Family Tradition FINISHED

[Scurvy Dog]

CHAPTER ONE:

"Is he dead?"

"No. He's still breathing."

Swan, Ajax and Cochise stood over the fallen body of Sledge. His chest slowly rose and fell with shallow breaths. It had been a brutal fight, and the seven Satan's Mothers who had ambushed them on their own turf lie under the boardwalk, writhing in pain - some of them unconscious.

"He's moving," Swan said. Sledge weakly lifted his hand off the sand and opened his eyes, looking at his Warriors.

"Stay with us, man," Cochise encouraged.

"Yeah, come on," Ajax piped, fighting the tears. No way would he let everyone think he was a wimp.

Sledge shook his head, weak from the loss of blood. "I'm done guys. Take care of my little brother for me." With that he closed his eyes and breathed his last.

Ajax swore and punched one of the posts supporting the boardwalk, fracturing two knuckles. Swan and Cochise scooped up the body of their fallen brother and carried him back to their hangout. It would be a dark day for the Warriors. One of their charter members and toughest soldiers was dead.

CHAPTER TWO:

The funeral was a small one. Sledge's father had disappeared many years earlier; a few years after that, his mother was killed in a robbery. Sledge took care of his younger brother, Carlos, in their apartment in Pelham from then on. When their social worker wanted to place Carlos into a foster home with better care, Sledge and Carlos ran away to Coney Island. That's where their mom used to take them once a year, and one of the few places of which they had fond memories. They loaded up a backpack with a few things from their home, and boarded the subway, leaving The Bronx behind.

Sledge found an apartment that a sleazy landlord would rent to him and Carlos, even though they were just minors. He didn't care, as long as they paid the rent, they could stay there. The place was infested with cockroaches, and a few of the windows were broken, but Sledge knew better than to complain. If he reported Mr. Bryant, he would soon find himself evicted. He knew to keep his mouth shut.

It wasn't long after that that he met Cleon. Cleon lived in the same tenement, and had just left an outfit called The Destroyers, who had pretty much run Coney at that time. "You seem like a solid bopper," Cleon had said, and he was right. Sledge had had to grow up tough, living on the streets of Pelham. When Cleon offered him a position as heavy muscle in The Warriors, Sledge jumped at the chance.

That had been four years ago. Cleon sighed, remembering the times he and the rest of the Warriors had shared with Sledge. He glanced over at Carlos, still weeping at Sledge's grave site.

"Come on, Carlos," he said. "Your home is with us now." Carlos slowly stood, said "Goodbye, Ricardo," and joined Cleon and the rest of the Warriors, slowly walking back to Coney.

CHAPTER THREE:

Four months later, Carlos had adjusted to his new home, and was beginning to feel at home with the Warriors. They told him stories about how brave his brother had been, and, how he helped the Warriors build up their rep over the past four years.

"He was a great soldier," said Cleon. "Best heavy muscle we ever had."

Ajax looked away when he heard Cleon say that. He didn't like hearing it, but he knew it was true. "Should we take Junior here out and see if he's as tough as his brother?" Ajax sneered.

"Hey, I ain't no bopper, man," Carlos said. He knew he was supposed to be safe here with the Warriors - they had promised his brother that. But something about Ajax scared him.

"Don't tell me you're a wimp," Ajax said. "You want to run with us, you have to handle yourself."

"Cool it, Ajax," Cleon interrupted. He turned to Carlos. "We promised your brother we'd watch your back. But we might not always be around, so you'll have to learn to take care of yourself, too."

Carlos nodded in understanding. Though he was scared, he knew it was time to toughen up. Ricardo wasn't around anymore to take care of him.

"Tell you what, young blood," Cleon suggested. "Why don't you go out on patrol tonight with some of the guys. Might do you some good to get out of here for a while."

An hour later, Carlos was on patrol with Ajax, Swan and Cowboy. Ajax was buzzed, having swiped a twelve pack of beer from Harmon's Liquor. "It's our payment for keeping the streets safe," he explained, passing out beers to everyone in the war party. Carlos nursed his, never having drank before, hoping the Warriors wouldn't notice his hesitation. Too late.

"What's the matter, junior, don't you like to drink?" Ajax asked. He was turning into kind of a jerk, talking loud.

"Come on, I'm only fourteen," Carlos said. "It's my first time."

Ajax laughed. "You kiddin' me?" He turned to Swan and Cowboy. "This wimp can't be Sledge's brother. He's afraid of everything, even a little beer."

"Lighten up, Ajax," Swan warned.

"Whatever, War Chief."

"Hey guys," Cowboy said. "We have something more important to worry about." Everyone turned to look. In front of them was a group of six Satan's Mothers - and they were packed.

