“Where is he taking us?” Don asked as Al followed Fleet up a long road that was lined with trees and more trees.
“I don’t know, but two more cars just pulled in behind Joe-Joe and Stan, so we can’t even back out if we wanted to,” Al told him.
Don’s head swiveled around. He looked at the cars coming up behind them and his mind went in overdrive. He had messed up and now he needed to figure a way out of this. “How many guns we got in the trunk?”
“I got two shotguns and about four pistols. But there’s also a pistol under your seat and mine.”
“Good thinking. Let’s hope Joe-Joe and Stan are on the ball too.” Don reached below the seat and put his hand on the gun. “Speed up and ram his car, run him into one of these trees.”
Al grabbed his gun and said, “Sho’ ya’ right.” He then hit Fleet’s Cadillac so hard that the bumper was about to fall off. Al then rammed the car again and it crashed into the nearest tree.
While Al was ramming the car in front of him, Joe-Joe put his car in reverse so hard that he slammed into the car right behind him and almost snapped the driver’s neck with the force of the crash. Things started happening fast then. Al popped the trunk. He, Don, Stan and Joe-Joe jumped out of their cars and Al threw the guns at each of them.
Two more cars came up the pathway, but Don was ready for the fight. Taking a negro down was the kind of thing he lived for. “Come on wit’ it,” Don screamed as he shot off a few rounds. His crew then escaped behind the mounds of trees, determined to camouflage themselves until they had taken out each and every sucka that dared to come against them.
~~~~
Don Shepherd wasn’t nobody’s joke. He’d won many fights in the boxing ring and on the streets. None of the hustlers in his hometown would have been foolish enough to try an ambush like this. But he wasn’t at home; and he wasn’t just fighting against these street thugs who thought they could get off a quick robbery today.
Don Shepherd’s only problem right now was that when he was done fighting against these men, God’s angels were on the scene and they had next.
“The mission is clear.” Seth, the mighty warrior had fought against the enemy and his demons on many occasions. He’d only retreated once, and that had been because the Lord had said, ‘enough’. “He must not continue on to Pastor Barnes’ home.”
“It ends now,” another angel responded as he held up his mighty sword.
Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop! Gun fire was going off and bodies were dropping.
“We better hurry, he’ll be done with those thieves in short order and then back on the road to find Pastor Marvin’s home,” Seth told the angel of destruction.
The angel of destruction then lifted his sword and began twirling it in the air. Dust swirled around until a wind storm swept through the city that was so strong the electricity was knocked out in several areas as poll lines were uprooted.
~~~~
“I think we got all of ‘em,” Al said.
“I’m hit,” Stan hollered.
“Hold your fire.” Don lifted his hands. “We need to find Stan and get out of here.” Don was pretty sure that they’d taken care of business. He listened for footsteps as they made their way to Stan. But he hadn’t heard anything since he put a bullet in one of ‘em and then watched from his spot between the trees as three guys shot off their guns, then made a run for their car and took off. They found out the hard way that Don Shepherd’s crew wasn’t no easy prey.
“Where you get hit at?” Joe-Joe hollered as they tried to find Stan.
“It’s my leg,” Stan yelled back. “Somebody shot me in the leg.”
“Okay, I see you. I’m almost there,” Al told him. But that’s when the dust kicked up as if it was circling around them. If the dust wasn’t bad enough, the wind started raging and blowing everything every which way.
“What’s going on? I can’t even see what’s right in front of me,” Don yelled.
“Me either, Joe-Joe said.
“Keep talking Stan. We can’t see you,” Don told him as he soldiered his way through the winds and the dust. “We all came in here and we are all leaving back out.”
“I know you got me, Don. I’m not worried about it. But this dust is crazy. I can’t see y’all either.”
“How does your leg feel,” Al asked, they were trying to keep him talking, hoping that he wouldn’t pass out.
“I ain’t never been shot in my leg before. It stings like I don’t know what.”
“Just be thankful they didn’t put a bullet in your head. Because I’m positive that that’s what them young guns brought us back here to do,” Don said as they kept walking, trying to find Stan. The wind was still blowing harshly, but the dust was letting up.
“Yeah, but we showed them,” Stan tried to laugh, but the pain in his leg got the better of him and it sounded more like the whimper of a wounded animal.
“It’s letting up. We’re coming. Just hold on,” Joe-Joe told his friend.
