Hood Math (HDLY#4)

Chapter eight

  Panic. Most people would have panicked if they were a wanted fugitive and the police was slowly closing in on them. Most people would have hesitated and caused them precious minutes in escape time. Most people would have been caught like a deer in headlights hearing heavy footsteps of police officers marching up the stairs getting closer and closer to your destination. But most people weren't Darren Rufus Bishop and nobody was like Train.

The seconds those words flashed on Lushus' computer screen, Train was on the move. He didn't hesitate, he didn't pause, and most of all he didn't panic. He could still hear Lushus screaming from her apartment as he jetted up the stairs leading towards the roof.

Train didn't know much about architecture or building plans but he did know one thing: how people lived in urban Projects. And like any Project in Brooklyn, kids use them as ways of means of egress whether running from the police or each other. Train knew that most of all the buildings in a given Project was connected somehow or there were ways to connect them to make an easy escape. This one was no different.

Train knew the roof was his best way of escape and he headed towards it as police invaded Lushus' space. He knew he shouldn't have involved her but now that thought was after the fact and there was nothing he could do now.

Train ran arm first into the fire alarm door leading to the rooftop. The door gave way but not before a screeching alarm set off giving up Train's location. He had mere seconds before the police that was running up in Lushus' apartment would change direction.

He looked around the rooftop and up at the sky. He could hear a helicopter coming but it hadn't made it there yet. Train knew he was down to milli- seconds.

Train almost gave in to panic when he saw it, his means of egress. It was a board that had been placed adjacent to the rooftop of another building. Train ran towards that board at full speed.

Train ran across that board like he was a stuntman in an action movie. The board wobbled against his weight.

Train managed to get across just as he heard men stomping upon the rooftop of the current building he was just on. Train kicked the board causing the whole board to collapse towards the ground below.

Train managed to get to the fire door of the current rooftop just as one of the officers heard the board crashed and saw him. This door was already opened and there no alarm, not that it mattered now, and Train opened it and ran down the stairs.

He had little to no time before the officers upstairs reassembled or called for backup on the ground level.

Train took the back door of the Project building he was in when he hit the first floor and was already on the street running before the police could established where he went.

Wiz had set him up again and he had almost fell for it again. He thought he could outsmart a nerd and he was wrong. Wiz wasn't as stupid as Train wanted him to be. Wiz had outfoxed him again and now Train wanted nothing more than payback this time.

Train stopped running long enough to catch his breath and also not look suspicious. He spotted a trains station not that far away. He jogged towards it as he heard police sirens from a distance he assumed combing the area looking for him. Train entered the train station and jumped the turnstile when he thought the token booth clerk wasn't looking.

Train got on the first train that came in and took a seat. It wasn't that crowded and no one was looking in his direction so he relaxed a little but not that much.

As the train pulled off and went under the tunnel to go to the next step, Train took a minute to really think. Train realized he was stupid for trying to trick Wiz with something stupid like the plan he had. Train had to come at this guy in a total different way especially if he wanted to get information on where...