Quarantine Bae

Quarantine Bae Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Soul POV

Shit gets serious when the lights go off. Sweat is draining down my chest to the point that I just take off my shirt. It’s been three days since we’ve lost power. And because of the quarantine, it was beginning to feel like we were on a planet of our own. Shit gets serious when the air stops in the middle of July. All of a sudden it feels like you’re in the unedited cuts of the Hunger Games wearing gray rags and putting two fingers up for the niggas you lost in the struggle. Shit gets serious when your nephew is hungry but all the food that you stocked up on has spoiled. That’s when shot gets serious.

It’s the middle of July. The heat waves wake me up to see my brother at the door. He’s talking to someone. I don’t think Saint sees me as I walk over from his extra bedroom.

“You could have told me…” the voice says.

“I wanted to. I just didn’t know how…”

As I get closer I’m confused when I see Tivonte’s boyfriend. I believe the guy’s name was Ken. He was this perfect looking guy. The kind of guy that you had to dress up for when you took him out. He seemed high maintenance.

But what the hell was he doing at my Saints door first thing in the morning when the rest of the world was still asleep?

“So is it serious?”

Just then I stomp my toe on the cabinet doors. As soon as I do it my brother turns around. They whisper something lower between the two of them but before I can get anywhere closer Ken is fucking gone. He’s out of there as fast as he can.

Saint turns back to me and gives me this weird smile, “Hey didn’t see you standing there.”

My brother Saint Cooper was perfect. Just ask my parents. I’d gotten out of jail not too long ago. It was a petty charge but I was in there for 4 months. You would think you would get used to the isolation but you don’t. I went from one type of isolation to another. After I got out of jail, right before the pandemic hit, they sat down to have a ‘Come to Jesus’ with me. The talk was a talk about how I should become more like Saint Cooper. How I should have gone to school and become this successful nurse as he had become or how I should stop hoping from city to city. Or how I should reconsider my lifestyle. I knew what they meant by lifestyle. They hadn’t wanted me to be gay anymore. Being gay was a flaw to my parents. And the fucked up thing about all this is that I had agreed. I was so desperate to be what my parents wanted me to be that I moved out here to stay with Saint for a while. I wanted to just pick up more of his habits. I just wanted to be more responsible…like Saint.

Perfect Saint flashes me his perfect smile, standing at the door shirtless with his perfect six-pack and perfect pecs. He didn’t have tattoos everywhere like me. He was way too perfect for that.

But underneath all that perfection there seemed to be a little bit of a dent. Something small but I can pick it up.

“What the hell was Ken from downstairs doing up here?”

“He just had to talk about something.”

“Shit sounded kind of serious. What the hell were you talking bout?”

“Who the fuck are you? Maury? You keep asking me all these damn questions….”

He looks flustered. The thing about Saint was that he never got flustered. He always had it together. It was one thing that I had resented about him growing up. He always seemed to have all the answers to everything. The world could be going to shit and Saint never broke a sweat. Me on the other hand…you could tell I’d gone through this fucking life kicking and screaming.

Saint breaks a little bit of a sweat. His breathing changes a little bit.

I find myself laughing, “Why so defensive? Do you need a tampon or something? Damn. I was just going to ask you if you could ask him if we can crash at their spot for a bit.”

He looks at me like he has two heads, “What for?”

“Um. They have a generator. Duh. We can’t live like this. It’s way too fucking hot. I am walking around smelling like sweat and sexual deprivation. Just hit up Ken and Tivonte and ask…”

“Don’t be fuckin stupid. You just wanna fuck Jared…”

He was right. Truthfully it may have been the heat but I couldn’t get my mind off of Jared. Maybe it’s the fact that he was such a good boy. Not a lot of guys swam in those guts of his. Jared was the kind of guy who kept it lot. You had to ask him questions. Dig deeper. You had to really get to know the fuckin guy. But I bet when you get past all that he was a freak.

And I had to admit. I wanted to see just how much of a freak he was.

“Is that so bad?” I ask, licking my lips at just the thought of a night with Jared, “We get air conditioning and I get to fuck Jared.”

“He’s a good guy, bro. Why don’t you just let this one go?”

“What’s your problem with me trying to get closer to Jared?”

“I don’t have a problem.”

