by N. Phillips
His words meant nothing to Miguel, who showed no remorse and ordered the gang member holding Tory to throw him to the ground. I tried even harder to break free from the firm grip keeping me in place after seeing my best friend at the mercy of this heartless human being.
No, human being was the wrong term. Miguel was a monster.
“Lights out,” he muttered to Tory, who was on his knees. The image alone disrupted my senses so much, that the sound of Miguel pulling the trigger didn’t even register in my mind. All I knew was that it happened—he shot someone—just as he would normally do.
Only this time, the outcome was anything but ordinary.
The bullet didn’t hit Tory, but the foot of the gang member who was behind him. Believe it or not, Tory was standing a few feet away, unharmed and astonished.
Miguel shouted, “What the fuck?” over the wailing of the shot gang member. He fired once more and missed his target yet again due to Tory dashing away in the blink of an eye. This action was repeated until Miguel ran out of bullets, and I couldn’t believe my eyes for one second.
Tory was moving at the speed of sound. Something straight out of a video game.
The hold around my neck and arm had been released before the gang member behind me declared, “I’ll get him.” He then rushed toward Tory, who looked petrified despite being the least person out here in danger.
Instead of moving though, he had his feet planted on the ground as if he were waiting to counter the bull of a man. To his and everyone else’s surprise, his arm raised in the direction of the charging gang member just before his fist glowed and released a shot of actual energy. The blast sent the guy flying backwards in the air, crashing into the window of the trap house.
Bruh. Holy shit.
The wide eyes and silence of everyone in the yard told a voiceless story of true fear and shock. The sirens of police cars added on to the anxiety and tension of the tale. Everyone fled the scene, including Miguel, who’s angry, vengeful expression assured we haven’t seen the last of him.
“What about CJ?” I yelled out to Tory, who had already started running.
“The cops will take care of him, bro. C’mon, let’s go. Let’s go.”
I glanced at CJ’s seemingly lifeless body on the ground before scampering off with Tory. As expected, the worst of the worst happened today, and I had a feeling the nightmare would only continue from here on out.
CHAPTER 6
Me and Tory hid in the hallways of his apartment building and talked about what went down. Once his exhilaration of the brawl subsided, he began celebrating the awakening of his powers.
“But did you see me out there, bro?” We dapped and bumped shoulders, smiling and laughing loudly. So much for staying lowkey. “Those were abilities of video game characters. I’m fuckin’ lit.”
“Yeah, man. You gonna have to hold it down for us until I get another pair of headphones. Though with my mom out of work ‘cause of that sicko, I don’t know when that’s gonna be.”
He placed his hand on the side of my arm. “I got’chu. Don’t worry.”
“Why was you at the scene, anyway?” I had to ask. “Like, you know I’m thankful for you being there and saving my life, but I told you back in class how real shit was gonna get. You could’ve died.”
He turned to take a seat on the stairs behind him, where he leaned back and appeared in deep thought before saying, “I couldn’t let you get hurt, bro. You know when my house got invaded the night I lost my parents, I froze. I didn’t protect my family. So fast forward to now and thinkin’ ‘bout that, I had to do somethin’.”
I sat on the stairs next to him. “That moment still in your head, huh?”
He looked at me and nodded. “I go through shit just like you, bro. Fightin’ demons and all that. And I remember Darius coming into my room a few days later to tell me he took care of the guys who broke in—that I didn’t need to worry about them anymore. After that though, I started gettin’ into fights with bullies at school. You remember them days?”
“You mean when you put that dude to sleep for stealing a kid’s phone?” I recalled, smiling. “Yeah, I remember that.”
He laughed. “Wild times. I was always so mad at the world until I started to channel that energy into video games. Playin’ online gave me a whole different outlook on life. Like it changed me for the better… And I try to understand those who do bad things for survival, but people like Miguel who do evil shit just for the fun of it…they make me so angry; you know what I mean?”
I looked at him and said, “A hundred percent.” And that’s when it hit me. “Let’s use our powers to clean up this place. We can stop the violence and separate the good people from the bad, ‘cause not every gang member doin’ dirt out here is a bad person.”
“You right, and I agree. Yeah, let’s make some changes. Positive vibes only, bro. We can do this.”
We nodded in agreement. Our goal was set.
After some time of talking about the future, I looked down the staircase out of caution. We were on the floor below Tory’s apartment. “Aight, everything look clear. I’m gonna head home.”
“Cool. Be safe.”
We dapped before going our separate ways, and after stepping outside of the building and walking into the complex, thoughts of Ashanti came to mind with wonders of why she wasn’t in school. Stopping by her place would be my first priority after checking in on my mom.”
I opened my front door and was hit with a surprise, though. Ashanti’s mother was sitting at the living room table with my mom, both with a look of gloom and defeat.
“Everything okay?” I asked, approaching them in concern.
“No,” my mom answered. “Ashanti didn’t come home from school and isn’t answering her cell phone. Her mother came here because she figured Ashanti was with you and Tory.”
