Текст книги "Born Bad: Collected Stories"
Автор книги: Andrew Vachss
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Текущая страница: 18 (всего у книги 20 страниц)
Warlord
May 1958
The only light in the basement of the abandoned tenement is a heavy wax candle, comfortably seated in an inverted hubcap.
A radio is tuned low—only the throbbing bass line from a streetcorner a cappella group comes through. Six boys in the basement, sprawled on ragged armchairs, sitting on boxes, lying on a tattered carpet. Except for their leader, who is pacing before them, talking urgently.
TONY: Summer's comin'. We got to do somethin' soon or we go under. Just like that. We can't keep tryin' to operate by ourselves out on these streets. The Counts gonna be the damn no–counts soon.
RIX: So what we suppose to do, bright boy? Tell the Golden Dragons we all ready to let them join us?
TONY: Man, shut the fuck up! I told you before, Rix. The only reason we still alive at all is 'cause of my brains, not your mouth.
RIX: You act like you King Shit or somethin' just 'cause we stayed safe so far. Just keep talkin'…I'll show you who's King Shit.
MANNY: Rix! Shut up, punk, or I shut you up.
BILLY: Don't fight, Tony. We not suppose to fight each other, right? Ain't that what you always say?
TONY: (Wearily) Yeah, you right, Billy. You said the right thing.
BILLY: Thanks, Tony!
POET: My people tole me today they was gonna move away from the block. 'Cause it's too mean around here now. So mebbe I won't have this problem soon anyway.
MANNY: Listen, motherfucker, you with us from jump, you with us all the way.
POET: Oh yeah, man. I mean, I wasn't talkin' about punking out or nothin'. Just if my people move, then what I'm suppose to do?
TONY: You worry about that if they do move…if they do. You know they can't go no place without the fuckin' Welfare says it's okay.
POET: I know.
TONY: We can't keep this up. We can't be the only club in this fuckin' city with only six men. We got no protection from the Black Barons this way…we be sittin' ducks if they go down on us. And we live too damn close to their turf. We got to figure a way to join up with the Golden Dragons before school is finished for the year. Otherwise, this summer, we be finished.
RIX: We could do just fuckin' fine, I had me some fire sticks. Niggers roll on us, I could blow them to the moon.
MANNY: That's right, punk. You a real mean hombre. You gonna blow eighty men away all by yourself, right?
RIX: (Resentfully, but out of steam) I got the balls.
MANNY: Better keep your mouth shut, man. I not playin' like Big Brain here (indicating Tom) and I cut you open for one more fuckin' word. (Silence)
TONY: That Peace Treaty I signed with the Dragons ain't good enough. They willin' not to jump on us 'cause they got trouble with the niggers…but they won't do nothin' to help us out if the Barons fuck with us, see? And we can't even hold the debs this way…no women, no power, not even a fuckin' clubhouse 'cause we afraid of a raid!
RIX: We got to do somethin', make 'em see we got lotta heart, make 'em know we alive.
TONY: For once you right, man. We got to make it like the Dragons think it good policy to let us join. Okay, so I don't be President and you don't be Warlord and shit…but we be safe…and mebbe we move up inside the organization…you know, play it cool and stick together even when we inside. And I know just what we can do to put us on the map.
BILLY: Tell me what it is, Tony. Tell me what it is and I do it for us.
TONY: You a good man, Billy. The fuckin' best! But this is somethin' for the whole club…for all of us together. We gonna take off that fat fuckin' cop who thinks he's a social worker. Anderson the cop, man. We gonna burn him right in this alley and burn him so the whole fuckin' neighborhood knows the Counts have the most heart of anyone out here.
POET: You fuckin' crazy, man? Burn a cop and we don't even got a real gun…just a couple of lousy zips what don't even work and not even a bullet for them!
PRINCE: It's a good idea, Tony, but the Poet–man is right. How we gonna do somethin' like that and not go down behind it ourselves?
TONY: Manny, you said you put one of the niggers on the other side down for good one time, right? When we went to the institution?
MANNY: (As if expecting a challenge) That's right!
