"In Justice" (Formerly Upcoming Work - TBA)

[jillywilly65]

Note to self
"B-slap gramps and Drake"
argh!

Man Cheza these girls need some decent men in their lives don't they?
Good reading

[bostongirl]

Finally time to read the most recent installment.

I agree!!! Drake needs a swift kick. Great reading

[blueeyz]

Cheza-

I've finally read your latest installments. Wonderful work....Drake is making me crazy (LOL). An indicator that your writing is great.

[jillywilly65]

I look forward to reading the next installment and glad it's on it's way...
no pressure Cheza

[keysunset]

Finally catching up on several installments. You're a captivating storyteller, Cheza! I had to wait to read when there were several installments for me because I get so impatient to know what's happening next!

Looking forward to the next ...

[jillywilly65]

2021???!!
I totally didn't see that coming. Bravo for that Cheza
I am anxious for more

[jillywilly65]

Would 2080 be too far ahead? It almost makes me think things will be
more futuristic. Like Corner Stores and apartment stairwells and things
we have now, will be different then? Just a thought.

[jillywilly65]

Good Point!
And we tend to be so nostalgic, whose to say that even if 72 years from now we have flying cars that we wouldn't still have
corner stores and so on, Like the "good old days"

[blueeyz]

Cheza-- my opinion...if you are going to have the story take place 72 years from now, there should be a reason, otherwise it might just seem random. Your story is very focused on its plot and characters, not like a period piece that also focuses heavily on the details relevant to that time period (clothes, cars, etc.). I like how the story is coming along and keeping me hooked.

[bostongirl]

Cheza - I agree with Blue. I have been totally focused on the characters. When it is occurring seems not so important at this point. Did your fellow writers say why they thought the year was important?

BTW - this is a really great story. I am really intrigued with all the characters.!!! Nice work.

[Cheza]

Story removed by author.

Girls, I adore you all, but I'm feeling very conflicted by the current emotional turmoil of the boards. I do play games at lh.com and I have seen some of the hateful things that have been said, and I think such behavior is unnecessary and uncalled for. I don't intend to be a part of that. I also visit the asylum here from time to time, but I also understand those here who say "if you don't want to support Marty no one is forcing you to be here".

I still am not sure where I'm going to end up here. I want to support all four guys, but I don't see myself going to a Guns show. Whenever that album is released, I'll probably listen to it at a store with the scan and preview stations. I mean no one disrespect by saying that. Guns just is a band I have never been into. I only remember one song by them from the 80's (Ballad of Jayne).

I am still working through my emotions, as I imagine many of us are, and I still care about my .org/.com friends just as I care about all four Lovehammers. Marty's life is his business. Not mine. If he needed to make a change, I understand that. I hope he's happy, but I also hope Bob, Dino, and Billy are happy as well. I want them all to achieve their dreams.

Personally, the lhstore's site is being my safe haven from the drama right now. You can find the installments of the story over there in the Cafe of Love. I respectfully ask you to please remember if you come over there that the store is to support LH, just as this site is to support Marty.

Feel free to PM me if you need anything.

Peace,
Cheza

[ndavis021410]

As you know and everyone should know, your welcome at the Lovehammers Store anytime.

I LOVE your writings, and your a true inspiration to all of us. I'm honored to have ya sweets......We have MANY productive and inspirational things currently going to enjoy, as ya know. It's spreading the LOVE there. To EVERYONE no matter what.

Love
Nancy

[HY]

Cheza, I respect your decision. We love having you at the store, and look forward to new creations. The store supports all four Lovehammers, always has and always will (hopefully).

[Cheza]

I have made a decision to bring "In Justice" back. I've been revising it a bit and there seems to be peace in the MC/Hammerverse again. All is right with the world. There is an installment or two...at least...that I don't think you all have gotten to see yet, so I'm going to repost the entire work thus far (since it seems I deleted my post instead of modifying them...so I can't put it back where it was in other words). I'm trying to figure out an alternative name for the character Maggot...but I've yet to come up with anything I like...so he's still named that in this draft.

Peace.

