Chapter 10

The AfterMath

I got up with a heavy chest the next day, my heart was racing so fast I couldn't even sleep. I tossed and turned all night.

I tried so hard to go to sleep to just forget everything but I couldn't. So I decided to smoke the only light was from my lighter. It illuminated the room while my sisters slept. I drew it hard and slow and started to cough really hard, then watched my favorite show with an ice pack on my cheek.

Next time I opened my eyes the sun was finally fully out.  I was really high and was craving the munchies I put on my shorts and my hoodie then just got up and went to take a taxi to go buy some weed from my regular brownie. I just felt numb to the world. I didn't make my usual jokes or make fun of him. I saw a cornbread on the counter when he wasn’t looking. I might have knocked it off and put it in my hoodie then pushed my hands inside the sleeves and started devouring it like it was the last supper. I quickly pushed my hands into my pockets. Over the radio, the news spoke of a horrible slater of a family from our community that seemed to be a vicious animal attack. I didn't have much time to react.

I saw a familiar vehicle pass. It was Derek Johns and his partner. He looked at me and I told him Good Morning, that's when he stopped his car and stepped out. He then walked over to me and asked, “You know of anybody named Tough Dog?” I was kind of panicking, I didn't even know who he was talking about. I started to scramble to answer him, then I heard brownie answer, “No sah, No don't know nobody name suh.” I turned to look and see that obviously, he was asking him.

I started to make my leave when I heard, “Young girl, mek yuh nuh deh at school?” His deep raspy voice roared and it made my knees a bit shaky. I took a big swallow and then turned, he walked over to brownie and said to his partner, “Watch her.”

“Yo, thought I heard you was on probation. Hear seh drugs a get sell round yah a true dat?” Brownie shook his head and played with his toothpick.

“So If me jump over dah counter yah right now me wouldn't find nothing right sir?” Derek said.

“No bredda me not even know weh yuh a talk bout.” Brownie said.

“So who you work fah?”

“Me stop sell dem things deh me nuh sell dem nuh more.” With that Derek busted down the door and went inside the shop then pushed him against the wall.

“Show me di drugs.” He said, but Brownie only turned his head.

Derek then pat him down and started to laugh, “So ah wah diss, eh?” He says with a small bag of crack held up to his face.

“Wah diss pixie dust?” He then put it in his pocket and said. “Nobody don’t sell pon my territory nigga. Tell Tough Dog dat. So if yuh nuh wah go jail tell me weh him live.”

“Me nuh know weh him live mon me nuh know.” Brownie was more agitated now. Derek then pulled out his gun and I heard it cock.  I crouch down a bit to look.

“Me know if me put a bullet ina yuh ugly face dah bowy deh yuh a protect…wouldn’t even piss pon yuh if yuh did pon fire.” His voice sounded deeper, my eyes widened. By now I wanted to get out of there.

I was already tripping out from the weed now this, “All me know ah him hide out a pon Rock Way Lane.” Derrick patted him on the shoulders and said, “You see now weh did suh hard ina dat. If you nuh wah go jail house tonight find out weh him live fi me.” I started coughing from the weed on my chest.

He turned to look at me. I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest, felt like I could start to feel the weed kicking in some more again, and felt like water flowing over my body and started from the crown of my head. Something about him was really intimidating with sweat beading down my forehead, he asked again, “Yeah, about you now, why are you not at school again?” I mumbled, “Home, me-ah go home.”

“Excuse me. You can’t talk, speak up now!” He exclaimed at me. With that, I laughed, “Ahhh, dat funny dat real funny. Which remind me, me think me left me stove pon di fire-” With that, I took off. I ran so fast bouncing and hitting over garbage pans.

Then a couple cars flew past me and stopped right in front of Derek and his partner. The next thing I heard was loud gunshots. I flung my hands over my head and when I looked over my shoulder I saw about 8 men came out firing shots rapidly, Derek ducked for cover while his partner dived behind their vehicle and pulled something that looked like AR-15 guns from under the back seats and shot a couple of them.

The only reason I guess that is this, two words, ghetto and comic books.

Derek was now in the vehicle sitting on the car door window firing more shots while his partner drove off.

I didn't stay to watch the full showdown. I felt like I was running for my life like two police cars were on my tail.

I turned down a lane and jumped over a wall and ran and ran until I reached the main road. I am not even sure how I avoided all those vehicles.

I ran into a taxi car parked yelling ‘Down ah town!’,

“Driva, driva hurry up and press gas dem man deh a run me down.” He looked behind him and pass me with a confused look on his face, “No body nah run yuh down lady.” I looked out the window to see that he was right.

I could have sworn I was now on the wanted list by now. I was so high that I was paranoid.

While I was walking to the hotel I decided to go to a restaurant nearby. When I entered  I smelled a sweet aroma, and my mouth started watering. I been there couple of times with my friends and it was soon miday, I naively thought I made it before the rush that's why it was currently empty.

I called out for service and walked up to the counter. That's when I saw something horrible that I don't think I will ever forget. When I looked over the counter I saw someone in a pool of blood, the person looked mangled. I put my hands to my mouth and called the police.

To be continued