21

21/Ch. 35

I pushed the girls upstairs.

"Lock the doors."

I was going back down with I saw people walking by. I shot out the lightbulbs, so now, they don't know who is where.

The only light is when the guns were shot or lightning through the windows. I got 2 people down because the fires gave them away.

I felt somebody behind me. When they were close enough, I almost pistol-whipped them.

"Chill. It's me, bitch," they whispered.

"Hakeem? Don't sneak on me like that."

"Shut up and listen real quick. There's a basement trapdoor in the room where the girls at. They know the drill and went down there. We have to go, too. Ronnie thinking about blowing this shit up."

"And I should believe you?"

"What your ass gonna do? You don't know where to go."

I kept going down the steps, but tripped.

I heard people turning around, but when I fell, the gun slide
out of my hands.

On cue, lightning striked and I was in full view. The door is right there, but I can't run fast enough.

Hakeem came down and started shooting shots.

"Get out the door! Grab your gun and get out! Not the front...do what I said earlier."

He was trying to save me.

I got the heat, and kept running straight and got into the dumbwaiter that was out of view. I'm being lowered into the cellar.

When I got there, I saw almost everybody else.

Ronnie came up.

"Where's Hakeem?"

"I don't know."

"Juan not here. He sent people."

"So what are we gonna do?"

"We about to clear out of here so I can blow this shit up. Out front are people on watch. When they leave, we gotta follow them. Wherever they go is gonna be with wherever Juan at. We'd have him then, but gotta be ready."

"What about Hakeem, though. Are we gonna wait on him?"

"No time."

"Then you go. I'm gonna go back for him."

"You black, nigga. We ain't white people in those movies that try to be the hero. You in this shit, so you gotta learn to move on."

He told everybody to go out and I was left to make this decision on my own.

The shooting started to get closer, so I ran, but it was too late. I was stopped.