PURE HEROIN

IV.

O4 | Pure Heroin

What do you think happens when we die?

Do we enter into another stage of existence or another state of consciousness that is so extraordinarily different from the reality we have here in the physical world, that the language we have is not yet adequate to describe this experience?

Whether darkness or light comes next, or some kind of event, be it positive, negative, or somewhere in between, expected or unexpected, the biggest surprise of all I would hope, would be to realize that you are still ...you.

Exodus' mind continued to run as she stared down the barrel of the gun. In this moment three things were certain. Her jaw was beginning to hurt from accommodating the size of the gun in her mouth, these were probably her last breaths and she had probably gotten carpet burns from sliding onto the carpet like that.

Fredo slowly took the gun from out of her mouth watching in rapt fascination they way her lips wrapped around the barrel. Deciding that this was too distracting he instead pointed the gun at the middle of her forehead.

"Im gone ask you a couple questions and I expect you to answer alright?"

Exodus flexed her sore jaw nodding her head slowly.

"Whats your name?"

"Exodus" she replied quietly.

Fredo nodded, "Okay you have family right Exodus ?"

Exodus nodded not quite sure where this was going. She felt the goosebumps crawling up her arms at the sound of her name on his lips. Her subconscious scolded her. For Christ sake! He's holding a fucking gun to your head. What is wrong with you?!

"You wouldn't appreciate if some mother fucker hurt your family right?"

She shook her head swallowing the hard lump in her throat at the thought of someone harming her parents.

He looked into her eyes, his gaze hard "Who shot Aj in that alley Exodus?"

Exodus felt her hear beat racing in her chest. Of course that alley would come back to haunt her. "I...I don't know...I--"

She cried out in pain as her head snapped back with force. Freddo had pistol whipped her on the side of her mouth. She doubled over, her eyes closed tightly as her lips throbbed in pain.

The metallic taste of her own blood filled her mouth.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. I'm not a man with patience Exodus please don't aggravate me" his voice cool.

Shaking the mass of black curls out of her face she kept her eyes closed." I dont know...Please...I'm not lying to you."

"Why were you in that alley?"

"I was visiting my aunt..She owns a diner close to the alley and I was taking out the trash." Exodus lied. She was not about to tell him what she was really doing because that was none of his business. Besides, that was her past now no need to dwell on it.

"Then Aj came in arguing with another guy and I hid behind the dumpster..." she continued.

"What were they talking about?" He questioned his mouth formed into a frown.

"I.. I can't remember...something about a guy...Fredo." Exodus racked her brain. In truth she had put up a mind block on anything to do with that day.

Fredo stiffened "What did they say about him?"

" Aj was upset that he would go against Fredo...the guy that shot him was planning something and Aj found out."

Fredo was silent. He didn't know which was worst. That his brother never mentioned anything about this before he got shot or that someone close to him was a snake.