Chapter 1

Bloody Black Rain

Go take a walk along the harbor to find skipper jacks crowding the docks. There are brave, old men hauling in blue crabs. Once they're steamed at the right temperature– succulence. Blue-feathered egrets fly south, in the direction of the marshlands. When here, you'll think twice whether to double-cross a friendly face. Welcome to Charm City.

It is a scorching day. A young man waits for the M-70 with crossed arms. He is of average height. His skin is a darker shade of walnut.

He impatiently stamps his foot as he waits. The bus arrives, creaks, and stops at the curb. His chestnut brown eyes glances over the huffing machine and steps inside. The door closes behind him and he presents the pass. The bus boosts forward, causing Dorian to trip and to fall on his face. Dorian looks up to find "Stretch" Williamson laughing at his expense. Stretch regards Dorian as a close rival; never once bitter but always offered a hand when one was down and out. Dorian watched Stretch become an asset to the Blue Jay Jones Basketball team. They fell short this season to a rival school in the semifinals.

Stretch clears his throat. "What it do, cuz?"

"Ain't nothing," Dorian chides Stretch. "Sittin' out here, trying to get my yearbook. I'm starting to think the bus driver hates me."

"Yeah," Stretch says. "Hope they got some good pictures of me making the bucket. So you got any clue where you wanna go?"

"I still don't know," Dorian said. "I've visited a few spots but I don't know where to go."

"Seriously?" Stretch asks. "Let me rephrase that. Do you know which one are you going that have the hot girls?"

"Uh," Dorian lists off of his fingers, "Coastal State College is like an all men's school. I would die if I went there. There's Old Line University of the City. I mean, there's bad women but I think I'll stick out like a sore thumb there. Chesapeake Christian University has plenty of women, but I have a feeling that they would rather talk to Jesus than to me. And then, there is this other Old Line University I'm looking at."

"Which one?" Stretch asks. "There's like seven of them in this state… Wait, the one that offered me a full ride scholarship? You don't mean–"

"That one!" Dorian nods. "Old Line of the County." Dorian notices the bus stopping near the school. He taps Stretch on the shoulder. "That's our stop," they step out and trekked towards the school.

"No! Really?" Stretch asks. "You sure?

"Why you buggin?" Dorian asks back.

"Um, the ratio is like 6:4. And you haven't even mastered your game since the Prom party back in May. Matter of fact, you didn't even open your mouth as much around girls."

"I so have," Dorian defends himself. "It's just that… Well, you've never seen me talk to the other girls." A cold wisp of wind blew east to Stretch.

Stretch shivers. "When did it get cold? It's June."

Dorian felt the wind as well and turns his head left, a big, black, rounded thing with big, round yellow eyes. It's quivering made Dorian uneasy. He wants to investigate it, but Stretch stretches his hand to Dorian.

"Hey, hey, Dorian!" Stretch whispers. When Dorian turns his attention to Stretch, the thing disappears into the ground and scuttles away.

"What's wrong, Stretch?"

"Should we be worried about– Them?"

Dorian looks up front and squints. At first the rays blind out their faces. When they draw nearer, Dorian purses his lips and his eyebrows arch. "Them?"

Stretch whispers under his breath. "The B… Bloody… Black… Rain?"

The tall, tawny one is Tank. Dorian knows how strong he is, as a former all-star defensive lineman. To mow down an offensive line, as if he was a walking stronghold, makes Dorian sweat.

The frail, olive-skinned dude is "Doctor" Meff. From what Dorian heard, Meff was offered an all ride Chemistry scholarship to a great northern university. However Meff performed several experiments on himself, causing him… to not be himself. His skin used to have some shine in the sun. Now that is cracked, cut, and dry, how the others can withstand the sight of him is a great question.

Next is Ronin, a fair-skinned young man who was considered to be the fastest athlete at Blue Jay Jones. One day, he practiced for an all-star athlete meet on one stormy afternoon. A lightning bolt struck him and was thought to be dead. He lives, now with scars running down to his left fingernails.

The self-proclaimed leader of the group is Snipes. When Dorian met Snipes for the first time, something struck ominous. Dorian heard of rumors swirling around Snipes, but did not talk to him about them: Snipes assassinating a slew of gang-bangers when he was thirteen, and then being inducted into the Bloody Black Rain a year after. He looks at Snipes as he begins to grin. Dorian's stomach turns into knots.

"EY!" One of them shouts. With that call, Dorian looks up.

Ronin creeps up to Dorian and Stretch and says, "We've been looking for ya."

Then Tank comes up. "Yeah cuz, what's crackin?"

Dorian looks to them and says flatly, "Ain't shit."

Stretch says, "We don't want to start no shit, okay?"

"I think the shit has started," says Snipes sidestepping to the front. "When we had a little 'falling out."

