Charm City Part 1 (Welcome to Bodymore Murdaland)

by S. L. Walker

  “Are you kidding? This is awesome,” she told me, tying her bracelet around her wrist. The other girls all looked over there new bracelets tying them around their wrist, too. I could see Eva shooting small envious stares at Zara, but deep down she was happy I thought of them too.

  “What does yours say?” Zara asked Eva.

  “My sister,” she held up the pink bracelet with the same silver token on her wrist.

  “Mines says, Loyal,” Victoria held up her red bracelet.

  “Angel,” Angel laughed, holding up her purple bracelet. We all chuckled together.

  “Okay, Angel, you’re next,” I urged her to open up her secret Santa.

  Angel’s eyes widened.

  She pulled out an all pink Louis Vuitton purse and matching earrings.

  “Girl!” Angel eyed the bright stitching. “It’s gorgeous!” Angel ran over and hugged Victoria around the neck.

  “You deserve it girl!” Victoria smiled back. I knew she was happy she could afford shit like that. We all were right now. But we also knew it was all over with, too.

  Lastly, Eva quickly opened up her gift from Angel. “Awwww,” she said, pulling out a Teddy bear and a card full of 100’s. “What girl doesn’t love money!” Eva hugged Angel.

  “Yeah, I don’t wanna see no more of that mess. Just reminds me of all the shit we did,” Angel shook her head. Eva counted the hundreds.

  “Speaking of money, y'all got any of the money on y’all?” I thought of something.

  “You know I do,” Victoria said, grabbing her another shot of Vodka.

  “I have about $1000,” Angel answered.

  “I think I got a few hundred plus the…$400 Angel gave me,” Eva said, pocketing her dollars and closing her card.

  The fact that we all had more money than any of us had ever had, made us feel like winners.

  “Damn ballers!” Zara looked at us, surprised. “I got my credit card, though,” Zara added.

  “You thinking what I’m thinking?” Victoria said, mimicking the cartoon Pinky and the Brain.

  “Let’s go spend some of this money. I mean, who knows when we will ever make this shit again,” I pulled out my stacks I kept on me just incase from my backpack.

  “Shit, let’s go!” Victoria threw her shot back and scurried to get her coat on.

  The other girls chattered in agreement. It was time to tear these malls up for once.

  $$$$

  We had literally been shopping all day; we ended up having Zara drop us off at home because we had so many bags. I snuck in the house with my shopping bags. I had bought at least five pairs of shoes and outfits. I had even bought me a couple of dope studded diamond earrings. Victoria and Angel had gone and gotten their hair styled and makeup done just for the fuck of it in the Salon Mall. Eva had bought plenty of jewelry and Zara went to town on designer outfits and jackets. We had all left that mall spending over $1000. I had the most money so whatever they couldn’t buy, I bought it.

  I was happy my dad wasn’t home yet but Deon wasted no time swinging open his bedroom door startling me. He looked down at my stuff and already knew what was up.

  “Let’s go to your room,” he said, closing his door and following me and my bags to my room. He closed the door behind us and locked it. I stuffed all the bags in my closet the best I could.

  “Wassup?” I asked him, crossing my arms. I wasn’t ready for another scolding. I knew eventually he’d come at me about the situation with Treach again and I was going to talk to him about it once I made a real plan. My plan right now was just to make sure nothing happened to us.

  “We need to handle Treach now, Raven. You pulled a gun on that nigga?! Are you crazy?! You lucky he had some sort of soft spot for you or he would have been blasted you and me by now! What the fuck were you thinking?!” He tried his best to keep his voice down and the look on his face scared me.

  “I was thinking he was about to handle us! Angel shot his customers friend!” I told him as if he didn’t already know. The look on his face told me he knew it all.

  “Raven, Treach is gonna retaliate. I can’t let him do that. So we need to get this nigga, and get him now. You don’t pull a gun out on a nigga like him unless you plan to use it. Where are your pieces?” He asked me, referring to my guns.

  “What? You wanna do this now? Kill him now?” I couldn’t believe him.