[Cheza]

This is the first installment in the story I'm working on called "In Justice"...I may make revisions as we go along. I'm not sure how long the finished product will be at this point. Originally, I had planned to make this a play, but the story options within a play framework seemed too limited to me - although Jericho has since pursued a similar train of thought...I'm eliminating an element or two due to that.

Here goes nothing. This is a very rough draft, but I hope you enjoy it.

Peace.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"In Justice"

It all started after the war…that was when I moved in with Grandpa Joe. Dad and mom had been killed in battle overseas. That's how I ended up here, in Justice.

When dad enlisted in the Air Force, all Grandpa could do was shrug his shoulders and say, 'I will support you no matter what because you are my son, but I do not agree with the war the nation is embarking on'...

Mom was a former military brat. She grew up traveling from base to base and the military lifestyle was all she knew. She was in the JROTC in school and was already a Private First Class in the Army when she met dad. He always stayed behind to take care of me and my older sister, Crystal, while mom went on her various tours of duty.

The constant attacks on American soil were the last straw. Other countries got tired of our country interfering in their business and started bombing the United States. He couldn't sit by and watch anymore; he wanted to take action. I can understand that. Dad always had to feel he was helping in some way, and unfortunately he paid the ultimate sacrifice. Mom died in an attack on her Humvee mere weeks after we got the word about dad.

Within the space of a couple of months, Grandpa Joe and I stood beside their caskets in the cemetery that was constructed after some of the rest of the world tried to pay us back for the deaths of their people. The war blew up into a major battle between all the world powers and at the ripe old age of 11 it had cost me more than I cared to count. As for Crystal, she couldn't deal with it. She ran away. We looked for her for weeks, but it was no use. We never found her. That was over two years ago.

"What are you writing there, boy?" Grandpa startled me with his sudden appearance in the doorway of my bedroom.

"Just jotting down some memories, Gramps," I replied. I was just thankful he hadn't decided to affectionately call me "Little Joe" as I am now known - since I live with him. I quickly hid the journal I was writing in and tried to change the subject. "So, what's for dinner?"

Grandpa Joe just grinned. For an old guy he's pretty sharp. "Well, I don't know. Let's go see what we've got in the cupboard, shall we?"

Reluctantly, I left the comfort of my bedroom to go into the bright light that was filling the rest of the house. My room was lit only by the remaining bit of sunshine that was creeping through the room's lone window as dusk fell. I like my rooms dark. Gramps likes his blindingly bright...maybe that's because he spends so much time in the dark.

Grandpa was shuffling around the kitchen opening the cabinet doors when I got there. Quickly, he realized the cupboards were pretty bare. He did manage to find a box of macaroni and cheese, which he held up as he sheepishly smiled at me. It was almost as if he had won a major award of some sort, or felt he deserved an award from me for finding food in the house.

"We've got macaroni, now to see if we've got the milk and butter to finish it up after we boil it," he said. I already knew the answer to the question and what was coming next. "We're out of milk," he said sadly.

"Yeah, I know. I drank the last of it when I got in from school this afternoon," I replied.

"Why didn't you tell me that? I could have picked up some more on my way home!"

Grandpa had taken up work at the local newspaper office after the war. He was one of the few people around who could still develop film photographs and that skill was bringing in enough money to keep a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs.

"Well, since you didn't inform me we were out, sir, you can take this money, go get your jacket, hop on your bike, and ride down to the store for some milk...and get some more butter too. You better hurry, she's about to close."

"Yes. I'm sorry, Grandpa," I grabbed my coat and jumped on my bike to head to Mrs. White's store. The streets are scary after dark, so I peddled as fast as I could to get there before night fell on Justice. As I was riding down the side of the street at top speed, I suddenly felt someone jerk me off my bike by the back of my jacket and I hit the pavement hard…

[Cheza]

"In Justice": Installment Two

“Hey, little man, where are you off to in such a hurry?” I heard a voice say. The comment was followed by a trio of laughs that sent chills down my spine.

As my eyes came into focus I realized the voice came from one of the three enormous guys standing over me.