TONY: That's the answer right there. Manny's blade and Billy and Prince for the pipes. Rix can use the one good zip—I got a bullet from The Dealer yesterday.
RIX: You mean just burn him when he walks by the alley at night?
TONY: No good, man. That's nothin' but a fuckin' ambush and that means we still ain't nothin'. Just a Jap outfit. No good. We gonna do this before it gets dark. Face to face. I want to watch that cocksucker die.
BILLY: What if we get caught?
TONY: I never lie to you, right, Billy? And I swear we don't get caught if we stick together and do like I say.
BILLY: Okay.
TONY: Listen. I got a plan worked out in my mind and I tell you and then we take a vote….
CHORUS: Let's fuckin' hear it. Run it, man.
TONY: You know how the alley makes a kinda T? Dead–end on three sides? Okay, we set up there like usual and Poet brings his portable radio. We put it on top of one of those old packing crates. Pile 'em up real high at the back of the alley. Now Anderson usually rolls up around nine, right? So we set up back in the alley, just jivin' around, and we keep turning the radio up real loud so people scream down at us to cool it. So they all get the idea we gonna be doing this all night and don't get surprised when the radio gets real loud again. Manny and Billy and Prince all lay up in the back.
Me and Rix be up in the front and we get Anderson rappin' about how we wished we had us a Youth Board worker all our own instead of that faggot Bernstein who only comes 'round once in a while. Then we act like we scared…like we boosted something too big for us to fence and we wanna turn it into him so's we don't get in no trouble, see? Rix has the zip. We walk Anderson to the back. Prince turns up the radio. Loud. And we walk past the big crate. Manny shanks him in the back and Billy smashes his fuckin' head with the pipe. And then Rix…burns him.
Nobody hear the zip over the radio and if they do they don't do nothin' anyway. We shove him under the crate and then we split. Poet is all the time watchin' the front and he yells back to cool it if anyone rolls up. Then we walk out the front like nothin' happen and the zip goes through the window into the basement here. Then the word gets around fast! The Counts burned a fuckin' headbreaker.
See, first we use a couple a days…spread the word around school that Anderson is fuckin' with us…messing in our business you know? Then, when he goes down, the Counts go up. We have a rep. A name. The Dragons fuckin' beg us to join them. We be the first in the neighborhood to burn a cop. Nobody sees, but everybody knows. Now I say we vote.
RIX: It's still pretty dangerous…
MANNY: Pussy!
RIX: I got as much heart as you, spic!
MANNY: I guess so—you willin' to die for your mouth. (Reaching in his jacket pocket).
TONY: Manny, no! Come on, brother. We all need each other right now. Rix didn't mean nothin'. We don't stick together, we get stuck. Now, vote, motherfuckers!
MANNY: I'm in.
RIX: Yeah, me too. I was only…
BILLY: If you say so, I do it, Tony.
POET: All right.
PRINCE: I go with the President.
TONY: (Looking around) Okay that's it. Now we go to school tomorrow. All of us. And we spread the word, cool. Cool, Rix! But we let the Dragons know that the Counts be ready to make their big move real soon.
Three nights later. The boys have been in the alley since seven P.M. Waiting.
POET: What if he don't show?
TONY: He'll show. The stinkin' headbreaker never miss his chance to be a motherfucking preacher.
RIX: I'm ready. The whole street knows he's gonna die. I hope nobody tip him off.
TONY: You crazy? 'Round here, even the niggers want a cop to die.
PATROLMAN ANDERSON approaches the alley, swinging his nightstick. He is tall and confident with a hearty manner too old for his years.
ANDERSON: How's things, men?
TONY: How they suppose to be? You want to do us a favor, give us some police cannons so's we can protect ourselves from the Black Barons.
ANDERSON: (Snide) There hasn't been any trouble between the big clubs for a long time now.
TONY: Yeah, we know we ain't no big club, man. And we got nothin' goin' for us when the niggers make they move.
ANDERSON: Maybe you boys want to join up with the Golden Dragons? They got a full–time Youth Board worker now and a clubhouse. They don't even bop so much anymore. They got a basketball team, they put on dances and everything.