  “Get them!” His yell made me jump. I hopped up and dug into one of my Nike shoe boxes and pulled out every gun I had, including the guns we took from them and gave them to him. He looked at the guns and shook his head.

  “I got niggas on stand by, waiting for Treach to slip up. And when he does, I will do it,” He checked my guns for bullets and stuck them all in different parts of his clothing like a pro.

  “Deon, naw I can’t let you-” I started to say.

  “You don’t have a choice! It’s either you or him! Me or him! Your girls or him! Us or him!” His eyes were blood shot red, his voice was shaky. He was scared and it made me scared. I had never seen Deon afraid. Mad, determined, excited, but not afraid.

  “Do you know Kaitlin knows about Big Willy?” He asked me. I started taking off my jacket and shoes.

  “Knows what?” I asked him.

  “She knows. She saw the whole thing. Did she tell you that?” He watched my expression.

  “No,” I said, silently. “So what if she knows. She’d never snitch,” I defended her.

  “You don’t know what that bitch will do. If she was your friend, she would have told you she saw it. What do that tell you?” He corrected me.

  “Does Treach know?” I asked, now sitting on my bed. He was right. Why did she keep it to her self?

  “Yes, and he has plans for her ass,” he told me just like that. Simultaneously, we heard the front door slam shut. Our dad was home.

  “We will talk more about this later. Here,” he reached back in his pocket and let me keep the burner gun he had given me. “Keep this on you 24/7 until that nigga is in the ground,” he said quickly and walked out my room.

  CHRISTMAS EVE

  Raven knew Deon was going to go after Treach as soon as he could and there was nothing she could or wanted to do about it. She knew Deon would handle it. In the meantime, she had to watch her back as she last minute shopped for gifts for her dad and Deon. She didn’t want to buy anything too expensive, even though she could afford just about anything in the mall she wanted. She continued to look behind her as much as she could while she waited at the registers or got boxes gifted up. Her pager buzzed with an urgent message from her dad.

  She hurried and paid the cashier her last gift she was buying in an As Seen on TV store and scurried to find a payphone.

  I swear this better not be about Deon. She thought to herself afraid of what her dad was going to say on the other end of the phone.

  “Daddy?” She asked when she heard him pick up.

  “You seen your brother? You know he didn’t come home last night? I heard him leave in the middle of the night, so I know he didn’t come back,” he said calmly and smoothly. She knew he was trying to hold his composure while he was secretly thinking of the worst. His mind flashed back to that day Raven dragged him in all beaten and bruised.

  “No, daddy. I am sure he is fine. I heard him talking to some girl last night. Maybe he went to see her,” she eased his thoughts with the one thing a teenage boy could definitely be doing; risking his freedom for some ass.

  “Let me know if you hear from him,” he said to her, still calm, not believing her one bit.

  “Of course, daddy. I’ll be home soon, I’m at the mall,” she told him.

  “And Vee, if you know something I don’t, It’d be best to tell me,” his voice steady, but the words struck her like a knife. She knew her dad wasn’t stupid. Her and Deon snuck around doing their own thing oblivious that their father could have been watching their every move the whole time. She shook off the thought of him being suspicious of her, too, realizing that if he knew
, he’d never let her out the house.

  “I will,” she said, and hung up before he could ask her anymore questions.

  She bit her lip and immediately knew something was wrong. She wanted to call the girls but didn’t want to risk them getting hurt. She would work better alone. Raven hightailed it home expecting her dad to be there but his truck was gone. She dumped her shopping bags and checked for her gun on her. She then searched around in Deon’s room hoping to find any extra pieces, but he must’ve taken them all. This made her freak out even more; him having all of his guns meant he was out to kill. She threw on a black hoodie and her black Nike Airs that made her light on her feet. She jumped on her bike and raced to Treachs' as fast as she could.