“So, she did leave out in the morning.” My thoughts slithered out before I addressed the two of them. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t see her in school today. I thought maybe she stayed home or somethin’—to rest from her injuries and all that.”
My words caused Ashanti’s mother to look away in more distress. She must’ve been thinking the worst.
“Have you contacted local authorities for assistance?” my mom requested to know from her.
She was hesitant to respond, but replied with, “I have.” She then got out of her seat and said, “Well, thank you both for everything. Please let me know if you hear from her.”
After a subtle smile, she left out of the house in a hurry, leaving me and my mom perplexed. It was obvious to me that she didn’t reach out to the police for help. She wouldn’t wanna bring attention to herself and her daughter.
“I’m gonna hit up some people to see if they saw her,” I told my mom, heading toward my room.
“Wait,” she called out, stopping me in my tracks. “Why are your clothes so dirty?”
Damn.
“I was, um, playing football with the guys.”
Her brows raised in doubt. “Zayn Campbell, the only thing you’ve ever played was music and video games. Suddenly now you play football?”
I hunched my shoulders with a grin and said, “I’m switchin’ it up,” before escaping into my room and shutting the door. She’d go crazy if she knew what really happened.
Opening my laptop, the immediate plan was to browse through the social media pages of Gold Eagle Academy students and contact them regarding Ashanti. It was awkward to say the least; most of these people I never talked to in my life, which is why I messaged Tory to help out by having him ask about her whereabouts as well. He was way more popular than me.
Unfortunately, after two or so hours of questioning the whole damn school, we got nothing. Zero results. No leads, and no idea of what to do next. We couldn’t even go outside and search for her because Miguel and his boys were probably looking for us. Hell, even the cops might have been on the lookout.
There were no options.
“Fuck,” I
muttered, failing backwards on top of my black sheets and looking up at the white ceiling. A heap of air exhaled from my mouth as my legs hung off the bed, swinging back and forth in frustration. I was eager to do something—anything just to find her.
I started to doze off until it hit me: “Ciara.” My upper body shot up to grab my laptop and go to Ashanti’s social media page. I browsed through her list of followers until I came across Ciara, who I messaged right away regarding Ashanti’s appearance.
I prayed for an instant reply, and thankfully, my wish came true. She texted my cell number, which I had left in her inbox.
Hi, can we video chat?
My heart raced a bit as I texted back, Yeah no problem.
When the video call started, the look of worry in her eyes through her glasses immediately snatched my attention and never let go. “Hi, nice to meet, uh, see you,” she said, trying to force a smile through her apprehension.
“Yeah, same. So uh, have you heard from Ashanti today?”
“I have,” she confirmed. “Early this mornin’. I’ve actually been searching for you through her list of followers because she told me you’re filled in on everything that’s been happening, but I couldn’t find you.”
I scratched the back of my head and looked away. “Yeah, we didn’t follow each other yet.”
“Oh, that’s okay. So anyway, we were video chattin’ while she was walkin’ to school when I noticed she started to pick up her pace. I asked if she was in a hurry, and she said yeah, but then she started runnin’ in a panic, so I knew somethin’ was wrong. She eventually dropped her phone and the call ended. That was the last I heard from her.”
The most logical assumption was that she got caught by those men in black suits, but Ashanti was a fighter. She wouldn’t have given up so easily.
“Would she still be on the run?” I turned my head and wondered out loud before looking back at my phone. “What all do you know about the men after her?”
“I know they’re a part of a government organization that kidnaps and kills people with magical abilities or have been involved with these creatures called Shadows. They’re very secretive and discreet, so they’re not gonna cause a scene by snatchin’ her up in broad daylight. They’d most likely hold her hostage somewhere until nighttime, and then bring her to their base of operations, wherever that may be.”
I sighed. “We’ve gotta do somethin’. She’s out there somewhere, and I need to save her.”
She nodded. “I know. I’ll investigate further into this group and see if there’s anything more I can find. Please keep me updated, Zayn.”
“Definitely. Thanks, Ciara.”
Hearing what they might do to Ashanti, I couldn’t sit inside any longer. I had to go out and search for her, regardless of who might be looking for me. Thankfully, my mom was in her room across from mine with the door closed, so I was able to sneak past and avoid having to come up with some story for why I was leaving out on a school night.
Unfortunately, I was spotted outside my home by none other than Lorenzo, who walked over to me from Ashanti’s house with his hands in the pants pockets of his dark brown suit. His Shadow wasn’t present, but that didn’t make the sudden confrontation any less nerve-racking.
“Zayn, correct? And where might you be going at this hour, young man?”
Something told me there was no point in lying. “To find Ashanti, sir. I’m sure you know she’s missin’.”
His mouth narrowed at my response. “Right. About that, Zayn, you don’t need to concern yourself with that matter. My associates already found her, and I was just on my way to pick her up.”
His words caught me off guard—so much that I paused for a few seconds before saying, “Hold up, where is she? And by associates, you mean the goons who work for you, don’t you? You operate most of the gang activity that goes on around here.”
Maybe that wasn’t the best response, because his heavy sigh as he looked to the ground caused me to back away in fear. I wasn’t sure if he was gonna hit me or retaliate with his Shadow somehow.
