CONCRETE RUMBLE
"What the fuck! How has that happened?" One voice barked in a growly London accent. On a winter's night in February 2010, a group of young Black men are engaged in a fight with some Chinese British gangsters. The Chinese appear to have the upper hand as their defense is stronger. The leader of the group of young Black men known as Shower Squad is twenty-five year old Garrett 'The Don' James, who is of Guyanese descent. He waits patiently outside the warehouse for his team to finish their mission. Unexpectedly, one of the Shower Squad members is thrown through a window and lands mightily hard on the ground. The Shower Squad abort the mission and run out of the warehouse. Angered, Garrett follows his team.
Later, the team are all gravely bruised, leaving Garrett disgusted.
"You guys, this is the fourth fucking time we ain't got shit done."
"Don, man, those Chinese were next level. We weren't prepared for that shit." Waylon stated. Twenty-three year old Waylon 'Dark' Adams is second-in-command of the Shower Squad and is of Guyanese descent.
"Yeah, like, how the fuck was we suppose to fight against them numbers? It was four against like, twenty." Another member of the team growled in agony. This is Mikhail 'Bold' Hunter, who is of Sierra Leonean descent. He is badly hurt as he has a large gash on his right shoulder.
"I admit, I didn't expect the Chinese to roll deep like that, at this time of night." Garrett sighs.
"Alright, so what do we do now, Don?" Twenty-two year old Parker 'Sharp' Myles asks. He is of Jamaican descent. He feels his forehead in distress.
"I'm not even sure at this point," Garrett sighs, as he takes out a weed blunt and lights it. He takes a puff, "Guys, I think it's time for me to call it a day."
"Wait, what? Call it a day?" Twenty-one year old Kareem 'Sharp' Kelly is taken aback. He is also of Jamaican descent. "Don, are you serious?"
"Kareem, I'm as serious as a heart attack." Garrett declares.
"Kareem? We're going by government names now?" Mikhail asks as Garrett passes him the blunt. He takes a puff.
"Yeah, man. I'm just done with this shit. We've botched so many things as a team, and the feds are hot on us, so I'm done with all this shit." Garrett states.
"I respect that, Don. We've had bumps on the road, but if you can't hack it anymore, it's all good." Parker replies, taking the blunt from Mikhail. Parker, Mikhail and Kareem visibly agree for Garrett to leave Shower Squad. Waylon is abnormally quiet.
"Yo, Dark?" Mikhail taps on Waylon.
"You know what, Garrett," Waylon begins in an angered manner "You're a fucking coward, that's what the fuck you are."
"Watch it, Dark," Parker states as he takes the blunt back to smoke.
"Shut up, Parker, man," Waylon barks back before squaring up to Garrett, "Don't think for a second because your brother is going out with my sister, I'm gonna accept your bullshit. You are The Don, our leader. We've had some rough patches, but what clique doesn't? You just can't leave, where does that leave us?"
"Waylon, stop making this deeper than it is, alright?" Garrett states, before he takes back the blunt and he smokes it, "Bottom line is, I got a family. Two daughters, and I can't do this shit anymore. It's not making me money how I'd like, so I'm bouncing. I love you lot, goes without saying, but I can't do this shit anymore."
"You, Garrett James, are a fucking coward!" Waylon barks before he tackles Garrett to the ground. The two young men engage in a vicious fight. Parker, Mikhail and Kareem are powerless to stop the young men. Garrett gains the upper hand and pummels Waylon savagely, before bringing out his box cutter and holding it to Waylon's neck. A bloodied Waylon shakes and closes his eyes in a petrified manner. Garrett views Waylon, before looking at Kareem, Mikhail and Kareem. Garrett then thinks of his two daughters, and his girlfriend. He then drops the box cutter on the floor and gets off of Waylon, with Waylon's blood on his shirt and walks away. Kareem attends to Waylon and helps him to his feet. Waylon hastily pushes Kareem to the floor. Garrett proceeds to shake hands with Mikhail and Parker. The team then gives Garrett a hug instead and wish him farewell. Kareem does the same and hugs Garrett. Waylon timidly approaches Garrett and they have an intense stare down. Garrett then raises his hand in peace. Waylon then hesitantly shakes Garrett's hand. Garrett faintly grins as he ropes in Waylon and they hug.
