And I Darken

Chapter 4

"Never underestimate the pain of a person because the truth is everyone is struggling. It's just some people hide it better than others."

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"Sister LaWanda was one of us."

With every sentence, the preacher had to stop to take a breath and wipe the sweat off of his forehead. The people in the audience continuously praised worship while the singers swayed to the lyrics of the song.

"A friend...a mother...and she most certainly...was a woman of God."

I felt uneasy being here with everyone else, occasionally wrapping my hands in my black shirt from the nerves. I was seated far in the back from anyone's sight. I didn't really know this woman much other than the fact that I saw her twice before; first when she was speaking about her missing daughter with Pierce and second when Uncle Lala shot her with no regrets.

"Sister LaWanda fought the good fight, and now she's gone."

I heard that while I was passed out last night, a superhero in a dark lightning suit with a static-like face appeared and helped the police capture Uncle Lala in his penthouse. I honestly have no idea how to even feel about that.

"And all Sister LaWanda did was try to save her child."

On one hand, this is considered great news because he never treated me like real family before and his drug dealing ways are finally put behind bars. On the other hand, who's to say that he won't come for me now that one of his top henchmen were locked up, where exactly am I gonna live once the money stops being funded to the apartment owner, and who on earth is gonna help me with my own life-and-death situation? From the looks of it, the cons greatly outweigh the pros.

"And the One Hundred tried to send a message by killing her!"

At the name of the dangerous group, I started to slightly shake even though the temperature in the room was very humid from the number of bodies dressed in black. I tried to inch closer to the doorway, not caring about who was currently in my way or how dark it was outside.

"They wanted us to stay down, to stay scared, to have the little bit of life they gave us!"

Everything he said flew through one ear and out the other. The only thing I could possibly hope for was the little bit of life that I was able to acquire at this moment. My biggest fear, along with I'm pretty sure plenty of other people, was death and I wasn't about to hand it over to the same people that took everything away from me since my untimely birth.

"Well, I'm standing here tonight to tell you, that we're gonna send the One Hundred back a message..."

I'm not gonna be the idiot to participate in this man's words. And, to my great dismay, many people and children filled the audience tonight, including Pierce and his family although I didn't see Anissa anywhere. If I had any guts to tell them to get as far away from this place as possible, I could only have hoped that they would've been long gone. However, that's not happening anytime soon.

"...by following Sister LaWanda's example."

If I was somehow caught up in the aftermath of whatever raid this preacher was thinking about doing, I'm entirely sure I would not live to see the morning sunrise because the One Hundred would have my head before then.

"So I need 100 God-fearing people to march with me."

People in the crowd started to nod their heads along with his plan, shouting a 'yes' here and there. Finally reaching the door, I indiscreetly pushed my way out into the cool night air. Shutting the door behind me as to not alert the people of my lonesome presence, I quickly ran to the sidelines.