We were sitting in my car in the Cherry Hill Mall...In Cherry Hill, New Jersey, right outside of Philadelphia. Me and my boy "88" I was waiting for my babymomma and now, boo du jour, Rell to finish shopping in the shoe store. Me? My name is Chess.
"So "88" , when are you going away again?" I asked.
"That cat from Patterson ,New Jersey...Reed Nelson wants me to sit in with his band for a few dates out on the West Coast at the end of this month.....I should make some nice change off of those gigs and I'll get to see California....I aint never been to Cali before." said 88.
"Nah? Really? Wow, you don't know what you've been missin man...that's liquid sunshine out there...and the women......oh yeah that's right....you hooked up now..to that fine ass Mabel Jenkins. Guess you'll be taking her with you." I laughed.
"If she can get off work for the two weeks...I'll take her" he said.
"Man, where is your cousin?" I asked ,checking my watch....
"Aww Chess...you know how women is...especially women and shoes.." laughed 88.
"Yeah, I know.." I laughed....
Just then I heard what sounded like two fire crackers go off.....Then I heard screams and I saw the plate glass window of the shoe store explode into peices...
"88, get down, get down." I said as we ducked down into the car......
Across the street, a tall reed thin white man with wild eyes was holding an AK-47 and blasting randomly... He was wearing an old fashioned military fatigue jacket...The kind they wore in the seventies...He looked as if he hadn't shaved or bathed in weeks.
He shot two people as they were running from one store to another...He spun around and shot
another man trying to hustle across the street. He fired at a teenager , who agilely ducked behind a car. I thought that he had missed him...Then I saw a pool of blood ,running like a stream from behind the car and the teenaged boy fell to the ground , dead. The man in the fatigue jacket reloaded and began walking aimlessly in the opposite direction firing wildly at anything that moved. It was at that moment that 88 and I thought the same thing! Rell!!!!!!!!!!
We crawled out of the car and made our way into the shoe store...People were in the streets running and getting shot and screaming....
"Rell......Rell...where you at?" I shouted.....
"Chess....I'm over here...." came a voice. I followed the sound of the voice and eventually found her, hovering behind a counter. Next to her...lying very still and very dead was the saleswoman
who had attempted to sell her a pair of shoes.
I have to admit...She was taking this well..She grabbed my hand and then me and held me very tight..
"Hey lovebirds...we got to get out of here...old laughing boy with the AK-47 is on the move and he headed this way." Said 88.
"See if there is a back way out " I said, as I grabbed Rell and pulled her toward a back door in the store.. 88 followed me and I opened the back door.....Upon opening the door, the store alarm went off and now the killer knew that there was some life inside the shoe store! We hurried out the door . We now had another problem. The Car was around the corner and so was he.....
Was ,being the operative word here...We ran down the street and ran right into the scary looking
killer....It was at moments like these that I got real religious.. 88 and Rell stopped dead in their tracks... I was standing there praying for a miracle...
The killer aimed his Ak-47 at us....Just then ,I heard two loud bangs..seemingly coming from the opposite direction!!! I saw the killer fall backwards...his gun flying up in the air...and blood splattering all across the back wall.....and then I heard the strangely familiar voice....
"You can thank me later....right now..I gotta hide this heater and get back to my car and get the
hell out of here..I don't feel like talkin to no cops and I don't feel like explaining this heater."
It was Chris!!!! Chris Thompson.
"Yo Chris...What the ....How did you know I was here?" I said.
"I didn't...I been back in town for nearly two weeks and I couldn't never run into you...the day I
aint lookin for you, the day I'm just chillin in the mall by myself..I run into you...How ya doin Chess?" he said.
"Man, if you aint a sight for sore eyes..." I exclaimed.
"Hey Rell, how you doin Honey, I'll excuse your boy's rudeness." laughed Chris.
"Hey Chris...you visitin?" she laughed.
"Nah, I'm back for good...Chess needs lookin after as you can see.....What's shakin "88"? you still
playin them keys brother?" laughed Chris.
"Sho am..gotta a couple of dates lined up in Cali." said 88.
"Good for you brother..keep bangin..Well folks, look here..I'll get back at ya , when I see you in
Philly, right now..I gotta get ghost...and I'd advise you good people to do the same." said Chris.
Just like that, he was gone..getting in his car and speeding away.
88,Rell and I did the same.... That night we watched on the news as they talked about the mass
killer who shot 12 people and killed 10 at the mall and who himself was gunned down by an "unknown assailant" Apparently the man had just lost his job and had went banannas....The "Unknown assailant" was being hailed as a hero...
Chris, being the laid back kind of guy he was ,wouldn't have wanted the publicity anyway.
(For Blu Jewel)
"So "88" , when are you going away again?" I asked.
"That cat from Patterson ,New Jersey...Reed Nelson wants me to sit in with his band for a few dates out on the West Coast at the end of this month.....I should make some nice change off of those gigs and I'll get to see California....I aint never been to Cali before." said 88.
"Nah? Really? Wow, you don't know what you've been missin man...that's liquid sunshine out there...and the women......oh yeah that's right....you hooked up now..to that fine ass Mabel Jenkins. Guess you'll be taking her with you." I laughed.
"If she can get off work for the two weeks...I'll take her" he said.
"Man, where is your cousin?" I asked ,checking my watch....
"Aww Chess...you know how women is...especially women and shoes.." laughed 88.
"Yeah, I know.." I laughed....
