Welcome To Hell.A.

by Stephens, L.

  CHAPTER 94: SO MUCH SHADE

  An eye for an eye….we are all blind

  ― Dalai Lama XIV

  Sarah wished she could have something to occupy herself with other than thinking about Jake and David. Lynne had her daughter who was finally quiet and not making a tough situation even tougher. Jill was still getting R.S.I. from flicking her wrist so furiously trying to find someone to come save her. There was no doubt in Sarah’s mind that she was going to watch Jill fly off into the sunset in a helicopter built for two. She just seemed like one of those women that just breezed through life with everything taken care of and all she had to do was bat her eyelids. Daryl was the wildcard of their group. Sarah couldn’t get a read on him. He was either about to kill you or ask you out on a date, there was no in between, which was unsettling. At least with Ryan you knew where he stood. He was just your run of the mill slime ball, looking for any opportunity to cop a feel or impose his maleness into the situation.

  Sarah could see Ryan inching closer to Lynne, and, just when she was about to say something, she saw a glint of metal shining out of his jacket. She waited for him to look away in Jill’s direction before she stole a longer glance, and then she saw what she had been dreading: a small gun in the inside pocket of his jacket. Ryan hoarding a secret gun didn’t bode well for the women on the rooftop. If he had a chance to take Daryl down, it would be pandemonium.

  “I know what you’re up to,” Daryl whispered. “Are you a cop?”

  Sarah tried to not act surprised, but she was sure everyone on the rooftop could hear her heart trying to leap out of her chest. She forced a small chuckle and it came out obviously fake. She was going to have to see her acting coach and do a couple sessions when this whole mess was over—if this mess was ever over.

  “I’m not a cop,” Sarah said with a smile. “But I’ve played one on TV.”

  “An actress, huh?” Daryl said, rolling his eyes. “Makes sense. You’re white, you got a decent body and you’re white. Dime a dozen in this town.”

  “Thank you!” Sarah said sarcastically. “That’s such a sweet thing to say.”

  “You’re welcome,” Daryl said, nodding his head.

  Sarah didn’t know if he was being serious or just being a dick, but either way he was being a dick.

  “I see you keeping an eye on your friends and watching that creepy little dude like a hawk,” Daryl said under his breath. “I respect it, that’s some next level friend shit. If you’re worried about me, just know, as long as you don’t try anything that puts me in danger, I’m not going to go out of my way to do the same to you. This isn’t a peace accord or the striking of a partnership, though. Fuck that! I’ve seen way too much shit today to lay down my guns. I’m still the fucking boss around here.”

  It turned out she did have something to keep her occupied. She was the rooftop’s unofficial snoop.

  “Are you going to keep him in check?” Sarah whispered as she nodded towards Ryan. “Or at least back me up if I have to?”

  “I’ll throw him off the roof right now if you want,” Daryl whispered back. “But that won’t change anything.”

  “King Daryl,” Sarah said with a smile as she walked away. “I got it!”

  She sat down in between Lynne and Ryan with confidence. The scratching of his groin had become more frequent, and it wasn’t even subtle.

  “Can you stop doing that, bro?” Sarah asked in her most frat-style voice.

  Ryan looked down. It seemed like he hadn’t even noticed he was doing it.

  “Sorry,” Ryan said quietly and walked away.

  “Nice work,” Lynne said as she rubbed Sarah’s back. “I was worried he was going to blow a load, he was working it so much.”

  Sarah choked. She didn’t expect she’d find a friend or a reason to laugh on the rooftop.

  “Hey guys!” Jill said as she strutted over to them.

  “Oh, boy,” Lynne said under her breath. “Here comes Linda Evangelista!”

  Sarah scrunched her face as she tried not to burst out laughing at Lynne’s dated but amazingly accurate comment.

  “I told you it would work!” Jill said as she raised her phone victoriously. “Don’t worry, I got four guys on their way to help us.”

  They exchanged knowing glances and both broke out in laughter. They were at the mercy of everyone else and that wasn’t changing anytime soon.

  “No!” Jill screamed.

