CHAPTER SEVEN - ODION

Sudden Absence

Odion sprang upright from his bed, desperate to fill his lungs with air. After a moment of several deep inhalations, he relaxed and fell back against the headrest of his bed. Sheets of rain clapped furiously against the window, followed by a ferocious roar of thunder. Calm down; it was only a dream. He removed the blankets from over him and sat up against the edge of his bed.

It haunted him again. Apollo, bathing in the heat of the flames and smiling as several charred bodies lined the streets. It was the same scene over and over, never changing. With how you and everyone else have treated me throughout the years, don’t be surprised if, one of these days, you all end up regretting the horrible things you did. Apollo’s words echoed in his mind. “No.” Odion shook his head. “As long as I’m alive, that will never happen!”

He reached for the iPhone charging on his bedside table to check the time. Damn, it’s already six-thirty. Judging by how dark it was outside, he would’ve never guessed. Something’s missing.

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Normally in the mornings, that faint electrical buzz coming from Apollo lingered in the air like a stealthy fart. This time there was nothing. The room felt light, and the suffocating energy attached to Apollo was no longer there. Odion turned toward Apollo’s empty bed, then slowly shifted his eyes toward the door, suspicion screwing up his face. That’s weird. Was Apollo trying to pull a sick prank on him for the argument they had last night? Odion shook his head. Apollo wasn’t much of a prankster.

Odion first checked the bathroom to see if anyone was there and found nobody. He took his time down the stairs, pausing and gazing through the darkness to spot anything unusual. Odion turned the kitchen light on and found a twenty-dollar bill and some change on the dining table. There was also a note from Marcella stating she would be late coming home from work. I don’t think Marcella knows where Apollo went, either.

Odion went into the basement to see if Apollo was using the PC, but it was completely dark and empty. That wasn’t like Apollo, sneaking out of the house in the early hours of the morning. He had nowhere to go.

If you want me out of your life so bad, all you have to do is say it, and I’ll leave. Apollo’s words popped into his mind again. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to push him away, considering Apollo’s mental and emotional instability. Apollo wasn’t only a risk to himself but to other people.

“Where the hell could you have gone?” Odion murmured into the darkness, only to be answered by another roar of thunder.

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