David woke up to the sunlight streaming through his window, and he groaned in frustration. He hated mornings, and he felt like he had barely gotten any sleep. He dragged himself out of bed and did some stretches to wake himself up.
He shuffled into the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal. As he ate, he watched some YouTube videos to pass the time. Suddenly, his phone rang, and he saw that it was his mom. She told him she was coming back in the afternoon.
David washed his bowl and went to his room to change his clothes. He put on a blue jacket, a black t-shirt with a silver Jesus cross around his neck, baggy jeans, and white Air Force sneakers. He grabbed his phone and checked the time. It was 12:30pm. He called Armando to see if he wanted to hang out for the day.
When David arrived at Armando's house, he saw Armando's mom driving away with his little brother. He went up to the door and knocked, looking around curiously.
"Wazz up, wey come in," Armando said, opening the door and letting David in.
"So, what are you trying to do today before the meeting?" Armando asked, taking a seat on the couch.
"Nah, nothing really," David replied, also sitting down.
"We still have things to clean up in the warehouse, and there are still a few spots left with empty boxes," Armando said, remembering.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," David said, remembering as well.
"Well, let me get changed and then we'll leave," Armando said, standing up and heading to his room.
"Ight man," David said, pulling out his phone.
When Armando arrived in his room, he saw his phone light up with a notification. It was from Liz, inquiring about the project and asking when they could meet to finish it. His heart raced as he quickly typed out a response.
"I'm free on Wednesday afternoon," Armando sent.
"That works for me," Liz replied.
Armando quickly changed into his regular outfit: a grey t-shirt with a Jesus cross, baggy jeans, and white Air Forces. He felt a surge of excitement as he thought about the upcoming meeting with Liz.
Armando walked into the living room, a sense of excitement bubbling up inside him. "Let's go!" he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. David followed him out the door, and Armando got into the truck, buckling his seatbelt.
"Let's stop at a store, we need trash bags," Armando said, his enthusiasm still evident in his voice.
"Sure thing," David replied, starting the truck and driving off to the closest store.
Once they had bought the trash bags and a few other items, they were on their way again.
When they arrived at the warehouse, they immediately got to work, moving all the wooden planks to the corner and then starting to clean the floor. They worked diligently, piling all the trash bags they used in a corner for disposal.
It took an hour of hard work, but eventually they finished. Taking a moment to admire their work, they sat down on the chair they had laying around and took a well-deserved break. They felt a sense of accomplishment and pride, knowing that their efforts had made a difference.
Armando stood up and looked around the warehouse, a feeling of anticipation in the air. "We should start buying somethings to make this more like home," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
David smiled. "Yeah, but first we need to buy the warehouse," he said.
"I keep forgetting that we don't own this warehouse yet," Armando said, shaking his head.
"If everything goes right later today, we might be looking at our new HQ," David said, his smile widening.
"We still got a few hours, right?" Armando asked.
"Yeah, so how's it going with Liz?" David asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"I have a date on Wednesday with her," Armando said, a broad grin spreading across his face.
"No shit, you playing wey?" David said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, she said it was to do the project, but hey, I can always change it last minute," Armando said, shrugging.
"I see. Well, good luck, my friend," David said, shaking his head. "So how's it going with your project?"
"Dexter said he has it all under control," David said.
"So he's going to do all the work?" Armando asked.
"Yep," David said.
"We still got a good amount of weed. We should go and sell some of it," Armando said, standing up and checking the weed vault.
"Yeah, sure. It's a good way to pass the time before the meeting," David said, standing up and helping Armando.
Armando and David were counting the money they had made from selling weed to college students at the local library. David's phone buzzed and he saw a message from Old Man Tucker. Excitedly, he showed it to Armando, who grinned in anticipation. They had been hustling for hours, and the money they had made was enough to make them both feel elated.
David started his truck and pulled out of the parking lot, a sense of anticipation bubbling in his chest. "Tucker wants us to meet him at his house," he said, glancing over at Armando.
Armando nodded, stuffing the money into a bag and placing it in the glove compartment. "Time sure flew by today," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
The drive to Tucker's house was short, and when they arrived, they knocked on the door and waited for him to answer. David felt a thrill of anticipation as he waited, eager to see what Tucker had in store for them.
Tucker opened his house door with a grin, his excitement palpable as he stepped out and locked the door behind him.
"Well, y'all ready?" he asked, turning to face his friends.
Armando and David both nodded eagerly, their anticipation growing.
"Okay, then let's ride in my truck," Tucker said, leading the way.
"I call shotgun!" Armando shouted, racing ahead.
"Fuck, you beat me to it!" David groaned, getting into the back.
Tucker chuckled, feeling the thrill of the adventure ahead. He was ready to go, and he could tell his friends were too.
Once they were ready, Tucker pulled out of his driveway and drove off while having a conversation with them. After a while of driving, Tucker stopped at a red light.