  Lynne and Sarah stopped laughing and looked up at Jill. They held their breath and waited for what was about to happen next.

  “My phone just turned off,” Jill said solemnly. “I’m out of battery.”

  “It’s okay,” Lynne said sweetly. “I—”

  “It’s not o-fucking-kay!” Jill interrupted and stomped away.

  “Wow,” Lynne said under her breath as she turned to Sarah. “That chick is fucking nuts!”

  Sarah and Lynne looked at each other before bursting out in laughter again. The circus had come to town, and they were pretending they were enjoying every second. Their laughter died down, and an eerie silence overtook the rooftop again.

  CHAPTER 95: BIG PLANS

  Daryl was not happy with how that had played out. He checked the barricade again and cursed himself for dropping his guard and talking too much. With guys, he was like an ancient stone statue, silent and unmoving. He could go an eternity without speaking. But when a girl was in his vicinity, something turned on inside him. The switch that fired inside him wasn’t sexual or a primal urge for conquest; it was more akin to a kindergarten participation trophy. It didn’t mean shit but made you feel special. Daryl just constantly needed someone letting him know he was normal, he was smart and he had value.

  He spat a large globule of bile over the side of the building and let the hate well up inside him. Hate for Max, hate for Donald, hate for Jake and most importantly hate for himself for getting into this fucking travesty. He relented on his hate for Jake. He was way too loveable and was just doing him a solid. Even though Jake didn’t know about his big plans, he was helping him get there. His big plans weren’t that big in reality. He couldn’t even really tell anyone. He would have to move in silence for a couple years before breaking out. It had all started with a small book in the prison library, a small book that had sparked his imagination, coupled with some small talk with his fellow inmates in the gym. Everyone in jail had big plans to get out and start up a lucrative weed business. The ideas ranged from the best weed cookies you’ve ever tasted to the best weed delivery service in town, and Daryl listened intently at their ridiculous notions on how to succeed in business.

  When he saw the book, all their stupid plans came into focus. They were misguided. Their thoughts were small and had no end game, other than a meager living or ending up back in prison. He had been in the library, minding his own business, which was his favorite thing to do besides jerking off to faceless girls. The book was small and looked like it was designed for kids, not hardened criminals, but it sent Daryl down a rabbit hole, a rabbit hole where he would not be an outlet for weed which was now legal in the state of California. He would be the source. The book was entitled Bernie S. Lomax’s Guide To Horticulture. It didn’t tell him how to grow weed, but it gave him the idea to do it.

  Now, thinking about his plans to leave L.A. and start up a farm that was centered purely around growing weed made Daryl the angriest he had ever felt. It was supposed to be his happy thought, but now in the chaos it was a pipe dream. The city was on fire. There were literally dead people running around, and all his plans were up in the air. The rampage he had gone on earlier that day was fueled by his need to end this madness, to get everything back in order so he could just have a shot at living the life he deserved. He momentarily thought about jumping over the edge of the building and putting all his failures to rest, when an unusual beep came from his pocket.

  “Mother fucker,” Daryl said as he pulled his phone out and looked at it.

  It wasn’t Jake as he expecte
d. It was the phone itself, flashing, telling him that he had five percent battery left, and his connection to the outside world, which only consisted of Jake and Donald, was about to expire. His anger now was like a volcano ready to burst. Deep down he didn’t want to do it, but he needed to up the ante on this situation and show everyone that he was “King Daryl” like the skinny white bitch had said. She said she was an actress, he thought. I’m gonna put on a fucking show. Levi Strauss is gonna pay me to give him acting lessons.

  He had a new sense of purpose, and making people happy wasn’t a part of it.

  “Lynne,” Sarah said under her breath as she nodded her head towards the approaching Daryl.

  Daryl heard her and saw her do it. He watched Lynne wait a second or two before looking up in his direction, and he was already looking straight at her when their eyes met. He felt like the schoolyard bully about to beat up a kid half his size, but he knew it needed to be done. It was the end of the world. There were no rules. It was kill or be killed.

  “Let me see that phone,” Daryl said stiffly.

  Lynne looked up at Daryl with a face of sadness and woe.

