by N. Phillips
The only other person who didn’t find Ashanti’s comment amusing or embarrassing was Lorenzo, who looked at her with a deadpan expression. The two stared at one another in awkward silence until Ashanti cracked and rolled her eyes, saying, “I’m gonna check on my mother. Zayn, could you come with me?”
I jumped at the chance, but Marcus stood up as well and said, “I’ll go. She might need a hand.”
Tory quickly shot out, “Hold up, Marcus. Did you see the new PlayStation exclusive that’s comin’ out? It’s gon’ be crazy.”
Marcus, seemingly triggered, narrowed his eyes as he tilted his head to the side and sat back down. “Okay? I’ve been playing so many games on Xbox, I probably missed it.”
“I don’t know, bro. It would be a shame to miss this one.”
It didn’t take long for their debate on console superiority to begin, giving me the opportunity to slip away with Ashanti to the kitchen. The smell of peach cobbler smacked me in the face upon entering, and boy did I love it.
“We’re here to give you a hand,” Ashanti said to her mother.
“Oh, perfect. The tray is very hot, so grab the oven mitts and hold it from underneath. There’s also a dish towel one of you can use. I’ll see you both back in there.”
Her mom walked away, leaving the two of us alone. I could hear Tory’s voice in my head now urging me to make a move, but starting a conversation off light was the best choice.
“Man, your mom cooked for an army,” I said, grabbing the dish towel.
She smiled. “Tell me about it. She’d always cook for the whole block and bring the leftovers down to the shelter.” She moved closer to me. “Anyways, though, I wanted you to come in here with me so I can ask you something.”
The gravitating aroma of her perfume was now competing with the mouth-watering smell of the dessert. “Y-yeah, what’s up?”
“Lorenzo. Is the shroud, or Shadow more specifically, here with him?”
“It is. The thing is just standing behind him lookin’ scary as fuck. I couldn’t even enjoy the food as much as I wanted to because I had to concentrate on not making eye contact with it.”
She sighed while putting on the oven mitts. “I hate this. Who knows what that thing could make him do? My mom could be in serious danger being around him. We have to do somethin’.”
I shared her concerns. Hell, even without the Shadow, Lorenzo oozed evil. Something about him just wasn’t right.
“You’re right, Shanti,” I agreed, voicing the nickname out of comfort this time. “There’s gotta be dirt on him or somethin’. It seemed like Tory knew who he was. Maybe we can ask him.”
She nodded in worry. “Okay.”
The two of us picked up the large tray of peach cobbler and headed back out toward the dinner table, where Lorenzo showed emotion for once and appeared anxious for dessert. We went over to his seat to serve him when suddenly, just as I was about to place his portion on the plate, the demon behind him stretched its arm out in my direction, causing me to flinch and lose my grip on the tray.
But somehow, Lorenzo grabbed the tray with his bare hands before the peach cobbler could spill over. Let me remind you: the tray was really hot.
“Careful there, son,” he said to me, unfazed. “You wouldn’t want this to go to waste, would you?”
“R-right.”
After serving everyone and sitting back in my seat, I looked over at Ashanti, who’s wide-eyed glance let me know she also caught wind of what happened.
“Eat up, everyone. There’s more,” her mother announced. Tory seemed to have lost his appetite, though.
“What’s up? Why you ain’t eating?” I asked him.
“That guy.” He looked down at his plate to avoid suspicion, but I knew who he was talking about. “He’s not normal.”
“You noticed?”
“Yeah, bro. You two must’ve had your hands covered for a reason, but there’s something else you need to know.”
The peach cobbler in my mouth went down my throat hard in anticipation. If only I could stomach his next words.
“That man is Lorenzo Crowe. He runs a construction company and a real estate firm, but all of that is a coverup, bro. His real business is operating the Silicon Cogs, one of the largest gangs around. On the streets, he’s known as Mr. Payne.”
CHAPTER 5
I dreamt of familiar territory: an empty, foggy setting occupied by invisible people and hollowed voices. That is, until the demon manifested.