(POET'S eyes flash hope. It dies when RIX speaks.)
RIX: Oh yeah, man. Where do we get an application?
ANDERSON: (Seriously) I can speak with Lacey. He's even getting a salary now from the anti–poverty people and I think he'd let you all join…except maybe Manny.
RIX: What's wrong with Manny? He's got heart, man.
ANDERSON: All he's got is a switchblade. Take that away from him and he's a punk without an ounce of guts to his name.
TONY: Yeah, well, listen, Anderson. We got other troubles, man. The boys copped something and we don't know what to do with it. I mean, we can't just peddle this stuff, you know what I mean?
ANDERSON: (Interested) Where is it?
TONY: We got it stashed behind a crate in the back, man. Come on, I'll show you.
PERSON: (Confidently) I'm sure we can work this out.
(They walk toward the back: TONY leading the way, ANDERSON following, RIX close behind. POET stays at the alley's mouth. TONY whirls to face ANDERSON.)
TONY: Okay, cop. Here's somethin' I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to shout it out up front.
ANDERSON: (Impatiently) Well, what is it?
(The radio is turned up full blast. MANNY steps from behind the crates and rams his blade into ANDERSON's back as BILLY brings his lead pipe down on the cop's skull ANDERSON goes down without a sound. PRINCE drops to his knees, holding his own lead pipe in two hands, dubbing ANDERSON across the chest. RIX's hands are shaking—shoves the zip gun into ANDERSON's mouth and jerks the trigger. There is a soft pop! and ANDERSON's head jerks in a final spasm. BILLY and ex grab the cop's legs and drag him deeper into the alley as MAMMY tips over the largest crate. They shove him underneath. RIX is still holding the bloody zip gun. Tom grabs it from his hands and throws it through the opened basement window. The radio blasts. The killing–sounds remain trapped in the alley. TONY runs to the front, calling to POET.)
TONY: We gonna split, man. It's done. Go back and pick up the zip, like we said. Later!
(POET is already moving toward the back of the alley, bringing his radio. MANNY has faded into the basement shakeout. PRINCE, BILLY, RIX, and TONY walk together to the corner, where they go their separate ways.)
The next morning.
All the boys except MANNY and BILLY are still pumped up on last night's blood.
TONY: We don't want to walk into school together, but we get together inside, right? Rix, stash that weed, man…I can smell it from here. You don't need to be nervous man, it went perfect.
RIX: I ain't nervous, man. Just a little smoke to celebrate.
TONY: Billy, you stay by me today. See the rest of you men in the shop later.
Shop Class. The word has spread and TONY is waiting for the approach.
(LACEY, the leader of the Golden Dragons, slides in next to him.)
LACEY: Hey, brother, is it true what I been hearing?
TONY: Yeah, man. The Counts took too much shit from that roller. And you can't take shit when you small or the other clubs…you know, the nigger clubs…man, they go down on us and we get blown out.
LACEY: Mebbe you thinkin' about joining us?
TONY: Well, we did, man, But we heard you all was going a bit sporty, like no more boppin' when the Youth Board faggot says and all like that…
LACEY: (Quietly) Watch your mouth, man.
TONY: Brother, I'm glad to hear you talk like that. Sure, we all knew it was a bullshit rep they was layin' on you. Man, we proud to join a true fighting club. We get together, straighten the niggers right out, right?
LACEY: (Mollified) Yeah, baby. Where's your boys now?
TONY: Manny is out of school, man. Billy and Poet are over near the printing press, and Prince is on my right hand here.
LACEY: Give me skin, Poet, you all right!
POET: My pleasure, President.
LACEY: Hey! You swift, baby. Looks like you got prime boys, Tony.
TONY: The best. Rix just rolled in. He's by the tool chest. Hey! Isn't that Priest of the Black Barons?
LACEY: Yeah. The fuckin' nigger thinks he's bad shit. Only reason we don't jump him before this is 'cause we don't waste our time with nothing less than an all–out. Anyway, boppin' in school is no fuckin' good—we lose that anti–poverty green behind shit like that…
(PRIEST is cleaning a linoleum–block print with a white rag, singing softly to himself. RIX walks past and brushes against him. PRIEST looks up, catches RIX 's eye, says nothing. RIX wheels around, loud.)
