Page 43 of Mr. Calloway

Place: On the Back Deck

Year: 2026

Time: 1:35 am

To my wife for the second time,

I decided to get an entry in while you're upstairs in the shower. Today was perfect. It was something that I didn’t know I needed. Giving you the wedding you desired was a great pleasure for me. Our first one was straight, but seeing you look like the queen you are did more than make my heart skip a beat. The gold that crowned your head illuminated your skin. The smile you wore on your face made the sunshine brighter. See, every time I talk about you, I get all poetic and shit.

If the niggas knew I was simping like this, they would never let me live it down, especially Diamond’s ass. I loved how you handled Foe. Honestly, if he doesn’t open his eyes and allow his sister to go through her own shit, my nigga might end up behind bars. Hmph… That’s a dark place. It’s a place that will drown you, even if you are strong.

Anyway, I need you to know when and when not to channel the energy that is slowly brewing in you. A time will come, baby, when that lioness inside you will be challenged, and it will be up to you to handle it. There will be no guiding you, no pointers, no time to waste, and most all, no me to be there. Zaria, remember what I told you the very day you picked up my choppa. Make sure you always know where your target is. Remember, it is you who holds the power. If you ever feel like you cannot do it, the Zoo will hold you down.

I’m going to finish this blunt and think about you a little more before I do one of the things I love, and that’s lie next to you, scoop you into my arms, and hold you like I never want to fucking let go. You make a nigga a little soft, but I’m still a gangsta. *Wink*

I love you, beautiful. I love you with every breath in my body. From here to our Calloverse.

Signed,

Mr. Fucking Calloway

I closedmy phone after reading an article from Cove City Press that a commune was found with over fifty dead people. It had to be the Tyrant who did it. Stopping him seemed much harder than I expected. He was a true animal who somehow knew how to navigate the streets better than I thought. I knew I had come too far to turn back now, so the only option I had left if Jungle did not pull through was to face him myself. However, I wasn’t going to go walking into the fire.

Oftentimes, I waited for some sort of remorse for my actions, for a morsel of regret, but there was none. Today, however, the idea of feeling loved was one I craved. Today was supposed to be special, filled with smiles, appreciation, and family. Here I was, sitting on the sidelines of a cemetery, so desperate for the feeling that I decided to visit my family who were rooted beneath the dirt.

It was Father’s Day, a day I had, at one point, waited for. It was the one day that was given to men, although the world saw many of us as vessels. We didn’t get the same sort of appreciation or respect women got on Mother’s Day. I learned from the way my mother did my father and understood the year Grace was born, so instead of making this an all-inclusive visit, this was strictly for my father. I had no words for my mother because what was there to say? It was my father who wasn’t appreciated in the capacity he should have been. It was he who wasn’t given a fair chance after being met with cancer. It was his legacy that needed saving.

The walk to his grave felt heavy, my feet felt weighted, my soul started to feel leaden, and my mind began to drift. When I finally reached him, the spot was almost unnoticeable as weeds and overgrown grass covered him. He was drowning with the earth just as I was.

“Dad,” I called out as if he would respond.

This was the first time I had visited him in years. I wasn’t sure whether it was because I felt alone or because coming to a place like this was me speaking things into my life.

“I tried being as you were, but something in me is different. I feel this sense of power, the power you were supposed to have. It runs through my veins.”

I waited for a response, although I knew the dead couldn’t speak. Maybe it was why I felt like death posed a better option than those who thought they were more in control than I was. Like the Tyrant, who ran rampant like this was his world, as if Lake Hill was his.

“I built that city—” I pointed out into the open, “—the place where he and his animals found comfort.”

I kneeled to clean the overgrown weeds as I continued to speak. “The cancer was supposed to kill him. Grace was supposed to forget, and somehow her dreams and prayers thather son would be here came true. Dad—” I paused. “All I wanted to do was make you proud, and everything I’ve done has been for the Mercier legacy. If I don’t do something, your legacy will die.”

I knew the words were merely for me and not him. My words were a way of building power inside me. “You had no control. You, Dad, had no power and allowed those people to run you to your grave. You gave up, but I won’t.”

I was now about to allow my intrusive thoughts to take their course. I bowed my head before stepping away from my father’s grave.

“Happy Father’s Day,” I muttered.

Zaria

PRESS PLAY

“Z, you sure you want to do this?” June asked.

I knew the day would come, but I didn’t picture it like this. Although this wasn’t my first kill, it was one that wasn’t guided by June. Shantel stood there shaking her head in fear. I let out a slow breath as my arms slowly lifted.

“I’m sure,” I mumbled.

Shantel let out a scream, but I didn’t care, just as she didn’t care that she came into our lives wreaking havoc. Letting her go crossed my mind, but then the idea of her still coming around did too. She wasn’t going to stop, so this was the only option.