  $$$$

  The sun was setting when she arrived at Treach’s warehouse. The same usual cars were in front. She didn’t see Deons', but seeing Treach’s car made her stomach turn. Scenarios of them dumping Treach’s body filled her hopeful head. She hid her bike behind a neighboring car and crept up to the side of the warehouse. She had become familiar with all the entrances, even the back area that was blocked off for emergencies and bad storms. She expected to see some goons guarding the side entrance but it was empty. She lightly slid into the side door, closing it gently until it did a smooth click. She looked around the dark empty room. She slid out of that room into the warehouse hallway, now knowing she could easily be spotted at any moment. Treach still hadn’t put up enough cameras around yet; only in the front and back, but the hallways connected to where Deon could be were full of them. She took her hoody and t-shirt off and pushed her body flat against the wall when she saw her first camera. She tried her best to swing her hoodie up and over the camera to black it out. Success. She then walked where she could, now only in her black thermal shirt, until she spotted a camera above the first door she wanted to check. She took her green flannel that she had tied around her waste and did the same, landing it over the camera. She quickly walked in the room, closing the door behind her. It was empty with nothing but a few furniture boxes that Treach planned to fix up in the room.

  Moving on, she walked out of the room preparing to head to the next room.

  “Wassup Raven,” Treach’s voice echoed, sending chills through her spine. He was standing in the middle of the hallway. Next to him was West and Nine. She reached for her gun but West and Nine already had theirs pulled out. Her heart raced with fear. She was about to die.

  “Nah ah ah. Not so fast. I was expecting you. Took you a little longer than I thought, but hey. You made it!” His laugh finally matching his name.

  “I was shopping,” she said with an attitude.

  “Get her gun,” Treach nodded to West. West pointed his gun at her, dared her to make a move, reached for her gun in the front of her pocket. “So, let me guess. You looking for your brother again?” He said after West took his spot back next to him.

  “Where is he?” She asked, afraid of the answer. Secretly, she didn’t really want to know. The fact that he was waiting for her to show up told her enough.

  “See, you and your brother are predictable. I don’t know why he thought he was going to kill me, but I already knew when I let you go, that’d be the first thing he’d try. And this time, I wasn’t so nice,” he grinned.

  “The fuck did you do, Treach?” Raven’s eyes blazed. Treach thought this was a game and the fear she had, was starting to be trampled by rage. This was her blood and if Treach had taken her blood’s life, she would make a promise to take his.

  “Bring her dumb ass,” he motioned for West and Nine to get her. West couldn’t wait to grab her roughly as she snatched and pulled away from him.

  “Don’t put your fucking hands on me, bitch!” She yelled at West.

  “Shut up, bitch!” He pushed her while Nine took her by her other arm. She turned and spit in West face.

  “You fucking bitch!” He knocked her straight on the back of the head with his gun, causing her to fall down.

  “Aye!” Nine yelled at West.

  “The bitch spit on me!” West whined.

  “I swear to God Ima beat yo raggedy ass whenever I get out of this!” Raven slowly struggled to her feet holding the back of her head. She checked her clean hands for blood. Treach chuckled at her spicy attitude but her head throbbed. He had hit her good.

  “You can’t handle a little spit?!” Nine yelled at West. He never cared for West. He was always too mad and disrespectful, but he appreciated how West got shit done and Treach liked him for it.

  “Fuck that bitch,” West mugged the back of Raven’s braided head tied in a high ponytail dangling almost to her butt.

  Raven made a mental note when she killed West to shoot him right where he hit her.

  “Ah, here we are,” Treach guided them into another closed off and dimly lit room. The room had another small room in it with a huge window you could see through it. The lights were off but it reminded Raven of those questioning rooms cops took criminals. West walked in first and flicked on the light. Deon was there on the ground bloody and naked. Raven had to cover her own mouth from screaming at her half dead brother.

  “What did you do?!” She lunged towards Treach, but couldn’t go far with Nine’s strong grip holding her. “You’re a fucking monster! You fucking prick! Let my brother out of there! He needs a doctor!” She screamed. Her face was red and as much as she wanted to hold her tears back, they fell like waterfalls.

  “Ah haha! A doctor? Oh baby girl, I was just waiting on you to finish the job!” Treach yelled. He wanted to kill Deon, but knew it would be way more satisfying to see Raven squirm. Plus, he had one more thing he needed from her.