RIX: Motherfucker, watch where you put your feet!
PRIEST: You talkin' to me, paddy?
RIX: You heard me, nigger!
PRIEST: (Not raising his voice,flat–toned) Outside. After school. You and me.
RIX: (Contemptuous) I'll be there, punk.
PRIEST's boys move in fast and RIX is quickly surrounded. He backs against the printing press, watching hands reach into pockets. The scene freezes.
LACEY: Dragons!
Other boys drop their work and move toward the printing press, reaching for the kind of instant weapons you find in shop class. About thirty boys are milling around, waiting for the match to hit the gasoline, when the SHOP TEACHER jumps in the middle.
TEACHER: Get back where you came from you punk bastards! I'm warning you, one fucking move and I call the cops. This is the last damn time I'm telling you…move!
The groups part. Hands return to pockets. PRIEST walks up to LACEY.
PRIEST: That paddy–punk one of your boys, huh? Want to make it an all–out tonight?
LACEY: Whatsamatter, boy? Afraid to go up against the man who burned the heat?
PRIEST: Be outside after school. We see who burns who. And maybe I see you afterward.
LACEY: I'll be there.
The schoolyard looks like the recreation yard in any maximum–security prison: high fence, blacktop, slit–window buildings. About seventy boys are on each side of the yard, waiting for the gladiators.
LACEY: How you want it, fair one?
PRIEST: Okay by me. I don't need a blade for that punk.
MANNY and RIX are off to one side, whispering.
MANNY: Take this, man. (He shows a steel can–opener, fattened at one end and sharpened so that it glints m the faint light). I tape this to your wrist—you slice him when you get in close.
RIX: Man, I don't need that. I kill the nigger with my bare hands. Kill him like I killed that fuckin' cop.
MAMMY: Rix, that is Priest of the Black Barons! He is a stone vicious killer, brother. I know for a fact he's killed four men. You take this, man, or you're dead.
RIX: Yeah, Yeah, okay…just for insurance.
TONY: Happy nigger–hunting, man!
LACEY: You take Priest and you next Warlord of the Golden Dragons!
POET: Go, man. Kill the motherfucker!
(They circle shyly, PRIEST the confident veteran of a hundred such battles. The Dragons scream encouragement at RIX—the Barons beat a heavy silent tattoo with their minds, disciplined. PRIEST feints with a left hook and catches RIX with a kick to the groin. RIX hits the ground and PRIEST dropkicks him in the face. RIX rolls away and comes up throwing a handful of pebbles and dirt. PRIEST fakes backing off then suddenly moves in, drops his shoulder and drives a straight right hand to RIX's head.
RIX throws up his hands to protect his face and PRIEST is all over him with heavy, driving punches. RIX gives ground, not returning the fire. His nose is squashed flat on his face and his eyes are glazed.
PRIEST slams a fist into RIX's stomach, watches him double over, and steps back like an artist admiring his work. RIX feels the slippery steel at his wrist and lets it fall into his cupped hand. He pulls back his right foot, drops to one knee.)
PRIEST: You down on your knees for me, paddy–boy? You wanna suck some good black cock?
RIX: (A dead man's voice) Come on, nigger. Just come on.
(PRIEST charges and the steel spike whips like a jet from around RIX's knees…catches PRIEST full in the face and slices his cheek off like raw meat. A slab of flesh flies away and lands at the feet of the assembled Dragons. PRIEST is down on the ground rolling with his face in, the dirt, screaming. Blood and white muscle tissue foam up between his clenched hands. The Barons all reach for their weapons. RIX stares fixated at PRIEST on Old ground before him. He slowly climbs to his feet. PRIEST struggles to his knees to face him. He pulls his hands from his face with an effort of will. One eye lies on the blacktop next to him. His voice comes from the grave.)
PRIEST: You dead.
(Police sirens split the air and the gangs turn to run. MANNY bends and picks up PRIEST's eyeball He walks over to RIX)
MANNY: This is yours, man. You earned it. I told you you needed the blade, right, baby?
