"Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God; to
draw near to hearken is better than the sacrifice of
fools: For they consider not that they do evil."
Ecclesiastes 4:17
Robby had been working on the damned stove all day, and he was no closer to fixing it. It needed parts, parts that he didn't have and couldn't make. At five o'clock he gave up and went to start dinner. It was Evan's turn to help, but he wasn't home yet, even though the bus had arrived an hour ago.
"Where's Evan?" Robby demanded.
"I'll help," Donna offered.
"Where's Evan?" Robby asked again with even less patience.
All the kids were real quiet. They could tell when Robby was mad.
"Where is he?"
"He's been hanging out with some bad boys," Janice said.
Robby looked at Donna. "What's she mean?"
"A gang, Robby." Donna started to cry. "Evan joined a gang."
"We'll see about that."
They made dinner, ate, watched TV, and did their homework. All the kids were in their beds before Evan got home. Robby could smell the pot on him, and see the darkness licking at his heals. He looked at the clock; it was midnight.
Evan turned on the light and saw Robby sitting there. He wanted to look tough, but as he saw the anger in his brother's eyes, all he could do was start crying.
"Where the hell were you?" Robby asked in a low, throaty growl. "Donna said you haven't been in school for two days. That you think you've joined a gang."
"I . . . I don't have to answer to you," Evan spat through his tears. "You . . . you're just my brother. You ain't my daddy, and you ain't God."
"You worthless piece of shit." Robby didn't raise his voice as he hoisted himself from his chair. Without using his hands he popped his brother against the wall and held him there with the strength of his will. "Can't you feel it? The darkness is oozing up around your soul trying to claim you. Can you look me in the eye and tell me that's a good feeling?"
Evan felt the force shove him hard against the wall again and was terrified into silence.
"Answer me!" Robby screamed. He took his hand and ripped the dew rag from his brother's head.
"No!" Evan cried as he wet himself.
"You think you want to be a part of this gang. They aren't nothing but crap. I have given up any life of my own to make sure that you guys get the breaks I never had. Do you really think that I would let anyone do this . . . " he shook the rag in Evan's face, "to my family? Do you really think that I would let you ruin everything that I have worked for? How dare you bring the drugs and the darkness into my home with these babies! I'll kill you myself before I let you destroy my family. Take me to them, Evan. Show them to me."
"Robby!" Evan cried louder. "I'll quit the gang. I won't smoke pot no more. I'll go back to school. I'll . . . "
"You don't understand what you've done. You can't just walk away. They won't let you walk away. Do you think people stay in gangs because they like it? No. They stay because once they're in, they're afraid. Afraid that their so-called friends will kill them if they try to leave, and if they don't some other gang will. And it's not just you Evan, you've put us all in danger, that's how it works. You try to walk out of the gang, they kill one of the kids. You've created a situation that can only be cured one way. Take me to them . . . NOW!"
Evan didn't want to, but he led his brother to his friends. The party he had left earlier still raged. It was in an old abandoned shack at the end of a slum street. There was so much pot and crack being smoked in there that it was coming out the windows. The bitter cold had driven everyone inside.
Robby got out of the truck and donned his "costume". He turned to Evan and snarled at him. "You stay here, don't you dare move. And always remember that everything that happens tonight is your fault."
Evan nodded silently. As Robby walked away Evan sank down into the floorboards, where he covered his ears and tried to block out the screams. Several minutes passed and then Robby opened the door and got in. He started the car and headed home. He looked at Evan quaking in the floor. "You can only belong to one gang, Evan, and that's us. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Robby."