"Fam, do you really have to go?" Waylon asks, as he wipes blood off of his lip. The men then separate.
"Yeah, my G, I got to. No offense to Shower Squad, but after nine years of this shit, I got to move on. But, that means you're the leader now."
Waylon was taken by surprise. Garrett takes off his SHOWER chain and places it over Waylon's neck. Garrett throws up a 'piece sign' as he walks off into the distance.
A year later, it is the end of July 2011. A heat wave is present. Garrett is walking with his twenty year old brother, Gianni James, in a park. They both have cider bottles in their respective hands, and sit on a bench to talk.
"I'm telling you, Kianna is unnecessarily stressing me out." Gianni states as he drinks his cider,
"Young love," Garrett grins as he takes a sip of his cider, "But anyway, I thought walking away from Shower Squad would be hard. It was actually the best thing for me."
"I hear that, fam," Gianni replies, "But doesn't being a mechanic get boring?"
"It does, trust me. But that's short term. I want to save up, and go into the real estate business. Start renting out apartments and shit." Garrett states.
"That's cool. Is it me or is life just getting harder?" Gianni sighs.
"Gianni, you've got a beautiful girlfriend, you just finished your second year of Uni, trust me you're doing a lot better than me when I was twenty. I was running these streets, taking over territories, drugs, weed, alcohol, women, did them all. They didn't amount to shit. So don't feel down about it."
"Thanks, Garrett." Gianni smiles as he drinks his cider.
"One thing I do agree with though is that life is getting harder. Especially for us, Black people. Fighting so much shitty prejudices, which is also another reason I had to leave Shower Squad, because those prejudices would've been right. Fuck that, I'll never let any outsider prejudge me, and won't be a statistic either. I'm good with my girl, my daughters, my job, and you, and that matters. I'm really happy I kept you away from that gang life. Trust me, little brother, it's not the place to be in."
"I hear you. Anyway, have you visited Mum?" Gianni asks.
"Nah, I haven't. Been a couple weeks since I had gone to see her. How's her treatment going?"
"Not as good as we hoped. All we can do is pray, man."
"I'll pay her a visit later, still."
Gianni is about to say something, but then he pauses. This leaves Garrett dumbfounded.
"Bro, if you got something to say, then say it."
"It's Dad."
Garrett's face turns from content to disgust. Gianni is deflated at his brother's response.
"Come on, Garrett. It's been five years you haven't spoken to him."
"I don't give a fuck, Gianni. He done Mum dirty, fucked around with that dickhead Edward and wasn't fully there for us. I'll never forgive that bastard."
"So you don't have a problem with him being gay? Cos this is actually the first time we've actually talked about it, big bro."
"I actually don't care what he does. I just don't care about him, full stop. Regardless if he's gay or not."
"Now look who's acting like the younger brother," Gianni laughs, "Garrett, let bygones be bygones. You only have one life, and one Dad. I'm sure Jalissa and Jayanne want to meet their grandfather. Mum has never badmouthed him, and he has never badmouthed her. That must mean something."
Garrett takes a deep breath and witnesses an elderly man being helped in his pushchair by his son. The son then carts the elderly man away.
"You're right, Gianni. I'll pay him a visit too."
Gianni nods in agreement as the two brothers continue to drink their beverages.
The following few day, it is the 1st August 2011. Garrett and Gianni approach a tower block of apartments. They approach the door number 64. Garrett takes a deep breath, but panics and proceeds to walk away. Gianni quickly ropes him back in.
"Garrett! Get over yourself! Remember why you're doing this, please."
"Alright, man. Calm down." Garrett huffed. Gianni proceeds to knock on the door. After a mild wait, their father, Winner James, opens the door. He is taken by surprise at Garrett's appearance, as they haven't seen each other in nine years.
"Hi, Dad." Gianni grins before hugging his father and making his way in. Garrett appears incredibly uncomfortable. It's the last place he wants to be, but he made a promise.
"Garrett...my baby boy," Winner smiles, "It's been so long, son. I'm sure it hasn't been easy for you to come here. But know that I've always waited for you."
"Thanks, Winner." Garrett replied in a monotone voice. Winner was deflated, as his son calls him by his first name. Garrett brushes past Winner and enters the apartment.
