You'll Never Take Me Alive, Do What It Takes To Survive
It's Tragic With a Capital T
My Converse made a loud “clop clop” as they pounded the pavement. My heart raced and my chest hurt. I pumped my arms…Anything to make my body propel faster. I looked over to see my younger brother racing beside me. He was struggling, his asthma getting the better of him.
“Get back here you little shits!” the thug that was chasing us screamed.
Don’t get me wrong, I knew Belleville was full of mobsters…But I never thought we would get caught up in the middle of it.
FLASHBACK
“Mom’s going to kill us,” Mikey said as we walked out of the theater.
“It’s not our fault the movie projector messed up and the movie started 40 minutes late,” I replied, not worrying like Mikey.
“Gerard, you know as well as I do that Belleville is dangerous after dark,” Mikey stated.
“Oh yeah, the Boogeyman is gonna jump from behind that dumpster and make us listen to rap for the rest of eternity,” I exclaimed in a sarcastic manner.
“Fuck that! Let’s take the shortcut. Every minute we’re out here is another comic Mom’s gonna take from our collection…”
“Good point,” I said, turning left into a large alley.
“Gerard, this place is freaking me out,” Mikey said with his voice cracking mid sentence.
“Don’t worry, I know kung-fu!” I said as I did some sort of spinning kick to add to the effect, but instead ended with me laying on the ground and Mikey laughing at me.
“Come on, Jackie Chan,” he chuckled.
“Fuck you,” I mumbled.
“God, my hip…I feel like I’ve given birth…” I moaned.
“Eww…” Mikey exclaimed.
“I just thought of how a kid would look if you crossed yourself and Jackie Chan,” he said.
“The kid would get its ugly genes from him. I mean c’mon, look at this pretty face,” I said, turning my head in a statuesque pose.
“Whatever,” he mumbled.
I heard a muffled scream as we passed a fenced in area. I looked to Mikey and held my finger to my lips to signal for him to be quiet.
“I thought I told you that if you didn’t have my money by tonight, you would regret it,” a man in a grey suit and hat said. He was surrounded by three goons who were all looking down at a man wallowing in pain on the ground.
“Vince, I-” the man on the ground said but was cut short by the goon on the right of the man who I assumed was “Vince” by giving him a kick to the ribs.
“Now Charlie, we’ve been close friends for a while now…But nobody, I mean nobody, messes wit my money,” Vince said as he pulled a revolver out of the breast picket of his jacket.
Vince… Vince as in Vince Lovey, the mob boss?
Vince pulled the hammer on the revolver. Two of the goons picked up Charlie as his head swayed back and forth.
“Let this be a lesson to you,” Vince said as he aimed the gun straight between Charlie’s eyes.
BANG!
Blood and brain matter splattered against the brick wall. Mikey let out a yelp.
Vince and his goons turned around and saw Mikey and I.
“RUN!” I screamed at Mikey as we both took off.
“What are you standing here for, GET ‘EM!” Vince said as the lackie who wasn't holding the body took off.
END FLASHBACK
“Mikey, c’mon the police department is just two blocks over!” I yelled.
Mikey nodded his head as he gasped for breath. I looked behind to see that the goon was still following us.
“Hurry!” I added.
Next time, I think I’ll listen to Mom when she says don’t be out after dark.
“Get back here you little shits!” the thug that was chasing us screamed.
Don’t get me wrong, I knew Belleville was full of mobsters…But I never thought we would get caught up in the middle of it.
FLASHBACK
“Mom’s going to kill us,” Mikey said as we walked out of the theater.
“It’s not our fault the movie projector messed up and the movie started 40 minutes late,” I replied, not worrying like Mikey.
“Gerard, you know as well as I do that Belleville is dangerous after dark,” Mikey stated.
“Oh yeah, the Boogeyman is gonna jump from behind that dumpster and make us listen to rap for the rest of eternity,” I exclaimed in a sarcastic manner.
“Fuck that! Let’s take the shortcut. Every minute we’re out here is another comic Mom’s gonna take from our collection…”
“Good point,” I said, turning left into a large alley.
“Gerard, this place is freaking me out,” Mikey said with his voice cracking mid sentence.
“Don’t worry, I know kung-fu!” I said as I did some sort of spinning kick to add to the effect, but instead ended with me laying on the ground and Mikey laughing at me.
“Come on, Jackie Chan,” he chuckled.
“Fuck you,” I mumbled.
“God, my hip…I feel like I’ve given birth…” I moaned.
“Eww…” Mikey exclaimed.
“I just thought of how a kid would look if you crossed yourself and Jackie Chan,” he said.
“The kid would get its ugly genes from him. I mean c’mon, look at this pretty face,” I said, turning my head in a statuesque pose.
“Whatever,” he mumbled.
I heard a muffled scream as we passed a fenced in area. I looked to Mikey and held my finger to my lips to signal for him to be quiet.
“I thought I told you that if you didn’t have my money by tonight, you would regret it,” a man in a grey suit and hat said. He was surrounded by three goons who were all looking down at a man wallowing in pain on the ground.
“Vince, I-” the man on the ground said but was cut short by the goon on the right of the man who I assumed was “Vince” by giving him a kick to the ribs.
“Now Charlie, we’ve been close friends for a while now…But nobody, I mean nobody, messes wit my money,” Vince said as he pulled a revolver out of the breast picket of his jacket.
Vince… Vince as in Vince Lovey, the mob boss?
Vince pulled the hammer on the revolver. Two of the goons picked up Charlie as his head swayed back and forth.
“Let this be a lesson to you,” Vince said as he aimed the gun straight between Charlie’s eyes.
BANG!
Blood and brain matter splattered against the brick wall. Mikey let out a yelp.
Vince and his goons turned around and saw Mikey and I.
“RUN!” I screamed at Mikey as we both took off.
“What are you standing here for, GET ‘EM!” Vince said as the lackie who wasn't holding the body took off.
END FLASHBACK
“Mikey, c’mon the police department is just two blocks over!” I yelled.
Mikey nodded his head as he gasped for breath. I looked behind to see that the goon was still following us.
“Hurry!” I added.
Next time, I think I’ll listen to Mom when she says don’t be out after dark.