“Bullshit, you been hating on the idea since the beginning.”

“You barely know him, Soul. We can’t just ask them to move in. We barely know any of them.”

“They owe us. You helped Jared.”

“So what?”

“It was over 100 degrees yesterday. We have a pandemic in the middle of a blistering heat storm. Mother Nature is fucking us raw and LITERALLY giving us all viruses! We can’t stay in this hot ass apartment. How do you not get that?”

I’m getting louder with him during the conversation.

“We aren’t asking them anything. Period.”

He’s being hard-headed. The heat has been beating down on me and I can feel myself shaking.

I get up and shake my head, “If you don’t want to do it, bro…I’ll do it. Maybe you been swimming in pussy so long that you just became one. I’m doing it. If not for us then for Squeak. He spent all night crying. You want your son to be miserable?”

He doesn’t say anything. He’s acting like he doesn’t fucking hear me.

“Hello? Do you fuckin hear me? Give me a reason I shouldn’t ask them?”

He puts his head down. At this point, I don’t get it. At this point, his pride or whatever was almost crippling him. I can see him sitting there struggling with something. He’s not telling me everything. For some reason, he’s really against me asking for help and I don’t understand it for a minute.

Usually, I would listen to him. Usually, I just followed his lead. It’s the reason that I was still in Sunnyside in the first place. I just followed my big brother’s lead. He knew what was right. Or so I thought.

Now he wasn’t thinking clearly.

“Don’t please…”

We are standing at their door and at this point, he had this real guilty look on his face. I knew my brother. Something was wrong but I had no idea what that thing was.

“What’s going on?” I ask him.

“I…made a mistake…”

“What kind of mistake?”

“A big one…”

“A big mistake is when you locked the car keys of that girl you were dating in the car outside of the Planned Parenthood building and went inside asking for a wire hangar.”

I laugh remembering the memory. Usually, this gets to my brother but that wasn’t the case. Something was wrong.

Just as he’s about to answer me the door opens. It’s Tivonte. He is standing there looking a bit confused that the two of us were just standing outside of his door. I’d never really seen my brother press me like this but it was clear that he didn’t want me asking them to stay.

And a part of me considers it even when Tivonte opens the door.

“The Cooper brothers?”

Tivonte has something in his hand. He looks like he was about to go do something but when he sees us he quickly puts it behind his back. I’m not sure what it was but it seemed like everyone was hiding something.

“What are you guys doing at my door…”

I turn at that moment to Saint. The weirdness was really getting to me. He just stares down awkwardly at his feet. He doesn’t even look Tivonte in the eyes. I wasn’t sure what was happening but there was no way in hell I was going to let my nephew suffer because of him.

“Soul, just trust me…please…I just can’t be around them…”

“Why not?”

Just at that moment, he blurts out, “I’m fucking Ken…”

I think I’m hearing it wrong when he says it. I think I’m losing my mind when my STRAIGHT brother tells me that he is fucking the gay boyfriend of our neighbor. The same neighbor who we had recently started a companionship with to get through this disease.

Just then the door opens. It’s Tivonte. The cool air from his apartment seems like some sort of heaven. He’s standing there at the door.

“Whoa. I knew I heard some talking. What are you guys doing out here?” He asks us.

Saint looks at me. He doesn’t shake his head but I know his eyes are pleading for me not to ask. I shouldn’t. I shouldn’t let whatever the fuck Saint had going on affect me.

But he’s my brother and in the strangeness of all this, I just don’t want to make any wild decisions.

“Nothing…?”

“Are you sure?” Tivonte asks, “You guys don’t look so good. Saint, your shirt is drenched…”

Saint mutters out a short quick, “It’s so hot out…”

He’s acting so weird. Looking back he seemed awkward every time we were around them. I’d just assumed that he was awkward being the one straight guy in a house full of gay guys. Saint was always OK with my sexuality on the surface. He gave the whole “I’ll love you regardless of what you do” speech. It wasn’t until later on that his real opinions came out. He always kind of made little slick comments about me needing to be “careful” with my lifestyle. He would say things like I slept around too much way gay guys because sex in the gay lifestyle was too easy.

And now look. He was out here being just as gay as me. And honestly, every part of me is a bit pissed by it.

Tivonte seems concerned, “You mentioned your power went out, didn’t you?”