The apartment is spacious and neat. Gianni is seen interacting with his father's partner, Miguel, who is of Spanish ancestry. Garrett cautiously takes a seat on the sofa. Winner approaches Garrett with a cup of juice, which Garrett declines. Winner places the cup on the table and sits on the opposing armchair.
"You look well, Garrett," Winner grinned. Garrett appears emotionless. "Let's just skip the formalities, then. It's been nine very long years, and I've missed you so much. I see your brother almost every other day, but you not being here always left a hole in my heart."
"The reason I ain't seen you is because you did my Mum dirty," Garrett grunts, "You left her high and dry for another man. What the fuck?"
"Son, let me ask you something. Has your Mum ever said one bad thing about me? Be honest."
"Can't say she has," Garrett declares.
"Right. The reason why I left is because we both weren't happy. I couldn't live a lie anymore, and didn't want to be a coward anymore. I told your Mum I was gay, and initially she was hostile with me. But I really did love your Mum, I still do, I care for her deeply. So we agreed to end our marriage but keep things civil for you and Gianni's sake."
"Oh. I thought you cheated and messed her around. If I'm honest, I felt like I wanted to kill you, but I just stayed away so I wouldn't upset Gianni, because he cares about you more than I." Garrett admits.
"I see. You should've just spoke to me, Garrett," Winner declares, "Still, it's better late than never. I never pushed to see you, maybe I should've, but I didn't want to distance you further. You look good and healthy, that makes me happy."
"Thanks. I guess it's right to let you know that I have two daughters. Jalissa and Jayanne."
Winner's face lit up and he became very emotional. Garrett rose to his feet and knelt down to his father, and produced a picture of them, with their mother Laylah on his phone. Winner was tearfully happy.
"They're stunning. Son, I'm so proud of you. Hopefully I'll get to meet them one day."
"You will. Dad." Garrett grins. Winner extends his arms, and they hug. Gianni enters the house with Miguel. Miguel appears tense upon seeing Garrett. Garrett senses this and raises his hand. Miguel smiles and shakes Garrett's hand and the four guys take a seat.
Later on that night, Garrett exits a convenience store with a bag in his right hand, and enters a quiet residential road. As he opens a can of JD and Coke, he feels something is following him. He turns around, and nothing is there. Garrett resumes walking, and it's apparent that a car is following him. As Garrett walks back to approach the car, the car performs a U-Turn and drives the opposite way. Garrett is left dumbfounded and hotfoots it back to his apartment.
The day is now 9th August 2011, in the evening. Garrett is visiting his ill mother, Julianne, at her home. His charming girlfriend and mother to his children Laylah, who is of Guyanese descent is present with their daughters Jalissa and Jayanne. Julianne is sporting a bald look as she lost her hair due to the chemotherapy. The family is all at the dining table, finishing a meal whilst the sisters are watching TV.
"So I said to Vanessa, 'Woman, if you don't want him, hell, I'll take him!" Julianne laughed. Garrett and Laylah also laugh.
"Terrence is a good man, though. Vanessa is backwards in the way she thinks, I swear." Laylah grinned as she drank her glass of water.
"Lord knows it. I think I'm gonna cut her off, she's too negative for me," Julianne states, "Garrett, you know the chemo I went for last week hasn't been helping."
"Mum, stop scaring me," Garrett declares, "You'll be alright soon, just be positive."
"It's called 'being realistic', Mr. Positive!" Julianne laughs, "Darling, it's OK. I'm not bitter; I'm done with that. I just take each day as it comes."
"That's good. Oh, by the way, you know I met up with Dad."
"Winner? Oh gosh, how long's it been now since you saw him? Ten years?"
"Nine. It was alright, met his boyfriend and blah, blah."
"I never thought I'd see the day where you'd actually physically met up with him. I hope you was civil."
"I didn't cuss him out or anything. He actually answered a lot of unanswered questions so I'm thankful for that."
"That's good, baby," Julianne grins. "Darling, please could you get my repeat prescription medicine from the Pharmacy? I'm just so drained at the moment."
"Don't worry, Mum, I'll go," Laylah offers.
"Laylah, don't stress, I'll go." Garrett smiles as he gets to his feet. Garrett approaches his daughters and hugs them.
