fifteen. Most fucked up shit I ever seen. Her momma is out there in the hall, ain’t been right since.”
“Jesus!”
“Nah, man, he wasn’t there. That mutherfucka was nowhere to be found.”
“Yeah, I’ve had a hard time finding him myself.” I sit forward and dig my knuckles into my eyeballs. I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel at this point and all I’m coming up with is the remnants of the daredevil shit I’ve already tried: sawing through the floor, going out the window. “There’s got to be something we’re missing. I mean, anything is better than sitting here and waiting to die, right?”
“Shit, man, I dunno,” he toasts me with his beer and sucks in another mouthful of smoke, “I’d rather die quick, with a beer in one hand and a smoke in the other—”
“Smoke! That’s it!” I jump to my feet.
Alisa lets out a squeak of pain as my knee connects with the back of her head.
“What’s it?”
“Smoke! We need smoke, man!”
“Bruh, I’m a six pack deep right now, you’re gonna have to break it down a little for me.”
My hands are shaking with excitement; I fold them in front of my face, trying to even out enough to put my brilliant plan to words. “You said they got snipers. What do snipers need?”
“Uh, bullets and a target?”
“Yes, but what do they need in order to hit that target?”
“A scope?”
I want to slap him. “Clear line of sight, man. They need to be able to see what they’re shooting at. Are you with me?”
“I think so.”
“You still got that rope tied up and ready to go?”
“Far as I know.”
I’m circling the room, tracking the pieces of the plan swelling in my head, they’re all slamming together as if they’re magnets and the picture they’re forming just might be fit to hang. “We need all the bed sheets. We need curtains, clothes, anything that’ll burn quick. We need to get all that together in a pile by the window, now!”
Jersean is staring up at me, a dribble of beer zigzagging down his chin.
“Are you taking any of this in? You got anything to add? Time ain’t on our side.”
He polishes off the last of the beer, belches, and sighs. “I don’t know man…seems…sketchy. Seems like a stretch.”
“You may be content to sit here and die with a beer and a cigarette, but there are a shitload of people out there that I’m sure would like to see sunrise tomorrow. Like it or not, you’re their leader. So get up off your ass and go lead! You feeling what I’m saying, man?”
Alisa is sitting between us. She looks at me and then at Jersean before scooting back, sensing the tension between us.
Jersean flicks his cigarette to the floor, stands, and puts all of his annoyance into one big stomp, pulverizing the swelling ember. “You’re gonna get me killed,” he says, exhaling the last of the smoke, his statement dripping irony.
He pushes past me, throws open the door, and charges into the hall. “Alright, listen up folks!” There’s no need for the intro, the hallway is already monastery quiet. “I got a new plan to try to get us all out of here, but we all gotta work together.”
“Kinda like the one that got my baby killed?”
I can’t see the owner of the voice, but I can feel the sting of the venom dripping from her words.
“All due respect, we all agreed,” Jersean says, holding his hands up in a feeble defense.
“We all agreed because we trusted you!” The woman stands. She’s short, with a head of nappy hair and a fair amount of meat on her bones. She ain’t a runner and she damn sure ain’t a climber. Most of these folks don’t look capable of navigating the rope. Still…it’s our best shot.
I step in. “Lady, he suggested it because it was all he had to work with at the time.”
“Who the fuck are you?” She cocks a hip as the tears begin to disappear in the folds of her chin. “Who the fuck is he?” She turns her attention back to Jersean.
“He’s us,” Jersean says. “A guy just
“Jesus!”
“Nah, man, he wasn’t there. That mutherfucka was nowhere to be found.”
“Yeah, I’ve had a hard time finding him myself.” I sit forward and dig my knuckles into my eyeballs. I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel at this point and all I’m coming up with is the remnants of the daredevil shit I’ve already tried: sawing through the floor, going out the window. “There’s got to be something we’re missing. I mean, anything is better than sitting here and waiting to die, right?”
“Shit, man, I dunno,” he toasts me with his beer and sucks in another mouthful of smoke, “I’d rather die quick, with a beer in one hand and a smoke in the other—”
“Smoke! That’s it!” I jump to my feet.
Alisa lets out a squeak of pain as my knee connects with the back of her head.
“What’s it?”
“Smoke! We need smoke, man!”
“Bruh, I’m a six pack deep right now, you’re gonna have to break it down a little for me.”
My hands are shaking with excitement; I fold them in front of my face, trying to even out enough to put my brilliant plan to words. “You said they got snipers. What do snipers need?”
“Uh, bullets and a target?”
“Yes, but what do they need in order to hit that target?”
“A scope?”
I want to slap him. “Clear line of sight, man. They need to be able to see what they’re shooting at. Are you with me?”
“I think so.”
“You still got that rope tied up and ready to go?”
“Far as I know.”
I’m circling the room, tracking the pieces of the plan swelling in my head, they’re all slamming together as if they’re magnets and the picture they’re forming just might be fit to hang. “We need all the bed sheets. We need curtains, clothes, anything that’ll burn quick. We need to get all that together in a pile by the window, now!”
Jersean is staring up at me, a dribble of beer zigzagging down his chin.
“Are you taking any of this in? You got anything to add? Time ain’t on our side.”
He polishes off the last of the beer, belches, and sighs. “I don’t know man…seems…sketchy. Seems like a stretch.”
“You may be content to sit here and die with a beer and a cigarette, but there are a shitload of people out there that I’m sure would like to see sunrise tomorrow. Like it or not, you’re their leader. So get up off your ass and go lead! You feeling what I’m saying, man?”
Alisa is sitting between us. She looks at me and then at Jersean before scooting back, sensing the tension between us.
Jersean flicks his cigarette to the floor, stands, and puts all of his annoyance into one big stomp, pulverizing the swelling ember. “You’re gonna get me killed,” he says, exhaling the last of the smoke, his statement dripping irony.
He pushes past me, throws open the door, and charges into the hall. “Alright, listen up folks!” There’s no need for the intro, the hallway is already monastery quiet. “I got a new plan to try to get us all out of here, but we all gotta work together.”
“Kinda like the one that got my baby killed?”
I can’t see the owner of the voice, but I can feel the sting of the venom dripping from her words.
“All due respect, we all agreed,” Jersean says, holding his hands up in a feeble defense.
“We all agreed because we trusted you!” The woman stands. She’s short, with a head of nappy hair and a fair amount of meat on her bones. She ain’t a runner and she damn sure ain’t a climber. Most of these folks don’t look capable of navigating the rope. Still…it’s our best shot.
I step in. “Lady, he suggested it because it was all he had to work with at the time.”
“Who the fuck are you?” She cocks a hip as the tears begin to disappear in the folds of her chin. “Who the fuck is he?” She turns her attention back to Jersean.
“He’s us,” Jersean says. “A guy just
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