One Way To Heaven

by J. M. Benjamin

  Mia’s words caused a huge smile to appear across the girl’s face. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. She was glad she had chosen the side she had. She was just about to raise her head and guide her lips to Mia’s when her plans were suddenly interrupted. Her hair was forcefully yanked back. The girl’s eyes widened in terror as she felt the cold steel pressed against her temple and the look of death on Mia’s face. She was shocked and totally oblivious as to what had warranted the new chain of events. Mia had such a death grip on the girl’s hair that it prevented her from uttering a word. Mia could see the look of why on the girl’s face but paid it no mind. The girl managed to get one slight cry out before she was silenced. The bullet entered and exited the side of her skull before she had time to realize death had knocked on her door. Mia released the limp body and let it fall to the ground.

  “You’re no different than them, shiesty ass bitch,” Mia cursed.

  She walked over to the couch where the girl’s Chanel knock off designer bag was located and rummaged through it. Once she found what she was looking for, she calmly let herself out…

  Chapter Eighteen

  As Sonya pulled into the barnyard area her antennas immediately went up. The first thing she saw was the rental Shell had left the house in earlier. She wasted no time hopping out of her own rental with weapon drawn and cocked. She ducked low as she exited the vehicle and scanned the semi dark barn as if she had been trained in the military before. She used her car door as a shield as she peered, her eyes around it. Her heart rate increased and her adrenaline was overflowing.

  “Shell,” she called out in a loud whisper to no avail.

  She repeated the call before taking a deep breath. Sonya rose up and waved her weapon from side to side ready for whatever. To her relief, no un-expected surprises leaped out at her. She did however notice the figure curled up ahead on the ground. There was no doubt in her mind that the figure was Shell.

  “Nooo!” Sonya rushed to the body and instantly fell to the ground.

  “Shell,” she cried out. Sonya rolled her friend’s body over and partially lifted her up. “No this can’t be happening,” she cried out again. By now she was covered in Shell’s blood and saw that more blood was lightly oozing out of her partner’s mouth. Sonya screamed hysterically as she rocked Shell back and forth. Tears stormed out of her eyes.

  “Who did this?” she yelled. “Who fuckin’ did this?”

  Had she not stopped yelling for that split second, she may have missed it. It was just in time to hear the weak moan Shell had managed to let out.

  “I’m here mamacita,” Sonya assured her friend.

  “I’m here.” A sense of joy and hope overcame Sonya at that moment. “Don’t worry, I’ma get you outta here baby girl.”

  Sonya stood to her feet. She was certain Shell’s condition was the result of a robbery, so there was no need to climb up the ladder to see if their product was up there. She kneeled down and with all her being; she scooped Shell up and carried her to the car.

  “You’re gonna be alright, I promise. Just hold on.”

  Once Sonya got Shell in the back seat of the car, she pulled out her cell phone. Once Heaven found out about Shell, she knew their current plans would be delayed in the south…

  Chapter Nineteen

  Corey paced back and forth in his living room collecting his thoughts while John-John sat beside Peedie compressing a cool cloth on his forehead. “Doc should’ve been here by now,” John-John announced as he noticed the hour that passed since Corey had placed the call. Corey did not respond. He was in a zone and was focused on more important things, like why he was being sent to voicemail and none of his text messages were being answered. The fact that things had spiraled out of control had Corey on edge. He pulled out his phone for the umpteenth time. “Wassup on ur end?” he texted to the number. He drew his attention to the lights that seeped through his living room blinds. Corey walked over towards the window and peered out.

  “That’s the doc?” John-John asked hopeful.

  “Nah just a passing car,” Corey replied.

  “Damn, where the fuck he at?” John-John cursed. “Peedie ain’t doin’ so good.”

  Corey sighed in frustration. “Man, chill the fuck out. He’ll be here,” he retorted. In all reality, Corey could careless whether Peedie lived or died. Although John-John had given him the play back of what happened at the barnyard, in his mind Corey believed different. He knew it was John-John’s version, then the truth and somewhere in between he was convinced Peedie was the cause of the fuck up.