"From here on, y'all guys are going to have to wear a bag over y'all head," Tucker said, looking around with a serious expression.
"What? Why?" Armando asked, looking at Tucker and then at David with confusion.
"For discretion and my guys might not like it either," Tucker said, handing them each a bag. He could see the apprehension in their eyes, but he knew it was necessary. "It's just a precaution," he added, trying to reassure them.
David and Armando nervously put on the bags over their heads, trying to ignore the creepy thoughts that were creeping into their minds.
"Alright, let's just get this over with," David said, his voice trembling slightly.
The truck took a few turns and the street changed to a dirt road, but the two men continued talking, trying to distract themselves from the fear that was slowly building up inside them. They both knew that whatever was going to happen next, it was not going to be good.
Tucker pulled the truck to a stop and shut off the engine. "Alright, we're here," he said, a hint of relief in his voice. "Y'all can take the bags off your heads now."
Armando eagerly pulled off his bag, a relieved smile on his face.
"But before y'all get out," Tucker said, his voice suddenly serious, "I need y'all's phones."
David's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why?"
"We don't want any interruptions now, do we?" Tucker said, his expression stern.
David sighed and nodded. "No, we don't," he said, handing over his phone. Armando followed suit, and soon both phones were in Tucker's possession.
All three of them stepped out of the car and gazed around, their eyes widening in surprise as they spotted a large warehouse in front of them. Without a word, they walked towards the warehouse and entered it. Inside, they were met with a flurry of activity; men were talking to each other in hushed tones, and some of them were carrying guns. All of them were dressed in black suits, black gloves, and sunglasses, and they all had a distinct Hispanic look about them. The atmosphere was tense and the trio felt a sense of dread as they took in the scene before them.
"So these are the guys you were telling me about," the random guy said as he walked up to Tucker and shook his hand warmly.
"Yep," Tucker replied, a broad smile spreading across his face.
"Well, good afternoon. You can call me Mr. T," the guy said, pulling his hand away.
"I'm David," one of them said, shaking Mr. T's hand.
"And I'm Armando," the other added, also shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you both. Follow me," Mr. T said, nodding his head for them to follow him.
They followed Mr. T to the middle of the warehouse, where they saw a large, imposing table with chairs. They stood in front of the table, feeling a little intimidated, while Tucker and Mr. T took a seat. Everyone got quiet and stared at them, the tension in the air palpable.
Good afternoon brothers and sisters. Today I bring these two gentlemen before you all because they wish to join our organization," Tucker said loudly and proudly.
A few people in the crowd murmured in disagreement, and one man spoke up. "Why should we allow them to join? All I see is two kids trying to play a grown man's game."
Tucker nodded, unfazed. "Believe it or not, these two are the only ones selling in this city other than me. They have exceeded my expectations and have proven that they can be trusted."
The crowd looked at each other skeptically, and David noticed the doubt in their eyes.
"If that's not enough," Tucker continued, "they are the reason Pablo the Ghost is dead."
The crowd began to whisper amongst themselves, and all eyes were on the two men.
"How do we know it was them? It could have been one of his enemies. Or it could be that you've lost a few screws," someone said, laughing a little.
"If you don't believe me, ask them," Tucker said, pointing to the two men.
"Go ahead, tell us how you killed Pablo," Mr. T said, looking at them.
David took a deep breath and began to speak. "Pablo was my dad. He never cared about his family. He only came home to abuse my mother whenever he wanted and beat the shit out of me. But one day, I had enough. I followed him to an alleyway and with the help of my friend, now my brother, we snuck up on him and knocked him out. We took him to the middle of nowhere and beat him until he couldn't breathe anymore. Then we shot him in the head, leaving him to be forgotten and eaten by the wild." David said, looking at everyone with a straight face.
Mr. T looked at Tucker and began to whisper to him for a few minutes, and the crowd followed suit.
"If you killed before, that means you can do it again," Mr. T said, standing up.
"Let's see if they have the guts to do it again," someone said.
"Bring our captives that we have captured," Mr. T said, and some people brought four people with bags over their heads and put them in a line on their knees.
"These four gentlemen have betrayed the code and done many other damages to the cartel for a long time," Mr. T said, and everyone agreed.
"Well, that stops today because both of you are going to kill them," Mr. T said, walking to them and pulling out a handgun.
He handed the gun to David and then walked behind them. "Pick your two guys," he said in a near whisper.
David raised the gun to their heads and then picked the third and then fourth guy. Within seconds he shot them and then passed the gun to Armando, who did the same to the other two guys.
"Well, no hesitation shown. I like that," Mr. T said as Armando handed him back the gun and walked back to Tucker to talk to him for a few minutes.
For the remainder of the night, David and Armado were subjected to a series of grueling tests. They were challenged to see how long they could last in a fight, how many punches they could take, and more.
