I appreciate everyone that has interacted with this story.. even if you ain' vote, I'm glad anybody decided to set their eyes on this creative piece of mine. I wanna thank everybody that reached out to me. I love yall. - A.N.

𝑵𝒐𝒘

𝒍𝒆𝒕'𝒔

𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏.

"If you don't make it I SWEAR... I'm gonna whoop yo ass" The voice trembled with humor but it was obvious sadness lived next door. They clutched their shaky hands together and prayed up to the person upstairs.

"How are they doing?" Pookie, Chris's cousin, spoke from the waiting room as he seen the male doctor arrive with a frustrated expression on his face.

"Barely made it?" the first voice that spoken whispered.

"The bullet wounds are very crucial. Couldve taken their life. Now as for the other victim?..."

Silence held everyone in place as they stared into the doctors eyes with denial.

"..deceased".

Sobs and wails broke out from all over the area making everyone feel the weight drop in the room.

✩𝐹𝑙𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘✩

"Aye Natashaaaa.. how you know?!" Chris scream yelled, laughing to himself. Natasha shook her head and fought the tears from coming in.

"Because I... was there"

"Stop the fucking music" Chris yelled.

It was quiet as a mouse after everybody stopped to whisper to each other about why it was cut off and what was going on.

Gina glanced at Rico, whom already had his eyes on her. She felt inflicted with this new piece of information but she knew what she had to do.

Kayden felt numb to everything he heard. His hands became sweaty and the air felt way too thick to inhale. He couldn't make himself look at Gina cause he knew he couldn't look her in the eyes knowing he was the one who killed her whole family.

"Gina...." Rico said softly as he looked around at everybody, feeling the need to fake comfort her. This was the moment they were waiting for.

To take Kayden down once and for all.

Gina let the tears run down and Kayden still couldn't look at her. The emotions Gina felt were real.

The tears were real

The frustration

And the anger,

Including the love she had for him.

But everything was an act in disguise to complete the mission.

"Why won't you face me like a man and tell me you were the one that did this?!" Gina roared, making Kayden flinch slightly and tighten his fists. She wanted him to feel like it was a bomb dropped on her at that second even if she knew all along.

Thanks to Rico, of course.

Chris by now, sobered up and felt sorta bad for Gina. His own brother DID take away her family. She had every right to feel the way she felt and if she decided to act on revenge? He wouldn't be mad at her.

But she would end up right beside her loved ones trying to do so.

"How could you?" Gina croaked, facing his back and letting the tears blur her vision again and again as she rememberer that night as if it was yesterday.

Everybody watched and no one talked if they weren't involved.

Gina rushed to her purse that sat on the table in-front of Rico. No one noticed hours before that Rico slipped something in her purse.

Kayden looked over his shoulder but not enough to make eye contact with her.

"I-...i'm-.."

"Save it Kayden. You didn't know you left behind an orphan. And you didn't even know the orphan happened to be me. This whole time you wouldnt of felt sorry.. You took away my life because you knew you could and u lived your life completely with not a care in the world" she gritted. If fumes could come out of a person's ears, it would certainly be seen on Gina.

She snatched the purse and headed for the exit. Natasha felt the urge to follow her and talk to her. But Gina stopped moments before getting out of everybody's sight which made Natasha abruptly stop.

Her back was now facing Kayden and Natasha. She took a deep breath and turned around with her purse ajar.

Kayden quickly glanced at the ground as he felt her eyes pierce into his soul. He was never confronted by a person for something he did. Kayden always got away with anything and lived life on the edge.

This punishment was coming from a person he grew to love. He didn't know how to take it or react.

"I wish I hadn't fell in love with you.. cause this is gonna be hard for me after its all over" Gina whispered. Natasha eyes widened as she rushed to turn around and get Kayden out the way, as Gina pulled out a mac eleven extended clip and aimed it towards the person she loved.

Everybody screamed and stampeded over the gate or ducked low behind Chris's bar when shots rung out.

Chris was already reaching for his piece as he swung out his 357 mag, pulled it back with his thumb and fired at Gina with no hesitation.

She kept squeezing the trigger while thousands of bullets blasted in her direction.

Rico joined in as his senses jolted up, taking the chance to shoot whoever shot at Gina while guns were aiming relentlessly at him and the girl he felt sorry for long ago.

Natasha fell to the ground and she watched with her eyes slit open as Kayden fell too.

Chris's gun slipped from his hand as his felt a hot flash of pain in his leg. The piercing ringing sound echoed through his ears that made shit feel like time stopped.

"My Baby!!" A voice cried out from afar.

"No no no no"

"Please no"

Rico's body sat back slump against the chair as blood spilled from his mouth and the bullet holes that pierced his forehead, chest, stomach, and arms.

"Somebody call 911"

Chris's family was use to shoot outs so they knew somebody had to stick around and call for help while trying to save anybody that was caught in the cross fire.

"Somebody gon' tell me why that nigga Rico came to this cook out alone!?, a dumbass move" One of Chris's goons shouted.

Natasha crawled to Kayden slowly. She didn't feel the bullets lodged in shoulder side but only her neck as she held her hand firmly against it to stop the blood that splurged from her hand.

Chris lifted his head up and realized he was shot in his leg and his upper chest. "Kayden?!" He screamed as he noticed his brother laying there unresponsive but his head was faced the other way.

He glanced at Gina for a second.

she was good as gone.

"Damn all them bullets for that one bitch, look at how ya house sprayed the hell up in that one section, look!" Pookie popped up , leaning next to Chris.

"Nigga shut up" he sucked his teeth, gritting them as he forced himself up. Pookie rolled his eyed and helped him all the way up on his feet.

Some of Kayden and Chris's goons were shot but not badly. "No one call 911. we got this" Pookie said clearing his throat to an authoritative tone.

"Nigga shut up again" Chris whined.

"Help me with Natasha yo!!" Pookie screamed, letting go of Chris when he noticed her grasping her neck. Chris's uncle threw him the keys and a towel to put pressure on the wound. Pookie and another picked up Natasha with ease and ran to the car.

She was on the last straw but didn't wanna leave Kayden's side as she reached out with her other hand towards him while being carried away.

"He's getting put in the same car. He doesn't have much time left!!" LETS GO STEP ON IT" One of the men carrying her shouted. It sounded like Pookie but Natasha was too in and out of it to comprehend who the voice belonged to.

The car got heavier as Kayden was placed inside, a seat away from Natasha. She lifted her head towards him and felt the urge to scream and cry all at once. A man supported Kayden's body as he laid onto him, slapping him to keep him awake.

Natasha felt the air begin to get tighter around her, feeling the car speed through and zoom past cars. She lifted her hand up slowly to grasp Kayden's bloody ones. Pookie shook Natasha as he seen her eyes begin to flutter lower and lower.

"FASTER NIGGA WE LOSING THEM BOTH" Pookie screamed. The hand that Natasha held twitched under her grasp, making her lips crease into a weak smile.

"Is he even breathing!?" A voice shouted out from the passenger seat, making Natasha's heart and eyelids drop immediately.