I always thought that the world would be a better place if we had a chance to start over, so to speak. Unfortunately, there are still bullies in this world, and I just found myself in the clutches of one of the biggest ones around. Drake Branson preferred to be called “Dragon” on the streets. He contended that his first name did not mean “a male duck” but “dragon” instead. An intelligent villain is worse than one without a brain in his head. However, his two sidekicks, Maggot and Gary, make up for that because they are a couple of morons. Together, the trio remind me a bit of the hyenas from “The Lion King” movie. While Dragon makes his quips, the other two laugh in a frightening manner.

I felt someone jerk me off the ground by the neck of my coat. It was Maggot. His long black hair and extremely pale complexion freaked me out. One thing about it, if you met him in the alley after dark you’d see him coming because that pale skin of his would glow in the moonlight. Gary was standing behind the Dragon with a stupid grin on his face.

“What’s your name, kid?” Dragon was staring into my eyes with a piercing glare.

“J-J-Joe,” I stuttered as I eked out my name.

“Well, Joe. Where are you off to in such a hurry?” he said with a sneer getting close to my face.

“The store, sir…” by this point I was trembling while Maggot held me up off the ground. My mind was racing and looking for a way to get away.

“This is our territory once darkness falls. We don’t like it when people come onto our turf without an invitation,” Dragon acted as if I had intruded on his private party. Maybe I had. Maggot and Gary snickered right away. Before long Maggot’s snicker ballooned into a full-out laugh that made his whole body shake and shook me along with him.

“Drake, what are you boys doing?” a female voice cried out. Much to my relief someone was watching…that didn’t mean I was home free, not by a long shot. Dragon and his goons had been known to take care of witnesses after the fact as part of a “clean-up” operation. Dragon motioned for Maggot to drop me. I scrambled to reach my bike, but the trio surrounded me.

“Drake, are you going to answer me?” the voice cried out again. Before I knew it I heard the sound of high heels hitting the pavement. I couldn’t see the woman’s features for Maggot and Gary, but as she approached Dragon turned tail and started sweet-talking her.

“Don't worry your pretty little head with this. We’re just protecting our turf. We’ve got to keep you girls safe, don’t we?” he said.

She wasn’t buying any of it. “Let the kid go. Now.”

Dragon acted as if she'd spoiled his fun as he turned to me and issued a warning. “Stay out of here after dark. Next time you won’t be so lucky.” Then he instructed his goons to move out of my way.

I ran to my bike, hopped on, and peddled away as fast as I could. I tried not to glance back, but I just had to. I needed to know who saved me, so that maybe I could thank them on another day during the daytime. I glanced back and saw a woman speaking to Dragon like I had never seen anyone talk to him. She wasn’t afraid of him. She seemed almost fearless.

As I pulled up to Mrs. White’s store and parked my bike, I looked back down the street once more. Dragon and his goons had disappeared under the cloak of night and the only people left were the girl that saved me and one other. They were standing under the streetlight. Then one went up to talk to a guy in a car that pulled up. I had been saved by a streetwalker. Imagine that.

Mrs. White was putting up the closed sign as I ran up to the door and begged her to let me get some milk and butter. She just smiled and told me to come on in.

When I got inside where she could get a good look at me she exclaimed, “Lord child, what happened to you?” At that point I noticed blood running down my neck. I told her about the run in with Dragon and his goons. I guess one of Maggot’s rings broke my skin when he was jerking me around.

She gathered up the milk and butter. I paid her and started back out to my bike. She said, “Oh no, you’re not riding home. We’re going to put your bike in my car and I’ll give you a ride. I’m not letting you go out on those wild streets after dark again.”

“Thanks, Mrs. White.” I said.

“Call me Annie son, everyone else does,” she said.

As I rode with Mrs. White, I mean Annie, in her car back to my house; I couldn’t help but think how much Grandpa might like to see her. I think he kind of has a crush on Annie. She’s a widow and he’s a widower. They’d make a cute couple.

When we pulled up Grandpa came running out. He shouted about how worried he was and that only intensified when he saw that I had been bleeding. Annie relayed the events of my journey to the store. I interrupted to say that someone had saved me and I wanted to try to find her to say thank you. Grandpa said, “Not tonight. You can go out tomorrow to see if you can find her.” He almost blushed as Annie started to pull my bike out of her trunk and ran to help her. Then he invited her to stay for dinner.

