"we are still receiving a huge spike of a strange flu like virus, spreading at an alarming rate in many different countries, the Centers for Disease Control insist on anyone feeling ill, or if they are running a high fever, that they should stay at home."

said the news anchor on the television, Preciliano

thinks to himself.

"hopefully, they close down the schools."

His step-mom Denise a beautiful, fair skinned individual with blonde hair and blue eyes, sitting next to his Dad Ricardo, with the same moderate brown skin complexion, just like Preciliano's skin tone, and dark brown eyes, Denise sighs while placing her hand on Ricardo's side.

"this virus is spreading like a wildfire."

Ricardo groans.

"cuidado, amor, my sides are still sore from earlier."

Denise gently rubs his side.

"I'm sorry, honey I didn't mean to hurt you."

worried about his father, Preciliano asks.

"what happened? how did you get hurt?"

Ricardo replies dismissively, so he wouldn't worry him.

"a crazy homeless guy, attacked me suddenly and left a scratch mark on my side."

he pulls up his shirt to show him the fresh scar, Preciliano asks.

"what did you do to the homeless guy."

he answers.

"me and my coworkers held him down, until the police came to handle him."

he sighs.

"but man, did they get the worst of it."

he asks.

"why is that?"

he replies.

"well, they both got bitten on their arms pretty bad."

Denise stands up, wearing her white shirt, and blue high waisted jeans.

"alright, I'm going to prepare dinner."

Ricardo then says to both Preciliano and His younger brother Thomas.

"Percy, go help your brother wash his hands."

Preciliano, received his nickname Percy, because his younger brother of five, struggles to pronounce his name, and now the name has stuck to him, Preciliano stands up from the ground where he was sitting at.

"alright, let's go Thomas."

Thomas gets up and asks Preciliano.

"Percy, can we play some video games after we eat."

Preciliano nods.

"yeah, sure buddy."

The front door swings open, and then comes in Tracy giggling, resembling his step-mom very closely, wearing short shorts, and a gray shirt, Denise shouts.

"Tracy is that you?"

Tracy shouts back.

"yes mother, I'm back and I've brought back some company."

Preciliano's eyebrow twitches with anger and he mumbles to himself.

"damn it, why is that piece of shit Troy, doing here?"

Ricardo shakes Troy's hand.

"nice to finally meet the boy, that Tracy has been talking about lately."

Troy who is about six foot, two inches rubs his spiky black hair, and who is wearing his blue varsity jacket, grins at Ricardo.

"nice to meet, you sir."

Troy turns his attention to Preciliano and gives him a broad, cocky grin.

"hey how you doing Percy?"

Preciliano ignores him and pulls at Thomas.

"let's go wash your hands."

Ricardo snaps at him in spanish.

"no seas asi cabron!"

Preciliano stares daggers right into Troy and says.

"sup Troy."

as they head to the bathroom together to wash Thomas' hands, he asks.

"Percy, are you okay?"

Preciliano shakes his head.

"nothing, me and him just don't get along, that's all."

he sighs.

"come on, you know how mom gets when we don't wait at the table."

dinner was spent with the whole family getting along just great with Troy, all except Preciliano who thinks to himself.

"you may have my family in the palm of your hand, but not me motherfucker, I will never forget all those times you bullied me."

Denise notices Preciliano clenching his fork tightly.

"Percy, you feeling alright?"

he snaps out of it and replies as he stands up.

"yeah, I'm done with dinner, imma go to bed."

Thomas looks at him with sad puppy eyes.

"are we still going to play Percy?"

he answers.

"tomorrow, I promise."

Thomas whines.

"aw, but you said we would play."

Denise replies.

"he said tomorrow, now let your brother get some rest."

Preciliano marches upstairs and lays down on his bed contemplating.

"there is no way, that I'll get along with Troy."

he stares up at the ceiling, until he drifts away into a deep sleep, and then he starts dreaming about freshman year, where he had his first encounter with Troy and his buddies, after school when he accidentally bumped into him.

Preciliano apologizes.

"I didn't mean to, sorry."

Troy quickly wraps his arm around Preciliano's shoulder like a predator catching it's prey.

"yo, easy there buddy, I'm not going to hurt you."

Preciliano asks nervously.

"really?"

Troy chuckles.

"of course, but I need you do something for me though."

Troy's group of goons cackle like hyenas.

"go easy, on him."

he then asks Troy.

"what do you need me to do?"

he answers with smug grin.

"wipe off my jacket, and clean my shoes that you dirtied."

confused, Preciliano replies.

"but I apologized."

Troy then punches him in the gut, without any warning, Preciliano gasps for air, as he lays on the concrete clutching his stomach in the fetal position, Troy takes a deep breath.

"you better do it tomorrow, or else."

Troy and his group of friends walk away laughing feeling accomplished, leaving Preciliano wondering what he did to deserve this cruel treatment and little did he know that this Troy would find many ways to bully Preciliano until Junior year. The alarm goes off waking up Preciliano from his bad dream, he looks at the clock and sighs.

"I wish, I didn't have to go to school."

he changes his clothes and knocks on his parent's door.

"I'm heading to school now."

there was no response, he tries to open the door, but it doesn't, he thinks to himself.

"that's weird, usually one of them is awake at this time."

he shrugs his shoulder, and leaves the house, to go to school, Preciliano looks around, and notices the very low traffic.

