Dark coffee

Chapter Ten

It was a dark and freezing night. We could tell that winter was upon us. When we got in the car, Soukvilay sat on the driver's side, I sat on the passenger side and the other girls were in the back seats. She waited for the car to warm up because with our pyjamas and our coats we were freezing. As soon as it warmed up she followed the boys. We knew where they were since both of our car GPS were connected to the same account. After 5 minutes of driving, we caught up with them making sure to keep a distance so they don't see us. While following them concentrated and in silence without knowing where they were going Estephania said "I still think it's a very bad idea."

No one answered her. We were too focused on the cars to not lose them since they were driving fast. The more Soukvilay was driving; the more a part of me knew that Estephania was right. Killing Cassius wasn't the solution. Even if I wanted him to suffer for what he did to me, dying was an easy way out. Besides, I didn't want to see my brothers go to jail because of me. I then decided to call Lens. He was the only one able to reason my brothers. My phone rang twice and he picked up. When I heard his voice I told him "Lens, I know I'm disturbing you, but there is a problem."

"Hmm..." he cleared his throat and added "Yeah, it's not really the right time but hmm... Wait for me for a second. Don't hang." I waited and he said, "Ok munchkin, tell me what's going on at home? It seems important"

"In fact, we're not home," I replied

He said in a worried and confused tone, "What, but where are you at this hour, it is nearly one o'clock in the morning!"

"I know... We're not at home because Jamal and Malik are about to kill my ex. The girls and I are following them from a distance. Also, Malik called several of his friends for that."

"Is it a joke?" He asked

"No, Lens, I wish it was. Please just come before something happens, I have a bad feeling!"I answered.

Then I heard Estephania whispered, "Finally, one who regained a sense of moral." Despite her comment, I focused on my conversation with my brother.

"Where they're going?" He asked me. I looked around. That's when I realized we were heading directly into an area known for its crack houses.

"In the trap houses neighbourhood," I answered

He hung the minute he heard these words that warning him of the danger we were all running into. The cars eventually stopped near an unhealthy house directly in the entrance to the neighbourhood. Soukvilay stopped our car out of the neighbourhood but in a perfect angle of view on them. From where we were hiding, I could see Cassius who was in front of this unhealthy house.

At the minute Malik with the other guys got out of their cars. I read on Cassius' lips and facial expression that he was wondering what was going on. Malik approached him; Cassius told him something that I wasn't able to read. Cassius didn't get the chance to finish his sentence that Jamal got out of the car and punched him in his face. He punched him again and again. Cassius then collapsed on the sidewalk. The next second we saw Malik put on gloves and took the baseball bat. He crouched down menacingly close to him. As the other guys surrounded him we couldn't see what was going on. In an instant, all of Malik's friends, Hakim, and himself started kicking him while he was on the ground. They seemed to be shouting insults at the same time.

Suddenly, a friend of Cassius came out of this unhealthy house and saw what was going on. He called his guys that were inside the house. When Cassius's friends came out, a general fight started. I felt like everything was going in slow motion and suddenly, we heard one of the scariest sounds in the world; the one of a gunshot. We heard 8 gunshots. I didn't see the shooter. Only the boys running to get out of the neighbourhood. They were coming in our way. We then heard Estephania praying in Spanish "Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte..." Meanwhile, the guys were still running around to disperse and some went to the ground. I wasn't thinking about anything. It was like I was disconnected from reality. I was only hearing Estephania's prayer which I didn't understand a word in the background. "Señora, abogada nuestra, vuelve a nosotros esos tus ojos misericordiosos, y después de este destierro muéstranos a Jesús, fruto bendito de tu vientre. ¡Oh clemente, oh piadosa, oh dulce Virgen María!"