I'm still on the street. It's still black. I go to the next light across the street. The scenery is black with red dots, splashes across houses and on the concrete. I'm listening again. "Gata! Put the gun down!"
"I'm not possessed!"
Several rounds sound off and the street are covered in blood. I cover my ears. "Come out!"
"You come out first!" Gata laughs. More rounds are fired. When gunfire ends, I hear grasping. "Chauncey, hold on!"
"Church…" the voice is gurgled. "It's the church…"
"Chauncey stop talking…"
What happened?
"Found you…" and the shots sound again. "Got two."
"No you don't…" the ground shakes. I hear something crack followed by a thump. "Seign, get the body."
"Daddy!"
"Get your brother. We gotta get out the hood. Now! Come on hustle!"
I look at the bloody streets and the rivers shape into people. My lips tremble. They all point up the street. I walk slowly. And I hear.
"Let go of my damn baby!" screeches a woman. "You gave me a fucking girl again!" I hear a smack, a pop that makes me shudder. My cheek hurts. "Dareion, I hate you!"
"Bitch, you think I care! Give me a boy!"
"Alexis!"
That's my middle name. What--I can't think about it now. They want me to go down the road? And so I go. They're just pointing in the direction. I stay on the path and more people in red guide me, take a turn, I look at the ground. New Brunswick and the words disappear.
I see a curtain of blackness to the left of me. Now they point at it. "Go through?"
I gaze at the wall, going near it I put my hand on it thinking it's a solid wall. My hand goes through. It's cold on the other side. I bring my hand out the wall and look at the blood people still gesturing it.
It's just me and a knife.
I hop through the wall and land near a stairwell. It's the form of a Z, going down against the side of a mountain. It's just rocks not too far down. I travel down and when I get down, ahead of me is house made out of wood and entrance covered by a cloth.
It's a dirt road with car tracks. This area is red and bumpy going downward a slope. Should I go that way? Or up? Going up, I see a table with a cloth on it and a lamp next to a box full of wood and a picture.
What if I go down and I can't get up again? Better safe than sorry, I turn the other way. Besides the table it's empty. In movies, this is the part where the kid starts saying hello just to understand nobody is around.
Who could possibly be out here?
I keep going, the path is straight which should be a good sign. The further I go, I witness men in purple coats beating somebody with a bats half to death.
This person is dead but they beat him and his skull is done bleeding. He doesn't have teeth and covered in jewelry. I don't get closer, I get it and walk quickly away.
More niggas in purple. Purple pants, purple durag, purple jackets and shoes. Do they see me? Their eyes are pink. One nigga is short with his pants sagging, I mean to point the back of his legs are dragging the ground. His durag over his eyes. His stomach is tattooed and poked out slightly.
He's walking back and forth talking to a man with a durag and his green boxers showing above his pant's line.
"Ferness, settle the fuck down."
"Nah, nah. Look, man, listen. I knew that bitch was fake to begin with because I gave him a twenty and he said--hold ya breath--he was gon give it to me. TODAY! Nigga's its been about two weeks, so what you think happened?"
"Nigga you gave somebody two hundred dollars for a deal?" the other snorts. "You got juked out ya money."
"man, no the fuck I didn't!" Ferness hopes back. "He told me if he didn't show up, he went to a funeral."
"What was his name?"
"I don't know," the short one shrugs. He turns around briefly to catch me. "It's a young nigga."
"Leave that baby be man." the man in a durag stand up. "Oh no, little one you can't be way out here!"
"Huh?" I step back. "Why not?"
"This a part of the hood nobody crosses, nor wants to live." the man speaks so smooth and deeply. "This is Plimost Row."
"You broke little one?" Ferness gets close to me. He stinks like bacon grease. He smiles, showing off his gold fangs. "Don't worry little baby, these right here is fake!" he takes out. His front teeth are missing. "Barely made it out alive." he chuckles.
"Ferness!" the other walks over. He's much taller, maybe a good six feet five. "What you doing down this way?"
"Huh… I-I came through a wall…"
Ferness leans forward, "Back alley. OOOOOOOOO-lordy, you been using magic haven't you?"
"Um, no?"
"Come here, let me check you!" he pulls me by my shirt and pats me down. "I don't feel anything."
"She shouldn't be here."
"I was told I had to come here."
He lifts his durag up above his eye, it's like flames pouring out his eye socket. "Somebody told you?"