  “She’s just a child, please let her be,” Lynne pleaded as she patted Ava’s hair.

  “I said, give me a look at that phone,” Daryl said, this time louder and with more venom.

  Lynne flinched. Daryl was standing over her and Ava, casting a shadow over both of them.

  “Leave her alone,” Sarah started. “Didn’t you just tell me you were going to be rational?”

  “Don’t!” Daryl interrupted, waving his hand to visually cut her off. “Just, don’t.”

  “Come on, darling,” Lynne said soothingly as she looked between Daryl’s silhouette and Ava. “Let the man play your game.”

  Ava started humming to herself, ignoring Lynne and the man demanding the phone from her. Daryl studied her face before he grew impatient and reached into the tent and ripped the phone from Ava’s hands. Ava froze, her tiny hands still in the position they were in while she gripped the phone. Daryl thanked God for his dark complexion, because his cheeks were on fire, he was so embarrassed. Lynne slapped at his tree trunk like arm but it was like a faint touch. He knew he probably could have just asked for it again, but, like the car, that would have left him open to them saying no, and that would have been even more emasculating.

  CHAPTER 96: JANE FONDA

  Silence is sometimes the best answer.

  ― Dalai Lama XIV

  Lynne ducked her head into the tent and began soothing Ava before she could erupt into a full meltdown. Meanwhile, Sarah’s blood boiled, but there was no one to soothe her meltdown and she was about to go full The China Syndrome on Daryl. She jumped to her feet and took after him before he got too far away and she lost her nerve.

  “Hey! What are you doing?” Sarah said sharply. “She’s just a child!”

  Daryl heard the shuffling of movement and swiftly turned back to Sarah, so before she even knew it, she was face to face with him and it was go time. Sarah had to decide in a split second which way she was going to play out the situation. If she got on his bad side it could mean mayhem for the rooftop, but if she didn’t stand up for herself and the others he might continue with this aggressive advancement into their territory.

  “Don’t fucking say a word, okay?” Daryl said through his teeth. “You fucking amateurs are over here wasting all the fucking battery power. We might need these later!”

  Daryl held up his and Lynne’s phone and shook them gently as if to prove his point.

  “You got your own phone. Why do you need hers, too?” Sarah said, trying her best not to let her voice crack even though her heart was racing at a mile a minute.

  Daryl gave her a smirk. It was like he was trying to let her know he appreciated the effort in sticking up for herself but she was totally out of her league.

  “If you must know, mine is almost out of juice,” Daryl said, only shaking his phone this time. “I don’t want to lose another phone. It’s bad enough dip shit over there has ran her battery down swiping fools on Tinder!”

  What Daryl was saying made sense to her. She didn’t approve of his methods, but he was right. The phones could be the only thing that saved them, especially since the internet and phone calls were still working, unlike most disaster films would have you believe.

  “I have a portable charger in my handbag,” Lynne said quietly as she poked her head back out of the tent. “I charged it before we left the hotel.”

  Daryl leaned to the side so he could see past Sarah.

  “You been holding out on us, tits?” Daryl asked. “You got an Android plug in there too?”

  “Only iPhone,” Lynne called back.

  Daryl’s phone was Android. His iPhone was safely tucked away at home. Taking his personal phone on a job was a no-no, but he was regretting that adherence to protocol right now.

  “Figures,” Daryl said, holding up his Android phone.

  Sarah scrunched up her nose as she grimaced. Even her closest ally was holding out on her. Lynne had let her make a call to her mom with the phone, but there had been no answer. She had even tried to log onto Facebook to send Jake a message but it was down, most likely due to every ass hat in the world making a comment or a meme about the destruction of L.A.

  “Alright, Queen Mary,” Daryl said with yet another shit-eating grin as he looked down at Sarah. “If you got a phone, you should probably hand it over right now for safe keeping.”

  Sarah looked down shaking her head. He had somehow put the pin back into her rage grenade, while still being a total fuck wit.

  “You see any pockets in these yoga pants?” Sarah said jokingly, almost flirtatiously.

  “Nope, but I do see a fine fucking ass,” Daryl said, licking his lips.

