The Voting Machine

Initiation

The old man led the boy from the table, taking slow, careful steps as if they were walking in the dark. He placed the second semi-automatic in the child's hands and sat him down facing me in the center of the floor. The boy's arms trembled as he raised the gun upright. Pops leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

"Hold her steady, Little Man," Crunch told the boy. "This is the day you been waitin' for." Little Man grimaced, his eyes moist with tears.

"Don't do it," I said. "Killing me is just going to bring you more trouble."

"Bein' born done bring the trouble," Pops said and they all laughed.

"That's alright," Crunch said. "Let him run his mouth. Flytrap told me you used to talk on the phone all day at that bank down by Harbor Gateway. He wanted you to join his crew back when you was kids. But you refused the initiation. Ain't that right, Temo?"

Little Man's whole body strained and trembled, as if the gun was so heavy it might crush him under its weight.

"What you waitin' on, boy?" Crunch snapped.

"I had my initiation up in Vegas. You heard it on the news. That's why you're too scared to let me defend myself." I said. "A real man would give me some kind of trial."

Crunch seethed, sucking his lower lip while he considered his reply. "You think you clever, bitch. You want a trial? I'll give you a trial. Yo, Walter give him one of the nines on the table."

"What?"

"Give him the nine."

Crunch told Pooh to hold me down as Walter walked over with a nine in each hand. The fat man hugged my arms, constraining me as Walter placed one of the pieces in my palm while he held the other at my temple to make sure I didn't get any ideas.

"Now aim it at Little Man," Crunch commanded as I raised and pointed at the boy. "I am startin' to have my doubts about this whimperin' little bitch, whether he the kind of durable material we need in this family. Let's put it to the test. Temo, I am willing to give you this chance out of respect for my man Flytrap. Maybe you did finally earn your manhood up in Vegas and Flytrap is smiling in his grave. Part of you dies when you kill a man. But another part of you comes alive for the very first time. If you really been initiated, then you know I am speaking the truth."

 Pooh and Walter backed away from me, making sure they didn't end up in the line of fire.  

 "Temo, you try to turn that gun on me or the others and I'll kill you," Crunch spoke into my ear before stepping away.  "But you shoot the boy before he shoots you and I'll let you walk. Wait until I give both y'all fools the count"

 "Crunch, man, sure? We ain't never done it like this before." Pooh said, his voice raw with fear. 

Looking into Little Man's tear-streaked face it reminded me of my own when I was his age. My muscles were locking up in paralysis, as if my body had a conscience of its own, preparing to resist against an order it might receive from the mind, rebelling against any arguments about the best course of action. Even though my captor assured me it was the way to live, I knew I would never be able to pull the trigger on this child, no matter what the consequences.

"OK Little Man," Crunch barked. "When I give count I want you to finish this bitch! Show me you have it in you! Else he gonna kill your chump ass."

Crunch waved his counting fingers in the air, when suddenly Pops raised his hand like a school child asking permission.

"Hold up, Crunch, I think we might've missed something," the old man said meekly.

"What you doin' Pops?"