That demon was a gun being held by a hooded figure. The words of my dad trying to reconcile with the individual were distorted and faded, with only cries of a child being coherent.
If only those screams could stop the gunshot that followed.
The blast of the weapon woke me out of my nightmare and into a hyperventilating reality. My first sight was the chalkboard in a vacant classroom before I grabbed the headphones around my neck and placed them on my ears. It took about thirty seconds of the music playing before my breathing returned to normal.
I paused the song just as Tory poked his head into the room. “Yo, you good, Z? What’chu still doin’ sittin’ in here? Class ‘bout to start next door.”
“Yeah, hol’ up. I’m comin’.”
Tory went on ahead while I got out my seat and walked into the hallway, where Marcus stopped me before I could step into the classroom.
“Hey, Zayn. You seen Ashanti today?”
“Nah, actually. It’s weird though since I always spot her in the mornin’.”
He looked a little worried. “Yeah, yeah. I was ‘pose to drive her home from school, but I ain’t seen her all day. I tried textin’ her and—”
“You got her number?”
“Yeah, don’t you? I mean, what’chu thought I only hit her up on social media?”
He laughed, but damn it wasn’t funny how the question flew out my mouth like that. I was getting too caught up in my feelings about those two getting close, where I should’ve been more concerned about Ashanti’s whereabouts. Did those men in black find her? I needed to know.
“Aight, well, let her know I’m looking for her if you see her,” he said, putting his hand out for a dap.
“Yeah, I got’chu.” We dapped and separated, with him walking down the hall and me stepping into the classroom.
Inside, a small group of students were surrounding Tory, who had been wearing a new pair of red and white sneakers that recently came out.
“Those drippy as hell, cuz,” one of the students said louder than the others gassing Tory up. Not everyone was feeling his drip, though, as someone decided to question the rest of his attire.
“Why you got on a blue shirt with them shits, though? What’chu gettin’ ready for, the Fourth of July?”
Others, including Tory, laughed at the student’s joke. A roast session was inevitable.
“Bruh, I know you ain’t tryin’ to clown me with that ketchup and mustard outfit you got on. Ol’ hotdog lookin’ ass. The hell was you thinkin’ in the mornin’ when you got dressed?”
Everyone was enjoying the back and forth as it went on for a minute or so, but the vibe in the room shifted once CJ stormed in with some of his football buddies like a pack of bloodthirsty hounds.
“Where those fuck boys at?” he questioned the drug dealer sitting at his desk, who appeared high as hell and couldn’t comprehend the question. “I know you roll with those pussies who run up in my house Friday night.”
The guy looked up at CJ with a half-smile. Dude was clearly stoned and high off his own supply, which is crazy seeing as he was probably only a year older than me. He slurred his words with a sluggish demeanor. “Ion know what’chu talm ‘bout, blood.”
CJ snatched him out his seat and pinned him against the bookshelf in the room. “Stop playin’ with me. Where they at?”
Everyone else in the room watched with some pulling out their cell phones to record the interrogation. The drug dealer laughed before saying, “I’m gon tell you if you lemme go.
”
CJ, however, kept his grip and sneered with gritted teeth. It wasn’t until Jasmine walked in the room seconds later and demanded CJ let go that the heat in the room simmered.
“You ain’t have to do all that,” the dealer complained. “But aight, they’d be in The Heights ‘til ‘round four or five today. You tryin’ to get some bullet holes in ya whole team, that’s on you, bro. Just don’t tell’em I gave the spot up, ya heard?”
To be honest, this was all some bullshit. Yeah, I could understand CJ’s pride was broken after what happened, but the dudes him and his pack wanted to go to war with had guns. CJ and the other players may have been fit and strong, but none of that matters when a glock is pointed at you.
“You really doin’ this?” I questioned CJ. “Throwin’ ya whole life away over some stupid beef? What about playin’ college football next year?”
He approached me. “You realize they in my hood, right? I ain’t gonna be disrespected. That’s my hood.”
