I sat motionless in the car as I waited for anything to initiate. My beloved Shan was in the passenger seat. She was leaning to the left while holding onto the right mid-section of her abdomen. She rotated her head to the left to take a glance at me. Her face struggled to even acknowledge me. The look of disgust was seeping through the pores of her face. It was like the love she had for me settled in the pits of her nonexistent soul and coagulated.
The car's speed accelerated and before I knew it, we were on the highway. Our destination was unknown, but the silence in the car was obvious. Bryant broke the silence by putting the radio's volume higher. He attempted to get Shanice's attention covertly by tapping her on her knee. They both exchanged words and the series of hand gestures, from Bryant, made me uneasy as he pointed back to me with his thumb. Talking to Shan, I can read the words "Are you down?", from his lips. Worriedly, she just nodded.
I do not know what was planned for me. What I do know is that Shanice does not condone violence. That knowledge is so far expired. I no longer know this woman or the extent she will go. She was afraid of something. Something was being planned for me. I feel like I was the product of someone's end-game.
It seemed like the sun was giving me it's proper send-off as it retires for the day. The way it was heading back to its inactive state was as if it knew about what is to come for me. The light was no longer blinding as I stared into it's essence. I was visiting the skies and my eyes were dancing on the clouds. As we drove, the scenery grew shadowy. The abundance of trees guarded the horizon. The city turned rural. I was on my own and my life is in the hands of my captors.
The speed we were traveling was noticeably decreasing. An abrupt left turn was made, almost randomly, into what used to be a gas station. There has not been business in years from the look at the run-down property. Graffiti infected the walls and camouflaged anything showing the business's past life. We pulled into a small tunnel in the back of the gas station. The tunnel was formerly an automated carwash or the remnants of one.
The sound of the engine fizzled out and echoed throughout the short encasement. Shan tensed up the right side of her body as she was expectorating bright and dark, in color, blood. Her injuries were starting to alter her well-being.
"Shit babe, you good?", Bryant asked.
Shan wiped her mouth with the neck of her own shirt. For a moment she was deep in thought. "Yeah, I'm good. Let's get this done," she said lethargically.
"Are you sure this nigga is sitting on 1.2?" he questioned.
"1.2, 1.3, 1.4- all I know is that it was up there when he told me." Shan mentioned.
"So you don't know?" He asked.
"Babe, we will be good. I know what I saw and what he told me." she replied.
I could not believe what I am hearing. Shanice was talking about my life insurance. My 1.5 million dollar policy. I was about to be the product of blood money. Since she was all I knew, the only person I could have called family, and the only person I trusted-I added her as my beneficiary. This whole time, I was sitting courtside to all the games she was playing. Jokes on me.
Bryant got out of the car and immediately opened my door. He pulled the same pistol out from his waistband and put his arm back down to his side.
"Get out." he said sternly.
I slowly got out of the car with both of my hands up. There was moist sand and trash all over the pavement. This property has not seen any traffic in years.
"Bry-Bryant! What are you doing man? What did Shanice tell you?!" I said frantically. "Listen man, I don't have money. Nigga, I am broke! BROKE!" I yelled.
Shan opened her door and limped towards the front of the car; putting her weight on the hood.
Looking at me, she managed to say, "Your such a damn liar! You know damn well we sat down together after you gave me your little sob story about you having no one. Then after you stopped crying, you asked me if I wanted to be your beneficiary of 1.3 million. Was I supposed to say no? As a matter of fact, it was one and a half million now that I thought about it."
Bryant raised and trained the barrel of the gun towards my head and looked me in the eyes. All I saw was a soulless body in front of me.
He bawled out, "Get on your knees! Now!"
"Come on man! Let's not do this! PLEASE don't do this!" I cried out with all my might. I slowly went down to my knees in a puddle of water with my hands up.
"You see, I know you's a broke ass nigga and nothing else. It's crazy how shit works out. This wasn't even personal until I heard you tried to kill my girl and then she told me about all the money that you're on." he said.
"I didn't try to kill her Bryant. On everything I ever loved." I explained.
Shan interrupted with, "You are full of shit! You did try to kill me. Just look at me! You cannot stand being without me! This is why we aren't together! Your obsessed! "
Bryant smirked and questioned, "If you didn't try to kill her then why did you stab her with my knife? Did you think I was stupid or something, bro?" He examined my face as I had no words to reply with. "That's what I thought! Fact of the matter is that you're worth a lot more to us dead."
The pistol slowly trained itself to my chest. I took a deep breath. I can smell the death in the air. Silence is what I was hearing. A cool whisper of breeze grazed my face as I waited for the beginning of my expiration.
Bryant sighed, clenched the gun , and pulled the trigger. Three shots were expelled into my chest. The three flashes from the muzzle brightened up the tunnel like the paparazzi in the wild. I fell forward onto my face. My blood poured out as fast as my pulse decreased. My breath was shortening and it became difficult to fight this fight for life.
My killer waited patiently for me to stop gasping before leaving. Shan rushed to the car frantically and Bryant followed. The car was started, reversed, and raced off the gas station property. The engine was heard screaming as if it were in a police chase down the winding road.
I laid in my pain and sorrows. Comforted by the silence and reminded of all the signs I have ignored that showed me Shan was the cancer in my life. I deserved this, but not now.
I tried with all my strength that I had left to get out of this old car wash. Thankfully, the ground was wet to slide myself easier. I lifted my right arm, firmly pressed the ground under me, and pulled my body like a sloth. I repeated until I could no further. The loss of blood was immense. My temple was becoming frigid. The end was near and I can no longer continue life. My life was as I knew it-over.