  It crossed his mind to cancel the doctor and let Peedie die but he thought better of it knowing he would have to deal with his partner John-John. Corey had already made up his mind once the doctor came and patched Peedie up he would pay him and John-John and make a fast dash out of town before the shit hit the fan. He knew there was no telling what type of heat was going to come and how quick behind the foul up. He couldn’t help but to be worried. The only person that could calm him was not returning his calls or texts. That convinced Corey that time was running out. His thought was disrupted by a noise behind him. He spun around and directed his attention towards the kitchen. “Did you hear that?” Corey asked John-John.

  “Hear what?” John-John replied dumbfounded.

  Corey didn’t bother to continue. Instead, he drew his 45 automatic from behind. The sight of Corey’s gun put John-John on point. He quickly rose up from the couch and scurried over towards the wall. He too now had his weapon drawn.

  “What is it?” he whispered over to his boss.

  Corey placed the barrel of his gun up to his lips to silence John-John. He was trying to concentrate on listening for the slightest sound or movement as he cautiously tip toed on the plush carpet towards the kitchen area. John-John backed him up by scaling the wall with his revolver pointed in the direction of the kitchen. The crashing sound of a glass hitting the floor caused Corey to dive to the right and seek cover while John-John did a drop and roll to the left.

  “Ya’ll thought ya’ll was gonna catch me slippin’ huh?” Corey yelled out towards the kitchen, the whole while inching his way closer towards the entrance. He was determined to not go out without a fight.

  No one responded to his comment. Corey made a gesture with his free hand and pistol, indicating to John-John that he was moving in and needed him to follow up. John-John took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. This is what he had been getting paid for. Corey raised his free hand, held up three fingers and began to count down. John-John glanced over at Peedie then back at Corey’s hand. Corey lifted himself up from off the floor right before his third finger disappeared and sprung into action. He bombarded the kitchen in a blaze of glory rotating the chrome automatic from side to side with each shot released. As promised John-John rushed in behind him and followed suit. The smoke from both men’s guns illuminated and lingered in the air as they destroy the lavish kitchen with a barrage of bullets. It wasn’t until both of their weapons were empty and the gun battle had ended that they realized they were still standing. Corey quickly scanned the kitchen and let out an insane laughter after realizing something else.

  “Ain’t this about a bitch,” he continued laughing.

  John-John found no humor in the sight.

  Corey couldn’t help but shake his head at the sight of the dead raccoon, who had obviously came through the open window in the kitchen, laying in the sink riddled with bullet holes. “Better safe than sorry.” Corey shrugged his shoulders at John-John.

  “Yo, call the doc and see where the fuck he at,” John-John requested dryly, disregarding his boss’s remark.

  “I will dawg. My phone’s in the living room.”

  Corey made his way back towards the living room. He was still shaking his head and chuckling behind the dead raccoon ordeal. His laughter quickly ceased by the movement he caught out of his left peripheral. Before he had time to think or react, Corey’s thoughts were blown out of his head and sp
rayed the wall. The sound of the gunshot caught John-John off guard and startled him. He watched as his boss went crashing to the floor. The next thing he saw was the tomboyish looking girl standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a, cannon pointed at him. He instantly recognized her.

  “Where the fuck is my peoples?” Mia asked in reference to Shell walking into the kitchen.

  No matter what answer he gave, John-John knew he was a dead man, so he opted to tell the truth. “She’s dead.”

  His words sent electricity through Mia’s entire body. Her eyes grew cold.

  “You bitch ass mutha’ fucka,” she spit through clenched jaws. “Get the fuck on your knees,” she commanded with the wave of her gun as she approached him.

  John-John did not comply. Instead, he remained still. “If you’re gonna kill me then kill me. I’m not gettin’ on my knees,” he stated boldly. Despite Mia holding the gun and having the upper hand, John-John matched her murderous stare. The one thing he was not was afraid of dying. He figured if he was going to cash out it would not be in a cowardly fashion. He knew if he dropped to his knee that’s, exactly the type of death he would receive.

