The Kiss of Death [Dave East]

15

THE EMPTY HOUSE HAD ONLY ONE STOOL SITTING IN one of the four bedrooms. She sat deep in thought, rubbing her chin. "A bullet answers for a bullet." She whispered to herself. Anissa was alerted by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway followed by headlights. She dashed out of the room into the hallway, met with everyone else. The house smelt of a freshly lit cigarette.

"Shit!" Russell cursed as he stepped out of the passenger side of the car. He redialled Trisha's phone, refusing to believe that everyone inside was dead and gone. "How the fuck we even know Vice actually here? We been standing outside for the past GI—" Both Russell and Harden flinched as they heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. "What the fuck?" Harden screamed. They peered down at her in shock, just as Trisha's voicemail went off. Russell slowly hung up, squinting at the crumpled piece of a paper on her back.

Leave your guns.

"Hell nah!" Harden cursed. He looked up at the house, throwing up both his middle fingers. "Fuck VL!" He yelled. Then he watched as something came rushing down, ripping through the air. Another body piled on top of Trisha's sluggishly. A worker. "Fuck!" He yelled. Russell acted first by throwing his pistol onto the dirt ground, rushing to the open door. Harden cursed under his breath doing the same and following Russell in pursuit. They'd didn't get far as Marcus aimed a gun dead between Russell's eyes. Harden was forced back up the stairs and as he came to the base, the all fearing Anissa waited with a handful of Vicelords beside her. Russell and Harden were forced onto their knees as they stared up at her.

"You think you won huh?" Russell asked, a pathetic laugh following. "Man you don't even know half this shit. We a branch. West branch. There more of us than you th—"

"I want you to remember that I gave you a chance." Anissa said speaking over him. Spades burned holes into Hardens body, his finger already sitting on the trigger. "Smoke lemme take his head off." Spades begged, stepping forward. "It could've been easier, Russell. But you almost killed kids on the corners. You killed my delivery men. You took my product. My money. So now we take your life. A bullet answers for a bullet, Russell. Always." Spades lunges forward, taking the first swing At Russell's jaw. In a quick second everyone pounced, taking their turns to beat on the rivals. Russell and Harden let out a series of groans and moans as they were beat into nothing.

The members circled away as Spades lifted the rifle over his shoulder and pulled the trigger twice. Piercing Russell's chest and then forehead. He fell back onto the ground heavily, blood oozing through his wound. Harden let out a loud wail, throwing his head back. "Fuck! No!" He cried, lowering his head as he heaved loudly. Cries and choked songs rattled through his body as he doubled over, covering his head. He was crying uncontrollably, like a mother mourning her dead child. This was a brotherly bond that she had just broken. If she let harden live to remember this day, he'd surely come back for vengeance. His love for Russell kind of reminded her of Zions undying love for Marcus and the rest of vice. No. She thought. They're nothing like him. Spades turned the gun to harden, taking one pull of the trigger as the bullet geared through his skull. At the hands of Spades, Harden joined Russell in death.