Grandpa and Annie had a nice chat over the macaroni and cheese. Meanwhile, I could only think about the girls standing in the streetlight, and wonder why that one girl had power over the Dragon…

[Cheza]

“In Justice”: Installment Three

Light poured in through my bedroom window to wake me up the next morning. “Dangit, Grandpa opened my shade AND the curtains on a SATURDAY,” I thought to myself. I stumbled out of bed with a big yawn and wandered into the kitchen, where much to my surprise I found Annie.

“Well, good morning sleepyhead!” she exclaimed. “What would you like for breakfast?” I gave her a quizzical look. I was trying to figure out exactly where she slept last night. She saw the wheels turning in my mind because she quickly started explaining herself.

“Your Grandpa, he’s such a sweet man, he didn’t want me going back out on those streets alone last night after what happened to you. I assured him that I would be fine, and I even offered to call him once I made it home safely, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He insisted I stay here, so I slept on the couch. Then I snuck out at first light after I realized you didn’t have any groceries in the cupboard. I ran down to my store to pick up a few things for you as repayment for your Grandpa’s kindness.” She was almost blushing by this point. “Now would you like bacon and eggs for breakfast or would you rather have something else?”

“Bacon and eggs,” I thought to myself. “I haven’t had bacon and eggs since dad was taking care of us. Gramps and I always eat cereal…” Annie asked again what I would like. “Would you like bacon and eggs or would you rather have cereal?” I didn’t want to appear rude so I quickly stammered out, “Yes, bacon and eggs would be nice. Thank you, Mrs. White.”

“Remember…call me Annie,” she replied. “Now how do you like your eggs cooked? Scrambled?” I nodded.

About that time the smell of the food must have woke up Gramps because he came out of his bedroom into the kitchen. However, I noticed he was fully dressed as if he were going to work, his hair had been combed, and he smelled of Old Spice. “Here comes Grandpa Casanova,” I thought to myself.

“Good morning, Annie. What are you cooking there?” he said. She proceeded to explain to him about how she found the cupboards bare and went to get some food. She asked if he’d like bacon and eggs and they were goofily smiling at each other like a couple of love struck teenagers. I just sat there and watched them. This was more entertaining than the cartoons on the television…until Gramps noticed me looking.

“Good morning’, Joe. Why you’re not even dressed! Let’s go find you some clothes.” He promptly, but gently, escorted me back to my room to get dressed.

“I didn’t know we had company, or I would have gotten dressed.” I said as Gramps pulled a pair of my jeans and a t-shirt out of a dresser drawer.

“I didn’t want her going out on those streets after dark alone, son.” he said. “It’s getting too dangerous to be on the streets after dark - as you found out yourself last night.”

“Can I go see if I can find that girl that helped me last night?” My mind returned to the girl with the power over the Dragon.

“Slow down…you may go see if you can find her after breakfast. I expect you to clean your plate. Annie didn’t have to do this.”

“Yes, sir.” We returned to the kitchen to find Annie setting the food on the table. “Would you like milk or orange juice, gentlemen?” Gramps wanted the juice, but I don’t like juice so I got milk. Once again, Gramps and Annie had a nice conversation over breakfast, but I was too busy thinking about the girl and wondering how to go about finding her. Finally it dawned on me that she probably worked that corner all of the time and it was right down the road from Annie’s store.

“Hey Annie, do you know anything about the girls that were working the corner last night?” I asked while Gramps glared at me for interrupting their conversation. I was excited, what can I say?

“Well, I don’t know much about them, Joe. The older one has been on the streets for a while. I imagine she’s the one that saved you last night. The younger one joined her a few years ago.” Annie said.

“Do you know where I could find them in the daytime?”

“Not really. I do know that a lot of those girls live in the projects on Second Street, but that’s a dangerous area even in the daylight…”

I gobbled up my eggs and bacon as quickly as I could and headed for the door.

“Wait a minute son, Annie just told you that’s a dangerous part of town. I don’t know if you should go down there alone,” Gramps said.

