Revenge Kills- Part 1

Revenge Kills- Part 1

Aaron stepped out onto the emptied second floor apartment balcony, gripping his sleek black handgun. He drummed his left hand along the hot metal railing while he leaned against it, anticipation and anxiety rushing through his body. Strands of his curly, dark brown hair fell loose into his face, so he brushed them aside.

The sun hung high in the afternoon sky, its rays beating down on Aaron's cheeks. Beads of sweat strung across his forehead as he waited, watching closely for his target to appear across the deserted street. He knew his target, the Poison Bullets Gang, was to gather in front of the crumbling textile warehouse soon. The warehouse had been closed and cleared out years ago, but never torn down. So naturally, the almost forgotten, graffiti covered building made the ideal location for gangs like Aaron's target to meet.

 As he squinted against the bright sunlight, focusing on the dark silhouettes of a few gang members, he tried to make out the leader, known as Rifle. Aaron had pure hatred for that man, even when he was a member of the Poison Bullets himself and under Rifle's orders. Those were the worst two years of his life, and he vowed never to go back, especially after he and Annabeth began dating. Then soon after Aaron and Annabeth were a couple, Rifle had discovered Aaron's absence in the gang and hunted down his girlfriend, Annabeth, before killing her.

Aaron spotted the burly gang leader arrive on a shined red Harley Davidson. It kept spitting out puffs of black smoke as it shuddered to a halt in front of the warehouse. Aaron steadied his gun to shoot, closing one eye to carefully aim. The young man didn't hear the soft footsteps padding closer to the balcony he was positioned on, but he did hear the deep words spoken by someone behind him.

"Aaron?" Aaron spun around, his firearm still raised, and he met the eye of a friend.

"Zach?" The young man lowered the weapon, relaxing as he smiled nervously at his buddy. Zach stepped from the sliding glass door and onto the concrete balcony.

"Aaron, put that gun away. I'm serious." His voice was smooth and relaxed, but slightly shaky. He stood there, shifting his weight from foot to foot, waiting for a response.

"How did you know I was here?" Aaron asked, glancing over his shoulder to eye the gang's movements. They seemed to just be talking at that moment, members still gradually arriving.

Zach obviously didn't understand what Aaron was about to do. Zach moved in closer and said, "I got off work early, so I decided to swing by my apartment to grab a few things. When I saw your car parked at the side entrance, I thought you were paying me a visit, or something like that. Then the apartment front door was unlocked and the patio one, too-" He abruptly cut his sentence off, studying Aaron's expressions. "I didn't know what was going on. Did you grab the spare key in the flower pot on the porch to get in my house?"

Aaron nodded and sighed. "Listen, Zach. I need you to leave." He raised his gun once more and pointed it at the man's face. Confidence and adrenaline pumped through him as he said, "I have important matters to attend to. I knew the Poison Bullets were meeting at the warehouse behind your apartment-"

"The gang you left? How?"

"I just did, okay? Knowing how to get in your apartment, I figured I'd go to your balcony while you were gone and finish what Rifle started, by shooting him. I have a perfect view of his gang." Aaron took in a deep breath before starting again, staring his friend in the eye. "I'm going to kill that man and do whatever it takes to get sweet revenge on him. I don't care if I go to jail."

With the pistol still aimed at him, Zach slowly put his hands up in a truce. "What would Annabeth say?"

"Don't bring up my dead girlfriend! Rifle was the one who killed her!" Aaron shouted angrily, pain inching its way into his voice. The gun began to shake as his bottom lip quivered. He dropped the weapon on the patio and it hit with a thud and a soft click. He turned to lean on the railing once more, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. A large hand patted him gently on the shoulder. Aaron looked up at Zach's heartbroken face.

"I know you miss her," the friend stated. "But she wouldn't want you to kill another man, even if it seems right. You can't bring her back by shooting the gang that caused her death." Zach reached for the gun on the ground, but Aaron was faster. He knew his friend would take the pistol. He spun around and dove for it, blocking off Zach from snatching it. Aaron scrambled to his feet once he had a firm grip on the weapon's black butt, and backed up toward the hot rail.

"This could be my only chance for revenge. I'm taking it." Aaron's head felt foggy, but he brushed the feeling away as he faced the view of the side of the crumbling warehouse across the street. Then he aimed expertly at a single man walking about below: Rifle.

Zach screamed, "Don't do it!" He jumped toward Aaron as he pulled back the trigger. Right before the bullet left the gun, Zach's strong arms forced his friend's hands up, sending the shot skyward. A deafening bang echoed around the area, bouncing around and filling the air with gray smoke.

Zach stumbled away from Aaron as the startled young man accidentally dropped the gun in surprise. The revolver fell over the railing, tumbling to the ground below. As it struck the worn asphalt, another blast followed the first. Aaron's eyes widened in horror as he stared at the Poison Bullets across the road. The gunshots had gotten their attention. The men began pointing up at Aaron and pulling out their weapons.

"What have you done?" Aaron whispered in fear. Zach staggered backwards before regaining control.

"We need to go! Now! They're going to come, Aaron. Once they find out who that shot was meant for, the gang will be all over us." He swallowed hard. "They probably already know you were aiming at them."

"Hey!" A deep, scratchy voice from the ground level called, "What you tryin' to do?"

Aaron gazed over the railing on the balcony and saw that every eye of the Poison Bullets Gang was fixed on him.

"It's Aaron Rodriguez!" one of the teenagers shouted, recognizing him.

Chills crept up Aaron's spine and the hairs on his neck stood straight up as Rifle's nasty voice ordered, "Aaron! I thought I spared your life by taking your girl's instead. This is how you repay me? By shooting at me and my gang? Come down here so I can teach you a lesson!" He loaded his iconic weapon, a large rifle, and teasingly shot it into the air. Aaron began to shake, panic gnawing at him, but managed to stay strong. He looked at Zach then to the large group two stories below.

"No," he said.

"What did you say, boy?" Rifle angrily asked.

"No," Aaron repeated, leaning on the railing.

As Zach stayed motionless on his patio, he knew what was coming next, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. So when one of Rifle's bullets rocketed toward Aaron's chest after the shot, embedding itself there with a thump, Zach felt helpless. His friend was going to die, and it was partially his fault.

Aaron was thrown back at impact, his breaths shallow, and he dropped to the concrete floor of the balcony. A dark red liquid stained his white polo and Northface jacket, spreading across his chest. The coppery smell of blood filled the air, the Poison Bullets laughing below. Zach crumpled to his knees beside his friend.

Memories began to flood back into Aaron's head, like a raging river, its mighty current tugging and sweeping over the man. "Annabeth," Aaron whispered.

END of Part 1