Grey Streets

'You can't make a good decision based on the fear of the possibility of what might happen.' Michelle Obama. "Just fifteen minutes southeast of Sunount Indianapolis, the Middleland Avenue neighborhood ranks as the second most dangerous neighborhood in America. The neighborhood climbed from 6th to 2nd most dangerous from last year’s research to this year. NeighborhoodScout crime forecasting predicts the violent crime rate in this neighborhood will likely increase by 50% in the nearest future. The fact I had picked up from Google approximately 4 hours 14 minutes and 23 seconds ago,still rang like a loud bell in my head, reminding me that I was stupid, and that I was going to get killed. But I needed to get going. I had stalled for so long,and now, as stupid as it sounded,I was not going to back out! The fact that I had chosen to go to the most dangerous neighborhood in Indianapolis, and the second most dangerous in America,at 9 o'clock in the night,still baffled me. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I lived at Sunount Indianapolis,and it took me twenty minutes to get here, contrary to the supposed fifteen minutes. This meant that the facts had glitches,and there was a probability that the neighborhood was not as bad as it was painted. Wow! I can not believe someone could be this dumb Was I scared? Hell YES! Did I regret this stupid decision? YES!! Did I want to be reasonable and just go back now I had the chance,like any normal and sensible human would? No! Zibah Nava Kuykendall... you're an official moron. I tightened my hoodie to my head,and kept my face down as I walked through the littered street at that devilish hour,under the hawk eyes of drunk and dangerous people. With my side view,I could make out men and women, standing by the sidewalk, smoking God-knows-what, and getting high as space. I knew they would not pose so much threat because they looked like so trashed,I doubted they could even recall their names. Disgust filled my innocent eyes as I saw two teenagers dry humping in some open corner. These people took P.D.A to the zenith. Apparently,that was not the most amusing display yet. I could make out some kids,black and white, barely 15 years of age, having a beer pong competition.I cringed when I saw a really childish looking girl,gulp down a whole mug in a breath. She didn't even pause for a second! Awesome...wow! I should really try that. Focus girl...jeez! The streets were filled with the sick smell of smoke,beer,and vomit.The dimness of the the streetlights,made the already frightening atmosphere worse. My stomach churned in fear. What the hell had I gotten myself into? It wasn't like I didn't know already. I took a deep breath and continued. Come on Zibah... you've got this! I shook my head, trying hard to focus on where I was heading for. I brought out the rumpled piece of paper from the back pocket of my third jean I had on. I had to come prepared,in case some perverted @$$hole decided to show up. Go to Number 6 On the West Road. Ask for Bleed. Tell him that Lass sent you. It was a really simple task. Just go to the house,and ask for the man. I mean,you have one in twelve chances of being a victim of violence here,so maybe by my luck,I'll be on my eleventh chance. Not bad...not bad! I scoffed at myself. I had never been a person who had good luck. So what were the chances that I'd have one now. "Hey you there!" I froze on my tracks. This was it! The moment that I was going to die. I would never get a chance to see my parents again! Not that I knew who they were,but I was this close to doing that. Ha! Who was I kidding? I swallowed a hard lump that had formed in my throat. Was this how it felt to be faced with death? My heart was doing flips now. Taking a deep breath,I raised my head to face the man...or should I say, giant. The six foot 'something' guy towered above me, looking down at me with a disgusting scowl on his face. I'm going to be calling him Smoke because this guy smelled heavily of smoke and what ever substance he had been taking that left white trails in his small mustache streak. He looked like an Italian,with his tanned skin and chest nut eyes. "H..he.. hello?" Really smooth,Zibah...well played. "GUYS! LOOK WHAT WE HAVE HERE!" Why was he yelling? I could see the 'guys',and they were barely 3 meters away, which was sign that I should probably start running. Unfortunately,my legs and I weren't in good terms at the moment,so no matter how hard I tried,they didn't move. Great! The 'Guys',numbered 2,walked towards me,all with cigar stumps in their mouths, puffing out smokes that would make car exhaust pipes ashamed. They weren't the 'we-look-bad-but-we're'-actually-softies' kind of men. They were more of the 