Summerguard

CHAPTER 20: A Former Friend

TW: Gun Violence and Death scene. Read at your own discretion.

~PAXTON~

The four of us are walking back to the car and I am still stunned that my father left us a part of him for us to have. And the ring. Am I at the stage to be thinking about marriage? I still have school to finish, enroll in the academy, and find a job. Maybe in the future, but yeah, wow. Marriage with someone I can call my love. That's not something I ever would have thought about.

Nicky taps my arm and I look up at her. She motions her thumb closed in a fist twice in front of her chest. I nod my head. I continue walking at a steady pace, gripping Chrys by the arm and subtly moving her in front of me.

"HANDS IN THE AIR! LEMME SEE YOUR HANDS! HANDS!" Nicky commands and we all whirl around to see her holding a young man at taser point. He doesn't listen and pulls out a handgun. Oh, no. Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Please, no.

"Which one of you is Chrysos? CHRYSOS BEAUMONT!" he hollers, searching each of our faces, but then his eyes lock with mine. Hold up, that faded haircut and tattoo of an omega symbol on his wrist. No way.

"Emmanuel?" I ask and he stands up taller to look at me, "Paxton?"

I study him in perplexity as he does the same. We used to be friends in high school and shared the same gym classes with each other since we were freshmen. Because I was really competitive and preferred to play seriously during class, I was either head-to head-with him or we would be playing as a team. From what I remember, he was a funny dude. He would say hi to me in the hallways and smile whenever we had recess. What is happening? And why is he pointing a gun at us?

"Emmanuel. What are you doing?" I ask softly.

His grip on the gun shakes as he waves it haphazardly around, "F**** off homie! I want Chrysos! I don't want to shoot any of y'all, but I will shoot f**** all yo brains."

"Why are you doing this, Emmanuel? What has she done to you?"

"Nothing. Just... SHUT UP. Dawg, get yo *ss outta here. This is not yo fight!" he seethes.

I put my hands clenched at my sides, "Not my fight? She's my girlfriend. I would do anything to protect her. I would walk through the deserts of Tartarus for her. What are YOU fighting for?"

His jaw drops and his arm slightly droops like he is trying to think of an answer. Nicky steps in and cracks his arm. A blood-curdling howl is heard and he drops to the floor. In the silence of the block, a few curtains are drawn back, but these events are regular that no neighbor dares to interfere especially when a gun is involved. They will keep their silence. Even if they call the police, they will be brought to court to testify as witnesses and none body wants to be called to the stand with the possibility of retaliation stalking in the back pews. 

"Aghhhh, *****! Stop! She needs to die! She needs to die. You've killed me. You've killed my family. I need to kill her," he cries and we all turn to him in confusion.

I secure his weapon and turn his cheek to face me, "What do you mean she needs to die? What do you mean you've been killed?"

He spits on my shoe and I look at him with pity. What happened to him? Nicky tightens her grip and twists her hold. He lets out a yelp of pain.

"Salaud. Show some decency or I will pop you right out of all your sockets and filet you like a longhorn," Nicky hisses in his ear.

We all shoot her looks; chilllll.

"Bosses want her dead. I'm just a stake. The person I work for is sending out people like me to kill her. I accepted. If I return without her dead body, they will kill me and they will kill my family. If I am sent to jail, they will still kill me and my family," Emmanuel breathes out heavily.