Street Diaries.

Lessons.

"Get your skinny ass off that bed and get dressed now, Kaz screamed as he pulled open the blinds," letting in the morning sun.

I struggled to open my eyes and when I did, my sight was foggy, coupled with a sickening headache.

"I'm never taking alcohol ever again," I whispered.

"Lesson number one. Avoid all things that dull your mind and slows you down. Your life might depend on how sharp you are and how fast you can react to situations," Kazeem shouted.

"So that's why I never see Kaz drink, I thought to myself.

"Now get out of that bed, little brother! We have business to attend to."

Chuks was already up and I wasn't surprised. He barely slept even then. I got up, rinsed my face, and got dressed hastily.

"What business are we attending to today?" I asked.

"First of all, we must make sure that Bammy gets home safely. I don't have to remind you that we are at war, and we might be hit at any time. You don't want to be the one that partied with the boss's son when he gets shot.
Lesson number two. Avoid being the one at fault, or you're going to end up dead quickly."

"But isn't he safe with all the security around?' I asked.

"Lesson number three, bro. You are never safe. The moment you feel safe is when the enemy strikes."

"Why are you sounding like a sage all of a sudden, Kaz?" I started laughing, but it was cut short by the pain I felt. The hangover mixed with my face hurting from all the blows from the jump in.

Because I'm a sage in these streets, little bro. I am a fucking philosopher," Kaz whispered and smiled slightly.

We made our way down to the reception area and Bammy was already there with the rest of the guys. He was chatting with Shadae and laughing loudly. When he saw us he stopped.

"You guys had fun last night, yeah?" he grabbed me by my shoulder.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"Good. Because, I have a job for later," he referred to Kaz.

Kaz responded by nodding his head and proceeded to the door, he stopped and gestured to us to come over. Chuks and I joined him and we made our way to the car.

"You don't really like that Bammy guy, do you," I asked.

"He's an asshole. He's the boss's kid but he's an asshole. He's the real reason for this whole war in the first place."

"What do you mean," I whispered.

"Forget I said anything," he replied as he suddenly fixed his attention on something somewhere on the other side of the street, then he suddenly screamed, "Get down! " and we both did.

He flung the car door open and started running towards Bammy who had just stepped out of the hotel. The loud sound of assault rifles rose to the air and bullets started whistling. We were being attacked. Kaz was quick enough to push Bammy to the ground and that saved his life. The two people that stood beside him got hit. When our guys started shooting back, the attackers fled. When the air cleared we found out that Adam had been hit, he died on the spot of several shots to the chest. The second person that got shot was Sanusi. I and Chuks stepped out of the car in time to see them carry him to the car, he held on to his neck as blood gushed out. His clothes turned red, soaked with his blood. Growing up around gang members, in a crime-infested neighborhood, I was no stranger to gunshots and hearing about people getting shot, but that was the first time I saw it up close, and it was a mess.