'we're-gonna-hand-your-brains-to-your-mom-in-a-bag' kind of men. Well .. how bad could someone actually be? Apparently, really bad! My body involuntarily begun to shake. I took a careful step back, trying to survey my environment and look for possible escape routes but these guys have definitely been here for for years now,and they definitely knew the environment like the back of their hands. As if sensing my intention,the man looked down at me. "I wouldn't run if I were you sweetheart." Oh how badly I wanted to spit in his disgusting face and tell him to kiss my black ass. But come on,I was stupid,but not that stupid. I was trapped and helpless, and I knew it. One of the men wolf whistled. "Darn...tis one iz a hot one." I could not place the accent but that was the least of my worries. The monsters of men slowly advanced to me. Forty out of two thousand were r***d here yearly.I gulped hard. Maybe with my luck,the fortieth person probably passed by last week. Not bad... not bad!I Really bad! "Please... please don't hurt...hurt...me... please..." I was shaking,my breathing becoming more shallow as u tried to hold back my tears. I opened my eyes slowly,and saw one of the other men,this one was a little bit shorter. I'm going to call him X. X cupped my face in his dirty,sick hands, and bent to kiss me. I tilted my face to the left so forcefully,I felt a small but hurtful snap in my neck.However,snap or not, it would be over my dead body that I let this disgusting excuse of a man, touch me. He seemed to get really annoyed by what I had done that he tightened his grip on me. I squirmed and struggled,but I was at his mercy,and I stood no chance against these perverted buffalos. "Please...Lass sent me here...I swear...I don't mean any harm." I tried to grit between my clenched teeth,since he was holding my jaw tightly. X gave a sickening laugh and turned to Smoke guy. "Did you hear her, Fade?" Oh...So Fade was his name? Well... it's good to know that at least,I'd get to know someone's name before I die. I gulped hard,tears began to flow down my eyes but they didn't seem to care. Man three who had been silent all these while,came closer to me. He was a really big Asian man,with a bald head,and a long gnash that crossed his face. Honestly,I kind of preferred Smoke...sorry Fade,at that moment. Where Fade looked threatening and evil,this guy looked completely sick. His small Asian eyes seemed to sink into my soul, searching for my deepest fears so he could use them against me. He puffed his smoke in my face, making me fall into a coughing fit, despite my tears. "Lass is a treto.Do not menton his naim here." His Korean accented voice made it difficult to make out what he was saying, however,there was one thing I knew, and that was that, what ever he said,wasn't good. X began to unbuckle his belt. I was scared to death. "P..pl...plea... please...d...d.. don't... please..." My body was shaking,and I'm sure I has wet my pants. Fat tears ran down my cheeks. Please God...I believe in you... please don't let this happen... please.. save me." Man three,the Asian,pinned my hands behind me,as I shook like a leaf. I was in their mercy right now. X,who's pants were already completely off,threw me down on the hard smelly road. Asian still held my hands,while Fade just watched in amusement. "HELP ME SOMEONE!!!! HELP ME PLEASE!!! " I trashed and squirmed under his grip. He tore off the zip of my jeans, only to see another one, and the angry expression on his face was priceless. In a different situation,I would have smirked. But this was a situation of life and death. He was about to rip off my second jean when... "Having fun,are we?" A deep and really nice British accented voice asked. They all turned to look at the owner of the voice, but I couldn't, since Asian was still holding me down. I noticed that X was distracted,and I could use the opportunity to leave. But fear did not let me even make a move as I feared that whoever this person was, could probably be their ally. And even if I wasn't scared shitless and had the will to run,Asian's grip on me did not lessen at all. I noticed something in their faces, through the dim light. Fear! "Bilé...let...let...let us have some fun...she's our catch." X said,his words laced with disgusting saliva that poured on my face while he spoke. But that was not really an issue for now.... Wait a second,did I hear Bilé, Celtic god of hell? Eff my life!! Fade tried to give him a dark look,but failed miserably.It was quite obvious, even in the dim light,that they were scared of the man. "Well...R.J, I don't know you're into fishing now and I don't care. But you don't fish on my waters. So... I'm going to say this once. Let.The.Girl.Go." His voice carried so