Bodies

seize.

Hot tears began to prick her eyes as she let her brother's words wash over her.

"Yo ass been running around thinking shit chicken-chicken. Lookin' at how you hog tied in this mug, you can tell shit ain't gon' be good no more." Devon laughed at his metaphor. His voice was void of humor though.

A tear began to make its descent down Milan's face. It felt like it left fire in its wake.

Her brother smacked his lips when it registered that she was crying. He waved her off with the gun in his hand.

"Don't start that crying shit, Lani. You did this to yourself!" Devon told her, adamant.

Milan did nothing but shake her head, this caused her hair to fall on her face. Long black strands stuck to her now tear streaked face. She couldn't even plead for her life for God's sake.

The fact that her life was being threatened by her own brother was null and void.

She would beg him if she had to.

As she began to cry harder, Devon grabbed her by her robe and held her steady. He then ripped the duct tape off of her mouth. The scream that left Milan's lips as the adhesive tore across her skin was blood curdling.

Her face burned. Her lips were split. When she ran her tongue across them, the taste of blood soon followed.

"Use your fucking words. What the hell else am I to do with you?" Devon continued to berate her. Standing up from his seat and beginning to pace back and forth. The grip on the gun in his hands not giving an inch.

Milan stayed silent as she regained her bearings. Her mouth was dry and her throat was raw from the scream.

She cleared her throat, but just by the sound of that she knew that she'd be hoarse.

"I... am your sister." She told him finitely.

"I am your blood, the only blood you have left on this God forsaken earth. And you say you have no choice, but to kill me for some n*ggas that'll kill you for a stack."

Her voice was soft, gravely from the amount of time she'd been bound and unable to speak. However, when she glanced up at Devon through the tendrils of hair that blocked her vision she knew he'd heard every word.

"Say that shit again."

Devon ordered, the gun now pointed directly at Milan's forehead.

She saw his finger wasn't on the trigger, but having the barrel of a fire arm pointed towards your forehead would have anyone a little more than nervous.

Taking a deep, sobering breath. A breath so deep that it caused the skin of her forehead to brush against the gun; Milan looked her brother dead in the eye.

The two siblings stared each other down. The energy in the room may as well have set it on fire. It was not hot. It was not burning. It was complete chaos. The fire threatened to engulf them both. Neither of them would leave this room the same.

"I am your sister, Devon. And you gon' let some n*ggas off the street tell you, you need to kill me to keep your spot. It might as well have never been yours to begin with."

Milan found herself gritting out the words. Finding it much harder to talk shit and bargain for her life when she felt her life could end any second.

The gun fired.

And in that second, Milan felt her soul leave her body. The kickback from the gun hitting her temple and with her hands not being free to stop her motion, she fell to the side.