During Arts period I'd been joking around with my friend's while we painted, giggling like a maniac when I couldn't stop it. After class, Jeb had made a snide comment about my hyena heritage and the vermin we had once been considered as - a comment that would have landed him suffering through a week of in-school suspension had a teacher overheard. I hadn't been too offended; speciest pricks were par for the course growing up.

It turned out my lack of response only encouraged the coyote to push further. The occasional comment became more frequent, to the point where him and his lackeys - a wolf and tiger named Ben and Keiki respectively, would hunt me down during recess and lunch to torment me. Insults about my scruffy fur and mane moved to physically pushing me around and even restraining me and dumping a litre of coffee milk down my shirt.

The worst part was, they only did this shit when I was by myself. My friends offered to ambush them behind the canteen and give them a reason to back off, but I didn't want to involve them in that way and have the risk facing suspension. Or worse, expulsion. Jeb seemed to have a similar notion because after a weeklong suspension for the coffee stunt, he moved his physical abuse to after school.

My first run in with them on my walk home was just two weeks ago. I usually cut through a park near the school as a quicker route to get home and had done the same that day. They came from behind and I had no chance to respond to the first strike to my ribs. I'd fallen to the ground and curled into a ball while they spat on me, scattering when a jogger had come down the path and chased them off.

The rest of the week had me on my guard as soon as the bell rung. I took a different route home the next two days, heading out the gate on the other side of the school campus towards the city centre and cutting through an alley way. The day after, Jeb and his cronies followed me. The days following that second incident, they stuck like glue on my tail. I managed to escape most of the times, splitting and weaving through alleys and over gated backyards, but they caught me yesterday and left me with a fun array of bruises to show for it.

Today would be different.

I left through the gate leading to the maze of apartments and shops, breaking into a sprint the moment my foot pad touched the outer pavement. I heard them behind me, shouting and taunting me. The road running parallel to the school was slow at this time due to both the reduced after-school speed limit, and the traffic congestion. It wasn't hard to dodge the cars while I crossed but I hoped to hear the telltale sounds of impact from my pursuers. No such luck.

From here I ducked into an alleyway between two apartment buildings and weaved through the streets of shops and markets that made up the city. Whenever I could, I check over my shoulder. You see, they couldn't catch me if it came down to a contest of stamina, so they resorted to splitting to try corner me off. It had worked when I wasn't prepared for it, but that had changed.

Checking behind revealed only Jeb to be in pursuit. If I continued to run, one of the others could appear from anywhere; they'd done it before. Instead I did what none of them expected. The next corner I turned, I stumbled to a halt and waited. The rhythmic thud of Jeb's feet sounded louder and louder until I knew he was just about to around the corner. Bunching my right paw into a fist, I swung out hard.

The impact sent a shock wave up my arm, jarring my bones in a way that made me grit my teeth. Jeb was worst off. He fell to his knees gasping and coughing, and I didn't spare him a second thought. My left paw hooked wide to connect with his muzzle. When he landed on his side, splatters of crimson painted the concrete. A stabbing pain was shooting up my left arm, and my right fist was numb, so I used my feet to kick him in the stomach repeatedly. Each grunt I forced from his muzzle was like music to my ears. When he was curled in a ball, shuddering with each breath, I knelt and slammed my fist into his nose. The resulting crunch and spray of blood made me wince and step back.

The bloodied and beaten coyote wheezed on the ground. Each time he coughed sticky, red-tinged saliva pooled from his muzzle. I backed off further until I bumped against a brick wall and slid down. I couldn't take my eyes from the form laying in front of me, from the pain I'd caused. I'd gone too far. It had been so easy.

A figure came flying down from the other end of the alleyway. "Fuck." The wolf, Ben, collapsed beside Jeb and gently rolled him onto his back. "Fuck! What the fuck did you do, Alex?" He didn't look at me and I didn't respond.

"Shit, call an ambulance." Keiki was here now too, crouching over his friend. When he looked at me, the fear in his eyes was shocking. It was the reaction I'd been dreaming of, and yet seeing it made me horrified.

I stumbled to my feet and ran, and when the sound of sirens arose in the air, I ran harder.