Slay The Examans

Beginning of the End

   The next day started with Ari being thrown into a trash can.
  "Give us the fricking money, man, Im not gonna ask again," a gruff voice demanded.
  "Yeah, we won't leave until you do," a deeper but clearer voice said. The voices belonged to two notorious bullies, Allister and Erik. Erik was Allisters lackey by a margin. They were practically equals.
People feared them and for good reason. They alone were one of the only ones who could actually compete in the Examan military test and pass. However, they did keep the local area safe from gangs who would turn that same corner into a drug-dealing murder-house.
   "Scram you two oversized meatsacks," Po shouted.
Turning to face Po, Erik said, "Or what," to which Po replied, "Ill make you." Surely this runt is just bark and no bite.
Walking up to him with a snarl and placing his hand on Po's shoulder, Allister growls, "Do you know who your messing wi-". In under a second, Allister was lying on his back, clutching his eyes and right leg. Despite being vastly outclassed in weight and strength, Po had more fighting experience, being a double black belt. (Man that info mighta been nice to share earlier right? Nahhhh).
They failed to recognize the only person around who could beat them in the combat portion of the military test. Until now. Realizing just who they were messing with, Erik broke into a cold step and tried to slowly walk away. Stepping aside, Po let him pass.
"You good?" Po asked, knowing it'll probably be yes. Lo and behold, it was. Dusting himself off, Ari went inside to grab some breakfast.
   "You know we gotta think about how we can sneakily recruit people," Lex said in a low voice when Ari and Po walked in.
"What do you mean?" Ari asked, confused.
"We need more than the three of us if we want to take the Examans down. And we can't get caught either, or we'll end up as scraps for the street dogs, if there's even anything worth eating."
"What do you mean "anything worth eating," Po said.
"I guess you don't realize they won't just kill us. No. We will be brutally tortured, probably beaten, poisoned, and burnt alive. If we're lucky."
Despite being the most hardened of the three of them, even Po shivered at the thought. He knew it'd be worth dying for though if it meant future generations could sleep safe without fear of the government murdering them and their children.
     "Well what if we just keep an eye out for people who probably dislike the Examans enough to fight against them," Ari suggested.
     "Don't you think the Examans already do that?" Lex asked. It wasn't worth the time to argue at the moment. "You know what, we can do that until we come up with a better plan."
     It was decided. They chose to go about their daily lives and keep a look out. And so was the beginning of the end of the Examans. Lex may have had no reason to hate the Examans personally, his closest friends were angry and were going to fight back. He had to be the smart one here and give them a plan. He refused to watch his friends die over a faulty plan.
     Going out to buy groceries, Lex had seen some potential leads, but nothing great. However he had to intervene to save one from an Idolizer, someone who was a part of a religious cult who, well, Idolized the Examans, calling them "Prophets of God". Despite the fact that even the Examans disliked this, it lived on because it gave them a clear line of who liked them fully.
     And then tragedy struck, claiming Lex as its victim.