Fabian didn’t know it, but he had just transferred the power right back into Miamor’s hands by letting her fuck with his psyche. If he had been smart, he would have killed her quick, but he had given her time to think. He had given her the opportunity to bring it to his ass, without even knowing that she had just conquered him mentally. No doubt about it, if Miamor was a nigga, she would have been an American Gangster. She was just that crucial. Even while teetering at the edge of death, she refused to lose.
“I want your word,” Fabian said as he pointed the gun back at Miamor. His aim was so shaky that even if he pulled the trigger he would miss his shot. His nerves were shot, and he truly feared the woman in front of him. He knew that whoever made her the way she was had to be ruthless. He hated her, but he didn’t want to be the one to bring her death in fear of the repercussions. “If I let you go, you won’t come for me. Say it!”
Miamor bit her tongue, because she knew that it wasn’t a promise that she could keep, but she extended it anyway in order to save herself. She swallowed what felt like a lump in her throat, but the salty taste of blood let her know that even if Fabian let her go, she could still die. Time was of the essence, and her body was letting her know that if she didn’t get help soon, she would be going to meet her maker. She and her sister would be reunited sooner than she thought if she didn’t get out of there. “Let me go. You have my word.”
Fabian approached her slowly and kept his shaky aim on her as he removed one of her hands from the duct tape. He then backpedaled toward the stairs. Miamor’s eyes never left him. They were like a constant threat as he took the stairs upward one by one, until finally he reached the top. Miamor nodded and watched him rush out of the door.
As soon as he disappeared from her sight, she let out a scream of excruciating pain. “Aghh!” she yelled as tears filled her eyes. She used her free hand to try and remove the rest of the tape from her body. Her grip was so weak, which made the effort of freedom so much harder to attain. She was hurt, badly. She could barely breathe, and no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t free herself from the chair. The world around her spun wildly as if she was on a merry-go-round. In frustration, she rocked the chair back and forth as she struggled to loosen her arms.
Miamor put two hands on the ground and attempted to stand again. She resembled a child who was learning to walk for the first time as she put her arms out to steady her balance. She closed her eyes to stop the spinning and stumbled as quickly as she could up the stairs. She fell repeatedly as blood poured from every opening on her body. Her eyes burned from the chemicals Mecca had doused her with. She could barely see; the world through her eyes was one big blur, making the steps almost impossible to climb. Her bleeding legs, back and arms were unbearable. She didn’t care that she was naked; all she wanted to do was get out of there. She needed to get to a hospital quickly. She burst from out of the basement with a desperation she had never known. Panic set in, and her legs threatened to give out. She stumbled out of the abandoned house and onto the city street. She saw people and urged her body to carry her in their direction.
“What the fuck?” she heard someone say. “Oh my God!” another voice called out.
Her vision blurred, and the merry-go-round in her head spun faster and faster as she grasped at the air for support that wasn’t there. “H… h… help me!” she whispered. These were the last words that left her mouth before she collapsed face first. Her head hit the pavement with a sickening thud, causing her entire world to go black as blood flowed onto the streets.
“Help! Somebody help me!” Breeze yelled. She felt the branches and leaves hitting her face and arms like whips as she ran full speed through the thick jungle. She felt the dirt and rocks underneath her bare feet, cutting them and nicking them as she ran, but her only concern was getting away from a crazed Ma’tee. She scrambled desperately, crying to herself as she made her way. She didn’t know where she was going. She just wanted to get as far away from Ma’tee as she could. She was going to run as long as her legs allowed her to. She could hear his voice yelling her name, and it only encouraged her to run faster. His voice echoed through the jungles that sat in the secluded Black Mountains, and sent chills through Breezes spine.
She had been locked in his basement for the past eight months, and finally got a chance to escape when Ma’tee had gotten comfortable and let her upstairs. The warm rays of the sun felt unfamiliar to her, because her body had become adjusted to the confinement of the luxury basement that she had been trapped in.
Breeze couldn’t see anything but tall, green exotic plants and leaves as she brushed past them with both hands in front of her, pushing them aside to protect her face. She ran and ran until the sound of Matee’s voice faded in the distance behind her. She stopped to catch her breath and sat at the base of a tree while looking around in fear. She breathed heavily as tears streamed down her face and her lungs worked in overdrive, desperately searching for more oxygen. The air was thin and muggy, which made it hard to breathe due to the high altitude of the tall mountains.
“Where the fuck am I?” Breeze asked herself as she rested her hand on her chest and felt her heart beating rapidly. Her eyes scanned her surroundings anxiously… desperately as she stood back up to continue her escape. Little did she know, she was just wasting her time. The jungle’s shape was a gigantic circle, that lead right back to Ma’tee’s palace.
While Breeze breathed heavily in attempt to catch her breath, she felt a painful pinch near her ankle. She quickly jerked her leg back and began to examine it, but she didn’t see anything. She directed her eyes directly on where the pain was coming from, and noticed a small blood puddle on her ankle that resembled a bite. The sting instantly became an excoriating hurt, and she began to grimace while rubbing the small bite. She tried to stand up, but she quickly was knocked back to her bottom because of her dizziness. Her sight began to blur and sweat beads began to form, eventually trickling down her forehead as she began to experience hot flashes. Before she knew it, she had passed out at the result of all of the pain.
Hours later Ma’tee found Breeze passed out against that same tree, defeat written all over her face. He smiled as he whispered, “Sleeping Beauty,” as he approached her. He took his time before going after her after she had escaped, knowing that it was impossible for her to navigate her way out of the jungles. It was nearly impossible for someone to exit the Black Mountains if they didn’t know them like the back of their hand. Ma’tee approached Breeze and ran his finger through her hair, hoping she would wake up. He noticed that she didn’t move and was sweating profusely. She was still breathing, but something wasn’t right. He shook her with force, but still didn’t get a response.
Ma’tee then looked at the exotic tree that she was lying underneath, and noticed that it was a black oak tree. He quickly became nervous and scooped up Breeze into his arms. Her body was limp, and she wasn’t responding to his touch whatsoever. “See what chu un done to chu self?” Ma’tee said in his heavy Haitian accent. Ma’tee noticed the thin red streaks going up Breeze’s legs, an indication of a spider bite. He instantly knew that she had been bitten by a black widow, one of the most poisonous spiders found in the Black Mountains. The black oak was known for housing their nests. He knew that he had to get her back to the house before it spread any further. He had antivenom back home, and knew it was only a matter of time before the bite would kill Breeze. He held Breeze securely in his arms and headed back to his place to administer the medicine to his beauty queen.
Zyir sat in front of the thick glass that separated him and his mentor, Carter. He watched as the guard escorted Carter to the seat. Carter wore an orange jumpsuit, and Zyir noticed that being incarcerated hadn’t changed a thing about him. He still had the same confident swagger he possessed the day he went in. He had grown a small beard, but besides that, Carter looked the same.
Carter sat down and looked across at the young man that he had molded into his likeness. Zyir picked up the phone and placed it to his ear. Before picking up the phone, Carter paused and smirked as he looked at Zyir.
“Good to see you, my nigga,” Carter said after he finally picked up the phone.
“Good to see you too, Carter. How you holding up?” Zyir asked with sincerity all in his voice.
“I’m good. Ready to see that outside, feel me?” Carter said with intensity in his eyes.