“Bro, fuck all that nonsense. Why you blowin’ your chances over some dumb shit? Be at peace. Let it slide.”
He backed up and waved me off. “You ain’t ‘bout this life, Zayn. You wouldn’t understand.”
Jasmine shook her head in disgust at CJ before sitting at her desk. “You’re so fuckin’ stupid.”
“What?” CJ cupped his hand over his ear. “I thought a hoe who fuck on cam said somethin’.”
“Excuse me?” Jasmine stood out her seat and got in CJ’s face. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
CJ turned his head away from her. “Ain’t nothin’ wrong with me. You the reason I’m in this situation in the first place. All ‘cause you out here doin’ thot shit.”
Jasmine’s sudden slap swung CJ’s face in her direction. “We’re done.” She then marched out of the room past the teacher, who was walking inside.
“Sit down, everyone,” the teacher demanded, his mean-looking face appearing even uglier. We did as we were told, with Tory asking the male student who sits next to me if they could swap seats for the day. He obliged, and Tory took out his textbook before whispering to me.
“We gotta help CJ.”
We?
He continued, “You told me those thugs had Shadows on them at the party, right? They might have some wild powers like that old dude. We gotta back CJ and the squad up.”
Again, we?
Despite the danger, I was gonna go with CJ and the football team, but Tory being there was a problem. He was a liability, as much as I hated to admit.
“You really wanna be there?” I had to ask him. “You said it yourself; it’s gonna get wild. You could get hurt, bro.”
His lips pursed as he turned to the front of the room. “Yeah. Right. Never mind. Almost forgot I can’t do nothin’.”
I was just looking out for him, and he needed to know that, but the teacher glared at us as if he was finally ready to do his job and have us all work in silence. So, I stayed quiet for the remainder of the class with thoughts of what could go wrong once the bell rung.
This wasn’t gonna be a happy afternoon.
Me and CJ’s crew moved through the blocks like hyenas craving our next meal. Younger kids and their parents eyed us as we flooded the streets seven deep in search of our prey. If I were on the outside looking in, only one thought would cross my mind:
Them boys ain’t nothin’ to play with.
CJ was surprised I came with them, but on the real, this affiliation ain’t set right with me. I didn’t wanna be seen as a violent person, nor was it in my blood to hurt anyone willingly despite having the power to.
We passed by a pizza shop and some rundown houses until we turned a corner and spotted Miguel talking to two thugs in a front yard. We halted, watching from a distance as they conversed and made illegal exchanges. Both parties soon separated with Miguel walking inside the home and the thugs getting inside a car before driving off.
“They trappin’ out that house,” CJ acknowledged. “I say we catch’em off guard and fuck’em up.”
“Why don’t we call the police?” I questioned him. “We can get their whole spot raided right now.”
“Nah, that ain’t enough. They need to get what’s comin’ to them.”
Jasmine was right: this guy can be stupid as hell.
A deep breath blew out of my mouth before I pointed out, “Ain’t no comin’ back from this, and you know they gonna retaliate, right?”
“Then let’s make sure they don’t.”
CJ revealed the gun in his hoodie, much to the dismay of my mental state. Even his crew looked hesitant at the sight of the weapon.
“Shit, I ain’t know we was killin’ dudes,” one of them said. “I’m wit’chu, bro, but’cha beef ain’t worth life in prison.”
“My beef?” CJ raised his voice, but not enough to attract attention. “This about all of us. The Cogs been startin’ shit and causing problems around here since we were in junior high. If we gonna graduate and leave this place behind us, let’s leave it better than we found it, feel me?”
Hyping his squad up for action reminded me why CJ was the captain of the football team, but this wasn’t a game. Somebody was gonna get shot, or worse.
He uttered one last phrase before the ambush began: “Kill or be killed.”
CJ and his crew rushed toward the house and jumped the fence with me following behind nervously. We crept our way to the back door, only to be intercepted by a gang member who was probably the lookout.
