That’s right. Scotty got the blame again.
A lotta pent-up emotions and explanations for shit that had happened bubbled up into Darlene throat right then, hot and evil as a Tabasco gargle, and she gone to town on Sextus tryna get that shotgun out his hands. She had every intention of shooting his ass dead right there, and probably killing How and Jackie too, and then maybe herself. It’s true we was hanging out right before this all happened, but some of the shit that came out her mouth when she had that outburst took even me aback. I ain’t tell her to say none of that. Half of what she said just sounded crazy, but she more or less telling the truth. Then Eddie done the smart thing and hightailed it outta that hellhole, mom or no mom. We all ultimately on our own anyhow—ain’t that sad?
It’s strange when you used to encouraging your friends to do all kinda mayhem and then all of a sudden you gotta switch gears. This time I remember shouting at Darlene, I said, Honey, you need to check yourself! Give that man back his shotgun and let’s get in the minibus and let this all blow over so we could get back to the way it used to was, with all the smoking! But D wouldn’t have it.
Even while she tryna rip that gun outta Sextus fingers, biting his hands or licking em or kissing him, maybe thinking she gonna fool him into the idea that if he give up the weapon, she gon give up the punani. Who know what she thinking? You could be damn sure somebody gone nuts if I think they unstable.
What did happen is that the shotgun gone off and blasted away one and a half of Sextus fingers. At that same moment, How turnt his attention away from Jarvis and Sirius and TT and fired a shot at Darlene head, but How had shitty aim and the bullet gone into one of Sextus lungs and later they found out it done shattered his spine. TT and Sirius and Jarvis jumped How at that point and Jackie took off in the van, leaving everybody in the dark, just struggling shapes outlined by the moonbeams.
Jackie thinking she could head back to the chicken house and pretend she ain’t seened nothing. It ain’t matter to her that she left her boss out there for dead with a crazy lady tryna turn his skull into a jack-o’-lantern. Me and Jackie, we tight, I know how she think. Self-preservation come real natural to her, and in this situation a motherfucker couldn’t invent a better policy than self-preservation. I heard her say to herself that if Sextus and How died, she could just move on to a new farm, and if they made it she could tell em she flipped out and went to get help. She know how to bend reality into whatever tool could benefit her.
Since Sextus ain’t had no use of his spine no more, he let go the shotgun like he done turnt into Raggedy Andy and fell into the dirt. All of a sudden Darlene holding a firearm right above the face of one the men she could hold directly responsible for a helluva lotta the shit that done fucked up the last six years of her life that she just had thought about. Nat had taught her how to use a shotgun back in the Ovis days, and she rusty, but she sure as hell remembered how to brace that bad boy ’gainst her shoulder for the kickback and the rest. Sirius and TT and Tuck had beat How down by that point; Jarvis done pulled off his shirt and had tore it into strips to tie the sonofabitch’s hands behind his back so they could all take his ass to justice. That plan seemed shaky to Darlene even at that moment. How you gon take a motherfucker to justice without no car?
I can’t feel nothing. Sextus groaned up at Darlene. He having a lotta trouble breathing and foam be pushing out one corner of his mouth.
Me neither, she said back. Her index finger wrapped itself around the trigger, and it felt good the way that shit cut into the underside of her knuckle. She touched the end of the gun barrel upside Sextus cheek, to his forehead, and then the end of his nose, like she deciding on the best place for the shot that gonna blow his whole head off. It gonna look like somebody thrown a jar of strawberry jam out their car onto the road. Strawberries her and the crew probably picked last year.
Meanwhile Sirius, TT, Jarvis, and Tuck is tryna control How, who a big-ass dude and determined to get away. They got his arms tied behind his back, but he keep running off a li’l farther down the damn road two or three time. Finally the three of em done knocked him facedown and sat on him.
Darlene raised the shotgun so Sextus could see, finna blast that sucker in the eyeball. She thought he laying there on account a he surrendered, that he gonna just let her shoot him.
She go, Look. The gun’s kissing you. Kissy-kiss. At this point she just pouring on the crazy.
Your stance is all wrong, Darlene, he grumbled. And you’ve still got the safety on, honey. You ain’t trying to kill me.
She snapped out her insanity for a second and frowned at Sextus and went, Always have to be in control, even when you’re about to die. She undone the safety and kicked him in the side.
I’m just telling you. I’m trying to do you a favor.
I know what your favors are like. She kicked his leg into a awkward position, knee bent up and leg twisted backward, and it stayed that way.
Just go ahead, he said. I can’t feel nothing from my neck down, Darlene. I want you to do it, I don’t want to be stuck like Elmunda where somebody gotta take care of me all the time, dress me and wipe my ass like a newborn. Do it!
Darlene lowered the shotgun. If he tryna put some reverse psychology on her ass, it worked. She ain’t want to do what Sextus said no more in no kinda way, shape, or form. No, she said. I know what I want. Something in Sextus face got double handsome to her when he begging for shit. Them eyebrows be curling like a corn chip, and that li’l space between em getting all wrinkly. That dude been knowed how to get folks doing what he want on some sheer animal-magnetism shit.