  “Let me go!” She yelled at Nine, her eyes full of tears. She then looked through the window again. She could see Deon moving a little and trying to speak. West walked in and kneeled down beside him.

  “What was that?” West mocked him. “I’m sorry we can’t hear you, speak louder,” West chuckled and looked at Raven with malice. “I think he is having a hard time talking!” He yelled through the glass door.

  Raven’s heart sank. She couldn’t breathe. West then tapped Deon with his gun.

  “Don’t die yet brotha!” West said.

  “Get the fuck away from him!” She cursed West for playing with her brother. Deon was trying to move and eventually was able to slide up a little bit. She was horrified at his appearance. His eyes were badly bruised and swollen, she was sure he couldn’t see out of them. His head was gashed and lip was beyond busted open. His head leaned to the side as he rested against the wall.

  “Deon! Deon! I’m here bro!” she yelled as loud as she could. She could see him trying to hold his head up.

  West then took his gun and pointed it towards Deon’s head. Raven lost it.

  “Don’t you do it! I will fuck you up!” She pulled and pulled from Nine’s grip, not realizing she was hurting herself as Nine held her tight.

  “Calm down, he ain’t gonna do shit unless I say so,” Treach put his hand on her shoulder. West laughed and put his gun away. “And I ain’t gonna do shit if you get on this phone, and page your little girlfriends,” Treach told her, pulling out one of his burner cell phones.

  “What?” She thought she heard wrong.

  “Call them bitches,” he told her again.

  “No,” she looked at him in shock. She could never live with herself if she got her brother and her girls hurt all in on night.

  “West!” Treach called West into the room. West came in like an obedient dog. Raven was disgusted at his loyalty to Treach. “I am gonna ask yo ass again. Here. I’m gonna need you to page your girls. We can do this the easy or the hard way,” he handed her the phone again. She refused to take it. Suddenly, West hit the side of her face with so much force that she dropped to the floor.

  “Ah!” Raven held the side of her mouth and looked up at the coward who punched her. Her ears rang as Treach leaned over her with the phone. She crawled backwards, refusing to take the phone again. Treach si
ghed and nodded at West. West quickly grabbed her by her feet and dragged her under him straddling her. Raven blocked as much as she could as West went to town on her face and chest.

  “Stop, stop!” Treach laughed as he saw the life being taken out of her. “Don’t hit so fucking hard mothafucka, I still need her!” Treach scolded West. “Get off her nigga,” he told him. West shrugged and the weight that lifted off Raven gave her extra oxygen. She gasped and coughed for air, her upper body feeling as if a car had just hit her.

  “What’s it gonna be, Vee?” Treach stood over her, arms folded.

  EVA

  My mom was having small talk with my dad while I sulked on the couch. She was forcing me to finally have a conversation with him. I didn't want to speak to him and couldn’t for the life of me understand why she was team dad all of a sudden. She claimed they had a mutual understanding of being parents, but fuck that.

  After she was done, she walked over and handed me the phone.

  “Take the phone, girl,” she said in her mom tone. I rolled my eyes and put the phone up to my ear.

  “Yes?” I answered.

  “Baby girl? Eve, Merry Christmas,” he sounded happy to hear me. “Listen, I just want to say I am sorry about everything. Your mom told me it was just a crush. I hope you know it wasn't my intention to overstep my boundaries. I am your father at the end of the day. I just wanted to make sure you are okay. Lilly never lies to us, so it makes more since that she misheard it. She admitted she may have heard it differently,” he babbled. I was surprised to hear him say that. Maybe Lilly had my back after all. Nah, fuck that. That bitch snitched on me. She knew what she was doing. The devil and the angel were both on my shoulders at this very moment. Be nice, don’t be nice. Be nice, don’t be nice.

  “It’s cool, dad. Where is she? Can I talk to her?” I asked.

  “Oh yes, hold on,” he said, eager to get the two of us back friends again. Little did he know. “Lilly baby, Eve’s on the phone for you! Come say Merry Christmas!” He yelled out to her. I could hear her mumbling in the background that she was surprised.