“It’s not right…”

The voice is coming from behind Tivonte. He steps aside and we see Jared standing there.

“You came out of your room.” Tivonte realizes, “I was starting to worry you’d lock yourself in your room forever.”

Jared crosses his arms. He was such a nerd. He was wearing some shawl looking thing with no shirt underneath. My fashion sense and libido were fighting it out. And honestly, I wasn’t sure who was going to win. Regardless of Jared though, I can tell there is tension there. I think he was holding it against Tivonte what happened to the old lady who was looking for help. Honestly, I didn’t blame Tivonte. If we’d helped her we would have been dead right alongside her.

“I’m fine. I just came out because I heard you guys talking…”

“You must have heard my heart racing when I saw you come over,” I state.

I don’t know why the fuck I say it. But Jared gives me this weak little pity smile.

My brother just shakes his head and says, “Hey Jared.”

Jared’s smile gets a bit wider, “Hey.”

“Sorry to interrupt. We were just having some…issues…”

“Is it the heat?” Jared asks, “Because I was going to suggest that you guys stay here…”

I get quiet. I look over at Saint knowing that he is going to turn down Jared’s offer. I am almost completely convinced of it but instead, my brother just lifts my head and nods.

“Ok…ok we’ll stay.”

~

I avoid my brother during moving in a few things. We don’t know how long we’ll be staying so we just gather the necessities. With Maria moved out and Ms. Jules dead we were the only two households in the entire building. My brother has been avoiding me on purpose all throughout the day and I have to admit I wasn’t too keen on talking to him too.

For years he’d been around knowing what I’d been through being gay. He knew the struggles that I had and he never let me know…not even during the hard times that he was gay too.

I felt a little betrayed.

But it gets worse on Day Two of staying at Tivonte and Jared’s house. Sure Ken was there too, but he’d been in Tivonte’s room since we moved in. Knowing the history of Tivonte and Jared it all made sense why.

“Those two been laughing all day,” Tivonte states standing off to the side.

He’s talking about Saint and Jared. Talking to Tivonte knowing what his boyfriend was up to is a bit strange. This guy welcomed us into his home and my bogus ass brother was fucking his boyfriend. What kind of shit was that? How lowdown was my fuckin brother?

“I hadn’t even noticed till you said something,” I respond.

He was right. Saint, Jared, and Squeak had been gathered in the living room. They were playing all day and for a bit it seemed like they were in their own little word. Squeak took to Jared like he was his best friend. I’d never seen my nephew laugh so much with anyone. And then there was Saint. My brother tagged along on the adventure of Squeak and Jared like some odd third wheel making sure to benefit from Jared opening up his son’s imagination.

That would all be cool except now it was the mid-afternoon and Squeak was asleep. He was asleep on Jared’s lap and Saint was sitting close to Jared. They were still talking in low whispers to each other.

“What do you think they are talking about?”

“Knowing my brother some intellectual shit,” I point out with a laugh.

Tivonte doesn’t seem to be in a laughing mood. He looks curiously on, “They’ve been talking for hours. How is that even possible?”

I shrug, “Weird as fuck.”

They are so into each other that they don’t even realize we are talking about them. I’ve never seen Jared smile so hard as when Saint leans over and whispers something. Saint is close to Jared. He’s so close that when he leans over I think he’s going to kiss Jared. It doesn’t happen but for some reason, my heart is beginning to race in this weird way.

Tivonte crosses his arms, “If your brother wasn’t straight…I would assume they had something going on.”

I laugh. It’s a shaky laugh, an uncomfortable laugh that comes through a forced smile and clenched teeth.

I’d just found out something about my brother. Something that would complicate this. But my brother wasn’t that desperate right. He knew that I had a thing for Jared.

Regardless of what was happening with his sexuality, he knew Jared was off-limits.

Right?

“I’m hungry…” Ken comes whining out of the room, “I’m eating tomato paste and drinking banana juice that is expired.”

I halfway want to laugh at Ken thinking he was joking until I see the can of tomato paste in his hand. That’s when I know SHIT GOT REAL.

I don’t know what gets into me but I jump to my feet and make my way over to my brother, “We should go get something, Saint. Pick up some groceries.”

“Out there?” Saint asks, “It’s dangerous out there. Hell no.”