  “Nigga I said-.” Before Mia could finish her sentence, the wind was knocked out of her. The impact from her body hitting the floor caused Mia’s gun to fly out of her hand and across the kitchen as a wild shot she managed to let off lodged itself in the refrigerator. She had wasted too much time and underestimated the man who stood in front of her and because of that, John-John’s football skills paid off. Before Mia knew what had hit her, John-John had launched a dive tackle and was now on top of her.

  “Now what? You lil dyke bitch,” John-John growled. He delivered a blow to Mia’s face adding to her dazed state.

  “I can kill you with my bare hands, you stupid bitch.” John-John was now in a blind rage. He wrapped his gorilla paws around Mia’s neck and began strangling the life out of her 120lb frame. John-John stared into Mia’s now buggy eyes. They looked as if they were going to pop out of their sockets at any moment. That excited John-John. He applied more pressure to Mia’s neck. He could see the life exiting her body.

  “Yeah, yeah,” he yelled with each squeeze. “Yeah, die, agh!” John-John bellowed, rolling off top of Mia and tumbling over and on to the kitchen’s floor.

  The six-inch blade Mia managed to plunge deep into John-John’s side was enough to cease the death grip he had around her neck. Mia could barely breathe. She rolled on to her side gasping for air as John-John screamed in agony. Her right eye was completely closed from the punch John-John delivered to her face but she was still able to see out of her left one. With her one good eye Mia located her weapon. With all her might, she crawled, snail like in the direction of the gun. She could still hear John-John’s cries behind her. Seconds later, she was within an arm’s length of her gun. A sense of relief overcame her as she felt the bottom of the butt of her weapon. Just a little more she thought. Before she got the chance to gain full possession of the weapon John- John had a handful of her ankle pulling her towards him. He had conjured up the strength to make his way over to her and was steadily pulling himself back on top of her.

  “I’m going to kill your fuckin’ ass,” he yelled in a chilling tone. By now his face was just below Mia’s waist. John-John extended his arm and grabbed hold of Mia’s head to use as leverage to pull himself up. Mia tossed and turned to break free to no avail as she extended her arm as well. John-John used all of his upper body strength to pull himself up and blanket Mia. Unfortunately for him, Mia had also used all of her upper body and inner strength during her stretch.

  John-John’s head parted like the Red Sea and exploded like a piñata from the point blank range shot Mia fired into his dome. Mia leaned her head back in exhaustion breathing uncontrollably. She laid still for awhile, trying to catch her breath. Moments later, she rose up. She wiggled her way from underneath John-John’s lifeless body and struggled to stand up.

  She launched a kick into John-John’s ribs and spit on his deceased body before making her way into the living room. She then kneeled beside Corey’s limp body and conducted a search of his persons. Not finding what she was looking for, Mia proceeded to search the living room. She nearly lost her balance tripping over a bag on the floor, but the edge of the sofa allowed her to catch her balance. She didn’t even bother to see what she had almost caused her to fall. Instead, she was taken back by the male figure stretched out on the sofa when she looked up. Mia wasted no time raising her gun. She was that close to filling Peedie’s body full of lead until she realized there was no need. She noticed Peedie’s eyes were wide open staring up at the ceiling and his skin coloration appeared to be charcoaled tone. Judging by the soiled towel around his neck, it was evident to Mia that Peedie had bled to death. Mia continued her search. It took no time to finding what she was looking for. Once she located it, Mia snatched up what she believed to be the key piece of the puzzle she had been putting together and calmly made her exit. There was no way of her knowing that the duffel bag she had tripped over belonged to her and her crew…

  Chapter Twenty

  “Son of a bitch!” Saleski cursed as he held the steering wheel of his car tightly.

  Out of all times, why now, Saleski thought as he focused on veering off to the shoulder of the highway. He turned on his hazard lights and roughly threw his car in park.

