In the Hands of Death

CHAPTER 1: LETHAL INJECTION The night it all started, September 29th, 10 O'clock P.M.... Another dark occasion was brewing at the corners of the city. The hoods were robbing, the hookers stalking and the pimps were dealing in indulgences. A deal was going down in Eddy James’s old run-down apartment in Queens. He was a human statistic, drawn into the city’s underworld by a fateful destiny. Godless in character, Eddy was a human with no sagacity for proper living. He was sure to maintain voluminous amounts of bad habits from marijuana to cocaine and if he lived past the next day without overdosing he was a lucky fool. His lose habits drew every scoundrel within the city who preyed upon him. One scoundrel who made profit out of the wickedness was known as, Angel Vasquez. He was a dark antagonist throughout Eddy’s life. He made sure always kept to the shadows and only preyed on Eddy when he was craving for dope. Vasquez was well known to the underworld as an official mule for the drug lords and hazard to the local authorities. Vasquez was routinely perched over Eddy in his apartment. "You want to get high tonight?" Asked Vasquez. Eddy replied. "Right as always, Angel, but I only bought this sh*t from you last time 'cause it was the only drugs you had with you that night?" Eddy propped his fresh shaved head against a worn green sofa while preparing a spoon containing morphine. Aside from addiction Eddy was known for all his tattoos. He had white reptile-like skin with numerous amount of scars from fighting in gang wars. Eddy liked to reveal his diffident personality to others that passed him in the streets. Most of his scars and tattoos were obtained as a teenage gang member of the Dragons. The Dragons where known to rule the city papers with crime since the '80s, but Eddy never entertained them since he was a teen. Eddy's friend, Mr.Li , found him an apartment close to work which wasn't board-of-health worthy but it was all he could afford on a cabby's salary. The efficiency had brown rugs stained and the walls were like that of a prison cell, pale and grease ridden. "Where’s your girlfriend tonight?" Asked Angel. "What was her name again," asked Vasquez smugly. "You mean, Pandora?" Eddy returned "Yes, that's her." Angel was eluding to the lusty stripper, Pandora, whom Eddy had occasional sex with. "She’s still pole-dancing back at the bar and doesn't get off until morning." Eddy remarked smartly. Vasquez eyes began to twitch as he patiently watched Eddy on the couch. Time seemed to be pressing on Vasquez's consciousness. Finally, he sat down in an old easy-chair across from Eddy. "Vasquez, throw me a spike will you?" Eddy thundered. He quickly pulled out a syringe from his leather jacket and handed it to Eddy. "Hey," replied Vasquez with attitude. "You know you still owed me two hundred from the last week." "You'll get the money by the end of the night, ‘ESE." Eddy barked then went back loading a syringe with dope. "Damn, it’s only midnight?" Vasquez thought to himself then glimpsed down at his shabby Rolex. "Why so wired tonight?" Eddy asked with concern. "I got to meet with Switchblade back at the bar." He continued shifting his eyes to a nearby window. "How much is the syndicate getting out of this deal?" Asked Eddy. Vasquez began stroking his greasy-cropped curls. "Nothing, not a dime tonight." He replied. Suddenly Vasquez rose by the window and stood there impatiently. He began to run his hands across the pained glass and then decided to lift up on the window until it was opened. A nightly breeze flew into the room and he quickly noticed the alleyways were empty. "Why are you by the window, Vasquez?" Remarked Eddy. "You need some air in this room." He implied. Although the moonlight revealed the trouble in Vasquez’s eyes, Eddy, didn't sense anything wrong with him. Midst all his fears ,Vasquez, felt the time was right to make profit with the new enticement. He strutted back towards the easy chair and sat down. "How would you like something different, you know, to get high on?" Asked Vasquez. He began to search his coat pocket in a fit. "What, like the heroin that you gave me the other tonight? It's not even dissolving." Cried Eddy "It's nothing you have ever done before." Vasquez spoke with devilish lips in an attempt to push the drug sale further. Eddy felt intrigued and tossed the heroin aside. "Well what do you have?" Eddy asked with curiosity. "The burn outs are calling red nine because when you get high you'll see red for nine hours." Vasquez explained. "So, do you have it with you tonight?" "Of course." "I need to try something new tonight." Eddy thought to himself. "The other sh*t he sold me has become obsolete. Besides Vasquez knew he owed me." He retrieved an oriental-styled box from his jacket then two vials were drawn out of the dragon etched wooden box. "This sh*ts like PCP but only better." Claimed Vasquez but Eddy still wore a look of doubt on his word. "I’ll take my chances on the bad heroin tonight." He replied smartly." Eddy picked up the spoon and began to light it up again. Vasquez grew irritated. "This stuff was hard to find, ‘ESE." Vasquez erupted off his chair. "Easy, man, I'm just not interested tonight." Said Eddy to Vasquez. The box fell to the floor amid the arguing and an antique syringe appeared among the scattered mess. "What’s the matter with you?" Vasquez continued. One of the drug vials on the floor seized Eddy and he came to wonder what was inside. "Strange, where did you get these?" Eddy asked while picking up the drug vials. "I bet you never saw dope carried like this before?" Vasquez tossed the crystal vials to Eddy. He noticed the tiny inscriptions but he couldn’t decipher the ancient script. The fascination with the vessel began to compel Eddy to converge with the mysterious new drug. "Tonight tsung-di could be an interesting buzz?" Eddy thought while ogling the vial. "I am only going to warn you once, the drug is lethal." Vasquez replied. CHAPTER 2: THE DEAL His hands now shuddered with excitement as the needle inched into his bulging vein. When the force of the alloy tip reached his body it gave him instant ecstasy. Eddy lost his equilibrium and dropped the drug needle. He strutted around the room feeling the new buzz. "I never felt like this before." Eddy said with delight. The effect of the ancient sedative came swiftly with exhilaration. The drugs he used in the past often left him with emptiness but tsung-di seemed to fill his pallet that night. Although tsung-di was chilling ecstasy for Eddy and the poisonous effects began to linger within his body. A sharp pain emerged from his stomach. "I don't feel so good?" Eddy replied. Eddy's liver began to swell and his body was now riddled with toxicity. Finally his heart began to slow its beat. Writhing came with a violent force and the heaving wouldn’t end. Vasquez noticed the trouble and rushed to console him. "Go!" Eddy began to scream in terror while twisted with pain. He spun about the room with madness was now swimming in his eyes. Vasquez disregarded the warning and Eddy charged at him in a fit of rage. "Go!" Eddy snarled again. Vasquez raced to the open window. Just as he began to feel free from his anxiety a set of tires screeched outside in the street. A black limousine appeared in front of the ghetto complex and a group of strange men stepped outside of the car. They began to circle the building with a large group. Clicking metal hammers echoed throughout the alleyway signaling that an immanent death was near. Vasquez held on to the black box tightly and started to creep closer toward the window’s ledge.