“We have no choice. We need food to survive,” I state.

“Can’t you go with Tivonte?” He asks, “I was in the middle of a conversation .”

He dismisses me in this crazy-ass way. He’d never done that before. He just turns around as though his conversation was more important than our survival. And without waiting for me to answer he turns back to Jared and there is that smile again that he has. He looks like some boy in highschool or something. The idea of him smoking at Jared like this turns my fuckin stomach. What the fuck was going on with them?

“If some shit goes down out there I’d feel more comfortable if my brother had my back,” I interrupt, adding to Tivonte, “No offense.”

“Me and Jared were watching Squeak,” Saint argues.

“I can go if you need me,” Jared states.

“You’re always welcome sexy,” I state.

“Soul and Tivonte can handle it,” my brother once again says in this pushy way.

“I can watch Squeak,” Ken raises his hand, “If something went down out there I’d be the last one you guys need around..”

“That settles it,” Jared responds. He rest of us can go.

~

We walk around the neighborhood for what seems like forever. The streets are clear for the most part save some looters who have broken into a store. It felt like the entire world had just gone to shit. Cars were flipped over. There was this smell in the air as though something was burning but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. We pass one grocery store only to find that it is completely shut down with chains all around it.

“Everything’s probably closed,” I state.

“I know a place we can go,” Jared states.

“How?” My brother asks him.

“I’ve lived here since I was a kid. Not everything’s shut down. Some people are desperate to make money and are going to use this tragedy to make a quick buck. There’s a guy I know who stockpiled groceries like drugs…”

“Man are you serious?” Saint asks, “This quarantine gets any worse people will start duct-taping Carbohydrates to their balls at the airport.”

Jared and Saint start to laugh. Tivonte and I look at each other like something is wrong with this scene. I don’t think either one of us got the joke. Regardless my brother wasn’t the type to make jokes.

I’m about to comment. I’m not sure what when I open my mouth, but you know, that’s half the fuckin’ fun. It’s just getting under my skin and I’m not sure what “IT” is yet, but Tivonte has in my mind that something might be going on between my brother and Jared. It feels like I’m watching the first 20 minutes of this slow, sappy romantic comedy and I’ve already run out of all my popcorn. All of a sudden I’m nowhere near entertained anymore and it’s bothering me.

“You guys are fuckin—-”

Just at that moment, as though some act of God, something goes down. Something big. Something big enough for Saint to shout out, “Get down!”

Before I know it he grabs Jared and pulls him behind a car like he is Sylvester Stallone saving some Damsel in Distress. I look around weary about what he’s warning us about but before I can see it I know that I need to take cover. I duck behind a garbage can and Tivonte hides behind a few bushes.

The ground vibrates.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a military truck drive by announcing on the loudspeaker, “The city is under enforced curfew. Anyone caught outside will be arrested.”

We wait patiently ducked away before the truck rolls by. I hadn’t known about the enforced curfew. I could see why though when I see all the damage that happened to our neighborhood. The vandalism had probably caused the government to get into some strict regulations.

And that’s when I notice. My brother is holding hands with Jared as we come out from beneath the truck. He’d never held the hand of another male outside of his son. He’s never even fucking held my hand and we were brothers. What the fuck was going on? I look over at Tivonte. He had to be thinking what I was thinking because he was staring DIRECTLY at those hands.

“You OK?” my brother asks Jared.

“Yeah if you weren’t here I don’t know what would have happened.”

“I got your back,” My brother states flashing him a smile, “I already told you that though. Don’t doubt me, man.”

Jared snickers a little bit. It’s the kind of snicker someone does when they are about to blush or something. They stand there staring at each other for a few awkward seconds and I swear I could throw up right in my mouth. Was this happening right in front of my fucking face? I don’t know if it was flirting. I don’t know if it was something more but at this point, I knew that shit was weird.

“We should probably head back,” my brother points out, “It’s dangerous out here.”

“We’re close,” Jared points out to him.

“Well then let’s keep it pushing,” Tivonte says.

Tivonte leads the way and the rest of us follows. Tivonte might not think anything is going on. He might honestly believe my brother was straight but after what happened earlier I don’t know.