Just then I heard what sounded like two fire crackers go off.....Then I heard screams and I saw the plate glass window of the shoe store explode into peices...
"88, get down, get down." I said as we ducked down into the car......
Across the street, a tall reed thin white man with wild eyes was holding an AK-47 and blasting randomly... He was wearing an old fashioned military fatigue jacket...The kind they wore in the seventies...He looked as if he hadn't shaved or bathed in weeks.
He shot two people as they were running from one store to another...He spun around and shot
another man trying to hustle across the street. He fired at a teenager , who agilely ducked behind a car. I thought that he had missed him...Then I saw a pool of blood ,running like a stream from behind the car and the teenaged boy fell to the ground , dead. The man in the fatigue jacket reloaded and began walking aimlessly in the opposite direction firing wildly at anything that moved. It was at that moment that 88 and I thought the same thing! Rell!!!!!!!!!!
We crawled out of the car and made our way into the shoe store...People were in the streets running and getting shot and screaming....
"Rell......Rell...where you at?" I shouted.....
"Chess....I'm over here...." came a voice. I followed the sound of the voice and eventually found her, hovering behind a counter. Next to her...lying very still and very dead was the saleswoman
who had attempted to sell her a pair of shoes.
I have to admit...She was taking this well..She grabbed my hand and then me and held me very tight..
"Hey lovebirds...we got to get out of here...old laughing boy with the AK-47 is on the move and he headed this way." Said 88.
"See if there is a back way out " I said, as I grabbed Rell and pulled her toward a back door in the store.. 88 followed me and I opened the back door.....Upon opening the door, the store alarm went off and now the killer knew that there was some life inside the shoe store! We hurried out the door . We now had another problem. The Car was around the corner and so was he.....
Was ,being the operative word here...We ran down the street and ran right into the scary looking
killer....It was at moments like these that I got real religious.. 88 and Rell stopped dead in their tracks... I was standing there praying for a miracle...
The killer aimed his Ak-47 at us....Just then ,I heard two loud bangs..seemingly coming from the opposite direction!!! I saw the killer fall backwards...his gun flying up in the air...and blood splattering all across the back wall.....and then I heard the strangely familiar voice....
"You can thank me later....right now..I gotta hide this heater and get back to my car and get the
hell out of here..I don't feel like talkin to no cops and I don't feel like explaining this heater."
It was Chris!!!! Chris Thompson.
"Yo Chris...What the ....How did you know I was here?" I said.
"I didn't...I been back in town for nearly two weeks and I couldn't never run into you...the day I
aint lookin for you, the day I'm just chillin in the mall by myself..I run into you...How ya doin Chess?" he said.
"Man, if you aint a sight for sore eyes..." I exclaimed.
"Hey Rell, how you doin Honey, I'll excuse your boy's rudeness." laughed Chris.
"Hey Chris...you visitin?" she laughed.
"Nah, I'm back for good...Chess needs lookin after as you can see.....What's shakin "88"? you still
playin them keys brother?" laughed Chris.
"Sho am..gotta a couple of dates lined up in Cali." said 88.
"Good for you brother..keep bangin..Well folks, look here..I'll get back at ya , when I see you in
Philly, right now..I gotta get ghost...and I'd advise you good people to do the same." said Chris.
Just like that, he was gone..getting in his car and speeding away.
88,Rell and I did the same.... That night we watched on the news as they talked about the mass
killer who shot 12 people and killed 10 at the mall and who himself was gunned down by an "unknown assailant" Apparently the man had just lost his job and had went banannas....The "Unknown assailant" was being hailed as a hero...
Chris, being the laid back kind of guy he was ,wouldn't have wanted the publicity anyway.
(For Blu Jewel)
21 comments:
Wow Keith...Great Story..Full of action just like I like.
Good Story Keith..Looks like you've brought all of your charactors back this month in the short story form.
The charactors in your stories is like one big inter-related community. I love this.
Mannn,I'm so glad you wrote a potboiler...I was needing this.
Once Again, you was on the money fam with this story.
Guess I'll keep my boxers on-lololol had to go there, but this was well worth waiting for. Good Story.
Incredible effort man, Incredible!
Loved This story...So nice to see Chris and Chess re-united.
"Boo du jour" ? I loved that term Keith,Loved this story too!
So glad to See Chris and Chess back on the streets again.
Yayyyy,Chris is back and with Chess and 88.
My two favorite guys...back together again...I loved it Keith.
Loved this story Keith!
I'm liking the fact that you have been writing stand alone short stories lately....I know another series is coming...but it's nice to read a story that stands by itself once in awhile and not have to wait each day.
As you know these are not my favorites of your charactors..but the story did hold my interest.
I kept my panties on after reading this, but it did have me fanning myself...Good story.
@anonymous- so glad that you showed some restraint.
Great story Keith!
But these short stories lack the suspense that having to come back tomorrow do!
Peace Bro!
@Soloman- Don't worry, got a new series about to begin with a new charactor.
Since this is national poetry month, I plan to drop some more poetry...I just wanted to tie up some loose story ends (Anita and Carlton, Chris and Chess) and drop in some old friends..while keeping my stalwarts Kevin and crew in the mix.
My new charactor is a lawyer who flaunts the moral law a bit...but
that's all I'll say about him right now.
You must be taking a break...Can't wait to read about this new charactor.
*blushin* OMG! I'm so late reading this Keith. Thanks so much for the dedication, but what did I do to deserve the honor?
I love this story as with all the others. Boo du Jour sounds like something I might have said *lol*.
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