"Just beat it, beat it No one wants to be defeated Showin' how funky and strong is your fight It doesn't matter who's wrong or right Just beat it, beat it Just beat it, beat it"
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The blazing hot sun beat down on Michael's forehead as he was walking to Tony's Grub, the local diner in his neighborhood. It was around three in the afternoon, so plenty of residents were out and about. There were kids playing, elderly people sitting on their porches, drug dealers handling their business, rowdy thugs catcalling women— just an ordinary day in his hood.
Slightly panting from the heat, Michael finally reached Tony's Grub and greeted the small crowd of people outside. He walked in and saw that the small diner was packed as usual. Rap music blared from the stereo as people conversed and ate. He scanned the area, trying to find the table where his three best friends, Darryl, Kevin, and Jerome, were sitting at. Once he spotted them, he headed over there. They immediately perked up once they noticed him.
"My nigga, Mike! What's up, man?" Darryl exclaimed as he dapped Michael up. Michael then gave fist bumps to the other two guys.
"Nothing much. What's been going on?" Michael responded while sitting down. The three young men's expressions quickly shifted from excited to serious, which made him nervous.
"We got beef with some niggas, bro." Jerome said, taking a sip of his soda. Michael just rolled his eyes. It's always some wannabe gangs that try to cause issues with them. Lately, there's been one called the Trouble Squad, a group of nerdy looking kids who couldn't be anything older than fifteen. He remembered when they tried to pick a fight with him and Kevin, but as soon as Kevin charged toward them, they ran off screaming and crying.
"Is it them Trouble punks again?" Michael asked, tapping his fingers to the beat of the music.
"Nah, it ain't those pussy ass clowns. It's the Hell Raizers." Jerome replied with a somber expression. Michael froze in fear, trying to process what he just learned.
The Hell Raizers were the most feared gang in their hood and the gang leader, who simply goes by the nickname X, is the most ruthless man alive. They truly lived up to their name, terrorizing the neighborhood for as long as he could remember. Vandalism and drug dealing are child's play for them; they've pimped out women, kidnapped people, and killed people. However, the main things they're known for are their fatal knife fights and drive-by shootings. In fact, Michael's father was killed by one of those drive-bys last year.
The thought of them made Michael sick to his stomach. "W-What? How... how the fuck did this happen?"
"Remember that block party we went to last Saturday, but you left early because your ma was sick?" Darryl asked. Michael nodded in confirmation.
"Well, his stupid ass," Darryl pointed at Kevin, "got into it with a couple of them right after you left. Word got back to X this morning, so now they looking for us."