  “Fuck!” Saleski cursed for a second time. He punched the roof of his vehicle in frustration then took a deep breath and opened up the glove compartment to retrieve his flash light. As if it couldn’t get any worse, Saleski’s flash light was not where he normally kept it. At that moment, he remembered taking it in the house during the latest thunderstorm when the lights had gone out in his home and forgetting to return it back to his car. Saleski shook his head in disbelief. He pulled out his phone then hopped out of his car and made his way over to the passenger side. Saleski used what little lighting his phone provided to navigate his way in the dark and investigate what he had already known. Up until now, Saleski was making good timing he thought. He had been driving for a little over an hour and a half and was just under thirty miles from the Maryland House. The tire was destroyed beyond recognition. He blamed himself for the blow out and wasn’t the least bit surprised at what tire it was. He was well aware of how bald his right passenger side tire was. He had been putting it and putting it off for months about changing it. Now, because of his negligence, he was stuck on the side of the road, surrounded by trees and darkness. Saleski thought about taking his chances and changing the flat himself, replacing the tire with the donut he had in his trunk, but thought better of the idea. With another eight hours of traveling to go and at least four hours before a tire shop opened, he knew it was best to let the professionals handle it. Saleski made his way back into his vehicle then pulled out his AAA card and dialed for roadside assistance…

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The sound of a car door slamming caused Heaven to hop up.

  Ever since she had received the call from Sonya about her discovery at the barn and Shell’s condition, she had been on edge.

  She rushed to the door with Anita trailing behind her.

  “Oh my god,” Anita chimed in shock. The sight of Sonya covered in blood was the cause of her reaction.

  “Help me get her out the back,” Sonya requested, her voice cracking a little. Her throat was still dry from all the crying, screaming and cursing she had done during the drive back to the house while trying to keep Shell conscious.

  “Who the fuck did this shit?” Heaven said aloud making her way over to the other side of the car.

  “I asked myself the same thing,” Sonya replied.

  By now, Heaven was in the backseat on the opposite side of the vehicle. Together they lifted Shell’s body.

  “Don’t worry baby, we got you.” Heaven offered her friend.

  Anita moved off to the side as Heaven and Sonya carried Shell into the house. Her eyes widened at the sight Shell’s bl
oody matted up hair. She realized Shell had been shot in the head. She wondered how she had survived.

  “Nita go get some towels and some warm water,” Heaven instructed as she and Sonya lead Shell to the living room couch.

  Anita closed the door behind them and did as she was told.

  “Shell can you hear me?” Heaven asked. She was kneeled down beside Shell. Shell’s eyelids fluttered.

  “You’re going to be alright baby, just hold on for us,” Heaven assured her. “Sonya look in the kitchen and get some scissors.”

  Sonya rose up and rushed to the kitchen. Minutes later, Anita was holding a bucket of warm water and Heaven rinsed the blood out of Shell’s hair while Sonya carefully cut around where Shell had been shot. Within seconds, the clear water in the bucket transformed to a deep burgundy.

  “Go get some more fresh water,” Heaven instructed Anita.

  She continued to smooth out pieces of Shell’s hair while Sonya commenced to cutting. They had yet to reach the infliction Shell had received to the head. In no time, Anita was back with a fresh batch of water and Heaven repeated what she had done with the first bucket. Ten minutes, two buckets and a half shaved head later, the three of them were staring down at the hole on the side of their partners head.

  “Shit,” Sonya cried out at the mini hole.

  Anita weakened at the knees and nearly vomited at the sight of the bullet hole the size of the tip of her thumb. Although she ran and hung with some, she was not a killer so being around blood and bodies was not common for her. This was the second time in her life that she had actually been this close to somebody who had been shot. The first time was when she was freed during Heaven’s escape. Unbeknownst to them all, she had actually vomited the first chance she got in the mobile unit’s bathroom from the ordeal. The more Anita stared at the wound the more the pit of her stomach boiled.

  “I’m going to go change the water again,” she excused herself without waiting to see if any more water was actually needed.