“Come on,” he simply said, walking to his car gesturing his hand for me to follow.
“Nah, I ain’t goin’ nowhere with you.”
He got into the driver seat of his car and closed the door before lowering the window and replying, “You want to be there when we free Ashanti from our suppressors, am I right? Then come along before it’s too late.”
Our suppressors? What the hell?
With hesitation, I got in the passenger seat of his car and strapped the seat belt on. We took off in a quiet haste soon after, uncertain of what’s to come once we reach our destination.
Lorenzo parked his car outside of a hotel building near an airport. If Ashanti was here, there was no doubt that the men in black kidnapped her and planned to transport her by flight to one of their torture chambers. The thought of it made me angry and disturbed.
“Stand outside the car and don’t move,” Lorenzo said in a serious tone before a sly grin slid across his face. What was he scheming?
I did as told and stepped out into the outside parking lot with tall trees dancing in the wind around the hotel. Only the light from the building lobby gave a small radiance to my surroundings—which was also eerily silent and void of any people despite there being a few vehicles stationed within the vicinity. The anticipation of whatever was gonna do down made me tremble.
Out the hotel came three men in black, with one walking closely behind Ashanti. I wanted to rush in so bad and snatch her from their grasp, but the absence of my power and an overbearing sensation kept me locked in position. Was the feeling caused by terror? Lorenzo’s Shadow, perhaps? Or maybe even both?
None of that mattered, though, because Lorenzo stopped the men and greeted them before they could reach the black truck parked in the lot. “In a hurry, are we?”
The men refused to acknowledge him until Ashanti called out my name after locking eyes with me. They stopped and stared at me and Lorenzo, accessing the situation.
“Move along,” one of them demanded with a wave of his hand. “We have no business with you.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” Lorenzo retorted in a cocky manner. “When it comes to my people, it is my business.”
With a raise of his index finger, Lorenzo called forth a horde of gang members in hiding, with some jumping out of the cars in the lot and others running up from around the corners of the building with guns in hand. Something about how robotic-like their movements were and how well-orchestrated the ambush was made me feel like he was actually controlling them.
The men in black panicked as Lorenzo stepped toward them. “Now, three things are gonna happen. One: you’re gonna hand the young lady over to me.”
The men groaned before the one behind Ashanti nudged her to walk forward. She used the opportunity to run past Lorenzo and into my arms. Words couldn’t explain how good it felt to have her safe and embracing me.
“Two: my associates will put down their weapons.” He raised his fist in the air, which led to the gang members lowing their guns in sync.
Something strange was definitely going on here.
“And last, three: you fine gentlemen will fight me.”
What?
He was dead serious. Without a care in the world, he removed his jacket and placed it on the hood of his car before rolling up his sleeves and facing the men. The whole thing was surreal.
“Are you insane?” one of the men questioned him. “We are here under official government orders. You have no business interfering with our objective.”
“Ah, yes. The government. A system that has disregarded and long forgotten about those you see before you. Officials would rather we struggle and kill ourselves than provide guidance, funding, or assistance in helping us achieve our dreams. Well, I say it’s time for a change, and it starts by me showing you who has the power now.”
Lorenzo straight up punched one of the men in the face and knocked him out cold,
causing the two others to brace themselves in shock and dread. “Come on,” he urged with excitement. “Make me feel alive.”
One of the men accepted his challenge as the crowd of gang members looked on. He attempted some defensive techniques first by gripping onto Lorenzo’s arm, but it was pointless as Mr. Payne was too strong to restrain. Realizing he had to resort to force, the man in black delivered a couple of blows to Lorenzo’s face and body, who stood there without even trying to defend himself. It was almost as if he wanted to get hit repeatedly.
Finally, Lorenzo struck back with a hard right, leaving the man dazed before lifting him off his feet and slamming him to the ground. Mind you, these men in black were not scrawny at all, so watching Lorenzo toss the man’s body on the concrete with ease left me more terrified of him.
The sudden sound of a gunshot pulled me away from his display of strength and sent my mind into a frenzy for a brief moment. I soon realized that the third man in black had shot Lorenzo in the arm, but no one except me and Ashanti seemed fazed by the weapon. If anything, Lorenzo appeared disappointed.
“What a shame,” he said so nonchalantly, looking at his bleeding injury. The guy literally got shot and is acting like it’s nothing.
What the fuck, bro?
He approached the man in black, who shook from fright and dropped his gun. Lorenzo grabbed the man and was prepared to strike until he realized the gunshot had alerted the people inside the hotel. They looked on from their windows in apprehension, with some ready to record the action with their cell phones in hand.
“You let me down,” Lorenzo said to the man, releasing his grip. “Just like those in your position have always done. It doesn’t matter,” he turned his head to look at me, “I think I got my point across.”
Without even receiving a voice command, the gang members stampeded toward the defeated trio of men as Lorenzo walked back to his car and put his jacket on. The men in black were carried and shoved into different vehicles, with the only conscious one begging for his life.