much authority. I noticed X begin to raise his pants back up. "Seriously man...she was a fine catch." Fade said slowly,and began to walk away. Honestly,I doubted that he had any intentions of doing anything to me. He looked bored. X gave the mystery man a death glare,and walked to him. Don't ask me how I had known,but that was definitely a bad idea. Mystery man sounded like raw power,and I doubted that his name came from dancing at kids' parties. I couldn't tell if they were the same height. X was pretty tall though. "You are overstepping your boundaries now, Bilé." His voice was strong,but not strong enough. "Well..." Mystery man said slowly. "...you seem to forget something R.J, I OWN this place. I do not have any boundaries." His voice was eerily calm,that although he was helping me out, I could not help but be afraid of him. For all we knew, he may have sent 'Guys'away so he could finish me off himself. I didn't hear X come up with another throwback.Instead, I heard footsteps which began to fade. I looked up at Asian, whose tight grip hadn't still loosened. Couldn't the guy take a hint? Then he smiled up at Mystery man,whose face I had still not been able to see because of this butt wipe. It was a sick and disgusting smile, showing his tobacco stained teeth.I shut my eyes tight and tried to picture nice and beautiful things. Korean actors...BTS... European footballers...Mars... "Bilé...we meets agen under another unfavouble conditions." "Shut it Agui!" His voice was deeper and scarier now,I flinched. "Get off the girl!" He nodded slowly and released his grip. I whimpered in pain,as the my blood circulation became steadier. I sat up and began to rub my wrists,tears still streaming out of my eyes. "Naneum dangsin-eul wihae dasi ol geos naneun dangsin-ui insaeng-eul jiog-eul mandeul geos." (I would come back for you,and make your life hell.) Mystery Man scoffed. "Naneum dangsin-i sidobogo sipda."( I'd like to see you try.) The smoothness of Mystery man's voice in Hangul, and the way it blended with his beautiful British accent,made me want to fan girl right there and then. If Asian was surprised by this,he didn't show. But as he walked away,I knew that this was far from over and I did not think that I wanted to be here when they 'settle'. I sat on the floor,not looking up at Mystery man. I felt so uncomfortable because I could feel his burning glare behind my head. "You're really stupid, do you know?" I snapped my head up to meet his eyes. Honestly,I could not believe he was actually talking to me. My body was still vibrating in fear,the adrenaline had not run down yet. I felt so disgusted as I remembered the feeling of X's hands on me. I felt a jacket wrap around my body. I turned to see Mystery man and honestly,I was kind of disappointed. I had honestly expected a Goliath of a man,with bald head, gnashes and cuts all over his body. And for some reason,I actually pictured him with a SpongeBob eye patch. Don't ask me why. But he was a short and skinny looking black man, although his well chiseled face,his pink lips and small dimple made him look carefree and handsome.He did not look at all look like the power he had emanated. I could make out that he was in his late thirties or so.He looked so neat and young in his white BYC shirt,black jeans and a well worn but cool white converse. He had a small but well trimmed beard,and in the dimness of the night,I noticed that coupled with his mismatched eye colour and golden dyed hair,he also had cool sleeve tattoos that ran down his left arm. "You weren't expecting Super man right?" Despite the nervousness I still felt,I managed to let out a small smile. "Well...I kinda expected a Hulk kind of guy. But I could have used a Super Man." He chuckled a bit, making his dimples more prominent. This guy had zero 'bad guy' vibes. For some reason,I felt oddly comfortable with this man. "Th... thanks." My voice was shaky and rough. He smiled a bit. "Why'd I have a feeling that this would not be the last time that I'd be seeing you?" I scoffed. Hmm...maybe. "Why'd you save me?" He shrugged. "Well... sometimes when you've done lots of bad things, you gotta do good once in a while,to thank the universe for helping you get away with the bad." "Smart logic." I laughed a bit. "Well...not half as smart as you." I raised a brow in confusion. "Huh?" He said nothing,but just nodded towards the direction of my jeans. I looked down at myself and laughed. "Well...I kinda.." I started and raised my head to look at him,but he was gone. I couldn't even spot him anywhere. Strange. How'd he leave so fast? Well...at least I was grateful for his help. Thanks for the help Bilé. I wrapped the jacket closer to myself. It did come in handy.The weather was