“Gramps, I’m 13, almost 14 now. I did a lot of growing up when we lost mom and dad, wouldn’t you agree?” Gramps nodded. “I’ll be super careful. I just wasn’t taking in the whole scene last night. Those guys came out of nowhere at me. Besides, I’m sure the police patrol there during the daytime, don’t they, Annie?” She nodded. “I’ll be fine, Gramps. Please just let me do this. I have to thank that girl.”

Reluctantly, partially due to Annie’s encouragement, Gramps agreed to let me go to Second Street on my bike alone. He stressed that I was to be back within two hours. If I wasn’t, he and Annie would come looking for me and embarrass me within an inch of my life. I agreed, grabbed my bike, and ran out the door.

[Cheza]

“In Justice”: Installment Four

As I was riding along as fast as I could, I heard a voice yelling behind me.

“Joe! Hey Joe! Where ya' goin' in such a hurry? JOE, WAIT UP!!!!”

I recognized the voice, it was my best friend, Mike.

“JOE! WAIT UP, MAN!”

As I heard him peddling fast as he could on his bike to catch up to me, all I could think about was a way to ditch my best friend so I could go to Second Street alone. It’s terrible, but I couldn’t let him go with me.

“Hey man, why didn’t you slow down? Are you training for a race or something?” Mike said as he huffed and puffed. “I hear Old Man Johnson’s got a new shipment of baseball cards in. You want to go check them out?”

My mind raced for the right words.

“I can’t. I’m on a mission and I’ve got to be back home in two hours or Gramps is coming after me.” I thought that should be enough information to get Mike to back off, but he’s persistent.

“Well, ya' want some company? I can go with you and then we can swing by Old Man Johnson’s if we have time after we complete this mission.” Mike just grinned that stupid grin he always has on his face - in spite of the fact he was still struggling for air. “What is this mission anyway?”

“I’m going to Second Street.”

“W-w-what are you going there for?” Mike stammered. “It’s dangerous.”

“I’ve got to find a girl. She saved me from Dragon and his goons last night.”

Then it dawned on me that Dragon and his goons probably live in the Second Street neighborhood. I tried to think of what I would do or say if I ran into them as Mike took a deep breath on his inhaler. I should have slowed down. Mike’s asthmatic and my speed could have brought on an attack. Stupid me.

“Well, I’m going with you.” Mike declared as he put the cap back on his inhaler and stuck it in his pocket. I started to tell him he didn’t have to do that; he stuck out his hand and said, “No arguments. I‘m going. We need to hurry if you‘ve got a two-hour time limit and I know the alleys, which are the quickest way to get there. Follow me.”

With that, Mike took off on his bike down a nearby alley. I was not too crazy about taking the alleys. The alleys are where all the drug dealers, pimps, and thugs hang out. I imagined they’d be there in the daytime as well as at night, but thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case. We just came across some homeless people as we went on our way, zigging and zagging throughout the alleys of the city. In about fifteen minutes we were standing before the Second Street projects.

“So, what do we do now, Joe?” Mike asked as he looked at me.

I didn’t have a clue until I saw a familiar form leaned up against the front doorway of the projects smoking a cigarette.

[Cheza]

“In Justice” : Installment Five

I stood there staring for a moment.

“Is..is that her, Joe?” Mike asked.

“No, it’s not.” my eyes grew wide with disbelief.

“Well, wh-wh-who is she?”

“Crystal. My older sister.” I said coldly. “You never knew her. She ran away before we met. I haven’t seen her in a long time, but it has to be her.”

“Well, aren’t you going to go say hi?” Mike suddenly seemed to be the brave one as we stood there surveying the ran down projects.

What would I say to her? “Hi stranger, where have you been the past two freakin’ years? Gramps and I searched for you to no end, but we couldn’t find you. You nearly gave the old man a heart attack! Where in the hell did you go?”

As I stood there thinking about it, I got angrier by the minute. I turned around to leave, but Mike wouldn’t let me, even though he had noticed my knuckles were white because I had clenched my fists so tightly.

“Man, you’ve got to go talk to her. Maybe she knows something about the girl you’re looking for.”

