Who We Are (A Zodiac Story)

Flashback: TAURUS (4)

After months of absences, Coy Jenkins was back at school. Taurus felt a chill wash over him as Coy's piercing gaze locked onto him. Even from a distance, Taurus could see the raw, unbridled rage simmering in Coy's eyes as he stalked closer.

Taurus instinctively averted his gaze, desperate to find an escape. In a matter of seconds, the enraged boy had reached him, roughly snatching Taurus up and slamming him against the cold metal of the lockers. The impact knocked the breath from Taurus' lungs, his body aching from the force of the blow.

Coy's face was mere inches from Taurus', his hot, acrid breath lashing across Taurus' skin as he uttered the words, "You take what's mine, I take your life." The threat filled with malice, sending a wave of pure terror coursing through Taurus' veins.

"What?!" Taurus cried out, his voice trembling with fear and confusion. Before he could even process the situation, Coy's grip tightened, his fingers clawing at Taurus' collar as he roughly dragged him towards the football field.

Taurus' heart raced as Coy produced a blade from his pocket, the enchanted metal glinting menacingly. "Fuck this shit," Taurus muttered, summoning every ounce of his strength to break free from Coy's grasp. He bolted, his legs pumping furiously as he anxiously fled to escape the madness that had descended upon him.

But the weeks of neglecting his father's class took a toll, and Taurus soon found himself out of breath, his lungs burning as he struggled to maintain his pace. Coy, driven by his anger, caught up to him in a matter of seconds, his powerful grip snatching a fistful of Taurus' hair and wrenching him to the ground.

Taurus let out a groan as his body made an impact with the earth, he desperately tried to crawl away, every fiber of his being screaming to escape Coy's grasp. Though he longed to unleash his magic and fight back, his body was paralyzed by sheer fright, stuck in a primal flight response.

Coy climbed atop him and pinned him down with a firm force. "I wish you'd just die!" he shouted, raising his arm with the enchanted blade clenched tightly in his fist.

Taurus' scream of agony pierced the air as Coy began to viciously slash into his abdomen, the sharp steel carving deep, agonizing scars across his skin. Taurus writhed and yelped, his body convulsing under the relentless assault, as Coy dug the knife in deeper, running it across his flesh.

When he had finished his gruesome work, Coy tossed the blade aside, his fists then raining down upon Taurus' face. The first punch busted his lip, the second bruised his eye, and the third practically beat his face to a pulp. "Please! Stop!" Taurus begged, his voice hoarse and desperate, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.

Coy then wrapped his hands around Taurus' neck, the pressure cutting off his airway as he strangled the life from him. Taurus choked and clawed weakly at Coy's arms, his body growing numb as the darkness began to encroach on his vision.

"When I'm finished with you..." Coy growled, his eyes drilling holes into Taurus' as he glared down at him, "I'll fucking kill her," he finished through gritted teeth.

Taurus' tears streamed down his face, blurring his sight as he succumbed to the overwhelming helplessness, trapped beneath Coy's merciless assault. He felt weak, utterly powerless to stop the brutality being inflicted upon him.

...

Taurus choked, blood trickling from his mouth as he lay on the desolate football field. Coy had left him there to die, his threat to Bella ringing in Taurus' ears. "Bella..." he rasped, the mere thought of her in danger spurring him to action.

Summoning his remaining strength, Taurus pushed himself up, wincing as the crimson stains on the grass met his gaze. His uniform shirt was soaked through, his breathing labored and wheezing. Limping off the field, he stumbled towards the parking lot, tears stinging his eyes.