Free Daddy Cool by Donald Goines

possum. He went limp in the hands that held him up, allowing the hoodlums to do what they would, trying to show them that he wasn't going to give them any trouble. To fight back would only bring down worse punishment on him. Since he couldn't reach the knives he carried strapped to his back, there wasn't too much he could do with just his hands.

    "I got it!" a young excited voice called out.
    "Make sure, goddamn it," a huskier voice answered. "Remember last time, ya ran off with the fuckin' wallet and wasn't nothin' in it."
    "Shit," the excited voice came again, "this bastard was loaded. It's full of big bills."
    Daddy Cool was thankful that they had found the money. Now, with luck, they would run off and leave him alone. But even as the fleeting thought ran across his mind, he was struck viciously against the side of his head. A moan escaped from him, and the pain reached him with a jar. He realized now that the young hoodlums might just decide to kill him in case he had recognized one of them.
    He grabbed his head and tried to fall to the ground. Strong arms still held him tightly, so he managed only to wiggle around in their grasp. Instantly, blows began to rain on him from all sides. Again he tried to break the grip that held him. Fear gave him strength so that he finally got one arm free.
    "Goddamn it," he cursed loudly, "take the money, you bastards, and go!" He screamed loudly, his voice rose to a pitch that he couldn't recognize.
    For his troubles, he received a blow in the mouth that he knew cut his lips. He could taste the fresh blood running from the cut.
    "Not yet, you motherfucker," a harsh voice stated.
    Then all the pain in the world burst loose in his nuts as one of his attackers kicked him viciously between the legs.
    Without warning, the pavement came up and struck him in the face. He lay stretched out on the cold ground as he heard the footsteps running away in the dark. He knew he should be thankful, but the pain he was feeling was too great. He couldn't understand what he should be thankful for. It seemed like hours, but it had only been seconds, when he heard a woman's voice speaking to him. It sounded as if she was a long way away.

    "Are you all right, mister? We saw them boys attacking you from our car and waited until they let you go before we got out." The woman seemed to be waiting for an answer; then she spoke to the other person with her.
    "Sally, maybe we should call the police. He seems to be hurt real bad."
    "You want me to drive up and find a pay phone somewhere?" Sally asked.
    For a second the other woman hesitated, then spoke sharply. There was fear in her voice. "No way, honey, you ain't 'bout to leave me standing out here in the dark. Shit, them niggers might come back!"
    At the mention of the police, Daddy Cool's mind began to work. He knew he couldn't stand any police questions. There was even the chance they might search him and, when they found the knives he carried, he would be in a world of trouble.
    "No police," he managed to say. "Please, just help me to my feet," he begged the woman nearest to him.
    As she began to lift him up, he tried to help her, but the pain was too great. He let out a loud moan.
    "Damn, honey," the woman lifting him said, "you're hurt real bad, man. Maybe you better go to the hospital and let them look at you."
    From somewhere, Daddy Cool found the strength to stand up. He managed to stand on his own feet, with the woman's helpful arms around him. "I'll be okay," he mumbled. "If I can get back to my home, I'll be able to handle it from there."
    The woman stared at him curiously. "Well, it's your own business, but if it was me, I'd sure as hell go to the hospital and let them have a look at me."
    Daddy Cool knew the woman was right, but he couldn't stand being undressed at the hospital, not as long as he carried the brace of knives strapped to his back. Maybe after stashing the weapons in his room he could then take the risk of going and getting medical help,