Good Criminals and Good Fridays: Chapter 4 – A Good Friday

Chapter 4 – A Good Friday

A week has passed since we took the city for ourselves and a lot has happened since then. The chief of police, who is my uncle and one of the last of The Boys, becomes the city’s mayor and begins removing and adding laws to bring true order to the city. This long list of changes is too long for me to remember and since it’s my uncle, I really don’t care about the specifics of it. My uncle along with the other remaining Boys and our leaders have declared independence from Old America. We have also been preparing for the eventual arrival of more enforcers and have been meeting with the leaders of other rogue states to reaffirm deals and discuss how we should deal with the rest of Old America.

The people who have been wrongfully put in prison are freed while the rest of the prisoners’ cases are looked over again except for those who obviously did something wrong. In addition, the people who fought alongside us are instantly inducted into the family and are given a share of the spoils. Speaking of spoils, the people from the undercity are given places to live on the surface in the Center City and a job so they can properly live their lives. Meanwhile, the illegals are kicked out of the city to make room for the rest of the homeless and the entire undercity is destroyed since no one should be living there anyway. We’ve also broken down a majority of the walls surrounding the Center City so the parts of the city aren’t restricted from one another.

Despite everything going on, the only thing I’m concerned about is the party happening tomorrow, which is Friday. It’s going to take place all along Broad Street and other places in the city such as Juniper Street where I’m hosting my side of the party. Right now, I’m making cookies, St. Joseph’s cakes, cannolis, biscottis, and other desserts with the rest of the people at my dad’s bakery. With the calm in the city, it’s as if the events of the past couple of days didn’t happen and I wasn’t the leader of a gang. I can get used to this. Lincoln comes through the doors and looks around the store as if he’s entering a new world.

“It’s good to see that you’ve made it. Did you get caught in traffic?” I ask.

“No, I walked, pinstripe. There’s a good kind of chaos outside where people are already partying or still partying since last week,” Lincoln says.

“Speaking of parties, are you ready to help me prepare for it?”

“Yup. Show me that you can cook as well as you can make speeches and shoot.”

For the next couple of hours, Lincoln helps me cook desserts. I teach him the recipes and how to cook correctly since he said that women like a man who can cook. I’ll have to remember to bring that up when I go on a date. It’s noon now so we take a break and eat lunchmeat that we got from the deli I usually buy from and eat our sandwiches outside.

“Your mom is coming to the party, right?” I ask.

“That’s right. She said she never thought she’d see the day was free from the grips of Old America and that she was proud of me. She’ll be moving back to our old house and in with me,” Lincoln says. “I’m sure your mom is proud of you as well.”

“I know. Thank you. Believe it or not, I’m surprised I kept my eyes on the prize of freeing the city rather than getting justice for her death.”

“I’d like to think we got the bastard or bastards who murdered my dad or planned it. We probably got the people who murdered your mom as well along the way while we were in city hall.”

“Yeah, probably.”

“This feels weird living like this, doesn’t it? Are you going to find a girl and settle down with her?”

“I think so. Are you already planning it?”

“Maybe I’ll find a nice girl at the party, but if you find one before me, try not to show her off, otherwise, my mom will be hitting me over the head with my inability to attract women.”

“Ha! I’m sure you’ll find someone sooner rather than later.”

“If I had a suit like the one you usually wear, it could be possible.”

“We can go out after we’re done cooking to get you one.”

“Really? Well, let’s get done as soon as we can then. Mom is expecting me to find a girl soon so I shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

“My mom is probably thinking the same thing so I best be on my best behavior and look my best.”

“Well then, we’re about to see who can get married and start a family faster. May the best man win,” Lincoln says with his hand extended.

“Sure, whatever you say,” I say and then shake his hand.

After cooking and tasting the final product, the workers pack everything up while we drive to the suit store where my family gets our suits. Of all the usual suits we get family members, Lincoln chooses the black and red pinstripe suit, which is a good choice. Since we’re so close to South Street and there’s nothing else to do today, we head there for dinner and dessert. Once we’re done, we take a walk down the street and head to Delaware Avenue. Lots of people are celebrating here too. This and seeing the sunset makes it the perfect sight to end the day on.

“Look at us, pinstripe,” Lincoln says, “Two criminal leaders that freed the city and no one seems to notice.”

“We are wearing casual jeans and shirts rather than our usual suits,” I say.

“Yeah. That and everyone is focused on having a good time. You know what? I don’t mind this. The fame of freeing the city was never a motivator for me. Seeing this, restoring the rights of the people, punishing corruption, and doing what’s right was what kept me going. If I never shoot another gun in my life and live like this, I’ll die a happy man.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

Lincoln and I don’t say anything as we enjoy the sights until we decide to go home and get some early rest to wake up nice and early to get everything on Juniper Street settled and perfected for all our guests. Wearing my best suit, I get up at seven in the morning and start setting up the tables, tents, DJ table, and bar with my family members. Around eight is when Lincoln, his family, and friends from the North City show up, help out, and introduce themselves. Ten-thirty is when the party starts and as expected, it’s a good relaxing time. I wouldn’t want anything else except to see my family enjoying food, music, and each other’s company.

