Mercy

Brandon Pt.2

Gunshots rang out for blocks. "Scrrrreeeeeeeecccchh!" A car pulled to the end of the alley as I hauled ass away from the Leprechauns. The fellow gang member next to me, Roger, kept running in the car's direction while I stopped. I've never seen the car before, and there was no way I was going to run to in the middle of a gang war. "ROGER--" I was cut off by the thunderous sscream of a shotgun. I jumped back, hot on my feet. I've seen people get shot before, but seeing Roger get blown apart in such a way - that was sure to give me nightmares. The car window went back up as I turned around and started sprinting back down the alley. The car's engine roared behind me. The bright LED lights casted my shadow along the street. No fucking way. The car was behind me, and getting closer. Too close. Adrenaline pumped through my veins like water through a hose. Despite the thick coldness strung up in the polluted city air, I was smoking. Without looking back,I was sure my breath left a trail behind me. Frantically staring down the alley looking for am escape route, I realized that there was a wall at the end. I'm gonna die tonight. I thought. I was running out of energy, and the end of the alley was getting closer.

As panic began to set in, I noticed a ladder from a fire escape hanging down, maybe 7 feet above the ground. Now, like the saying goes, white men can't jump. But, I was willing to take the risk. Running faster in hope that I could jump higher, I heard the window of the car open once more. I bit down hard, preparing for the pain to hit. With the ladder a foot in front of me, I jumped with all the strength in my body. The cold rustic feel of the ladder bars made me yell out in victory. Pulling myself up, I heard yet another scream from the unforgiving shotgun. That shot was meant for me. Reaching the landing of the fire escape, I stopped and looked down in search of the car. It had stopped, and was just sitting there. With the window still down, a deep voice with a thick Irish accent said " Lad, you can run but you can't hide. Aye, the Leprechauns see all". The window went back up, and the car floored it in reverse, clean out the alley.

Waiting several minutes after the car left, I climbed back down the ladder and jumped down into the alley. I wasn't 100% sure the car was gone, but I had to make sure that the rest of my gang was still whole. "Pablo?" I said, not wanting to yell in case the car was close by. "Kid! You're alive!" Pablo hugged me with one arm, a machine gun in the other. "Holy shit, what the fuck is the Irishmens' problem?!" I asked, relieved to know I wasn't the only one who survived. "They owe is money. Big bucks, I'm talking hundreds of thousands. They were supposed to pay it back tonight, but clearly they had other plans." Pablo handed me a block from his holster. I've only been in the gang for two weeks, and he already trusted me with a gun... I must be doing something right. "We've lost too many tonight; and I think that you can help avoid days like this in the future." Pablo looked down, his face red from trying to hold the tears back. "This isn't just a gang... This is a second chance for most people... Those fucking Leprechauns!" I put my hand on his soldier in a sympathetic manor. "They're gonna pay...."