Then Tank steps forward and say, "Should've been falling in six feet. You should've known better, D'Scourge. You still with us, even if you did wrong us last month."

Doctor" Meff comes from behind chuckling, "But NAH! You went up and out like 'Fuck the Code!' You don't deserve the name D'Scourge anymore, man. Just Nobody. But tell you what, Stilt," he asks for Stretch's attention. "We'll tell you a little story."

"We stopped by to visit his sorry-ass at St. Sinai," Meff says. "We weren't too happy about his performance that night," then he turns to Dorian. "He didn't even put up a goddamn fight. All of our cash was gone, so he was dead to us."

"But that's not why we're here," Snipes asserts. "Our benefactor is feeling like a kind man today! He's willing to forgive you for not just what happened after the fight night against Buck, but also the other thing that happened a month later."

Dorian looks back at Snipes and steadily loses his patience. "Brandon?"

"You look like you forgot about it," Snipes enthusiastically says. "It was like a bedtime story you would tell your kids one day."

"Like hell!" Dorian raises his voice. He was paired up with a lower rank soldier who went by PG Fats. He remembered that they had to "send the message" to the police officer who infiltrated and spied incognito in Bloody Black Rain territory. After the officer drove off to start his shift, those two broke into his house with his wife at home alone at 4 am. Dorian suggested they rob the place while PG Fats suggested they find and kill any family member in the house. The two argued over morality while the wife peered from the staircase. PG Fats caught her and chased after her up the stairs into the master bedroom. "You think sendin' us to da bars' funny," PG Fats yelled at her as she lay sprawled on her bed.

"Leave me alone," she whimpered.

"You stay right there like that," PG Fats pulled out his pistol and aimed at her forehead. She tried to scamper away from him but PG Fats grabbed her white cotton nightgown, whipped her in the face twice with the gun, and then knocked her to the floor on her knees. She protected her belly and cried.

The trigger was pulled and the shot was fired! The bullet pierced the carpeting instead of the mother's brain. Dorian was there in time to divert PG Fats' fire. "What'd I JUST SAY?"

PG Fats angrily yelled back, "That's what the boss-man wants!"

"He specifically told ME 'Do what you want," Dorian quoted. "I wanted the jewels and cash," Dorian growled. "I don't want her life! I don't even want the kid's life," he said has he pointed at her swollen belly.

"It's what we do," PG Fats yells back. "We the Bloody Black Rain! We gangsta! And we ain't got time to be pussies, anyway!"

"We DON'T need to kill her," Dorian argued. "Did the cop kill anyone when he spied on us?"

"Dog, what you doin'?" PG Fats explained. "We can't let anybody stop us. You're delaying us! The more moves the pigs know about us the more chances we gone get lit up! You get it now?"

The mother looked confused with teary eyes. PG Fats patience ran dry and attempted to strike her but Dorian stopped him once again. "Why'd I surrounded myself with monsters?" Dorian looked at her again. "We're leaving."

PG Fats and the pregnant lady looked puzzled to know what Dorian said. "Man, you out your mind?" PG Fats asked him. "Your bitch-ass ain't going nowhere but Hell," he stated as he aimed is pistol at Dorian.

"I'm already in Hell," Dorian said.

"Shit," PG Fats cussed. He fired twice as Dorian weaved forward towards PG Fats. Dorian delivered a haymaker to PG Fats' face. PG Fats fell to the carpeting as his grip on the gun was lost and dropped it. Dorian then reached for the gun and pointed it at the fallen PG Fats.

"The code, D'Scourge," PG Fats spat blood as he attempted to stand back up. "What about the code?"

"I'm done," Dorian gazed into PG Fats' eyes and fired the last bullet from the chamber to his heart. He agonized as he clutched his chest, and then stopped functioning thirty seconds later. Dorian dropped the gun beside the pregnant mother. He proceeded to the window of the master bedroom, until the mother stopped him by grabbing his arm. "Why didn't you kill me?" she asked.

Dorian did not turn to her. He quietly asked, "Do I look like a monster?"

"No," the woman said as she let go. She wanted to ask another question but her mouth was full of grief, she couldn't help herself to a stammer and tears streamed down her face.

"I'm sorry," Dorian said as he opened the window. "But you need to save yourself and your man. The rainstorm will come one day and flood your home. The boss knows where y'all live. I can't do anything to save you after tonight. Don't wait till they get here."

"What about the gun?" she asked.

"Say it was self-defense," Dorian answered. "You karate chopped him and he dropped it. Just hold the gun and that's proof enough."

She shook her head, "You haven't even–"

Before she finished, Dorian jumped out the window of the two-story house. "Thank You," she whispers. With the police sirens recoiling around houses, he leapt and then ran through the alleys.