~

It takes us a long time but we finally get to the ‘grocery store’. By grocery store, it was more like a mini-market in a shady side of town. The front of the shop is laced with graffiti. It looks like someplace I would have frequented back when I was in my “Live Fast, Die Young” stage. The place looked like this was the kind of place the Dark Fever originated from or something.

“Told you guys this place was open,” Jared says with this smile on his face happy that he was able to find it.

“Let’s just buy our stuff and go,” Saint says.

Jared shakes his head, “Yeah the cashier is creeping me the fuck out.”

We all look over at the cashier. He kind of seems out of it. He barely acknowledges us when we walk in the store. God knows he shouldn’t be open right now but I don’t think any of us were complaining. He just has this look on his face that said that he has recently been blessed with a lot of drugs.

“Spread out,” Tivonte says, “Get as much as you can. We don’t know when we’ll have this chance again.”

The truth was there wasn’t much to get. This wasn’t a real grocery store, but I had to admit they did have some essentials. Enough for us to get by at least. The truth was though while I should have been keeping an eye out for toilet paper tissue and napkins. I was keeping an eye out for eye out for Jared. He was near Saint like he always was it seemed, but at least they weren’t talking.

And I knew that I had to take my chance. I walk up behind him. He’s looking at seasonings.

“Weird, this store has supplies, isn’t it?” I ask.

I had this unsettling feeling about it. It was so rare that’s store would be open in this environment let alone stocked with food.

Jared shrugs not even bothering to look back at me, “Listen I’m not complaining.”

He gets back to what he was doing. It was almost like he was kind of being short with me or something. I peek over his shoulder.

“Seasonings?”

“Yeah. Figure if we are getting all this canned food we might as well try to season it to make it taste a little better,” Jared says with a smile, “You know canned shit can be so bland.”

“I get it. You’re my missing ingredient.”

I don’t know why I say it. It’s corny. It’s desperate as fuck and I have shot my shot at Jared several times to no avail. He turns back to me and gives me that “nice try” smile that he always gives me. I don’t get it. Most guys found my little puns at least cute. He just kind of stands there like a block. No reaction. No nothing.

“But you find my lame ass brother funny?” I ask him.

I don’t know where it comes from. Maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t eaten. Maybe it’s the fact that it was hot as hell. Maybe it’s the fact that I hadn’t had sex in forever. Maybe it was the fact that a pandemic was going around and it seemed like the entire world was upside down. I’m just fucking pissed.

“Whoa…where’s this coming from?” Jared asks, “I find you funny.”

“Then why the fuck don’t you give me some attention?”

That’s when my brother interrupts us, “Nowhere. Jared, you mind getting some beans? I think I saw some in the next aisle that Tivonte was in.”

“Sure.”

My brother waits till Jared leaves and as soon as he does, he turns to me with this weird fucking aggression like he’s tough, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you! This was my thing and all of a sudden you’re gay?”

I can see my brother’s face get stiff. You would think by his reaction that we were in a room crowded with all these people by his reaction.

“Keep your fuckin’ voice down. I never said I was gay,” he says, pushing me up against the nearest wall in this aggressive way, “I told you I experimented. With one guy. And I told you that shit in confidence as my brother.”

He was pulling out the brother’s card. Now all of a sudden he was trying to make me feel guilty about what I did.

“So that’s what all this attitude is about? You think I like Jared?” he asks me, “Is Jared your fucking man? What claim do you have on him?”

“It’s not about that.”

“Really?” he asks me, “Because it feels like for the first time in your life a pandemic has hit and there aren’t all the guys around that you wanted to be around before. And so you’ve settled your thoughts on this one guy you’ve been quarantined with. It’s not my fault that you haven’t bonded with him.”

“It’s not about that.”

“Then what’s it all about?”

“It’s about me. It’s about us. This was MY THING. You were the successful Cooper Brothers. You were one with the clean-cut looks. You were the one who had it all. And now it’s like that wasn’t enough for you. You had to come here and take my thing.”

I don’t know why I get emotional at that moment. Maybe it’s the fact that I’d come out here to try to be like him only to find out that he was crossing into my lifestyle. And the fact is he was getting better attention in my lifestyle than I was.

“I didn’t know you felt like that…” he responds.

I’m shaking. There is this salty taste in my mouth. I’m trying to stay strong because I don’t feel strong. The world had gone to shit. Everything that people thought they had was being taken away. The virus was revealing just how weak and how unstable everything was.