"Dad, could you get me some Haribo's? The Star mix one?" Jayanne grins
"Sure. That's the one in the blue packaging, right?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, no worries. Jalissa, you want anything?"
"Umm... a can of beer?"
"What?" Garrett is gob smacked. Jalissa and Jayanne giggle, "You're seven years old! Don't tell me you've been having beer."
"I'm joking, Dad," Jalissa laughs, "Can I have the same sweets as Jayanne?"
"Sure. You'll both share."
"We...were kind of hoping for one packet each."
"We... aren't the one's paying for it. I am."
"Ok, Dad."
Garrett hugs his twins, and as he walks out, waves to his girlfriend and mother.
The time is now 19:41. Garrett walks out of the Pharmacy that is around half an hour from his mother's residence and then bumps into Waylon.
"Look who we got here! Mr. Original Don himself." Waylon grins as he hugs Garrett.
"What's up, man? How's things," Garrett asks.
"It's good. Shower Squad is making money now! You laid out the blueprint, we're just continuing doing what we do best. Making money, fucking bitches, fucking up any threats, it's all bless," Waylon declares, "You good though, yeah?"
"Not bad. I ain't even gonna lie, I've been bare tempted to come back to the gang. Many, many times, but I've always put my kids first."
"Whatever makes you happy, fam," Waylon replies, "Can I ask you something? Are you still strapped? Like... got a gun on you and that?"
"You afraid I'm gonna kill you and take back my spot on the Squad?" Garrett laughs.
"Just asking, my man. You know nowadays you can't be that chilled back. Though you've left this life, you still got people out there that want you dead. My advice is, carry wherever you go. I'm sure you got one on you so it's minor."
"That's cool, fam." Garrett states.
"Still, I got to roll. One kid wants to move some weed in East, and that's enemy territory so I got to show him the ropes and how to not make any wasteman moves. Take care though, Don...I mean, Garrett."
"You too, Waylon."
The men shake hands and go their separate ways. Garret flags down a taxi and enters. The taxi drives off.
"Where are you heading to, my friend?" The driver asks in a thick, Indian accent.
"Tottenham, boss," Garrett declares, "Need to get these meds to my Mum, still."
"OK, boss." The driver replies as the taxi reaches a quiet main road. Garrett briefly looks to the back of the vehicle window, and witnesses the same car that had been following him a couple days prior. Garrett becomes frustrated.
"Boss, can you chill here for a second? Park up right here, don't worry I'll still pay you. I'm leaving my Mum's meds here, just need to sort something out."
"No problem." The driver responds as Garrett exits the taxi. As he does, two policemen exit their car.
"Stop where you are!" One of the policemen, Harvey Howard, of English ancestry, barks at Garrett. His partner, Sahil Ali of Qatari ancestry, is also present.
"What the fuck is this?" Garrett roars back, "Why have you fuckers been following me? I ain't done shit."
"We've got some questions we'd like to ask you in relation to your cousin, Germaine James, for illegal firearms. So please, come with us."
"If I'm not arrested, then fuck your questions, and stop fucking following me! You want him, then go after him, but I ain't telling you jack shit!"
Garrett feels his phone vibrate. He reaches into his pocket.
"Sir, do not reach into your pocket!" Harvey barks.
Garrett proceeds anyway and begins to pull out something. Harvey then opens fire.
PUCK!
PUCK!
PUCK!
The taxi driver, frightened by the gunshots, starts his car but then crashes into the car in front of him. He cautiously exits the taxi and views Garrett lying dead on the floor, with three blood-drenched gunshot wounds to his chest. Harvey flashes his badge at the anxious taxi driver and indicates for him to stay where he is. Garrett James is dead.
The day after, there is a somber feel to the James' residence. Two policemen are present. Julianne and Laylah faces are drenched in tears. Winner is inconsolable as he cries in Miguel's arms. Gianni is weepily angry and balls up his fists. The family received the news that Garrett James had died last night.
"Why couldn't you guys just leave my son alone?" Julianne wept, "He turned his life around. Why were you still pursuing him?"
"That's classified, Mrs. James," The policeman declared.
"Was it you?" Gianni tearfully grunted.
"What do you mean?"
"Are you the bastard that killed my brother?"