No sooner than those words were out of Joe-Joe’s mouth, from out of nowhere a tree uprooted and came at them like a torpedo. “What the dev-” Before Don could finish his sentence he was on the ground, knocked unconscious with a thick tree branch pinning him to the ground.
~~~~
When the electricity went out in the Barnes’ home, Demetrius wished he had taken his own advice and got out of Winston-Salem. Pastor Marvin had a battery operated radio, and from what they were hearing on the news, strong gusts of wind had knocked power lines down all over town. It was being estimated that some neighborhoods would be without power for up to four days, while Duke Energy assessed the situation.
Demetrius slept with one eye open, and with every creek of the floor or sway of the trees, his heart danced around in his chest. He’d never been so terrified in his life. But by morning, even though the lights still hadn’t come back on, the sun brought him comfort and he was able to pretend as if nothing bothered him as he drove everyone to church that morning.
From the back seat Coach asked, “How’d you sleep?”
“I slept so good, for a minute there I thought I was in my own bed,” Demetrius lied through his teeth.
“I wish I could have slept like that,” Coach told him. “I was jumpy all night. Any little bit of noise I heard, had me reaching for my pistol.”
“Me too,” Demetrius sheepishly smiled as he admitted the truth.
“I knew he was scared, but I wasn’t gon’ bust him out to Coach while he was trying to sound all brave,” Angel told the group.
“You’re learning early, dear. The best thing a wife can do for her husband is to learn when to speak, when to say nothing and when to pray,” Katherine told her.
“You tell her Mrs. Johnson. These young women don’t know how to treat no man.”
“Whatever,” Angel said and then twisted her lip while staring at Demetrius.
The mood was light in the car. In truth they were all just thankful to be alive. Coach even turned to Katherine and said, “I’m glad that I’m able to go to church with you this morning. Once we get settled in our new home, I promise that we will find a church that we can attend together.”
You would have thought he just promised to buy her a big diamond ring or a mansion, but actually he promised something much more important. Her eyes lit with astonishment. “You really mean it, Sam?”
He squeezed her hand. “I mean it. You’ve been going to church by yourself for too many years now. It’s time for me to do right by you like I promised on our wedding day.”
Katherine put her head on Johnson’s shoulder as they rode the rest of the way to the church.
It was the cutest thing Angel had ever seen. She only hoped that the love she and Demetrius had for each other would survive the test of time.
“What’s on your mind?” Demetrius asked Angel as he pulled into the church parking lot.
“Oh, just wondering if I could possibly love you more than I do right now.”
“We’ve got a lot of years ahead of us and I sure don’t want you to love me less. So, we need to work on that.” Demetrius pulled Angel close to him and kissed her like he was trying to make that love grow right now.
“Come on, Katherine, we need to get out of this car and leave these young love birds alone.” They got out of the car and went into the church.
Angel pushed Demetrius away. “We are in the parking lot of my father’s church, control yourself.” She opened the door. “Let me get DeMarcus. You might need to sit here and cool off before you come inside.”
“Don’t blame me, you got me all worked up with all that talk about love.” Demetrius got out of the car, took DeMarcus out of his car seat and then handed him to Angel.
With a new bounce to her step, Angel told him, “My brother should be here in about an hour. I can’t wait to see him.”
No matter the way it all transpired, Demetrius was glad that he brought Angel to see her family. He didn’t know if he would be able to go back to his home after what he’d pulled off against his father. But wherever he laid his head, he wanted Angel to be there. He held open the door and let her walk into the church. But as he attempted to go in behind her, someone put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back.
Demetrius balled his fist, ready to give as good as he got. But Joe-Joe told him, “Boy put your fist down, this is serious business.”
“I’m not letting you take Coach Johnson out of here.” Joe-Joe had been with his father’s crew since Demetrius was a kid. The man was like an uncle to him, but he was still about to get a beat down if he thought Demetrius was going to back up and just let them bum rush this church.
“It’s your daddy, he’s not doing good. I need you to come with me?”
Demetrius wasn’t falling for it. “Y’all just want me out of the way so you can bust up in the church and drag Coach out here. I’m not having it.”
Joe-Joe gripped Demetrius’ arm as he showed him the gun in his belt. “I don’t have all day to play games with you. Now your daddy might die at any minute, so I need to get you to him. Got me?”
“I got you,” Demetrius said as he walked away from the church with Joe-Joe.