Including me. I wasn’t good at a lot but I was good at being a gay man and now I didn’t even have that. And if I didn’t have my identity then what was I?

What was the point of any of this?

“I was never good enough,” I explain, “Not to my parents. Not to you. I was the fuck up. I was the drifter. The entire world has gone to shit. And I’m left with nothing.”

Something just felt wrong. It felt like I was losing it. My mind just kept going and I felt like the pandemic was fucking with my mind. I was beginning to lose myself.

I wonder if my brother can tell. Maybe that’s why he reaches over, taps me on my arm, and says slowly, “I won’t cross that line with Jared…if it means that much to you.”

It did mean that much to me. It was more than just Jared. It was everything that was going on in my life but for some reason seeing Jared and Saint together was just one step too far for me.

I know it’s petty. I know it’s immature but I also don’t care in this moment.

“It does mean that much to me.”

“Consider it done. Nothing comes before family…”

We walk up and pay for our stuff. For a moment I have to admit I feel better when I see my brother taking steps not to immediately run back over to Jared and kick up a conversation.

It feels like things can be manageable. Maybe I won’t lose my fucking mind in the pandemic after all.

I should have known I spoke too soon. There’s no peace in this world. Not anymore…

“We got company…” Tivonte states.

You can hear them before you can see them. They are a group of guys. They aren’t wearing a mask or gloves or anything like that. They had all these knives and bats with them. They were gangsters. Definitely outlaws.

And there was one that I recognized.

“That’s Jay Boom,” I state.

All of a sudden my heart is racing in my chest. All of a sudden I have this feeling of sweat rolling down every part of me. I was nervous. It couldn’t be HIM. It couldn’t be Jay – fucking – Boom. Not out here. Not now…

My brother gives me this curious look, “How the fuck do you know them?”

“Jail. He’s not good news,” I say, “How the hell did they let him out. He was in jail for rape and murder…”

Me telling the others that put things into perspective. They scramble at that moment. We search for a way out back but we can’t find one.

It was too late! My mouth gets dry as I see the group of men approaching the store.

“Play it cool,” Saint tells the others.

He didn’t know Jay Boom. Saint wasn’t from the same world as me. We’d grown up together but he had no idea about half the shit that I’d gone through. Not really. So when he says to play it cool I think he has no idea what he’s talking about. It wouldn’t matter. I’m panicking when the door opens and the gangsters walk into the store.

Jay Boom is leading them. He’s an older guy in his 50s or so. He is this guy who has this real hideous face. Back in jail, there were rumors that when he was young his dad put his face in the fire for giving him a mean mug. Half his face was burnt and the other half of his face was this consistent mean mug. He just looked so fucking unpleasant.

“Look here… Aaron. Aaron didn’t we tell you this was our store Aaron now Aaron. Aaron, didn’t we tell you what would happen if you let anyone else in OUR store?”

That’s when it occurs to me. There was a reason this store was packed with food. There was a reason that this store wasn’t touched. The guy behind the counter, Aaron just gives some drugged up response. I don’t even think Boom gives them a signal before the guys drag him out of the corner. They start beating him. And for a moment I think they are going to kill the guy by how bad they are beating him.

It’s Tivonte who is staring over at these guys beating him with this sick look on his face.

“Just drop the food and let’s go…” I whisper to the others.

Maybe they’d let us go if we didn’t touch their stuff.

It’s too late. Tivonte has this look in his eyes. He was a tall guy. He’d probably always been the toughest guy around in his social circle. This wasn’t his social circle though. If these guys hung with Jay Boom they were all criminals.

“You guys are gonna kill him!” Tivonte shouts.

I count the guy. There were nine of them. More than double our number. And they had bats, chains, and knives. They looked like they were ready to cause some serious issues.

I try to shut Tivonte up but Jay Boom’s attention goes from the owner of the store to us.

“What the fuck you just say?” Boom asks with this voice that just seems angry.

“He doesn’t mean it. We were just gonna drop our stuff and leave. C’mon…”

I drop my stuff and head to the door hoping to set the trend for the others. I only make it a few steps though when Boom blocks my way. His distorted face looks back at me. He had this nastiness to him. He had bad breath and an even worse attitude.