"I guess, the virus has scared people into staying home. maybe I should do the same and call in sick."

Tracy comes running from behind.

"hey Percy, wait up."

he asks.

"what do you want?"

she responds.

"are mom and dad still asleep?"

he shrugs.

"they had their door locked before I left, so I'm guessing maybe they still are."

Tracy notices the bad mood he is in and asks.

"what's wrong?"

he replies.

"you already know what."

she sighs.

"he is sorry, about everything that has happened between the two of you, and I believe him."

he rolls his eyes, and replies with skepticism.

"yeah right, he'll say anything that will get him on your good side."

she hooks her arm with his and said.

"come on Percy, just give him a chance and you'll see that he really has changed."

Preciliano pulls away from her.

"over my dead body!"

he sighs.

"if you want to date him, fine. but don't expect me to just forget everything that he has done to me."

Preciliano storms away from Tracy, putting a good amount of distance between them. Preciliano enters his school through the front gate, he notices how dead and empty the usual crowded hallways are, he shakes his head and says under his breath.

"I regret not calling in sick."

the first bell rings throughout the school, signaling every student should start heading to their first period class, Preciliano makes his way to chemistry and only sees nine others present, he takes his seat and the teacher begins to take role call after the bell rings again, Preciliano slumps over on his chair, and sighs frustrated.

"this is stupid, the school district should have closed every school, in the midst of this worldwide pandemic."

after his teacher finished roll call on the only nine students in class he makes an announcement.

"the principal has notified everyone that the rest of this week will be half days, instead of the regular scheduled days."

Preciliano raises his hand and asks.

"what are we still doing here? other school districts around the country have already closed their schools indefinitely."

he answers.

"I agree, but until they tell us if we are closing, you will continue coming."

Preciliano goes about his school day, walking through the hallways alone, like he usually does, that is until Tracy comes up to him after the last class of the day has finished, with Troy orbiting behind her.

"hey Percy, when you get home, tell mom and dad, that I'll be home late again."

he replies.

"yeah, whatever."

Troy barks at Preciliano.

"hey loser, you don't gotta be so rude to your sister."

Tracy interjects.

"babe, stop that."

Preciliano responds with anger.

"fuck off."

Troy reacts by throwing a quick punch into Preciliano's face leaving him a little disoriented, meanwhile Tracy snaps at Troy.

"what the fuck, you didn't have to hit him!"

filled with blind rage, Preciliano throws his whole weight against Troy, causing both of them to hit the ground hard, but Preciliano quickly recovers and as he goes into a side control position, he starts landing multiple blows on Troy's right eye, meanwhile Tracy is in tears and is pleading to Preciliano.

"Percy! stop it! that's enough!"

but her words didn't reach him, as he continues to throw more punches, that is until he gets pulled away from behind by two passing teachers, he looks down on Troy's bloody face and chuckles to himself.

"serves you right."

after Troy gets carried to the nurse's office, Preciliano, gets sat across the principal, who shakes her head in disappointed.

"due to your actions today, you are now expelled from this school."

Preciliano just stares at her quietly, not reacting to what she just told him, he then stands up and asks.

"is that all?"

she answers angry.

"of course not, your parents will be receiving a phone call, letting them know about your expulsion."

Preciliano storms out of the principal's office and says.

"whatever."

the principal shouts.

"where are you going!? we are not done here!"

but he ignores her, and just leaves the school, already accepting that his actions will not go unpunished, as he walks home, he looks up at the clear skies, and thinks to himself.

"fuck, this is fucking bullshit."

his phone begins to vibrate, so he takes a quick look, to see that Tracy is calling him, he puts it back into his pocket and chooses to ignore her call, he shakes his head and says under his breath.

"I don't feel like talking to you."

after a long silent walk, Preciliano arrives homes, he enters through the front door and shouts.

"mom, dad, I'm home!"

but there was no response from either of them, he slowly walks upstairs.

"hey, Thomas you want to play some video games!"

no reply from him either, he thinks to himself.

"something weird is going on, Thomas, usually answers me, whenever I mention video games."

after reaching the top of the stairs a pungent and rank stench, causes his gag reflexes to kick in,

and as he fights the urge to throw up, and asks to himself.

"what the fuck, is there a dead animal nearby?"

the rotten smell that is lingering around grows stronger the closer he gets to the bedroom door of his parents, he then knocks on the door fearing the worst.

"mom, dad, are you guys okay!?"

he hears two distinct low growls, but then they quiet down, seconds later, he thinks to himself.

"shit, they must be hurt, and can't speak, I need to break down the door somehow."

he tries using his shoulder to bust it open, but after ramming it a few times, the pain becomes unbearable and he falls to ground, he sits down with his back against the wall and thinks to himself feeling helpless.

"I can't do it."

he takes a moment to breathe in and out, then he grabs phone to call nine, one, one, but there was something wrong, the sound of no connection beeps through his ear, he looks at the top of his phone screen and he then freaks out upon seeing that there is no signal.

"what the fuck is going on?"

he gasps while looking at the privacy door knob instantly gets reminded on a way to open.

"of course, I can unlock the door if I use a coin."

he reaches into his other pocket, and uses a quarter, to unlock the door, and as he opens it, he pukes when he is met with the sight of his mom and dad, digging into and eating chunks of flesh from the lifeless body of his younger brother Thomas.