  Sarah established eye contact with him and tilted her head to the side. Her face had an expression akin to eating something that tasted horrible but she didn’t want to let the chef know how bad it was.

  “You’re not very smooth, are you?” Sarah said with a grin.

  Daryl’s demeanor changed from light-hearted to serious within an instant. He had been testing her, and Sarah was glad she had picked up on it and ended her flirtatious moment. She had gathered this was not the first time Daryl had interacted with someone who had tried to flirt their way into getting in his good graces. Jill would be that kind of girl, give up her most valued asset at a moment’s notice if it secured her the tiniest bit of leeway.

  “Amen, brother!” Ryan said, appearing over Daryl’s shoulder. “She’s got a fine fucking ass!”

  Daryl turned in the blink of an eye and grabbed Ryan by the neck and brought him in front of Sarah. His eyes bulged out of their sockets in surprise, not to mention the pressure from Daryl’s grip on his neck.

  “Apologize, right now,” Daryl spat.

  “But you—” Ryan said in between gasps for breath.

  “Don’t you fucking worry about me, man!” Daryl said calmly as if he was giving directions to a tourist on Hollywood Blvd. “Say you’re fucking sorry and return to your little worm hole over there.”

  To show he was going to do as he was told, Ryan blinked and nodded as much as he could, and considering the grip Daryl had him in, there wasn’t much he else he could do.

  “I’m sorry!” Ryan gasped between chokes.

  Sarah rolled her eyes as Daryl held him there for a few more moments then released his grip, and Ryan slithered back to his space like he had been instructed. Sarah looked away so Daryl couldn’t see her let loose a tiny smile. She appreciated his show of courtesy, especially after giving her ass a crude compliment, but she had to keep this social tether-ball thing they had going, even and taught. Sarah watched Daryl wait for Ryan to skulk back to his wormhole, and she saw the perfect opportunity to slip away before he could notice.

  “I’ll give the phone back when I’m done okay?” Daryl said, turning back to where Sarah had been.

  Sarah giggled as she sat down next t
o Lynne. She didn’t even have to look at him. She could tell he was a giant pile of embarrassment right now because he was literally talking to no one.

  CHAPTER 97: SIERRA LEONE

  “Hey!” Daryl called over to Lynne as he made her phone come to life. “What’s the code?”

  Lynne scowled at him. He could see the cogs turning in her mind, but he wasn’t worried. He knew she was going to give up the code.

  “Four, two, six, eight,” Lynne muttered before bowing her head.

  Daryl smiled at her, and she turned away, but he kept smiling in her direction. He was trying to get confidence anywhere he could. If he could only control a tiny bit of Los Angeles, he was going to make sure it was this rooftop. He keyed in the numbers and the phone unlocked. A song came into his head and he let himself get sucked into the moment.

  “Diamonds are forever!” Daryl sang loudly as he went to the phone app.

  Everyone turned to look at Daryl, and he could feel their eyes on him. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

  “What the fuck?” Sarah whispered to Lynne.

  “Four, two, six, eight,” Lynne said as she rolled her eyes. “The code to my phone is in the shape of a diamond.”

  All the power he had felt drained out of him as he copied Jake’s number into Lynne’s phone.

  “You know how to work that model?” Ryan said as he sidled up to Daryl.

  For the first time he was happy that the little rat faced fucker was on the rooftop with him. The girls had seen him for the fool he was, but the weasel, he was still trying to be his best friend.

  “Of course I do, mother-fucker,” Daryl said as he pressed buttons. “You think I’m stupid?”

  “No, no, not at all!” Ryan stuttered. “I…I…just noticed that the phone you were using was a little dated.”

  Daryl stood up and bared his teeth as he hovered over Ryan. He wanted to punch the living shit out of him. It wasn’t because Ryan annoyed him, it was because Sarah might appreciate it. Ryan was easy meat and Daryl had to be the shark, keep moving and keep being the rooftop’s apex predator. It didn’t take long for Ryan to realize that his presence may have a severe effect on his health, so he slithered away, and Daryl nodded slowly as he put Lynne’s phone to his ear.