"No, I am not. The policeman that was deployed to Mr. James has been suspended pending a formal investigation."
"I'm not even trying to hear all that shit. I will find out who did this. Get out." Gianni barked as he got to his feet. The policeman and his partner do the same and proceed to walk out. The policeman's partner leaves a card on the table before leaving. Laylah closes the door behind them. Gianni exits the house through the back into the garden and descends to the ground, crying uncontrollably in immense pain. Winner and Julianne rush to both their son's aid and they hug him. It's the worst emotional turmoil Gianni has ever encountered.
A day later, on the evening of 11th August 2011, Gianni is walking on Tottenham High Street with his closest friend, twenty one year old Jamir Mensah, who is of Ghanaian descent, and Gianni's girlfriend, nineteen year old Kianna Adams who is of Trinidadian descent.
"Babes, I told you to stay at home, it's too early for you to be out." Kianna declares as she takes a sip of her ginger beer.
"I told you the same thing, fam," Jamir states, "You can't be thinking straight after what happened."
"I'm fine, man, honestly," Gianni, replies, "I need fresh air, I can't be held up in that house any longer. All the talk of funerals could lead me to my own funeral."
"OK, so you still got jokes, big man," Kianna grins, "Seriously though, darling, I'll do whatever I can to help. I loved Garrett too."
"Thanks, babes," Gianni smiles as he gives Kianna a peck on her forehead. "Your brother reached out to my Mum, which was nice."
"Yeah, Waylon does have a heart!" Kianna grins.
Suddenly a policeman barges into Kianna as she, Jamir and Gianni are walking.
"Oi, watch where you're going, man!" Kianna barks at the policeman.
"Young lady, I suggest you turn your voice down, and keep walking."
"You think because you got that fucking uniform on that I'm scared of you?" Kianna growls as she moves closer to face the policeman, "You Police are a bunch of ignorant, racist pieces of shit! You aren't for the people, Black, White, and Asian, whatever! You got your own agendas."
A crowd starts to build up following Kianna's scathing verbal attack on the policeman.
"Kianna, what the fuck?" Jamir hisses cautiously.
"Babe, they ain't worth it, let's go." Gianni states as he takes Kianna by the hand.
"Darling, don't worry. Let me be." Kianna declares. Gianni lets her go. Kianna turns her attention back to the officer.
"Now young lady, follow your friends and go away before I'm forced to apprehend you."
"You're just mad because the truth hurts. You say you want to cut down crime and go after gangs, yeah? Well the Government and its fucking Police force are the biggest gangs in the entire country!"
"That's it, young lady, you are under arrest for harassment!"
The policeman grabs Kianna and tackles her to the floor. Gianni prepares to charge at the policeman, but then two outsiders from the crowd tackle the policeman off of Kianna. A huge commotion arises and people bring out their smartphones to capture every moment. Glass is heard shattering from left to right. Gianni helps Kianna to her feet.
"Baby, you OK?"
"I'm good, darling," Kianna coughs, "Where's Jamir?"
Jamir is seen capturing everything on his phone. A member of the public lights up a beer bottle and throws it at a police van. The van is then engulfed in a huge fire.
"Jamir! Let's go!" Gianni barks. Jamir closes his phone, and follows Gianni and Kianna as the huge unrest continues.
A couple of days later, and London is in turmoil. In the late afternoon of the 12th August 2011, young opportunistic people are seen looting and breaking into local businesses stealing a variety of goods. Police arrive in riot gear and try their best to disperse the angry mobs, but to no avail, as they are outnumbered.
"This is for Garrett James!" One female barked as she threw a large stone at a convenience store, shattering the store window. Gangs of young people from all ethnic backgrounds ransack the store and surrounding stores.
Some time following this, Gianni is at his mother's house taking out the rubbish. A man approaches him. Gianni looks up and is unimpressed.
"Well, it's the Tottenham Member of Parliament, Quinton Thomas," Gianni sighed, "Look, mate, I don't want any press or anything. My family and I just want to grieve in peace."
"Young brother, I'm not here to ask you any questions," Quinton, who is of Jamaican descent, declares, "I'm here to help."
"How the fuck can you help me out, you sell-out?"