David was able to excel in each test, thanks to the serum he had taken. His body was prepared for anything they threw at him, and he was determined to prove himself. He felt a surge of adrenaline as he pushed himself to the limit, and he was determined to show that he was the best.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause as Mr. T announced the two new members of the cartel. Everyone was excited to welcome them into the fold, and one man even came up to them and handed them each a water bottle. They both eagerly accepted and drank it down without stopping until it was gone.
"Y'all both did good, but just because you're now members doesn't mean you're done," Mr. T said sternly. "Every now and then we'll test you again to make sure certain people get the message that you belong here in the cartel."
The two nodded in understanding, and then followed Mr. T to a moving truck. "Your first job is to sell this package that is worth 100k. I don't care how you sell it or how much you make, I only want 100k. The rest you can keep," he said, looking at them with a serious expression.
"What happens when we have your money?" Armando asked.
"Well, you contact Tucker and he'll bring you to me for another package," Mr. T replied with a smile.
"So same system, but only this time we're meeting each other for more product," David said, and Mr. T nodded in agreement.
"Well, we better get going. You both have a lot of work to do tomorrow and in the upcoming days," Tucker said as he got into the moving truck. David and Armando followed suit, and Armando asking, "So who's going to take your truck, Tucker?"
"Some trustee is going to take it back to my crib," Tucker said as he drove away.
After a few minutes on the road, Tucker asked a question, his voice tinged with curiosity.
"Do y'all have a place to store y'all's half or do y'all need me to keep it all together?"
"Nah, we have a warehouse where we can store our half," Armando replied.
"How much did that cost?" Tucker asked, his brow furrowing.
"It's not officially ours, but nobody goes there. It's on an abandoned lot," David said, looking out the window.
"That's a nice place to have a warehouse, but y'all better buy it soon or find somewhere else, because y'all never know," Tucker said, his voice serious.
"Well, we won't have to worry because with our half, we should be able to make more than enough to buy it," Armando said confidently.
They continued talking and having a lively conversation about anything and everything. When they arrived at the warehouse, they tried to unload everything as quickly as possible, but the aching bruises and sore muscles made it difficult for them to do so. Despite the pain, they persevered and eventually finished the task.
Once they were done, they got back inside the truck and drove away, feeling a sense of accomplishment and relief. Despite the physical pain, they had shared a moment of camaraderie and friendship that made the experience worthwhile.
"So I'm going to drop both of y'all off here so you can get the truck and go back home," Tucker said as he drove.
"Ight man," Armando replied, his voice tinged with apprehension.
When they got to Tucker's house, they saw David truck parked in the driveway.Armando and David looked at each other, both of them feeling relief that they were almost done
"Well, call me when y'all are ready for the next package," Tucker said as he drove away, leaving them to get into David's truck and driving away.
"I wonder how I'm going to explain this to my mom," Armando said, his voice heavy with worry.
"Me too, man. We might not have a black eye, but they'll be able to tell by how we walk," David replied, his voice full of dread.
When David dropped Armando off, he could tell that his friend was going to need more time to heal than he had anticipated. He thought to himself, "I should ask Dexter for another serum and give it to Armando." Taking a deep breath, he parked his truck at his house and checked the time. It was almost 2 in the morning and the living room lamp was on, with the TV also.
He knew his mom was probably awake and waiting for him to show up. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his phone and keys, and locked his truck. When he opened the door, he stuck his head in first and looked around. He saw his mom asleep on the couch and the TV on. He slowly opened the rest of the door and quietly closed it behind him, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.
"So where were you today?" his mom asked, her gaze fixed on the TV.
David slowly walked to the long couch and took a seat. "Oh, you know, around with Armando," he said, avoiding her gaze.
His mom stood up and took a seat next to him. "From the looks of it, you got beat pretty badly," she said, her voice laced with concern.
"So what happened that it took you almost all night and you couldn't answer my phone calls?" she asked, her voice gentle but firm.
David sighed. "Nothing happened, mama. I just got promoted and you don't have to worry because it was a one-time thing," he said, rubbing his right leg.
"It better be a one-time thing because you had me worried, mijo. You know I can't do this all by myself," his mom said, looking at him and rubbing his left arm for comfort.
"Nothing will happen to me, mama. I'll make sure to answer your phone calls next time," David said, looking into his mom's eyes.
"You better, mister," his mom said, throwing a friendly punch and making him grunt.
"I better go and rest up," David said, standing up and walking to his room.
Before he went to his room, he stopped by his sister's room and saw them already fast asleep, the blanket barely covering them. He went in and tucked in the blankets around them, giving them a gentle kiss on their forehead.
As he was leaving his sister's room, he saw his mom closing her door behind her.
He went to his room, changed into his sleeping clothes, and charged his phone. Then he got into his bed and was soon fast asleep.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know if you spot any mistakes or areas that need fixing.