“Yo, what the fu—”
CJ’s crew manhandled and dispatched the guy before he could say another word, but the ruckus alerted the others inside.
This was it: the confrontation we should’ve all been afraid of.
The gang members stepped out of the house with language as foul as the stench of drugs coming from their clothes and inside the home. A brawl ensued between the two groups, and though I couldn’t detect the presence of an evil entity, the hate and agony surrounding me was just as unbearable.
Why couldn’t we make peace? Stop the petty shit and move on with our lives?
Unfortunately, my thoughts of wanting serenity left me blindsided by the dangers around me, as a hard strike to the back of my head caused my body to fall face-first to the ground. With the taste of dirt on my lips, the sight of grass overcame my blurry vision before I turned on my back and saw the assailant: Miguel. If that wasn’t bad enough, the headphones on my neck were knocked off due to his attack.
Without them, what was I gonna do?
“You thought I wouldn’t recognize you?” He guessed while pointing his gun at me. My throat tightened as I looked up at him in fear. “Yeah, you that punk who caught my homies off guard the other night. Yo ass would be dead if one of your pussy ass friends didn’t whack me in the back of the head like a bitch.”
I glanced over at my headphones a few feet away in hopes of saving myself, but that only ended up being a mistake. Miguel caught wind of my eye movement and walked to them—laughing just before doing the unthinkable: stomping repeatedly on the headphones until they were broken beyond repair. The rage and desperation in me wanted to charge at him, but the gun pointed directly at me forced my hesitation and stillness.
I couldn’t do shit but let it happen.
Looking around, CJ and his boys were getting pummeled. Not only that, but we were clearly outnumbered seven to maybe twelve, or thirteen. This confrontation was worse than expected.
Miguel glared and bit his bottom lip, aiming the gun at my face. “You’re dead, fucker.”
And just when I thought his words were true, he was knocked down to the ground by a tackle from someone.
That someone was Tory.
“You good, bro?” he mouthed with heavy breaths, helping me to stand on my feet.
“Yea, I’m good. I’m good.” My eyes landed on Miguel’s gun in the grass that was knocked out of his hand from the impact. “Get the gun.”
CJ must’ve heard my shout, because he separated fr
om tussling with a gang member and raced with Miguel to grab the gun. Unfortunately for us, the opposition retrieved the weapon.
Miguel knocked CJ upside the head with the handle of the gun, leaving him dazed and opened for more pistol-whipping until he fell to the ground, unconscious. Both Tory and I tried to run to his aid but were immediately held down by two large gang members. We could do nothing as Miguel let off two rounds at CJ’s arm.
The same arm he used for throwing a football.
My body stiffened with overbearing, twisted thoughts in my head. It was hard to concentrate on anything but breathing, but I could hear Miguel saying, “That boy future is done.” He laughed and continued, “Now for the rest of these fools.”
He shot one of CJ’s friends in the chest, increasing my anguish. The Shadows now made their presence known to me, but without my power, there was nothing I could do about them.
All hope seemed lost.
“Hol’ up a sec,” Miguel said, approaching me and Tory as we tried to escape the grasps of the much bigger gang members. “Yeah, the one who hit me that night… It was you, wasn’t it?”
My eyes widened at the stomach-turning sight of Miguel raising the gun to Tory’s head. “No, it wasn’t him,” I hollered, struggling even more to release myself. “No, please. No. It wasn’t him that night.”
“Nah, don’t give me that bullshit. He’s your best friend, ain’t he? He saved you today, and he saved you then. Give it to me straight before I blow your head off first.”
I cried, pleading for Tory’s innocence and for us to be set free. Tears rolled down his cheek as well, but his face was of anger and frustration.
“Go on and do it,” he sneered, surprising Miguel. “I’m tired of livin’ in fear and being surrounded with so much hate. Look at how we treat each other, and people like you who gang up with others to do shit like this is the problem. You took my mom and dad away… You’re slowly takin’ my brother away. All I ever wanted to do was play fuckin’ video games, but if I had one wish, it would be to get rid of demons like you.”