“How did you guess they were gang members?” Marcus asked after a beat.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. They just sounded like… like people I’ve dealt with before.”
Marcus gasped. “Youwere in a gang?”
“Not officially,” I quickly clarified. “I mean, kind of… for a while. My friend Marty taught me to never join a gang. It can get dangerous really fast. But I dealt with a lot of gangs on the streets back when I sold drugs.”
“Back when youwhat?”
I don’t know why I opened up to Marcus. Maybe I thought if I told him about my experience, he’d tell me more about the gang he was in, and I could somehow save him from it.
“It was a long time ago,” I said. “Marty taught me how to get my hands on party drugs and sell them. It was how I survived for a few years. I didn’t reallydothe drugs. I tried them a couple of times, but Marty taught me the drugs were for profit, not for myself. I was lucky enough to get out. Not everyone does. I feel pretty bad about it now. I’m not sure how many people got hurt because of me.”
“Man, I’m sorry. But this is different.”
“Is it?” I challenged. “Are they dealing nightshade?”
Marcus went silent, which told me all I needed to know.
I sighed. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Once you’re in a gang, you can’t get out. I bet they told you all this bullshit about howwe’re a familyand all that.”
“It’s abrotherhood,” Marcus defended.
“It’s a cult,” I argued. “They’re never going to let you leave.”
“Maybe I don’t want to.”
I gritted my teeth. Marcus was being stubborn. “I mean it. If things go south, you can’t get out. If you move to another gang, you’ll be killed. These types of guys take this stuff seriously. You know what? I don’t even want to know anything about this gang, because if you tell me, they could kill you for it. I’d rather you be safe. Ancestors, Marcus. The only reason I managed to get out of the gang I was in is because everyone else ended up dead or in prison. You’re already in prison. There’s nowhere for these guys to go.”
Marcus’ voice wavered, like he was scared. “I’ll be fine. I don’t need a lecture from you.”
“You don’t sound fine. Is this why you’ve been working on your powers? Is this how you knew so much about the Warden?”
“I may have snuck into the Warden’s office for them—” he admitted, before he caught himself.
His tone became harsh. “I thought you didn’t want me to tell you anything.”
My stomach sank. “This is just like fight club,” I mumbled.
“What do you mean?” Marcus asked.
I scoffed. “You think I can get out ofthat? Hell, no.”
“You want out?” Marcus sounded surprised. I guess I could understand, considering how much I liked it last semester. But it just wasn’t worth it anymore.
“Fuck yes. It’s gotten old, fast. I didn’t want to admit they were using me before, but it’s so obvious now.” I buried my hands in my hair.
“The Dead Men Walking aren’t like that,” he whined.
“Yeah, right,” I growled. Marcus hadno ideawhat he was getting into. “Shit, we gotta get you out of there. If they’re already making you their errand boy, it won’t be long until they have you running nightshade. If you’re caught, you’ll be sent to Cellblock 9. Then the Warden will find out what you are, and we’re all fucked.”
Marcus drew a sharp breath, like he hadn’t considered that before. He fumbled for words. “That— that’s not gonna happen to me.”
“You don’t know that! These guys aren’t your friends, and you know it. You need to get out as soon as you can.”
“How?” Marcus sounded scared.
“Leverage or something. I don’t know. And don’t think they won’t use whatever they can to manipulate you.”
