October 9th

Joey loved his slingshot. It was an awesome gift his uncle gave him for his birthday. His mom did not approve, but she allowed it, so long as he only shot at targets, and only when there was nobody else around. His aim was pretty good now. He hit most of the cans in his backyard from eight feet away — not bad for a ten-year-old. He liked to always have it with him, for protection of course, so he always kept it in his pocket and wore shirts that covered it up so his mom wouldn't see it. He wished he could take it to school and shoot Billy Lufkin with it, but he knew if he was caught and his mother found out, he would never see that slingshot again.

"Are you ready?" his mother asked.

"Sure," he said, feeling his shirt to make sure his prized possession was hidden from her view.

The drive only lasted about ten minutes, and they were there — the aquarium. He loved coming here and seeing the fish, always enjoying the exotic and colorful saltwater schools in the smaller aquariums; there was the jellyfish room, the stingrays, and his most favorite of them all, the shark tunnel. Here, the sharks swam over you, beneath you, and beside you. The tunnel passed through their huge tank, and you could literally walk among the sharks.

In the front lobby, he saw several Halloween decorations. Webs hung from the ceilings, witches and monsters were on the walls, and even a jack-o'-lantern with a shark's face carved into it rested near the front entrance.

They were about to start the tour when Joey heard the front door open. He turned to look and saw Billy Lufkin walk in with his older brother Aaron, an even worse bully. He hurried before they could see him. His mother was with him, but he was still scared. He walked quickly, past all the smaller displays, hoping to put some distance between himself and the two older boys.

At the Jellyfish room, his mother had to use the restroom. Joey waited for her, and of course, the Lufkin brothers arrived once she was out of sight.

"Well, well, look who we got here," said Billy.

"Who's that?" asked Aaron.

"He got me in trouble for cheating in math class."

"You a tattler, kid?" asked Aaron.

Joey turned and fled. The two brothers looked at each other and smiled before pursuing. Joey passed the stingrays and arrived at the long shark tunnel. He reached the end and turned around. It was a straight path, a perfect place for shooting. He pulled out his slingshot, reached into his pocket for a metal slug, and stretched the elastic band, pointing his weapon at the tunnel entrance. The glass doors opened and both brothers stepped in. Nobody else was around. They knew this as well as he did, and this meant they could get away with whatever they did to him. Without hesitation, he shot. The slug hit Billy in the knee.

"Ouch, you little shit."

Aaron ran past his brother, and now Joey was shaking. He reached for another slug, this time without aiming and shot in Aaron's general direction. The slug hit the glass walls of the tunnel. It made a small chip, which turned into a crack. Joey hurried out the door and shut the tunnel exit as the glass walls shattered and caved in. Both brothers were cut with glass, but Aaron got bold. When a shark swam towards him, he tried punching it in the face. The sea predator opened its jaws and tore through the teenager's skin. The water turned red, and Joey could see bubbles escaping from Aaron's mouth in what he could only imagine was a scream as the shark kept biting down.

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