"Look, your brother's passing hit me deep too. Even though I didn't know him, his story resonated with me. What happened was disgusting, and I'd like to help you and your family find justice."
"What's in it for you, though?"
"I'm helping an ordinary family in extraordinary circumstances. Your brother's passing has spawned a full on high-level riot not seen since the 80's. We have to remind people of your brother whilst seeking justice for him. It's my job as an MP to help my community."
Gianni appears very reluctant. He looks into the house at his mother appearing depressed, which deflates him. Gianni turns back to Quinton.
"I'm in..."
A few days has passed. The unrest has spread to various cities in England. Quinton has set up a press conference, with all major news outlets present. Gianni takes the stand.
"I want to make this clear. My family and I don't condone, or respect, people who-" Gianni began, as he was reading from a monitor. He decides to deviate from the script. "You know what? I'm gonna say what I want. I do not rate anyone using my brother's murder as means to go out and target their own communities local businesses. How are you fighting for justice? If you really cared, then you would target police stations and hold marches. You pricks are some ignorant, materialistic, selfish, worthless bastards. Don't you dare, mention my brother's name to justify your bullshit. Garrett was an innocent man, gunned down because he tried to get away from his past. The shitty police denied him that. I'm done."
Gianni steps down from the post and hugs Julianne and Laylah. News outlets caused a little commotion as they were all throwing questions at once. Quinton tries to contain the group.
"OK, so now if there's any questions, I'll be happy to take them."
A day later, in the late afternoon, Gianni is walking on Tottenham High Street in his thoughts. He then comes across Waylon orchestrating his team to steal goods from an electronic store. Gianni is disgusted, and approaches Waylon.
"Yo, what the fuck are you doing?" Gianni spat.
"Big man! That was quite a speech you gave," Waylon, grinned, "Honestly that shit was massive. But at the same time, I ain't trying to hear all that you got to say. This ain't even about Garrett. I need a TV and some other stuff for our hideout, so I'm taking it."
"This is about Garrett. You're using these riots to do it. OK, I understand people that didn't know Garrett, but you Waylon? He was like a brother to you."
Waylon drops a laptop on the floor and squares up to Gianni.
"Just because you're dealing with my sister, don't think I won't kill you, yeah. Get moving, and don't stop. Reason you are still breathing is because you are Garrett's little brother. Now fuck off."
Gianni sees red and smacks Waylon across the face with a closed fist. Waylon then tackles Gianni to the ground and they engage in a full on fight. Shower Squad witness the fight but decide to not intervene.
"999, what the fuck is going on! Where are the fucking police?" One lady roared after witnessing the fight and the looting. Gianni is being beaten up pretty badly. Waylon punches him mightily hard across the face, forcing him to spit blood. Waylon then produces a box cutter. Within a flash, police arrived and apprehended Waylon and his crew. Gianni groggily witnesses Waylon and the Shower Squad being karted off by police before closing his eyes.
A few hours pass. Gianni is at the hospital on a bed, with Jamir present.
"Fucking hell, fam. Almost getting killed? That's uncalled for!" Jamir declares.
"I know, my G," Gianni coughs, "But Waylon's a fucking piece of shit bastard who got dealt with."
"Have you spoken to Kianna?"
"I can't get a hold of her. I reckon she caught wind about what happened. I ain't stressing it, if she's got questions, I got answers."
"I hear that, G!" Jamir laughs.
Suddenly, Quinton appears, with a bag in hand.
"Son, I heard what happened and came as quickly as I could."
"If you want my parents, they just left." Gianni coughs.
"No, I want you. I came to tell you I got this." Quinton indicates to his bag.
"OK, so what is it?"
"The CCTV footage of your brother's murder."
Gianni's face lights up. Jamir appears impressed.
"Are you serious? Mr. Thomas I can't thank you enough, man."
"No worries. The court date is in a couple days, we'll nail that bastard and expose the police once and for all."
Gianni agrees as the three guys continue their conversation.
A few days later, in the afternoon in the beginning of September 2011, Harvey Howard's trial has arrived. Kianna, Jamir, Julianne, Winner, Miguel and Gianni are all present in the courtroom. The jury has finished their deliberation. One of the members of the jury comes forward.
"After ten hours deliberation, we find Harvey Howard, not guilty, on counts of murder and manslaughter. We declare it was a lawful killing."
