Asazi
Chapter 23
My eyes frantically darted back and forth between the three groups of people that were walking toward our van, all of the people about early 20's and hiding guns in their pockets or jackets…
Adrenaline rushed through me at an unbelievable rate. My sweating hand tightened around the gun as they got closer. Summer was ready with an M-16, right at the back door for when they would bust through it…I could tell that she didn't think she was gonna make it. I glanced at Travion; he seemed okay. His hands tightened around the steering wheel of the car…he was scared.
Fearful…fearful of the unknown…he feared what was coming…so did I…
When four people of gang came within ten feet of our van, Summer kicked open the door, brought up the M-16 and fired ten quick rounds, ending each of the gang members' lives. She pulled back into the van as bullets from other members sprayed into it. Summer yelped in pain as a bullet grazed her thigh. I tried to figure out how I could help…there had to be a way…
Outside…
They would never expect an assault from another direction. I got up, pistol in hand and went out the passenger door, closing it quietly. People all around were shouting and yelping. There had been gunfire and about a hundred people had witnessed it…I slowly crept by the cars, slowly getting around the enemy's position…
BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
Gunfire!
I stood up, seeing three gang people shooting at the van, and through the open doors in the back of the van I saw Summer trying to return fire but never getting the opportunity. It was up to me. I raised the pistol, taking quick aim and…BLAM! The kick knocked me back a few steps and I fell down, my head hitting a car behind me. I heard someone shout in the pain and then the shout was cut off by more gunfire. Summer had found an opportunity.
I heard someone saying something. I looked up and saw someone staring at me from the car I had fallen upon. It was a woman, a look of terror across her face…she was speechless…
I got up on my hands and knees and crawled behind another car. The people inside were ducking down, their hands on their heads, as if their hands would protect them. I could see through the windows that the gang members were looking for me. Now there were six out. They were fanning out…searching for me…a thought hit me. If the kick of the gun hadn't knocked me down, I would've been seen…the kick actually helped me…
I slowly raised the pistol, taking aim at the shortest gang member…I fired and I saw a shower of blood for a second, the body falling to the ground and the people rushing back to look at him. I fired again and again, taking down two more of them.
They finally realized they were being ambushed and ducked down. I guess that Summer could see them from the angle she was at because she jumped out of the van, an automatic rifle in her hand, firing off rapid shots that, judging by the little two-second blood showers that kept popping up, were taking out the gang members.
She stopped firing after a few seconds, then looked around. I stood up and waved to her. She…, "LOOK OUT," I screamed. A gang member with a knife was sneaking up behind her! She started to turn around when the guy knocked the gun out of her hand, then back-fisted her across the face. She fell to the ground and the man seemed to smile.
Out of rage, I raised my pistol and started to take aim when the guy suddenly stopped, his face a face of complete pain and shock…then he fell to the ground, revealing Travion behind him, a sword in his hand.
He then dropped down to aid Summer. I started walking back…it was over. Finally over…I was finally free of the violence…free of the—
A cold, icy pain sunk into my right shoulder, a little to the right of my shoulder blade…it came out and I suddenly found it hard to breathe…I fell to the ground on my stomach, turning over onto my back to see a girl, probably in her early-twenties, standing over me with a knife in her hands…
A cold smile crossed her face. "Looks like I finally got my kill." Suddenly a figure leapt over me and crashed into the woman. It was Summer, tackling the attacker. The pain started to spread throughout my body and my vision began to fade…
But I fought it with all strength. Summer was sitting on top of the girl, delivering several blows to the head. Suddenly, I could hear sirens, and I could see a cop running up the road, unlatching his holster…my vision began to fade again but I said, "Summer…cops…" She stopped, looked up and said the word that described my life. "Shit!"
She stopped, turned around, scooped me up and ran for the van. I felt my own blood running down my back…I was about to die…for the second time in my life, I felt my life slowly oozing away…slowly fading, dripping away…slowly…darkness…
"Asazi!"
Summer's yell evaporated all thoughts of darkness.
"You need to stay with me, okay? If you fall asleep, you won't wake up. And I think you know what that means. Okay?"
I nodded slowly. We reached the van; Travion helping put me into the passenger seat so I could have a good seat belt. When I was in, Travion hopped over me into the driver's seat and Summer hopped over me and got into the bench behind us.
A figure reached the driver's window, yelling, "Freeze, don't driver or I'll shoot!" A cop.
Travion floored it and bashed through a few cars and got to the nearest exit off the freeway. The traffic was still sitting still. The cops started chasing us but Travion somehow lost them after a few minutes of suspenseful driving…
"Come back here Asazi," came Summer's voice. I got up, wincing at the pain that engulfed my right side of my body. The blood wasn't flowing that much but it hurt like hell.
