SAL

Enchanted

Chuck lied on the grass outside of his house. Blood dripping down his cheek and slithering behind his ear. He couldnt move. He didn't want to move. Everything was just to painful. He fucked up royally and it didn't set in until Sal pointed the 47 straight between his eyes. For the first time in a long time Chuck felt remorse. As he rolled over he groaned in frustration and he knew he had a few broken ribs. Witu every move he made he groaned out in pain and the background noise of the city didn't help. He tried to block out the woman screaming for help and crying for her lost neghborhood. Still in a haze Chuck tried to sit up only to collaspe back onto the ground. The impact to his already damaged skull was harsh. The last thing he saw were red lights. He smiled thinking it was Big Ben from England. He always wanted to go to England. With that thought in mind Chuck closex his eyes and succumbed to the darkness around him.

Running thats what Sal was doing. He was running from the city that he used to call home burn up in flames. Half a mile from Chuck's house Sal sunked down in the middle of the street. Hot gravel heating up his damaged leg and scrapping the faded jeans he was wearing. The heat that surrounded him had no affect as he screamed into the air. His screams called out to the bystanders and they felt his pain as they too understood the burden of watching an innocent life get taken right in front of your eyes.

"Whyyyyyy...." he screamed slinging his fists all around him Trying to hit whoever decided his sister's fate and yet only hitting air.

"Why!!" he screamed out again his face pointed up towards the sky as if he was expecting an answer from above. He kept screaming and screaming until he felt small feminine hands wrap around his frame. He sunk into the unjudgemental body and let his tears coat the girls torso.

"Shhhhh... Sal you're going to make it oka. Everything going to work out just fine." Sal gripped Daisy tighter and clung onto her as a small child does to his mother. After a few seconds Daisy stepped away from Sal and tugged him up onto his feet. He put his arm around Daisy letting her support him. He needed someone to help share his burden someone who knew what it felt like. From the back Sal's posture was almost God like. He looked as if he was Atlas His back muscles straining, his head bent down portruding outward you could almost imagine the world on his broad frame as he struggled to stay up. He stumbled a couple of times almost dropping to the floor nut he got back up. He knew that he had to carry his burden on his own. Unlike the Greek God he didn't want to trick anyone to hold his burden. This feeling he had hewouldnt even wish on his worst enemy.

When Daisy and Sal made it to his house his mother was sitting in the old rocking chair rocking back and forth. At the sight of her son in the doorway mouth bleeding and bruises forming on his face she shook with grief. It seemed all her children were subjected to a fate that wouldn't let them live to grow up and prosper. Immediately Sal's mother stood up and embraced heronly living child. Daisy stepped back feeling as if she was intruding on a personal family moment. Before she could walk out the door she felt a small feeble. trembling hand latch onto her elbow. She turned around to see Sal's mother for the first time in years.

"Stay. Please...we just need support....Daisy please...." Taken back by the same woman who shunned her after Sal's brother died she quickly regained composure and fearing what her mouth would say once she opened it she just nodded her head and let the small woman pull her into a hug.

The night consisted of the three of them trying to console one another. By the time the cops came it was eleven o'clock and the shooting happened at five o'clock. Typical. Only in the ghetto. When they started asking questions Sal had to keep his mother from breaking down. When the officers left he knew that they wouldn't try to find the shooter, without saying goodbye Sal watched as Daisy closed the door behind the men and sunk to the floor. Her back against the door she knew she would have to leave soon her grandmother couldn't cater to her child all night. Rolling her neck she felt stiff but she was too young physically to have arthritis but spiritually she was old enough to have parted the Red Sea. She silently got up and hugged Sal's mother whispering her goodbye. She then turned to Sal, the Burning Man, and hugged him tighter and closer as she whispered goodbye. He wouldn't let go and he ended up walking he to the door. The usually cheery ambitious boy looked dead and where a glimmer of dreams and aspirations used to flicker in his eyes was replaced by ice. As Sal stood there looking down at Daisy he saw straight through her. Softly Daisy gripped his face and looked straight into his eyes.

"Sal. Look at me Sal..." slowly but surely he opened his eyes and stared back at her.

"You're going to make it. This...this is nothing. You're stronger than this. I know it seems as if everything is against you but Sal dont stop. Don't ever give up. You look around at everyone whose died and you take that as an accomplishment because you survived......Sal you survived...." Daisy wanted to continue but with just a glimspe at Sal she knew that he understood what she was trying to say. Catching a stray tear on Sal's face she wiped it and hugged him once more. Sal stood there indifferent and kissed the top of her head. When he let go of her he told her goodbye and closed the door.

The days events had finally wore him down and truged up the stairs ignoring and avoiding his former little sister's room. Silently he fell against his bed and stared at the ceiling knowing that tonight would be sleepless. He knew he had to get out the city befoe it got him.

The slow beeping of a nearby heart monitor filled the silence of the hospital room that contained the adolescent male, Chuck. Slowly he opened his eyes but the bright light above him quickly had him closing them again. He looked around his secluded room and where his mother should be was nothing but an empty windowsill. Before he could get deep in his emotions he turned his head the other way and sighed. He had no one but himself. His own team left him in the hospital after they heard what he was doing to Sal they left him before they were next to get betrayed. As he relflected on this he didn't feel the need to even call the doctor to tell him that he was awake. Chuck sighed depressed he tried to sit up using his legs but found out that he couldn't. Trying desperately to situp for the second time he gave up his legs feeling like dead weight and thats when it him Chuck was paralyzed from the waist down. When the realization hit him he started to thrash in the bed knocking over the monitors and pulling out the tubes that were connected to him. He screamed at the pain h e was enduring and could see blood flowing from a gash in his arm. He wanted to lay there on the cold hard tile all night and he was going to do that until five doctors rushed into his room trying to get him back on the bed.

"No don't touch me! I don't want to be touched!" The doctors struggled trying to calm Chuck down.It wasnt until a doctor stuck a syringe into him making him limp that he stopped moving. Quickly they placed Chuck on the bed and moved him down to the intensive care unit. They made sure he was being watched and labled him unstable and suicidal.