K'wan - Gutter

“Just a few more minutes,” he whispered, tearing into his enemies.

SATIN MADEa mad dash through the kitchen, almost slipping in a puddle of blood left by the man Gutter had killed. The house was covered in it. Some were from the enemy, but most of it was from Hollywood, who had died trying to protect them. The dead man, still clutching his gun, stared at her through vacant eyes, while she fumbled through the kitchen drawer for the car keys.

The air was filled with the sounds of gunfire and screams of the dead, but she tried not to focus on it. She felt bad abandoning Sharell, but there wasn’t much she could do for her considering all that was going on. Her best was to go for help and hope that Gutter could hold out until she got back. Even though he was waging a losing war, Gutter refused to give up.

After finding the keys, she broke for the garage door. The entire garage was a hot mess. Faint rays of sunshine dotted the automatic gate from the bullet holes that had almost completely shredded it. Paint and other chemicals were leaking all over the place making it almost impossible to breathe. Clasping her hand over her mouth and nose, she made her way over to Gutter’s Camry, which had also been hit up, and prayed it was still operable. God had been good to her that day because it turned over with no problem.

Outside it sounded like the additional guns had joined the fray. Whether they were friend or foe, she had no way to tell. How many more would have to die? she thought. Not being able to hold it back anymore, Satin finally broke down into tears. She had lost everything, her brother, her sanity, and the love of her life. She was tired of being the victim. It would end once and for all she vowed as she threw the car in reverse.

“COME ON,muthafuckas!” Gutter snarled. He fired two more shots at the advancing soldiers and made a dive for the couch. No sooner than he was airborne, a hail of bullets whistled through the house. He had managed to avoid most of them, but a stray caught him in the leg. Gutter crashed awkwardly to the ground, but still managed to clear the couch. Taking a minute to examine his leg he noted that the bullet seemed to have passed through it cleanly. The bum leg would tip the scales against him, as if the battle wasn’t already lopsided, but it didn’t really matter. Kenyatta Soladine was a man who was used to beating the odds.

Gutter refreshed his clip, but that was the last of his ammo. As he crawled to get a better angle on his attacker, he came across the body of Pop Top, the betrayer. He had trusted him with the life of his family and obviously Pop Top’s greed overrode his morality. Not only had he endangered the life of Gutter’s wife and unborn child, but he’d cost Hollywood his own life. Gutter vowed that Hollywood’s death would not be in vain. Summoning every ounce of strength in his body, he grabbed the bottom of the couch and lifted.

TITO CROUCHEDbehind a recliner, while motioning for the soldiers to keep at it. Bullets tagged the couch where Gutter was hiding, sending cotton and fabric flying all through the air. He knew if he didn’t get Gutter this time, he was a dead man. Major Blood had been clear on that.

“Fuck this,” Tito said, standing with his shotgun raised. The sound in closed quarters was almost deafening, as he let it go over and over, tearing the living room up. When it finally clicked empty, he motioned for his men to hold their fire.

When the smoke cleared, the room looked like a war zone. Everything that could be destroyed was. The walls, the entertainment system, it was all ruined. The couch was coming apart at the seams. Springs and padding jutted out at every angle. Tito knew there was no way Gutter could’ve survived. Suddenly, the couch Gutter had been using for cover flew in their direction. Tito was so busy trying to avoid the flying furniture that he never even saw the bullet coming.

THE CAMRYsent the garage door flying outward drawing the attention of everyone on the lawn. Bullets immediately rained on the Camry, causing Satin to swerve and hit a fire hydrant when she tried to jump the curb. She tried to gun the car forward, but it was caught on the hydrant. Through horrified eyes she watched several of the gunmen take aim and thought of how she had failed her baby.

“HARLEM!” GUTTERshouted, blazing at his enemies. He spotted Tito trying to get out of the way and paid special attention to him. With a jerk of the trigger, he hit Tito twice in the chest, then burst his head like a rotten tomato. The soldiers were so shocked by seeing their general murdered that they paused, giving Gutter enough time to hurl himself through the window.

The picture windows in the front of the house all exploded in a spray of glass and wood. Gutter hit the ground rolling. His ears were ringing and he was dizzy as hell, but his battle instincts took over. He staggered back, firing at any and everyone that he didn’t recognize. The soldiers returned fire, hitting Gutter once in the gut. He fell back, but managed to roll behind the X5 for cover.

He leaned against the SUV, gasping, and trying to plan his next move. Gutter took a moment to assess how badly hurt he really was. His lungs were on fire and his leg had gone totally numb. Surrounded by enemies and on his own he was surely on his way to sit with Allah. He wasn’t afraid to die, but he was afraid to leave his wife and unborn child to fend for themselves. Knowing the curtain call when he heard it, Gutter made to take his last stand.

Just as he was about to roll from his hiding place he heard a car speeding in his direction. He peered from behind the tire and saw his truck come jumping the curb. Two more cars followed it, packed with armed and angry homeys. With Danny-Boy leading the charge the tide was suddenly shifted.

Major’s men tried to stand against them, but the Harlem riders had come for blood and wouldn’t be denied. With automatic weapons of all shapes and sizes, they blasted away at the Bloods. Even Gutter managed to muster up the strength to rejoin the firefight. He and his crew cut down anything moving.

Gutter’s attention was drawn by the sound of screeching tires. He looked over and saw his Camry come flying out of the garage. Satin plowed into a cluster of men while they hit the car up from all angles. She had almost cleared the curb when the car smacked into a fire hydrant. Major Blood abandoned the assault on the Crips and turned his attention to Satin.

Gutter screamed and emptied his clip. Most of the shots went wild, but his last one struck Major Blood in his chest, dropping the would-be killer. Ignoring the pain in his leg, Gutter limped across the street, silently praying that Satin was okay. Thankfully she was badly bruised but alive.

“Baby girl, you hurt?” he asked, examining her.

“I think I’m okay,” she said, rubbing her stomach. “You look like hell though.”

“Shit, I’ve been worse. I was in a coma a few months ago, remember?” he joked. “Stay put, ma, we’re gonna get you and Sharell out of here.”

Gutter looked around and surveyed the carnage. The streets were littered with bodies and damaged property. The police were gonna have a shit fit, but he’d cross that bridge when he came to it. Satin was safe and so was her child. That was the important thing at the moment. Gutter was so weary he wanted to collapse. His body ached almost as bad as when he had come out of the coma. Though he was hurt physically, his fatigue came from inside. He had seen enough death over the past few weeks than any ten men would see in a lifetime. Reflecting on all that had transpired he finally understood why Lou-Loc wanted to get out.

The game they had played since children yielded more losses than gains. From New York to California there would be mothers buying suits to bury their children in. He had played the roles of god and devil, destroying the same world his child would have to live in. Death was not a legacy he wanted to leave behind. Now that all scores were settled he was going to hang the game up like Sharell had always urged him to. Until the day he left the world he would be a Crip, but now he would be a father and husband first.