From The Hood

Chapter Five

"You sure you don't want me to take you home, Honey, you know I don't like you walking this late at night." Auntie Jackie said.

"Naw, I'm good, I'll catch the next transit." I told her while fixing the filled Tupperware in my unoccupied hand. "I'll call you when I make it home."

"Alright, just be careful and if something happen, just hurry and get you and Jaden out of-"

"Haha, I know Auntie, you've told me hundreds of times growing up." She smiled before kissing Jaden's head as it laid on my shoulder.

I corrected the jacket and pulled his hood over as I felt a cool breeze, I then turned and waved back at Auntie Jackie as she reluctantly started to close her door, I glanced back as I walked, I wasn't scared to walk at night. I started down the walkway, moving fast to get Jaden out of the cold, I wasn't regretting the choice to walk because it gave me the freedom and time to clear my mind at the moment. I had so much on my plate: Mama overdosing and her not going to be going to the store to fill the fridge, now making that my job; Kasmin were making comments about Asiah and his video, which I shouldn't had read because it only killed my mood more; Jaden was slowly coming down with a cold, making me the suitor to take care of him; and this stupid... stupid project that was due in a week, and to make it worse, Mr. Common was picking the partners tomorrow. I just needed a break and part of me was thinking of taking some money and going to find Kasmin and them for a pound, since that was all I knew how to get, and it was for a hundred dollars, which I didn't have. Another part of me knew I was better than that, I had to be strong and stay away from that substance before I became like Mama, addicted to it and unable to live without it. I bit my lip as I glanced around, I couldn't pull my phone out and check the time because both of my hands were full, I was praying that I didn't miss the transit or I would really be walking home.

It was mostly quiet out, and it only got quieter as I made my way farther and farther into the nasty depths of the town, which was very unusual so I assumed that it was the drug lords making a move, which means: I need to get home ASAP because it's never this quiet. It was probably what we called "the quiet before the storm", I knew something bad was going to happen but it just hadn't yet. I listened as the sound of tires cruising on the crumbling road and a growling engine pumping loudly caught my attention, I glanced behind me as a black truck slowed down a lot from the fast but cruising speed it was going. I turned back to face the concrete walkway before me as it slowed to a rolling speed beside me, I glanced over as the driver's window descended down about two inches and a large cloud of smoke rolled out immediately afterward. I continued to walk while fixing Jaden on my shoulder, he had fallen back asleep and was snoring in my ear now, I bit my lip nervously as I glanced at the car to see it still beside me out the corner of my eye. Who was this person and what could they possibly want with me? I figured it was maybe a gang member and they were trying to scare me up a little, I tried to ignore them as the car continued to roll beside me while I made my way to the transit station slowly.

Maybe the person in the car thought I was a prostitute looking for some money, finally the person in the car put some power into their gas and was back to going down the road. I quickly decided to take a different approach to the transit station and hiked across the road and down an open, quiet street, just as I disappeared around the corner, I saw the black H2 Hummer brake lights come on as they skidded left. I was hoping that they weren't coming back around to come get me, if that was the case, I needed to get somewhere safe and unseen. I fixed the Tupperware once more in my hand as I looked for a shortcut to the transit station, there is always a monitor watching us from there and if I get kidnapped, you would be able to see it on the monitor. It was my best bet. I rounded yet another corner and saw the lit transit station in the distance, my heart skipped a beat in happiness as I picked up speed and made my way to it, I crossed the street again and safely made it to the benches. I laid Jaden down and walked up to the timing board to see if there was a transit coming, my joy was short lived as I realize I made it ten minutes too late for the last transit to come this way. My heart became heavy as I glanced back at Jaden before walking over to take a seat as he slept, which he was starting to do a lot and I know it's something you're suppose to do when you're sick, but it worries me. I looked up as I heard the sound of another growling engine and realized it was the same black Hummer H2, my heart started to race as so many possibilities started to go through my head: are they going to try to kill me, going to try to rape me, force me to go somewhere with them, was this person alone, where they going to keep trailing me... what about Jaden?