At least Dorian didn't reveal his face to her. Otherwise, he would be locked up downtown today.

"You think we forgot about what happened to PG Fats?" Snipes asks. "That was your chance of redemption. And the boss ain't normally the one to give second chances."

Dorian looks at him and says, "And to think he's saving you and giving every one of us a chance. Y'all are doing his dirty work."

"So what you saying though, D?" Tank stomps towards Dorian until Snipes stops him.

"You think you can leave that easily?" Snipes asks. "You know what happens when you break OUR code?"

"Or else what?" Dorian asks.

"The Bloody Black Rain will bring the storm and when lightning strikes–" Snipes says before Dorian clocks him!

"Raise my bounty," Dorian says as Snipes wipes the blood from his mouth.

"That's what I get for raising you up to be a Bloody Black Rain Fighter?" asks Snipes.

"So good, I should've been boss," Dorian rebuts.

Snipes steps close to Dorian's face and he jabs him. Dorian refuses to fall. He comes up close as he prepares a move: two hard-as-brick fists, cemented into one human sledgehammer!

Snipes fell to the ground, again. Every body sees his lips bleeding.

"It's your funeral," Snipes threatens Dorian.

Dorian throws a left hook, but Snipes dodges to the side. Then Snipes launches a barrage of punches. Dorian avoids them all, until Snipes cuts his lower lip. "What now? You're outmatched," yells Snipes. Dorian counters with a back-fist! Then he gives Snipes an ax kick to the right shoulder!

Snipes' eyes widen and quickly grabs Dorian by the neck! "DIDN'T I SAY YOU'RE OUTMATCHED?" Snipes slams Dorian to the ground like a rag doll!

Stretch watches helplessly as he yells, "Come on, man!"

Tank swings his massive arm to hold Stretch by his neck. Ronin jumps out in front of him and pulls out a long switchblade.

"I'll slice your ass in two!" Ronin says.

Stretch slides off a bag/sling carrying his basketball and throws it in Ronin's face, knocking him out. The ball-bag bounces back to him and then hits Tank in the face with it. The grip is released and Stretch pulled out his cell phone to call 911. But Meff pulls a plastic bag half full of gunpowder and red plant roots.

"EAT THIS, BITCH!" he lights it on fire and throws in Stretch's face. After the blast, he fell back. The sight of a bloodied Stretch made Dorian grimace.

Snipes chuckles, "You said you wanted to leave right? Let me punch your ticket!"

Snipes slowly lifts his right fist. Dorian struggles to free himself, until he suffered a little from delirium.

"This is only the beginning," the voice lingers. Snipes' fist came down, but it is blocked with Dorian's left hand. Dorian's right hand grips hard onto Snipes' choking arm, and twists it. Snipes' eye twitches as Dorian pushes him upward, so that he stands. Somehow, Dorian's power grew, and he is strong enough to crack Snipes' hand. Out of fury, Dorian tosses him at least two feet away. He still had the energy left to deal with the other Bloody Black Rain. He saunters towards Tank. Doctor Meff sneaks up behind him with a lit bomb bag in his hand. Dorian hears the taps from Meff's shoes. He turns around, takes the lit bag and crushes it. He right hooks Meff.

Tank roars, "YOU out your mind, boy!"

Dorian pivots and delivers two windmill-kicks, and then jumps to bash a two-legged front drop kick to his chest! Tank falls, gasping for air. Dorian steps back to find the entrance to St. Sinai hospital. Snipes got back up, wobbly but ailing to fight. So did Tank.

Snipes says, "Yo Tank! It's time..."

Dorian looks over to see where Snipes fell. But he was gone until Snipes hastens his speed. He hurriedly grabs Dorian from behind! "Speed Gear?" Dorian asks. Tank, over where the fences are, revs up.

"Too bad, huh?" Snipes clutches Dorian. Tank begins his charge towards Dorian and Snipes. "Once he rushes into you, your diaphragm easily rip like tissue paper once you breathe!"

Dorian panics a little, looking for a way out while Tank rushes in closer and nearer, "Ah-ha!"

He notices Snipes' left leg was a little shaky after the impact earlier. Tank is about seven feet away from touchdown. Dorian heel-kicks Snipes' leg and then throws Snipes in Tank's way! The two collide into each other. They roll into the grass, and then into a muddy mosquito nest and they stopped rolling in front of a bunch of garbage and thorny bushes.

"Tank," Snipes says in pain. "Round up the Fighters!" "Dorian, you fucking punk, you'll pay!"

Tank did what he was told. They stumble like tired soldiers to the left side of the street. As Dorian runs over to see Stretch he thinks out loud, "Nevermind what… just happened." He stands over Stretch, and then picks him up to rush him over to the hospital. "Don't you die on me yet, you hear me?"