By the time I turned back around, another girl was walking up to her. She appeared to be older and was carrying a sack of groceries. She handed Crystal a box of cigarettes. I couldn’t help but wonder when she started smoking. I couldn’t be sure the older girl was the one who saved me, but as soon as I saw her silhouette in the hall after they entered the projects I felt sure she was. I decided to go for it. What did I have to lose? I’d talk to the older girl first and if Crystal sees me, hears me, wants to talk to me…then I’d talk to her too.

Mike and I rushed into the projects after the girls. Mike urged me to stay back a bit. His skills for following someone unnoticed were well known throughout the neighborhood, and due to that I was glad to have him with me at this point because I couldn’t think straight.

We snuck up the stairs and stopped as we heard the jingle of keys. We watched as the two girls entered their apartment. “Apartment 2A.” I said. “She’s been right under our noses all this time.” “Huh?” Mike was confused now. The reason I came here was not what filled my mind right now. It was too full of rage at finding Crystal here.

Mike and I started to approach the door when suddenly, out of nowhere, Dragon appeared and entered the apartment.

[Cheza]

“In Justice”: Installment Six

“WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE?” I shouted.

Mike slammed his hand over my mouth and glared at me.

“Do you want to get us killed?” I shook my head no and he moved his hand. “How much time do you have left?”

I had forgotten about the time limit Gramps gave me. I glanced at my watch. “It looks like I’ve got about an hour left. Maybe a little more...an hour and 15 or 20 minutes tops.”

“Should we wait to see if he comes out?” Mike asked. I could see the fear in his eyes, because he already knew what my reply would be.

“No. I’m going in. If you want to stay here, that’s fine.”

“Would I let my best friend go into a room with the Dragon alone? Hell, no! Let’s go!” Mike said. By this point he was jumping up and down on the rickety stairs like a prizefighter trying to pump himself up for a fight.

I had to forcibly calm him down and remind him that he could bring on another asthma attack acting like that.

"I've got my inhaler. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." he said. I could see the fear diminishing in his eyes as he said those words.

"Okay. Here's the deal. We go to the door and knock politely. We wait for someone to open it. Hopefully, it won't be the Dragon. That would be the worse thing that could happen. Hopefully, it will be one of the girls...preferably the older one."

"What's our story?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we've got to have a reason for being here...a lost dog...selling something for school...something logical."

Mike had a point. I hadn't thought of a cover story of any kind. I was just going to say I was looking for someone who helped me the other night to thank her, which I never expected the Dragon to be in the apartment during my explanation.

About that time we saw shadows at the corner down the hall. They were moving toward us, so we ducked into a storage space under the next flight of stairs. That's one good thing about these old buildings...no floating stairways...there's always a place to hide in a run-down old dump such as this one.

We peeked out to see Dragon emerge from the apartment and sit in the hall. The shadows, after a very long time, turned out to be Maggot and Gary. Oddly it seemed that Dragon didn't want them to know he had been in the apartment.

We quickly pushed ourselves as far back into the storage space as possible to hide in the shadows - completely out of sight - the only problem was that we couldn't see what was going on in the hallway from this position. We could only see straight ahead out of the storage space. Mike squirmed as a big, gray rat crawled across his sneaker, but, amazingly, he managed to keep quiet. Dragon, Maggot, and Gary walked right past us and went down the stairs. Thankfully they didn't see us.

Suddenly we heard a door open and close, followed by what sounded like high heels coming quickly down the hallway.

"Wait for me, Drake." a female voice cried.

Without a doubt, I knew that voice; my identification of it was confirmed moments later when she hurried past us and went down the stairs. Those high heels definitely belonged to my older sister. Crystal sounded a little raspy, but that was probably due to her smoking. I'd know her voice anywhere. She was in a hurry to catch up with the Dragon and it seemed she was one of the privileged few who could call him by his first name...although I got the feeling he didn't like it too much.

Maggot imitated her in a high-pitched voice while Gary laughed. Then I heard what sounded like the Dragon slugging both of them. We waited until the four voices faded away before climbing back out of our hiding place.

"Okay, Dragon's gone. Now what?" Mike asked.

"Now we are going to complete our mission..." I said firmly. "We've got exactly one hour left. It'll take 15 minutes to get to your street and another 10 to get to my place, so that leaves us around 30 minutes to talk. Let's go."

We climbed the steps to Apartment 2A and knocked on the door...