"We got a score to settle with you Warriors,"  the leader said, tapping a pipe into his hand.

He knew the Satan's Mothers were the ones responsible for killing his brother. Before he even realized what was happening, he whipped the beer bottle, pegging their leader in the face, instantly knocking him unconscious.

"Yeah, Carlos!" Ajax yelled in surprise! CHAPTER FOUR:

Something snapped inside Carlos.

"Let's rumble!" Swan gave the battle cry.

The Warriors and Satan's Mothers rushed each other. Ajax clotheslined the closest one, dropping him to the ground, and leaped onto his chest, his steel-toe boots crushing his ribcage and puncturing his lungs. They were now evenly matched, numbers-wise, anyway.

Swan grabbed the pipe the Satan's Mothers' leader had dropped and smacked another in the face, crushing his nose and fracturing his eye socket, while Cowboy grappled with two enemy soldiers. The Satan's Mothers temporarily gained an advantage over him - one of them holding him while another pounded his face, but Ajax ended their advantage by grabbing the Satan's Mother who had been holding Cowboy and smashing his face into the wall.

The sixth Satan's Mother leaped upon Carlos, pinning him onto the ground. "You look like that wimp Sledge we took care of a few months ago," he said, pulling out a switchblade. "Want to find out how he died?"

Carlos went into a rage. He managed to pull one of his legs out from underneath the Satan's Mother who had him pinned and kicked him squarely in the crotch - hard enough to shatter his pelvis. The Satan's Mother screamed in pain, rolling onto his side and vomiting. In a blind rage, Carlos jumped to his feet, and continued kicking the Satan's Mother in the temple, until the Satan's Mother slumped to the ground, motionless.

He turned around and saw The Warriors looking at him in awe.

"Looks like you're not so much of a wimp after all," Ajax said in surprise.

"He killed my brother," Carlos said, somewhat in shock. "He told me. And he was going to kill me, too!"

"Justice," said Swan, coolly looking over the situation. "Let's head back to our hangout and get cleaned up." Everyone followed him without question.

CHAPTER FIVE:

"You should have seen Junior here, War Lord," Ajax told Cleon. "He took out two of the Satan's Mothers himself! The kid can bop!"

Cleon smiled. "Well Carlos, it looks like you are definitely Warrior material. Your brother would be proud. Damn proud. You want to join us?"

Carlos was taken aback. "You mean, you want me to join your gang? Even though I'm just a kid compared to the rest of you?"

Cleon laughed. "No younger than Sledge and me when we started up The Warriors. You've got what it takes, Carlos. You've proven yourself worthy to wear our colors. Are you in?"

Swan, Cowboy, Cleon and Ajax looked at Carlos, waiting for his answer. After a moment of silence, he said "Count me in, Warlord!"

Cleon smiled again. "You'll need one of these," he said, handing him a Warriors vest. Carlos put on the vest, noticing it was a little big for him."

Swan said, "That's a big vest to fill. That was your brother's vest."

Carlos' mouth fell open. "This was Ric... I mean, Sledge's vest?"

Cleon looked at him seriously. "Yes it was. And tonight, you've proven worthy to wear it."

Carlos wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, remembering the older brother who had taken care of him for years. He had always looked up to him. "Thank you, War Lord," he said humbly. "But you know I'm not as big or as tough as him. I could never fill his shoes."

"You're still a Warrior," Cleon said. "You might not be heavy muscle like Sledge or Ajax, but you're one of us. What can you do?"

Carlos thought for a moment. "I can piece," he said. He looked at the wall of their hangout. A giant red "W" hung in the center. "You look like you need  a writer."

"We need someone to get us up," said Cleon. "Let's see what you got, new blood."

Carlos went to his box of the few things he had grabbed from home, rummaging through them for his paint. Half an hour later, a Warriors burner covered the wall.

"How's that?"

The Warriors were speechless, amazed at the quality of the burner before them. Finally, Ajax said "This kid's a real Rembrandt!"

"Yes he is," said Cleon. "Welcome to the Warriors - Rembrandt!"

THE END

[Oxygen]

hmmm sounds interesting,keep going

[Oxygen]

so you finished it huh? sweet ending.I wasn't expecting it at all.I dont wanna sound desperate but are you gonna write another one?this one was friggin amazing

[GramercyRiff99]

Hot damn, that's quite the ending you had there. Took me totally by surprise. You have a pretty good writing style too. A great story overall.

[Warrior_Swan]

My friend, that is an amazing piece of work. Powerful, mesmerizing, and surprising to the end. I did not see that coming, no way did I expect this shrimpy kid to turn into Rembrandt. You got true talent, and an amazing imagination. Brutal, but good. Your depth in brutality is stunning, and I hope to read some more from you in the future.