Free All Or Nothing by Blake Karrington

she could clearly hear people scrambling around inside. Soon she heard the sounds of footsteps coming towards the door.
    “Wwwhhhooo!” Someone yelled. “Who da fuck knockin’ on da door like they the police?”
    A puzzled expression spread across Shantell’s face. She wondered who was inside her mother’s house and exactly what were they doing there.
    Without a moment’s hesitation, the door flew open. Shantell stood face to face with a pint-sized drug dealer. One look at him and she knew what was going on. Her former home had been turned into a full fledged crack house.
    The kid didn’t recognize Shantell, he thought she was a customer in search of some product. One thing he knew about drug users they came in all sizes shapes and colors. So he didn’t question her appearance at the back door. As a matter of fact, he hoped she was indeed a smoker, as good as she looked, he planned on turning a trick with her.
    “What’s up? How many you want?” He asked.
    At that point Shantell lost it. She couldn’t believe this young kid was treating her like a fiend in her own house. “What?!” She yelled. “Motherfucker I don’t do drugs. So take ya little rocks and shove ‘em up ya ass. Now, where the hell is my mother Brenda?”
    It was then that the money hungry kid knew he made a serious mistake.
    While he stood in the door way looking defiantly at Shantell, she suddenly pushed passed him. Entering her mother’s house she was about to see, first hand, how her living conditions went from bad to worst.
    “Ma.” She called out.
    “She ain’t here.” The youngster answered.
    “Where da fuck she at? Huh?” She screamed.
    Rather than deal with Shantell’s nasty attitude the young dealer fled the house. He decided to come back when she was gone.
    The farther Shantell walked into the house the more disgusted she became. Rodents could be seen darting around the kitchen. Garbage overflowed in the trash can causing. A foul odor . All her mother’s living room furniture was gone, replaced by a bunch of milk crates. The apartment was so empty her voice echoed off the walls.
    Suddenly two crackheads, a man and a woman, scurried down the stairs; they smelled just as bad as they looked.
    “Hi.” They seemed to say in unison.
    Shantell just shot them the evil eye; her look conveyed exactly how she felt. The blood in her veins was boiling, she felt like hurting somebody. Then she realized that her anger was misappropriated at the wrong people. They only did what her drug addicted mother allowed them to do.
    Continuing, on her search through the apartment, she climbed up the stairs. There Shantell discovered it was the same story. Everything of value had been sold to feed her mother’s addiction. Her bedroom set was long gone; the only thing her mother had to sleep on was an air mattress. Nature called so she headed towards the bathroom. Shantell walked into the bathroom and was greeted by a toilet bowl full of feces. The stench was unbearable, she quickly retreated. Suddenly she realized she didn’t have to use the bathroom so badly after all.
    Unable to find her mother at home, Shantell canvassed the neighborhood, going door to door, of all the known drug houses. She even knocked on few neighbors doors that she knew.
    “Stand out there long enough and you’ll see her.” The elderly lady suggested.
    Shantell did just that, she waited and waited till her mother appeared. Out of nowhere she spotted two frail looking women coming directly towards her. Shantell stared hard at them till, she was sure that the smaller woman was indeed her mother, Brenda. And the women had just copped some drugs and weren’t about to let each other out of their eyesight till they got what was due to them. Neither trusted the other as far as they could throw her.
    “…Damn, the boys sure did bless us. You see the size of that rock. It was fat.” One woman announced.
    “Us? They blessed me! They wouldn’t have even served you.” Brenda