The beautiful beast.

Chapter 3.

Blood drooled steadily down from the stairs as a girl who passed by in a hurry got glue to the spot she stood on, sighting the tragedy of a life lost.

"Argh!!!" She screamed falling to the ground and moving back with grave fear, as her eyes popped wide in panic.

An alarm rang nosily as it's owner banged it and rose up with a yawn, he gaze at the time with boggy eyes, stood up and got into the bathroom. Once he was done with morning duties, he placed an earpiece in his ears and stepped outside his apartment to the ground floor. The ground floor was surrounded with few neighbors and some medical teams who were carrying a deceased from the ground. He stood behind the crowd which was decreasing, to take a look at whatsoever happened. The white sheet which covered this being slightly rolled down due to the wind and the boy stared at the lifeless corpse, he could see a girl giving her statement to the cops. No one knew about her sudden death, he was still staring when his eyes met with the girl who suddenly shuddered and hide behind a policeman. The boy held his bag tight as the people close to him stepped back paving way for a cop to interrogate this boy.

"Ethan right?" The cop asked and he nodded while the girl bite her fingers nervously

"You were the last person Mrs Anna visited according to the surveillance footage...". The boy took a glimpse at this girl who swallowed hard while avoiding his eyes. He was delaying to give a reply as his ears banged with the sound of siren blasting everywhere in the area. He could hear neighbors saying ills about him that perhaps he had murdered her inspite of his innocent face.

"Yes" he muttered in a serene tone and the cop jotted it down while interrogating him further.

"I knew the innocent ones are deadly" an old man commented holding his rake. It was Rodger, the farmer who owns a barn that he values more than his family.

"You could tell with that face of his that he's a suspect" A teenage girl added cursing at him. She was Anita by name and often a bully over her peers. Often times she had been expelled for her misconduct, hence she had to stay back with her parents.

"Two others died and he was the last they saw" Mrs Choi added. This woman run a kiosk on the ground floor and was often quiet but spoke when things were getting out of hand.

"I heard he had been arrested a multiple times cause he's a psycho" Ollie retorts, he was a chubby kid and wasn't afraid to speak anything to anyone as long as he believes he's write.

"I wonder what crimes he had committed, he wished me dead too when I asked him to get off my barn!".

"Quiet!" The cop yelled as their whispers were getting loud that Ethan could hear them clearly, but he maintained a stern look and responded in low tone to the cops who dismissed him. He turned to take his leave when a little child holding a lettuce slammed it on his face.

"Hey boy! Take this" another yelled bashing tomatoes on his face as he stepped back due to the force. Different food items were smashed on his face as he looked pale short of words to say beside what would this loner say when he was quiet and took in every ills done to him.

"Back off everyone!" A voice ordered and immediately everyone seized what they were doing. The being poked smoke from his mouth and bounced to where Ethan stood still devastated.

"Take this" the man ordered and Ethan raised his head at the man who's left cheek had a scar even though he looked strict and cruel from appearance, he had saved this boy from these angry mobs. Ethan didn't take the hankie he handed to him rather he paced slowly to an elevator and got in since it was the fastest means to reach his apartment.

"Steve, do you know who that boy is!" A young lady snapped and he glared at her.

"You're making life unbearable for him!..." He defended while halting and glaring at everyone that stood there.

"you guys should learn to mind your own business" he pressed on as every person began to focus on their activities for the day although annoyed over the mysterious boy.

"You can't be serious right?" She pressed on.

"Was he found guilty?" He asked this lady who was reluctant to give a reply, she eyed him and stormed away while his eyes gazed at the elevator which Ethan used.

Ethan pulled his feet from his pam slippers and sat close to the window with red eyes. The woman who had saved him from those bullies in his balcony was dead. The cops speculates that someone must have pushed her off the stairs or she tried to take her own life as an autopsy would soon be carried out. She was a divorcee who moved in two weeks ago and her impact was felt already within this few days.

 The chirping of birds near his window drew his attention as watched how a mother bird taught her children how to fly. He stretched his hand to reach to them but couldn't because they had reach a distance. Ethan's face got sticky as it was a mess, it made him smell like garbage yet he wasn't concerned.

"They all left me alone" he winced and chuckled sadly. One could tell that he wished to cry out but couldn't find a means to do so besides, his last day was today, tomorrow was going to be a different day with yet another news for the public. He stood up and walked towards his heater where he could prepare noodles as that was the only thing he ate since his arrival in this apartment. The flame from the heater reflected in his eyes as a drop tear flowed, he tried to forget the incident on the ground floor but couldn't as it hurt him deeply as flash of memories flooded his brain.