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Gianni roars in a fit of rage. A huge commotion amongst the witnesses erupts. Julianne and Winner weep in each other's arms. Kianna and Winner are disgusted with the verdict. Gianni storms out of the courtroom in fury.
A few hours later, a colleague has dropped off Harvey to his house. Harvey enters his apartment and takes a deep breath. It is around 10pm. As he turns on the light to his apartment, he is SMACKED HARD across his back with a baseball bat. He drops face first to the floor. Harvey groans in pain and turns around to see a teary Gianni, who is livid.
"How did you know where I..."
"Shut the fuck up!" Gianni barked before kicking Harvey in the stomach, "I've been following you. You had no fucking clue. See, it's not a nice feeling being followed, which is what you did to my brother. You fucking killed him, so what's stopping me from killing you."
"Kid, I'm warning you. You don't want this trouble. Go home before I arrest you." Harvey groans. Gianni toe punts Harvey across the face, forcing Harvey to spit out blood.
Gianni then stands over Harvey and prepares to land the finishing blow with his baseball bat, but then he thinks of his parents. They will be disappointed if he ends up in jail, and remembers how Garrett turned his life around.
FLASHBACK
Garrett and Gianni are talking a day after Gianni resigned from his position at Shower Squad in February 2010. They are at their mother's apartment eating chicken and chips.
"Yo, I don't want you to wind up dead. You're going to have to squash a lot of beef you got, or move out the country. I've never heard of people leaving a gang and it ending well." Gianni states as he drinks his beverage.
"Well, allow me to be the first one to leave one of these so-called 'high profile gangs' and live to tell it!" Garrett grins, "I'm not even worries about enemies or haters. I'm just worried about the feds. Listen, I ain't even told Mum, or Laylah about what I'm about to say. Honestly, I don't feel like I'll make it to 30."
"Shut up, Garrett," Gianni laughs, "Stop talking shit. You got no choice but to be here for me, for Mum, for your girls."
"Yeah I know. But just in case anything happens, just know that I don't want you to do anything that will land you in jail or dead. I want you to live. I'm talking to you as a brother, and as if you was one of my children. Don't be a statistic; I kept you out of the gang life for a reason. I didn't listen to Mum when she said I should not join a gang, but with all that shit that happened in the day, Shower Squad was an outlet, you get me? So fam, always, I beg you, always think twice before acting. Do not die before your time or land yourself in jail."
"Thanks, bro. I hear you loud and clear." Gianni smiles. Garrett gets to his feet, walks up to Gianni and gives him a hug.
"Alright now, you know I'm going to murk you on the PS3, right?" Garrett laughs.
"You take advantage because you know I'm an X-Box guy. It's minor to a gangster, so let's go!" Gianni smiles as he and Garrett rush to play their video game.
REALITY
Gianni appears in emotional agony as he drops the bat and backs off of Harvey. Harvey coughs and sits up.
"Look, I'm sorry for what happened to your brother. Really I am." Harvey declares, "I'm not going to press any charges. I get your frustration. I'm not a malicious person, I'm a damn good copper, but that night, it was a lapse in judgment. But your brother was dangerous. I'm just sad that it ended the way it did."
"I forgive you, man." Gianni weepily states, "It's what Garrett would expect of me. I'll forgive but I won't forget."
Gianni then walks out of the apartment, wiping his tears off of his face. As Gianni reaches a bus stop, he produces a picture of him and Garrett on his smartphone. Gianni grins as his bus approaches the bus stop.
THE END
MESSAGE
There are injustices that plague this world. I can only hope things get better, as surely they can't get any worse unless we allow it too. This story was heavily inspired by the tragic events that occurred in August 2011, with the England Riots, which I had a first experience of when it infected London that year. If you want to fight for justice, there are other mediums such as social media or even peaceful marches to make your voice heard. Don't be silenced by what you're worried about society's status quo. Speak your truth. Be brave, be bold and ultimately, be free.
Thank you for reading this story, it's almost been five years since I uploaded "Different Breed" way back in 2010, how time flies! It's crazy, and I haven't uploaded in such a long time that I decided to break the silence and give you something new to read.
I hope you enjoyed it! I'll try uploading some more short and sweet content soon.
Peace and Love
D