getting chilly,and it made me feel kind of safe. . . . "We'll keep you safe Tata." Her mama and papa looked into her eyes with love and adoration. . . "MAMA!! PAPA!!" The young girl cried But they were not there. . . . I shivered at the memories of my parents. I had lost them 13 years ago,when I was just 4. But now, I was determined to get them back. I was going to find them. Did you think that because of that encounter with those men,I'd walk back home? NO WAY! I was Zibah Nava Kuykendall! At this point,not even the devil, could stop me. I dusted myself up, cringing at the event that happened in the last few minutes. I was just a hair length away from being r***d! Calm down Zib... you're going to be fine. You ARE fine After my small prep talk,I continued walking down the dark street. Turning down a small road,I was meet with a really huge and eerie house in front of me. The house looked broken down. The woods and splinters were all broken. The windows were only skeletons of what they used to be. The paint on the house was washed down,and algae were already growing on the walls. On the huge door that looked like it was going to fall down any minute,there was a faded sign. If you were not attentive, you would not even notice that it was there...NUMBER SIX! That was the house I was looking for. If I didn't trust Lass well enough,I would have thought that he had sent me to a haunted house filled with ghosts and dead bodies,to get me killed. With shaky hands,I pushed the door open,as carefully as I could. The creeky sound it gave up,sent unpleasant shivers down my skin. I felt my goosebumps litter all over my skin. "Hello...is anyone here!" I could hear the echos of my voice,ring around the house.. This felt too 'horror' for my liking. As I stepped deeper inside the dark house,I was actually expecting to see a dead bodies hanging like antiques around the house. Honestly,I would be freaked out,but not surprised. "He.." "Jeez... can't a guy have some rest." My heart began to hammer against my chest. I could have sworn to have had a heart attack. The dark hall was suddenly flooded with lights, revealing whoever had that voice. I rubbed my sweaty palms together,as the man looked down at me with a judging expression. I avoided eye contact with him,the awkward silence still lingering in the air. "Who are you?!" He didn't shout. In fact,he sounded really calm while asking the question, it made me feel worse. Serial killers were know to have a really calm and composed exterior. It took me a long while to find my voice. "Uh...uhm...are you Bleed?" He walked closer to me,and as he did,I could see him more clearly. 'Darn! The dude was hotter than fire.' I could make out that he was a white American with pale skin that was just a tan away from absolute perfection. He was a young redhead, probably 20 years old or a bit younger even. His jaws were well chiseled, they looked like they could actually cut.He was tall and thin,and I could mistake him for a runway model or even a swimmer. I bet on the former though. I admired the way he walked towards me. He was so sure and steady, I felt a natural and carefree leadership aura around him. He didn't look scary to me at all. Actually,he looked really amusing to watch because on his face, between his eyes, there was a tattoo of a bleeding cheater. When his eyebrows furrowed,it looked like he was actually bleeding, which was actually cool. I was too focused on admiring his beautiful image,that I didn't know when he had gotten really close to me,and grabbed my shoulders,and began to do some kind of inspection on me,with his eye. As I snapped back to reality,I flinched at his touch,but he didn't seem to notice. He pouted his lips in a funny way,as he continued his inspection. Honestly,this dude knew nothing about personal space. My heart was already in my mouth right now,I had to shut it tight to avoid spilling it out. He was so close to me, focused on doing whatever he was doing,that he didn't notice my discomfort. My mind raced through so many bad things that he could do to me. He could actually kill me,and no one would find my body. I mean, look at this place! It looked like somewhere that even History hunters would never visit. In addition to killing me,he could r**e my dead body! He didn't look like the type though,but as they say..."evil isn't written in on faces." Well.. except Joker,Tanus, Hannibal Lectar,Bane, Pennywise,Palpatine, Michael Meyers...ok,I really need to stop watching too many stupid movies. He bent down to my eye level after his inspection, since he was obivously taller than I was. "You're Bleed's new girl, right?" It sounded more like a statement than an actual question. I raised my head to meet his eyes. "Wh.. what?" He