if you see these men, RUN. || (DAVE EAST) (CHRIS BROWN)

Prolouge

Seattle, 2003

Cyrus Brown looked down at his 2-year-old son
Ellijah Grey as they walked down the streets of downtown Seattle. He knew that what he was about to say wouldn't get through to his son, but he also knew in due time it would.

"What color is the sky?" Ellijah asked, knowing he already knew the answer.

Cyrus waved his son off. "Never mind that boy. We have bigger and better things to talk about."

Ellijah looked up at his father in confusion. He couldn't possibly comprehend anything he just said. So he went back to staring up at the pretty blue sky.

"What are clouds made of?" He smiled, looking over at his dad.

Cyrus ignored him as they entered the big hospital. It seemed big to Ellijah at least. But in actuality, it wasn't. It was very small and most likely over capacity.

The sides of the building had been graffiti tagged, patients were sprawled out on the steps, and you couldn't even tell the difference between sick patients and crack addicts.

It was a bad hospital. The worst in town but one, it was the only hospital near and two, it was the only thing the Brown-Grey family could afford.

As Cyrus walked into the hospital, he lifted his son and held him in his arms. Ellijah couldn't help but suck his thumb as he curiously watched his surroundings.

The hustle and bustle of the hospital was nothing a toddler should be seeing. Especially given some of the patients circumstances.

Some were shot and bleeding out, some were being wheeled in and out on stretchers. Women in labor, screaming, crying. The whole 9.

But Cyrus did everything in his power to keep his son away from these kinds of things. He didn't want his son to end up like the brotha who was shot in the head last week. Or the little black boy who lost his life due to police brutality.

This world was crucial and he wanted to shield his son away from the dangers of it.

As Cyrus checked into the hospital, he was given a room number where his partner had been in labor. Another baby boy. Something Cyrus had dreaded.

Cyrus had some problems of his own and figured having boys would be too much to handle. He didn't want them to go down the same path he did. Now God had blessed him with yet another.

"Eli. I'm gone tell you this now. You heard?" He spoke, setting his son back down on the ground.

Ellijah could barely comprehend anything Cyrus was saying but he continued.

"Your baby brother is being born in that room right there. And you're gonna be the eldest. You're gonna need to take care of him, okay?Protect your baby brother at all costs. You hear me?"

Ellijah tilted his head to the side as he looked into his fathers dull and over-worked eyes. He could comprehend the fact that this was an important conversation. He could also comprehend the fact that he was going to be the eldest. But why did he need to protect him? From what? Especially if Cyrus was going to be there for the both of them. 

And that's what Ellijah thought everyday until the unthinkable happened.