“I need to see it,” Mercedes told Jade as they left the hospital. She wrapped her jacket tight as if to hold in the hurt in her heart. How could one bullet, she thought, ruin so many lives?
“You’re sure?” Jade said. She offered her hand, but Mercedes shoved her hands deep into her pockets. The heat in the Dart didn’t work. Outside a cold rain fell. “I’m not so sure if—”
“I am,” Mercedes lied. She didn’t know anything for sure except in a few hours her sister would be dead, and she hoped she was strong enough to “let it be” since she could not change it.
On the way, Mercedes asked Jade to stop at a craft store. Together they created a small memorial with fake flowers.
“People need to know she died here,” Mercedes said as they pulled up to the corner. The rain had let up some. The wipers on the old Dart left blurry steaks. Jade parked the car.
Even in the bad weather, two people stood on the corner, wearing black hoodies. The one facing the car smoked a cigarette, and the shorter one, back to the car, rocked back and forth.
A pawn, she saw when the shorter one turned around and the streetlight hit his face, by the name of Lincoln. Mercedes pushed the passenger door open and ran toward the corner, screaming her brother’s name. Jade followed quickly behind, yelling for Mercedes to stop.
Joel stepped in front of Lincoln and growled, “Stay back!” He quickly opened his jacket. Mercedes saw the gun butt sticking out from his boxers. Sister dead, brother set to die, why did she care?
“Go ahead! Shoot!” Mercedes yelled at the top of her lungs. With Jade’s help, Mercedes pulled her young brother from the corner, all the while shouting, “You will not take him too!”