shrugged and let my shoulders go, taking a step back to have a better look at me. Then he sighed a long and overdramatic sigh. "Is Bleed into minors now? Why am I not surprised?" I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Well...it's not that I care,but you kind of look too young to be with someone his age." "What do yo..." "Hmmm...you look like a minor.Are you a minor?" "Uh...I am actua...." "Nevermind, don't answer that! If you tell me you are,then I'd feel more guilty. What you don't know won't kill you right?" "I am..." "I knew Bleed was going to get fed up with the last one. I mean...if you had seen her, you'd have known exactly what I mean." "I AM NOT..." "You're pretty though. Really pretty. It's too bad Bleed gets all the good looking ones." "Uh... thanks but I'm not..." "ALL of them, I tell you!" Holy bloody Mary! Can't this dude just shut the hell up?!!" "Come on..let's go!" He yelled as he walked down some stairs. I was confused. Where did those stairs come from? I followed him closely behind,still not saying anything. Not that this guy would let me speak either. As I got on the stairs,I noticed that a big wall closed slowly,behind me! Ok...shit! Was I in a Disney movie or was this.... SUPER COOL! "I'm sure my brother,has told you about everything but I still have one or two to tell you." "I have not..." "My brother likes being dominant over his girls,so whatever you do,try to be submissive. That includes, being ready to be hit or whipped." My eyes widened in fear, disgust and amusement. With the way he said it,I could bet a hundred dollars that this was not the first time he was giving this speech. "For crying out loud dude...I.AM.NOT.BLEED'S.GIRL!!" He gave me a deadpan look. "Listen,like I said,I don't care,and I won't judge you ok? I understand if you don't want me to know." What the fook! I was so pissed at this guy, I did not know when he stopped abruptly,and knocked at a door. After almost bumping into him,I looked around the floor we were in,with widened eyes. It was an exact opposite of what the top floor resembled! Where in hell had this place come from? I really am in a Disney movie! The whole place looked like a darn mansion!! The tiles were glistening,I could actually see my reflection on them. It looked like a very big family relaxation room. On the walls,hung sky blue velvet drapes,that looked expensive and classy. The furniture, painted white,were made of well carved woods that looked smooth and lustrous.. I could see a really big sofa in the middle of the room,that could accommodate about ten people,even if they were lying down. There was also a large Beovision 4-103 television! That ought to cost over $140000!! "Bleed,your girl is here!" His annoying voice announced as we stood behind the door. I am not 'his girl' you i***t!" I sighed in frustration and blew a non existent hair out of my face. This is gonna be a long night! The door opened to reveal the 'goliathest' man I have ever seen. He was almost 7 feet tall,and was so broad,you could fit four times my size,into his body,and there'll still be space for popcorn. Ok. What now? Popcorn? Be serious Zibah! I began to gasp for air. "Good luck with handling 'that'." Annoying red head mocked with a smirk,and patted my back before walking away towards another direction, leaving me in the mercy of this 'Tanus' looking dude. I swallowed the lump in my throat. His features were tough and rigid. He had multiple cuts on his face and tatoos scattered around his body. I also noticed the same tattoo on Annoying red head's forehead,drawn on his visible shoulder blade. Maybe it's just a cool bro thing...or a family cu ult! I hoped it was the former. I had learned from "Ready or Not", that family cults were not something someone would want to be involved in. My teeth began to shiver involuntarily. The tanned bald headed white giant looked at me with a tired expression. "Who are... " "Lass sent me here!" I snapped, before realizing my stupid mistake. Bad Zibah! Bad! You should NEVER interrupt a giant! Jeez! Me and my big mouth." "I'm sorry... I mean...I...uh...I..." I began to make hand motions, trying to convey a message I myself,did not understand. "You're the 'Nava' girl?" His deep and hoarse voice,caused me to nod involuntarily. At this point,I could answer any name,if it meant that I wasn't going to be killed. Lass always called me by my middle name,Nava. He said it rolled off his tongue like cool water set on fire. What ever that means. "Come in." He motioned. As I stepped into that room that night,I didn't realize that I had stepped into a life,far complex than I had imagined. I made a decision that in the future to come,my little 'normal' life,was going to get more unimaginably twisted.