Too Nice

VIII. Release

Viktor Durov
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Oh god, the pain was worse. Amari couldn't even move. It was as if every fiber in her body had turned against her. There was a war going on inside Amari's body and she was losing. She carefully reached for her phone and looked at the time.

                         3:46 AM

Amari was in agony and there was nothing she could do. It seemed like her prayer was answered because she spotted a bottle of Tylenol on the small table next to her bed. She took a moment to thank God before she raised an aching arm to grab the bottle full of pain relievers. Once the bottle was open she shook 2 pills into her mouth and swallowed them dry. The only thing she could do was close her eyes and wait for the pain to subside.
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"God where is she?"

"You seem pretty obsessed. You've only seen her once Jae."

"I like women."

Both Viktor and Jae came to the gym early that morning. Viktor always came early but Jae always arrived in the afternoon.

"You always do this! Just let the poor girl exercise in peace. You don't have to date every single one of my clients," Viktor grunted. Jae ignored him and continued to stare out the large glass window. The Gym had it installed to make sure the people who worked out had a nice view of the outside world.

"Oi! I am Viktor! I am a Russian who thinks relationships are annoying! I am so lonely!" Jae mocked in a horrible Russian accent. He marched around the gym with 2 dumbbells in hand.

"Ha-Ha." Viktor clapped without amusement. "You are spot on."

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I know about my best- SHE'S HERE!" Jae exclaimed excitedly. They both watched as she jumped out her car and made her way to the entrance of the gym. She wore a plain blue T-Shirt with a pair of black baggy jogging pants.

"Quick! Act natural! Don't make it obvious that I want to smash!" Jae whisper yelled. Viktor just stared at him. The first thing Amari noticed when she walked in was how many people were in the gym. Twice as many than yesterday. They were all on different equipment. Most of the guys were lifting weights while the ladies focused on stretching. The clothes they wore were unnecessarily tight. Amari could see everything. Camel's toe included. Sticking to the treadmill, for now, was probably for the best.

"Go talk to her for me," Jae whispered to Viktor.

"Grow a pair," Viktor replied.

"Pleeeaaasse? Nike shorts," Jae reminded. With a long groan, Viktor made his way towards the tired looking woman. She was walking slowly on the treadmill. The way her bones showed made Viktor think that all her movement was painful. The pained expression on her face confirmed it.

"Hello!" Viktor greeted excitedly. Amari just glanced at him and continued to walk.

"Did you eat a healthy breakfast this morning? You look exhausted," Viktor pointed out correctly. The dark circles under her eyes were evident.

No response. This wasn't working. What harm could cutting to the chase do?

"Look. I know we just met, but I have a good friend of mine that is interested in you. He's the Korean guy over there in the corner," Viktor smiled as he pointed to Jae. Amari didn't even bother to look.

"Interested in me or interested in fucking me?"

Viktor stood wide eyed not knowing how to answer the question. He was the worst wingman on the planet. Goodbye, precious Nike shorts.

"Tell your friend I'm not interested. He'll have a better chance with the girls humping their yoga mats," Amari sighed with a bored expression. Viktor took a step back with wide eyes and a red face. The Russian couldn't find any words as he walked back to Jae.

"So? How'd it go?" Jae asked with a lust filled smirk. He knew he'd just won the skinny girl for the night.

"Horribly. She's uh... She's not looking for a relationship right now." Viktor said awkwardly. The two went silent for a bit. Almost instantly the silence was replaced with grunts from the women (which sounded like sexual moans) stretching on the mats. Viktor could barely hear himself think and was becoming noticeably annoyed. He watched as other gym members rolled their eyes and put ear buds in. No one wanted to hear that.

"Um excuse me? Ladies?" Viktor started. "Could you keep it down? I don't mean to disturb your workout but-"

A loud smack echoed throughout the gym as one of the women slapped Viktor across the face. He let out a grunt as his large hand flew to his sore red cheek.

"Why did you-"

"I'm so sick of you trying to talk to me! I don't want to be with you! I have a boyfriend!" The woman shouted. Everyone turned towards the commotion with confused looks. Amari just kept walking.

"I don't even know you. I think you have me mistaken for someone else." Viktor explained only to be met with another slap.

"Ugh! You stalker! I can't do this right now! I want everyone in here to just leave!"  The woman shouted as she threw her empty water bottle at the nearest person. To her misfortune, the nearest person happened to be Amari. The bulky bottle hit the young black woman smack dab in the face. Suddenly all the suppressed anger came bubbling up. The desire to kill was no longer hidden. The beast inside her was released and there was no stopping it...

Without a moment's notice, Amari had both her hands wrapped around the woman's throat. Her eyes dilated with anger as the woman clawed at her bony hands. That only made Amari tighten her grip. Cries from the woman's friends filled the air as her face turned a deep shade of red. Good. She wanted them to cry. She wanted them to suffer.

"Oh my god! Call someone! she's going to kill Amber!" One cried. Amari dug her thumbs deeper into 'Amber's' Esophagus at the sounds of the women's screams.

"I...Can't...Breath!" Amber sputtered. An evil glint appeared in Amari's eyes as she watched Amber's eyes roll into the back of her head. And then suddenly... Amari was back. Her pupils returned to normal as she released her grip on the poor woman's neck.

"H-Holy shit..." Amari whispered to herself as she looked at the marks she left on the woman's neck. She almost killed someone over a water bottle. The surge of power quickly faded when she noticed everyone looking at her with horror on their faces.

Guilt washed over Amari when the woman she almost killed curled into a fetal position and started bawling. There was something more powerful than the guilt though... It was glee.