This is what the good life is. It’s what I’ve been fighting for and trying to protect. As the party goes on, Lincoln and his mom’s song comes on. I asked one of his friends what song they liked the most and got it on the DJ’s playlist without him knowing about it. He looks at me with a smile and surprise and I smile and nod at him. His mom and he dances together to their favorite song along with others on the dance floor. I, on the other hand, am watching it on the side while looking for a girl that I think I would like to spend the rest of my life with. One girl gets my attention and she ends up looking at me. We lock eyes and smile at one another, so this may be the one.

While walking to her, I hear a shot. I look around to see where the shot came from, who got shot, and…oh no…

“Get everyone to safety and kill that assassin!” I say.

Lincoln and his mom were shot through the chest with one shot from an assassin that’s on the rooftops. Running towards them, I try getting them up and seeing if they’re alive in vain as the single shot through them has instantly killed them. The look on their faces shows they died happily and only noticed what happened at the last moment. I can’t help but shed a few tears until I shake them off and tell my family members to get their bodies out of here and help out with finding the assassin. While going after them, I hear more gunshots in the city. What’s going on in the city?

When I call one of my family members in the police, they tell me that, “Tommy, the enforcers are ambushing all of our family members to make an example of us to the rest of the country and the world. I’m with your uncle and the archbishop. We’re holding out but other places aren’t doing so well. I’ve already sent word out to the others and was just about to call you.”

“You’re too late! They already got Lincoln and shot his mom in the process,” I say.

“Bastards! Listen, you better get to one of the safehouses since they’re after you.”

“Screw that! I already lost a brother. I’m not going to lose more of my family. I’ll help out our parish and get the clergy to safety since I’m not too far from him.”

“Be careful.”

I call back my family members from chasing the assassin so we can focus on protecting the rest of the family. With a sizable group of them, we quickly get in our cars and head to the National Shrine of St. Rita. One half of the group evacuates the convent next to it, another evacuates the elderly and poor aid center on the other side, and I head into the church to get everyone else out. The inside of the church is quiet as if the chaos outside isn’t happening and the supernatural calm of the place is keeping us safe for now. As we approach the altar, we kneel and cross ourselves before going behind it and finding several priests and nuns.

“Tommy, what’s going on out there?” the priest I confess to asks.

“Chaos, father. Old America isn’t letting their defeat go and is after every member of the family starting with those at the top and everyone in between,” I explain. “We must get you and everyone here to safety. Come on!”

My confessor and the clergy come with me out of the back and we see a squad of enforcers coming into the church and going into the pews to take cover as they aim their guns at us. I along with my fellow family members cover the clergy with our bodies while aiming our guns back.

One of the enforcers decked out in cybernetics and wielding a light machine gun steps forward ahead of the enforcers and says, “This can end now, Don of South City. Lay down your arms and lives can be spared.”

“Can be spared? Heh, I think you let yourself slip that you don’t really plan to spare lives,” I say.

“I said can be spared because I’ll need your help to get people like your uncle and The Boys to stand down. You can save lives here for sure by joining forces with us.”

“Do you think I’ll turn on my own family after taking the city after years of fighting against Old America?”

“You will if you want to save them. All your crimes will be forgiven if you choose to bring peace to America with us. Your family’s crimes will be forgiven as well if they do the same.”

“Why give us the choice? Why didn’t you do the same with Lincoln and just shot him instead?”

“Because we had to show you what would happen if you said no. As a criminal, I’m sure you understand making an example of a few to make your point and get what you want. So, what will it be? I’m not going to waste any more time talking about this with you. Remember that America is still strong enough to take back this city with its own army or with the help of the UN.”

I raise my tommy gun and start shooting as my answer while telling my family members to split up with half taking the clergy out the back entrance and the other half covering their escape. Since the situation is so dire, they do as they’re told. Along with a handful of my family members, we hold off the enforcers on the altar. A few of them head for the pews to take cover which hardly helps them against the enforcers’ powerful weapons. Regardless, we fight on and by the end of it, I’m the last man standing with both my family members and the squad of enforcers dead. I’m thinking that I got off too lucky until I feel a heavy feeling come across my entire body and then notice the bullet holes in me. As I lean against the altar, I cross myself and pray that the rest of my family will be safe.

The front doors of the church open and I see a bright light that changes everything around me into clouds made of light and a floor made of gold and jewels. I can see an angel, probably my guardian angel holding my arm taking me to the door where I see my parents, my family members, Lincoln, his parents, the saints I’ve prayed to, and more angels. Behind them all is Christ Himself that has His arms open for me. My vision then shifts back so that I see the church again with my family members slowly running towards me and yelling about something. Again, my vision shifts back to Heaven.

In Heaven, I look at the face of Christ and see what looks to be the future. My family members and everyone in the city come together after my death and secures the city so that what happened today won’t happen again. Afterward, the other rogue states join the city and eventually push out the remnants of Old America and its allies from other countries to create a better country under God.

“We are so proud of you,” I hear from my parents.

If this is it, then I don’t mind it. I did what I was born to do and kept everyone who loved me proud of me. What better end could I ask for? For what better purpose was there to spend my life? As far as I know, I’ve lived a good meaningful life.

 

The End