Summer pulled out a First-Aid Kit and did a bunch of stuff to my stab wound. The things she did hurt but when she was done, I felt better. Travion silently drove and about thirty minutes later, I found myself lying down on Summer's lap…she suddenly bent down and whispered into my ear, "Look Asazi, look out the back windows."
I sat up and looked…there was Miami. We were going up a hill and could see all of Miami's metropolitan area behind us…
Summer said, "GoodBYE, Miami!"
"GooooodddBYYYEEE, Miami," I repeated with joy.
Summer laughed and said, "It's quite a driver, where we're going so you might want to sleep, okay Asazi?" I nodded and laid back down. Sleep soon came…
…but Nemesis didn't…
-_-
Another day later and we were driving up a steep mountain slope in Colorado. It wasn't a very high mountain but it was very solitary, in a valley in between a few Rocky Mountains, Summer had said. There, Summer and Travion had bought a house that they had been planning on living in for about a year…they, like me, never wanted to be involved with the gangs.
They said that there was a school nearby, in which I would be enrolled as 'Asazi Tezor'. "Tezor" being Travions' last name and Summer's soon-to-be last name…yep. They are getting married…so…
I have a home…a home…and two parents that didn't have me but are willing to take me in and take care of me. Travion and Summer told me on the way to the house that they were gonna take care of me until I move out…all through school…
Isn't it great? I have a home, a family, and a place that will be cozy and warm…I will have friends, I will go to school…isn't it the life? Isn't it?
I will have a life…no more guns or violence…not now, and hopefully never again…
But they never told me that the gangs could find us…they never told me that it's not impossible…they never said that the gangs and violence were gone for good…but they made it seem that way. They let me think that my past was gone, they deceived me…
And I'm still not sure if I should forgive them for it…
A home…free…
-_-
I celebrated my birthday the next day. I turned seven. I finally had a happy day. After weeks of evil, of violence, of filth, of rape, of guns, of Nemesis…there was peace…
I did whatever I wanted.
Whatever I wanted for a couple weeks, then I went into the 2nd grade. I was already mature enough for 2nd grade so I took a test and went into 3rd grade…I almost passed more exams but didn't skip up to another grade…
Travion and Summer were surprised. They thought that I couldn't make even second grade but because I enjoyed the peace that the schoolwork provided, I did it until there was no more to do. The schoolwork took my mind off of my nightmares, took my mind off of the life I used to live…
Even though my past came back to haunt me, I survived and at the end of the school year, went onto 5th grade…
And over the next few years, I grew happier and happier, making friends and acing homework, my past slowly began to filter away, like a forgotten dream…
An evil nightmare that comes back to haunt me every now and then…
I had to take 8th grade over again because Algebra was too hard and I failed it, no matter how hard I tried. But I didn't care because I knew I could do it. It was just a matter of time. I slowly began to learn the numbers and how the calculations work…slowly, my grades began to rise…
Living about thirty miles from a city, I was able to see movies and go to parks and hang out with the friends I accumulated over the years.
Finally, after living hell for a few weeks, I found peace for a few years…but only to a certain extent. I still had this loneliness…I couldn't figure out how to fill it…it was like an empty space inside of me that I couldn't fill…it hurt.
No matter how many friends I made, no matter how many times I hung out at the mall in the nearby city…I always felt alone. Not when they were with me, but the second they were gone, the burning would return…the burning for something more than friends, something more than the life I was living…perhaps, someday, I'll fill the hole inside of me…
Someday…
I still feel the burning. The burning desire for something more, something other than killing, other than friends… The burning was loneliness, and no matter what you try to do, there is only one way to fill it…and I had it for awhile…
Only once had the burning gone away…and that was when I had realized that God was protecting me…but then I forgot about it and the burning returned…
Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one that feels the same pain that I feel…but then I look at the people around me and know that I'm not alone, no matter how hard people try to pretend they're happy…they aren't…
Author's Note
No, the story's not over…but yes, I did skip a few years, the Peace years…but now I want to know where I should start going again. Should I start when she turns 15? Or perhaps 16? It's up to you guys. Whatever age you want me to continue the story at, I'll do it…but keep in mind that majority rules…
So, no, the story is not over. I just had to skip a few years for…certain reasons in the plot…(hehehehehehe…) and now I need your opinion on it. Please post your answers in the forum where I will post the poll one day after this chapter was posted…please be honest.
So what age should the narration continue at?
CV