"This is gang line, she can't be back here!"
"That's what I said numb nuts…"
"well, let's not be rude!" Ferness puts his hand over his heart and his voice gets low and kind. He clears his throat, "My name is Ferness Jarrah Jackson and this big ass mosquito right here--" he smacks him so hard his head spins off. Literally. "Shut up you dead nigga…" he looks at me. "Lucant Murphy."
"He said this was gang line?"
"This is The Purple Cardinal line. Somebody sent you through?" he asks. "Yeah…" I stutter. "Kind of…"
"I bet it was the muthafuckin' Diabola!" Ferness jumps up and down. "Diaboli, Ferness."
"I know what I said!" he pouts.
"I can't let Shuja see you."
"Man, you talk about him like he a pedophile!" says Ferness. "Shuja ain't simple."
"I think I know a nigga better than ya senile ass do."
"Watch ya tongue, I ain't blind."
"That's why ya teeth missin'"
.
.
.
This is what I know. I shouldn't be over here but I am and I got picked up by gang members of Locucts called The Purple Cardinal. The Purple Cardinal is one of the four gangs of the Ghytto.
Diaboli, The Unlaced Fraternity, and The Coven. The PC don't like the Diaboli and Diaboli live over at South Slurd that is near the ocean.
Why is this important? Lucant took me to this old farm house that's painted a bright violet. As we get to this building, a pastor that is tall and skinny comes out and shoots at Lucant. "Kamal!" he shouts. "It's Cant, man!"
"Lu?" the tall pastor comes outside fully and duck behind Lucant. "What's wrong with you? I'm already seeing hell as it is."
"You could have blow somebody's head clean off. That's a mean shottie!" Ferness exclaims. "Shut up fat nigga!" Kamal scolds. He looks at Lucant, "While y'all was gone dusting off niggas. We found out Goody playing two way. Come see Ciceon."
We follow into the barn where I see at least three mastresses. A woman with a tail and talking to a woman with wings. The woman with wings has solid shimmering pink eyes. "C!" Lucant bolts to the man off to the left corner with a bullet through his head. Lucant picks up his shoulders. "Nah! Come on!" he slaps him. "Yo soul still here! Come on, wake up!"
"I think he sleep…" says a man with flames coming out his eyes. "I can't see him."
Lucant picks the man up and drags him to his lap. He must have been somebody dear, he's cradling him. "Come on love." he continues to pat his face. "If he's sleep man let him sleep. He'll wake up eventually."
"Will you shut the fuck up! I come home and you tell me podna dead."
"If he didn't die twice, the nigga alive." I look over my shoulder at an old man hunched over. "Lu, get yo ass up."
Lucant's brow creases, "What if he don't wake up?" he nods his head to the back door with clear glass. "Do I bury him like Zid?"
"Boy! Calm yo fuckin' nerve." the old man barks. "Do you hear his soul? That's what the flames in yo eyes is fo. Put him down and go talk to Shuja!"
Well damn…
Lucant puts Ciceon down softly and moves away, staring at the old man with a death glare. I'm a child. I shouldn't be here.
The old man aims at me with a face. "What is a little nigga female doing in here?"
"This is… well… we didn't name her…" says Ferness. "I don't need to be named!"
"Then what's your name?"
"Cedrica!" I yell. "My middle is Alexis."
"So which one then?"
"Cedrica." I fold my arms over my chest. "Cece Kelly."
"She being fast. Put the child outside." retorts a nigga in the corner. "Kids shouldn't be heard or seen."
"Is that what yo baby mama said about you?"
"Little nigga my bitch dead and gone, fuck her."
"Ah!" Ferness gets in front of me. "Don't worry about Wixuc. He just need his marry jane."
"And my fucking blood and cocaine…"
"I wish the fuck you would in my church!" bellow the old man. "Wix, get the fuck out!"
"I ain't done shit!"
"I may be old but these teeth still work. Gon' skip yo ass out the door!" he demands. Wixuc gets off the floor and exits the farm. "I'll be back nigga, you just need time--"
"You need an ass whooping!" he spats.
Wixuc shakes his head, "You a fool, Adoni."
What was that about? Adoni stares at me again, I go stiff. "Cedrica?"
"Yes sir," I look up. "What's your middle name?"
"Um… uh… Alexis--"
The top of my head is hot.