Accepted To Kill

Chapter 3

The man says nothing, just stares at me pitifully defenseless on the ground beneath him. His black eyes are cold and merciless, and I know this sunset is probably my last.

"Why did you come here?" He asks in a tone that sends chills through my body. "Only an idiot would venture here without our permission to trespass".

"You're right sir." I say hardly able to keep my voice steady, "I'm an idiot".

His eyes narrow at my response and I hear a click of his gun. My eyes widen in terror and I begin to squirm against the ropes.

"You ignored my question," he says his voice rising, "why did you come here?"

"I...", my voice cracks making the man give me a look that could kill. "I had to get away", I mumble. I watch his face in the dark as it goes from a cold expression to one of contemplation.

"Away?" He leans in close to me, "away from the cops?"

"No," I say shakily, "away from my family."

He looks me up and down as if searching for something. "I'll tell you what," he states matter of factly, "only way you get out of this alive is if you become one of us."

My face must've shown satisfaction at this statement, because he instantly kicks me in the stomach. I fall over on my side, leaning my forehead against the cold ground trying to suppress a cry of pain.

"If you rat on any of us boy, we will kill you! To be one of us means sacrifice, and if you back down from the ceremony of acceptance, I will not hesitate to shoot you. If you make it through, we are your family, your brothers. You got that?"

I nod my head, fighting the tears that sting my eyes. What have I done.

         He does not appear willing to untie me, so I keep my mouth shut despite how much my arms are beginning to ache.  The coarse rope rubs against my wrists, irritating the now raw flesh.

        I can hear more footsteps approaching the door, yet I keep my head down, in too much pain to move.  The man with the gun says a few words quietly to whoever has just entered the room, but I cannot hear and begin to worry. 

       Now more than ever I regret my idiotic decision to satisfy my curiosity.  I'm sure now that I'm going to die.  Sweat trickles down the back of my neck as I struggle to set myself free, but to no avail.

      The sound of a gunshot makes me freeze like a deer in headlights.  Eyes wide and heart pounding, I look up at the man with the gun, who only laughs at me.  His shot had just missed me.

     "Next time I will actually kill you," he says coldly. "Keep still and keep quiet."

       I do not try to move again.  My life is worth nothing to them, I do not doubt that they'd kill me in a heartbeat.  Why he has not killed me yet I do not know, but perhaps the others will.

      The man with the gun exits the room, leaving me with the two men who had entered only moments ago.  I cannot see them, but can hear their voices. 

        The one nearest to me circles around me to where I can see him.  "What's your name kid?" He asks squatting down beside me.    His face is thin, his eyes large and black, and dreadlocks fall down almost to his shoulders. 

      "Are you not gonna answer me?" He sounds irritated.

     I find my voice and say breathlessly, "Matty...my name is Matty."

   He stands up. "Matty huh?"  He picks me up and throws me to the ground.  A yell escapes my lips before I can stop myself.  My back hits the ground, my hands crushed beneath me. A tear rolls down my cheek and I quickly roll over so it won't be seen.

"Never ignore me when I speak to you," the guy with the dreadlocks says as he picks me up by the shirt again.

I lower my head to hide my face. "I'm sorry..."

The other guy who'd been standing there quietly steps in, "aye Melvin, let's just do what we came here to do. Johnny will deal with this later."

The one holding me who was called Melvin drops me, and I fall to the floor with a thud, my head now spinning.

I hear the click of a gun and anxiety builds up in the pit of my stomach. I manage to bring myself to a sitting position with my knees against my chest.

A gun is pointed directly at my head by Melvin as the other guy approaches me with a drawn knife.

"If you resist this," Melvin says as the guy kneels beside me with the knife, "I will shoot you."

I shiver as my shirt is cut, then removed from my body.

"Hurry up Leo," Melvin says to the guy who is now examining my chest and back as if searching for something.

"He's not marked," Leo says with a smile as Melvin lowers the gun.

Melvin nods. "Tell the boss he's ours."