“Wait a minute. I know you. HEY NIGGAS I know this bitch. From prison. I used to take his booty and this little bitch used to run from me screaming…”

His boys start laughing. I see my brother’s chest start raising. I put a hand on my brother. We wouldn’t win this fight. We couldn’t.

Luckily Saint knows me enough and is smart enough to shut up.

“Hey Boom. Long time…”

“You know with all this disease going around they tried to transport us to different prisons. We escaped. Funny running into you hear.”

These men weren’t just Ex-cons. They were fugitives. I should have known by the way they are dressed. I wouldn’t have been surprised that they escaped. With all the chaos every part of society was short-staffed including the prisons. All of a sudden I was so aware of how desperate shit could get.

I beg at that moment, “Please we just want to go.”

“We need the food,” Tivonte argues.

“Shut the fuck up!” I bark at him.

What did he want us all killed or something? Is that what he wanted? Was he that desperate to get his cheating ass boyfriend another meal besides tomato paste. We were all hungry. It wasn’t worth our lives though.

“No this is a public store. They don’t own this shit,” Tivonte argues.

“Tivonte shut the fuck up,” Jared says, “Now…”

I guess because it comes from Jared he listens. He turns his face sucking in his pride. He’s not the only one. Saint is breathing all heavy and had this pissed off look on his face. They didn’t get it. They had no idea who we were dealing with.

“Dad that one had a lot of spunk….”

Dad? I look at the guy whose talking and sure enough, he looked like a little version of Boom. His face isn’t half burnt but it looks just as mean and upset. I see the way that he looks at Jared.

“Listen. We will leave all your stuff,” I plead, “Just let us go.”

“You gotta beg for it,” Jay Boom’s son says.

“Please, sir. Please,” I state…

“Get on your knees and beg. That’s how people beg…” Jay Boom corrects me.

My brother takes a step forward. He is about to do something. I grab him and stare him down clearly warning him which causes Jay Boom’s gang to start laughing like this is some sort of joke or something.

I turn around and start to get on my knees but then I see Jay Boom’s son.

“Not you,” Jay Boom’s son says, “You…”

He points to Jared. Jared looks over at me. I’m not sure how it happens first but I just hear this loud shout when Jay Boom’s son gets hit dead in his face.

I think I see a vein pop out of Tivonte’s neck when his best friend gets in front of his knees.

“Please, sir…”

Jay Boom is looking at Jared the same way he used to look at me. I guess I was old to him. He wanted new flesh.

“Fine…”. Jay Boom states.

We start walking towards the door. I’m not sure how Jared was able to convince him but I wasn’t complaining. I can see Jay Boom just staring at Jared the entire time. They all were.

They were staring at his ass…

As we almost get to the door Jay Boom stops us, “The rest of you can go. Except for the one with the fat ass…”

They were talking about Jared. I don’t think you had to know much about prison culture to know what it meant that they wanted Jared to stay.

I think it would come from my brother but the punch is from a Tivonte.

All of sudden the guys jump on Tivonte hitting him with bats. Tivontes knees go out immediately! I run to his aid slamming one of the guys into the counter and beginning to fight him. We start tussle.

Chaos breaks out!

Everyone is fighting.

Jay Boom’s son comes at me with a bat. He had this murderous look in his eyes. He had the kind of look that says he wants to kill me. As soon as we hit the ground he’s over me with the bat.

But they had one thing that they wanted. One thing only.

“Grab the boy. Let’s get out of here!”

They grab Jared and the majority of them run out of the store with him. Tivonte is knocked out on the floor. Jay Boom’s son is over me with the bat.

Someone was missing. I turn and see my brother.

“Saint. Help!”

I can barely get the words out. My brother looks over at me but then for some reason he turns! He’s looking out of the door at the guys who were getting away with Jared.

There’s was no way he’d leave me. There was no way in hell he’d choose Jared over me.

“Saint!” I scream out again.

Jay Boom’s son presses the length of the bat up against my throat and begins to push down as hard as he can. He had this maniacal look on his face. It was just like his father. And that’s when it happens. My brother sees this man choking me out and instead of helping me he turns. He fucking turns!

“Sorry…” are the last words that he says to me.

And that’s when he abandons me to go save Jared…

To read the next chapter in advance go to www.crushedcrown.com