RTX: (Dazed, pocketing the eyeball) Yeah, Manny. Thanks. You all right, brother.
LACEY: Tony, come to our clubhouse tonight…and bring your boys. And Rix, man, you got heart to spare. You my man. Later!
That night. The clubhouse of the Golden Dragons, a seven–room apartment on the sixth (top) floor.
(TONY and BILLY are the first to arrive from the Counts. LACEY motions him over to a quiet corner.)
LACEY: Listen, Tony, you want to be with us permanent, right?
TONY: Yeah, man. We proved that, I think.
LACEY: You surely did, brother. You a natural leader. But I got to talk somethin' over with you. The Black Barons sent The Messenger over to see us. Earlier. Before you got here. They not fuckin' around this tinge. They got the Egyptian Kings and the Harlem Raiders, plus a brother club, the Devil's Disciples. They got more than four hundred and fifty men, Tony, and they fixing to burn us all for what Rix did to Priest.
TONY: Holy shit, man! Can't you go to the Youth Board? Get them to cool it?
LACEY: Man, everyone knows the Youth Board ain't really for niggers. Besides, those Egyptian Kings, they just rumble, man…they ain't no social club. They even called off their war with the spic crews just to get at us. They got fuckin' guys in there must be thirty years old. I mean real gangsters, man. The Messenger said they emptied the treasuries of all the nigger clubs just to buy some death for us.
TONY: But first they got to call a War Council…
LACEY: They don't got to do shit! They say all the rules is gone for this one because they got to have the boy who blinded Priest. Man, they gonna go down without warning and they gonna jump guys in neutral turf and in school and even in they homes, man. They say vengeance by fire, man, you understand?
Nobody safe until they get Rix.
TONY: What…
LACEY: Yeah, that's like it is. The Messenger say they call the whole thing off if we give them Rix.
TONY: They want Rix to fight another one of their boys?
LACEY: Oh, man…they want to torture the cat. The Messenger says they have to cut off his balls and watch him bleed to death, pull out his eyes with pliers. They say he got to pay!
TONY: You mean like…fuckin' deliver him? Hand him over? What if we hip him and he cuts out…splits the neighborhood for good?
LACEY: Don't be crazy, man. They will know how he knew and we will all pay the fuckin' price. The niggers are crazy behind this one. Anyway, with all the shit on the street, the cops must know one of you guys burned that cop. Somebody got to pay for that, too.
TONY: I got to make a decision.
LACEY: I been talkin' to you like a brother, man. But the only decision you got to make is if Rix dies by himself, dig?
RIX arrives at the clubhouse to a party in progress. He is greeted like a conquering hero by the Dragons. Representatives from white gangs from all over the' city are there. At 2:30 AM.,
LACEY goes over to Rix, puts his arm around his shoulders.
LACEY: How's it feel, man? To be the baddest cat of all?
RIX: I'm feelin' no pain, man. I shoulda killed the fuckin' nigger.
LACEY: Listen, Rix. We got a pound of smoke and an ounce of snow stashed over near the border, in spic territory. And you know that fine spic whore, the one they call Rondella? Well, she wants to meet you, man. She heard what you did, baby, and she thinks she be safe from niggers, she was your woman. We always keep the stuff over at her home 'cause her mother works this night shift at the hospital. We called, man, and she wants you to pick up the stuff personally. She waitin' on you. Don't worry about the turf, either. I have ten good men go with you, like an escort for a king, man. They watch the house while you inside with her. And they be fully heeled, with pistols, man. Nothing but the best for my new Warlord.
RIX: Hey, beautiful, man. I don't need no escort, but if you want…
(The phone rings. One of the Dragons says it's for LACEY.)
LACEY: Man, I told you I will deliver and I will. Just hold tight for an hour or less. Yeah….
(RIX is putting on his neo club jacket. Beneath the embroidered golden dragon is the red legend WARLORD.)
LACEY: Rix, man, you gettin' ready to go?
RIX: Man, I gettin' ready to come!
(Laughter chases him out the door.)
