The investigation at the dorm had been grueling. The police questioned each survivor in detail, documenting their statements and scrutinizing their alibis. By late afternoon, Eric, Tera, Caden, Shaunce, Tyler, and the others had been cleared to leave the scene. Their faces, etched with exhaustion and fear, were a stark contrast to the frantic activity around them.
As they made their way back to campus, they were met by friends who hadn't been involved in the events of the night. Sequoya, Antasia, Alejandro, and Demetrius gathered around them, their concern palpable. Conversations buzzed with fragmented details and anxious speculation about what had happened.
The sense of relief was short-lived. As they approached a campus courtyard, a group of hostile students loitering there caught sight of them. The students, clearly agitated and angry, began shouting as soon as Eric and his group were in earshot.
"Look who decided to show up!" one of the students, a burly guy named Brad, yelled, his tone dripping with contempt. "The murderer and his gang."
Eric's heart sank. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.
"Oh, come on," another student, a girl named Jess with a scowl, sneered. "Everyone knows you're just a fucking psycho. Black guy, always in the wrong place. Maybe you finally snapped."
"And you know," another student, Jake, said with a cruel grin, "people like you are just looking for an excuse to cause trouble. Black, poor, and always looking to blame others."
Eric's face reddened with anger and frustration. "I didn't do anything! I'm telling you, I'm innocent."
Jess's sneer deepened. "Yeah, keep lying. We've seen how your type acts. No one believes you."
Eric's rage boiled over. "You think you're so high and mighty with your privileged asses? Look at you, a bunch of fat, insecure white bitches who need someone to blame for your pathetic lives. I bet you can't stand the idea that someone might actually be better than you, so you tried to pick on us because it's easier than dealing with your own fucking failures!"
The students' faces twisted with rage. "Why don't you go back to where you belong, freak?" Jess shouted.
"Shut up, you dumb fat bad built bitch," Eric snapped. "You're nothing but a bunch of entitled, sour cream and garlic smelling self-righteous assholes. You're scared of anyone who's different from you, and you can't handle the fact that you're not the center of the universe pick me ass hoe."
Sequoya, livid, stepped forward. "That's enough! You don't get to talk to us like that."
Isaiah, Shaunce, and Antasia, their anger palpable, joined in. "What's your fucking problem?" Isaiah demanded, his voice shaking with rage. "We've already been through hell tonight, and you're here acting like this?"
Demetrius, who had been watching in silence, clenched his fists. "We don't have time for your racist bullshit, with your rotisserie chicken body built ass."
Brad sneered, "Oh, what are you gonna do about it? Cry to your momma?"
"Why don't you shut the fuck up and go play with your moms dirty rat ass pissy pussy, before I knock your teeth out?" Shaunce growled.
Jess's face contorted with fury. "You think you're so tough? You're nothing but a bunch of goddamn criminals and bitches."
Eric's fury reached its peak. "Yeah, we're the criminals but you won't show us that we're bitches? Look at you-entitled, ignorant shitheads who think they're superior because they've had everything handed to them. You don't know the first thing about struggle or real life."
The confrontation escalated quickly. The students began hurling more insults and racist comments. "You think you're tough? You're just a bunch of losers!" Brad roared.
Isaiah, Shaunce, and Demetrius joined the fray, their anger palpable. "Why don't you fuck off?" Isaiah shouted, his voice filled with rage. "We're done with your bullshit!"
Eric's fury reached its peak. "Look at you-fat, insecure, and spoiled. You can't stand the thought that anyone could outshine you, so you attack us. You're pathetic!"
The situation exploded into violence.
Sequoya, infuriated by Jess's comments, stepped forward. Jess, a burly and aggressive girl, didn't back down. The two locked in a brutal fight. Sequoya's agility allowed her to dodge Jess's heavy blows and land a series of sharp, precise hits. She grabbed Jess by the hair, yanking her head back before delivering a punishing kick to her side. Jess fell to the ground, clutching her ribs and gasping for breath.
Antasia faced off against Jake, whose smugness only fueled her anger. Jake swung wildly, but Antasia's quick reflexes allowed her to evade his attacks. She retaliated with a series of powerful punches and a sharp elbow to Jake's face. He staggered back, blood streaming from his nose. Antasia finished him off with a well-placed kick to the gut.
Alejandro, still furious, charged at Brad. The two engaged in a furious exchange. Brad, larger and stronger, tried to overpower Alejandro, but Alejandro's speed and precision made the difference. Alejandro dodged Brad's heavy swings, landing brutal counterattacks that left Brad reeling. Alejandro's relentless assault ended with a crushing blow to Brad's jaw, sending him crashing to the ground.
Demetrius took on another of Brad's cronies, a muscular student named Kyle. Kyle tried to overpower Demetrius with sheer force, but Demetrius used his agility to his advantage. The fight was a mix of grappling and striking, with Demetrius dodging Kyle's heavy blows and landing precise hits. He finally subdued Kyle with a powerful slam against the concrete, leaving him groaning in pain.
Shaunce squared off against Carla, a heavyset girl with a fierce temper. Carla tried to use her size to her advantage, grabbing Shaunce and attempting to pin him down. She sat on him, her weight crushing him as he struggled underneath her. Shaunce, trapped and gasping for breath, used his legs to push against Carla's body, wriggling and twisting until he managed to get her off. He then used his superior speed and agility to land a series of sharp blows, finally sending Carla crashing to the ground, incapacitated.
Tera, realizing the numbers were against them, received help from Eric and Isaiah. Tera fought alongside Eric, using her agility to dodge blows while Eric used his strength to land heavy punches. Isaiah, despite his injury, was relentless, targeting the remaining members of Brad's group with precision strikes.
The fight was chaotic and intense, a blur of fists, kicks, hair-pulling, and body slams. Bodies crashed into the concrete, and shouts of anger and pain echoed through the courtyard. The fight dragged on, each side giving as good as they got. The students recorded the fight with their phones, capturing every moment of the bloody clash.
In the end, Eric's group emerged victorious, though battered and bruised. They stood, panting and glaring at their defeated opponents, who retreated, their faces a mix of humiliation and anger.
The aftermath was swift. The video of the fight spread across social media, accompanied by inflammatory comments. The footage, showing Eric and his friends in the midst of a violent confrontation, fueled suspicion and hatred towards them.
Later that evening, as the tension settled, Eric, Tera, Caden, Shaunce, Alejandro, Demetrius, Isaiah and Tyler were summoned to the police station. Their earlier relief was replaced with anxiety. The fight video had intensified the scrutiny on them, and they faced the weight of new accusations and suspicion.
Detective Jordan awaited them in the interrogation room. His face was a mixture of frustration and concern. As the door closed behind them, the reality of their situation set in. The fight had only complicated their struggle to prove their innocence, and the night was far from over.
