Seated inside a brand new, turquoise blue, 1977 Cadillac Eldorado was both Wendell and a jumpy
Lynnette who was more than eagerly awaiting her friend to finish rooting around inside his brown paper
bag, while keeping a vigilant eye on her dark surroundings within the alley where they were parked.
Lynnette bit her already withered fingernails down to the nubs and tapped her right foot on the floor in a
rapid succession; it was all the woman could do to keep from jumping through a window and going
completely out of her mind.
Ever since the encounter in the park, Lynnette was wound up like a machine, nothing or no one could
bring her down. Around every corner was only a pair of eyes. And despite being drowsy, she dared
herself to fall asleep for fear of one nightmare after another.
"Okay, here we go." Wendell said as he pulled out several, small white rocks from within his bag and
presented them to Lynnette.
Lynnette just rolled her eyes and asked, "What are these?"
"It's what you asked for." Wendell replied in a surprised manner.
Pointing at the rocks, Lynnette turned up her nose, "This is what I asked for? I looked at these the other
day when Clavell gave them to me. I thought he had done me dirty."
Grinning from ear to ear, Wendell waved his hand, "No, no, this is something new. It's getting some
traction out in Cali, and Clavell wants to bring it here."
"What is it?"
"You have to melt the stuff down, and then use a syringe. Like I said, folks out in Cali are starting to
catch on real quick."
Lynnette took the rocks and stuffed them into her pants pocket. "What else do you have?" She
feverishly asked. "I need something right now."
"Okay, hold on." Wendell urged. "I may have something else up in here."
That was all Lynnette needed to hear at that point. Just as long as it was close she was satisfied.
"It's been a real rough day."
"Oh yeah," Wendell hummed as he searched around inside the glove compartment. "What happened?"
"Yesterday, my sisters jumped some woman in the park. And if you knew my sisters, believe me, it
wasn't a pretty sight."
While Wendell was rifling through the contents of the glove compartment, Lynnette continued to stare
out the window at the alley. From the trash cans to the various garages, the woman's eyes went back
and forth. Not one inch of the alley was missed. Each and every sound, from that of a mouse to
crickets was taken extremely serious.
"Okay, I got some of this right here." Wendell announced as he took out a bag of pills and placed them
in her lap.
Without a moment's hesitation, Lynnette took and swallowed as many white pills as her mouth could
take in all at once.
"Whoa, hold on!" Wendell pleaded. "You wanna end it all right here because of a stupid fight your
sisters had? Take it easy on that shit!"
But Lynnette was going away, as far away from the world as possible, and she wasn't planning on
taking anyone with her along for the ride. Once she had swallowed her body instantly went into a state
of blissful calm, along with the customary shakes and groans that came along with the high.
Wendell just sat and stared at the woman for a while before asking, "So, uh, how do you get along
without one of your fingers?"
Lynnette heard the question, and in times past the inquiry would have either enraged her or shoved her
into silence, but instead she just turned to the man and whispered with a half grin, "I get on just fine."
"That was pretty fucked up what Isaac did to you. You should have come to Clavell, he would've taken
care of the nigga before he went all psycho on you."
Lazily sniggering, Lynnette said, "Believe me when I say, Isaac would've sliced that nigga in half. Trust
me, I know."
"What?" Wendell sat back in disbelief. Clavell is comin' up in the world. My man is takin' over the east
and west coast. Ohio is only the beginning." He smugly proclaimed. "And speakin' of comin' up, Clavell
wants you on board, too."
"Oh really," Lynnette's eyelids lifted.
"Yeah, he wanted me to ask if you wouldn't mind trickin' for him."
For a quick second Lynnette heard her sisters inside her head; just a mere glimpse of their voices
echoed before she turned her head to the window in dismay.
"It wouldn't be every night at first; he knows that you got your kid and all. Just a couple of nights during
the week, and one day during the weekend."
Lynnette looked back and forth, from an ardent Wendell, to the alley. With a sluggish tongue, she said,
"Look, I can't really see me doing—
At that split second, something inside Lynnette's ears shot her lethargic senses wide awake to where
she sat up, bumping the top of her head on the car's roof.
"What's the matter?" Wendell looked amazed.
With frenzied eyes, Lynnette stammered, "Did you hear that?"
Wendell sat and gawked all around. "I don't hear shit." He shrugged.
"It's out there." She breathlessly gasped.
"What's out there?"
"Just listen." She whispered aloud.
Both individuals sat and listened for what seemed like an eternity before Wendell twisted his lips.
"Man, you got me all paranoid. Ain't nobody out there."
"But I thought—
"Is that why you ran from Lucius that night? Man, that dude thought you were a fed or something."
"I don't like being in alleys." Lynnette defensively responded. "I thought I heard something that night,
too. That's why I ran. I can't meet up in alleys anymore like this." She started to tremble.
"I think you took way too many of those pills."
"Can you just tell me how much I owe you so I can go?"
"Look, I'll prove to you that there's no one out there." Wendell said before turning on the vehicle's
headlights that shined brightly clear down to the end of the alley.
Lynnette sat and braced her entire body while gazing endlessly out the window. The longer she sat the
more time just seemed to drag on and on.
"See?" He cut the lights off. "You took too many of those."
"I could've sworn I heard something." Lynnette exhaled.
"Ain't nothin' out there. Now, about your payment," Wendell mentioned as he unzipped his pants.
Lynnette sat and watched as the man anxiously pulled down his boxers right before something big and
loud exploded through the windshield and into Wendell's face, tearing him limb from limb.
"No, Isaac!" Lynnette shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Not one thought passed through her head; like a crazed lunatic Lynnette jumped out of the car and ran
down the opposite end of the alley with arms flailing in the air.
She could still hear the creature roar and growl behind her. It was as if Wendell didn't stand a chance in
the world.
"Isaac, no," she continued to desperately scream as she raced out into the empty, 1:28 a.m. street.
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