Euphoria

Chapter Three: Segregate The UnModified

Anti downed another shot, electricity appearing to buzz through him, creating an icy sensation that made him shudder. Each drink he took seemed to be significantly different, and he was determined to try them all. "Shots! Keep 'em coming!" He drummed his fingers on the polished wood of the bar, watching the bartender reach for the top shelf bottle again. The demon had worked up a pricey tab, but he wasn't worried; he had Sean to pay for it all, albeit unwillingly.

Forgetting about his drinks, he maneuvered into the crowd, throwing his hands into the air.

All his problems seemed to wash away within the first couple of minutes, and he couldn't be happier. It would've made him suspicious and slightly uneasy if he was in his right mind.

Anti let out a sharp yell, unleashing his emotional frustration. The sound almost carried over the thriving music, a few people on the floor staring at him with concerned or irritated looks. He wanted to let loose, and this place looked to be the only place that could happen. He didn't mind the suggestive looks, or the hands on him occasionally, not even the people invading his personal space.

Anti's promiscuous behavior slowed to a halt after a few minutes, a throbbing sensation in his mouth accompanied by a metallic bitterness. He recognized this, pushing down the joy he felt and rushing to the bathroom, figuring the people outside were too inebriated to wonder what was up and follow him, so he left the door unlocked.

Anti looked into the mirror, gradually opening his mouth to reveal two bloody fangs where his canines would be. His tongue was dyed multiple colors, but the most prominent was red. The gums surrounding those pearly needles of death were agitated and rosy. His skin had a yellowish tint to it, and pitch blackness started to crawl over the whites of his eyes ever so slowly.

It had been a long time since he'd seen his pure form, years even. Around the time he first appeared to little Sean. His appearance was almost foreign to him, and he tilted his head to the side.

His glamour was slipping.

He grinned suddenly, a giggle escaping him. Anti felt carefree, his spell was failing, and he wouldn't care--couldn't care. He could feel the excitement bubbling up again, his body glitching as a low static buzz hung in the air.

"Euphoric." He stated, gripping the sides of the countertop as his body lagged, impressions of himself left from where he had been just moments before he shifted positions.

-

Sean parked his car in the lot of the local pharmacy; his fingers curled around the steering wheel, white-knuckled from the tension. He was uncertain about leaving Chase at home by himself, mainly because of his past. He had to get in, grab what he needed, and get out. Hopefully, without needing to show his face.

By the time his inner monologue had come to a stop, he was already inside the building, letting the door shut behind him. The store clerk immediately looked at Sean, handing someone their medication.

"Have a good day, Ma'am." He said, barely noticing the woman as she nodded her head, exiting the store and leaving both Sean and the clerk alone with each other.

Sean strolled over to the shelves, browsing for a specific brand of Aspirin, and grabbing the one he needed before tilting his head to the side and up. He was looking into the half dome mirror attached to the far wall. The clerk had his eyes glued to Sean, his hand under the counter, fumbling around silently.

He must've thought Sean was a thief, which means he had a gun. Sean's shoulders tensed, browsing for a few more minutes before walking up to the clerk, placing the Bayer Aspirin on the counter without a word, his head down.

Sean could see the clerk's name tag just barely. In big, bold letters, JONAH PAXTON. He had dealt with this man the first time he'd been denied the prescription drug he needed.

The scanner beeped, "That'll be 12.50." Jonah said.

Sean nearly choked on his saliva at the two-dollar price raise from last time. Even a simple medication such as Aspirin had gone up. He begrudgingly reached for the wallet in his back pocket, pulling out one ten and a five, handing it to the man.

He grabbed the bag from Jonah, pulling out a doctor note his brother, Henrik had written for him, handing it to the clerk. "Refill on Lansoprazole."

"Refill, Huh? What are you? Modified? UnModified?"

Sean wanted to scream at the man. He wanted to ask why any of that mattered, why segregation between the two was necessary. But he couldn't.

"Modified." He said.

"Modified, hm?" Jonah stared at Sean for a long while before lifting his hand up, jerking his hood down to reveal Sean's dark brown, fluffy hair. Before he could turn away, the clerk let out a bitter laugh. "You again? I knew it. The second you came in here. Get the fuck out of my store, kid. Before I call the police."

"Please. You don't understand—"

"I think I understand just fine. It ain't right. Modified like you, sticking up for
UnModified like them. Kill 'em all, I say. Slaughter 'em like cattle." Jonah gave off a sickening grin, showing his tobacco-stained teeth.

"Money shouldn't decide whether you're worth something or not." Sean seethed, "He's family. And that's all that matters to me. He'll die.."

"We all got problems, kid. It's all about the age of the Modified. You just have to work with what you have. And if that means dying, then do your part and die."

Sean grit his teeth so hard he thought they'd crack, grabbing his bag and turning to leave.

"Hey, kid! You forgot your change!"

Sean mumbled, forcing the doors to the pharmacy open, "Fucking keep the change, asshole.." He exited the store. If one of the most influential people in his life died because of a simple thing like being UnModified, he'd come back here and blow Jonah's brains out.

Where he'd get the gun, he had no idea. But one way or another, they'd pay. And he was sure that he would get away with it. Although, he could never understand why he felt so strongly about this. One thing was for sure, Sean was not a murderer.