Winter 1998
Three years have passed since that horrible night. The plan of maintaining silence has been a successful endeavor for the Briggs brothers. Alton remains a free man from his crimes, and he still flies under the radar from the double homicide he committed. The case involving his heinous acts has gone cold, and so all of Mike's wishes have come true regarding his aims. It seems all is well for the Briggs family… so it would seem. Life for Terrence would not get easier for him since his decision to keep quiet. His emotional state would suffer greatly during this period, and his nerves are bad to the point of being overwhelming.
The immense guilt he feels about concealing such a terrible secret has punished his psyche daily. Every time he reaches a point where the regret lessens, it'll merely come back stronger than before. Even though the regret has nearly destroyed his ability to function, there's somewhat of a silver lining that came about from it all. Seeking out a reliable coping mechanism, the young man would learn how to cook during this phase in life. This grew into a passion he never knew was there, and he'll become good enough to cook anything. He was a protégé and a future chef in the making; a fact that wouldn't have been the case if it were not for Alton.
After graduating high school, Terrence would utilize these culinary skills to his advantage. New opportunities landed him just east to the city of Virginia Beach, and things were good at first. Getting distance between himself and his family helped with the guilt he was feeling, though not entirely. Obtaining a chef job at a high-end restaurant provided him the financial freedom he never had, at least for a little while. He was young, independent from the assistance of others, and a bit reckless. Even though Terrence was mostly a changed man, some of his past would not fully leave him. The itch to make a little extra cash through the old ways was still a vice of consideration. The connections were never laid to rest, and coincidentally some of his co-workers would become clients. This situation started at a job party where the discreet call for 'the white powder' circulated amongst a select few. His side hustle resumed from that point, and this additional income was good and steady. Sells were always done outside of work, except for the one unfortunate time it conducted there. This would get him fired, and the effects of this will be felt almost immediately; he was devasted.
After losing his job, Terrence's money troubles will become overwhelming, for dealing alone simply was not cutting it. Desperate to stay afloat, the young man will take the first thing that came calling, and he would snag a gig working as a cook at a pizzeria called, Santarelli's Pizza. It's basically a ragtag little shop surrounded by prime real estate in the Resort Beach area. The shabby looking place is a small grey building made of cement, and above the front entrance is a graffiti style sign of their logo. The eatery is named after the owner of the joint, Tony Santarelli. He is an overweight middle-aged Italian man from Brooklyn. He's viewed to most as a gentle soul, but the man also possesses a polarizing personality simultaneously. His easygoing nature makes working for him a pleasant experience for the most part, but his loquacious nature can be hard to deal with on occasion. He is notorious for sometimes leaving his guest feeling a little inundated after an encounter with him.
However, Tony's conversing ways also makes him a great client builder, making a seeming weakness one of his greatest strength. Customers always receive his best service when he is there, and so positive news travels about this place. although he may be amazing with bringing them in, this doesn't necessarily translate over to his management skills. Business operations can nearly seize when this man gets too caught in conversing, and he never takes responsibility once things get a little sloppy. He will even go on a tirade against his staff during these times, which is a reaction that always works against him. This behavior is something Terrence has never been fond of, but he will always manage to hold his tongue when it happens. In his mind, the pay is not worth the occasional hassle from his boss, but he figures to endure until something better comes along.
With that said, when the young man is not baking pizzas, he's in search of new employment. There has not been much luck in this area, and this has his mood souring after three months of churning up nothing. It's a fight just to show up to work of late. When that time does come, this demoralized young man will usually stop in front of the pizzeria in a bit of a ritualistic fashion. This is a time of mental preparation, and it's always followed with a few seconds of griping to himself about his crappy dilemma. When he manages to get out all his frustrations, he'll then sigh in satisfaction from the stress relief. This five-minute preparation will then be followed up with a resigned acceptance to clocking in. In a somewhat flamboyant way, Terrence enters the store where he's immediately met by Tony engaging customers. It's the typical scene that normally greets him every shift, and it's another night shift where he's struggling to find the energy for. After taking in the scene, Terrence makes his way into the kitchen area where he will clock in for the day.
Before the man can even situate his belongings, he will be greeted by another cook named, Raul Martinez. Raul is a Puerto Rican American who originates from Baltimore, and this twenty-five-year-old man ended up in Virginia Beach with a few relatives a couple years back. He's a very good-looking individual, well groomed, and physically fit. Raul comes from a troubled upbringing quite like that of Terrence but has since overcome his past life. His progress to becoming a better person appears to be further along than that of Briggs, but he still has an inkling for social drug use. A connection was bound to happen with their similar backgrounds in life, and Martinez will develop a strong bond with Terrence almost immediately. Raul acts as sort of a big brother figure to Briggs, and he tries to help his friend in whatever way possible. Their friendship truly is a genuine one despite Briggs being Martinez's dealer. It is one that is more humorously driven than anything else, and they will find the time to rag on one another no matter what's happening. The jesting can go on for a while, and it can also become vulgar in nature.
When it starts to get too out of hand like it currently is, Mr. Santarelli will step in to break up the shenanigans. It's quite evident he's dissatisfied with his employees' interactions, but he'll try to keep the criticism at a minimum. He knows that even when these guys are carrying on foolishly, they are still getting their work done. It's mainly just an annoyance for him to observe his staff conducting themselves in an unprofessional manner. Tony's irritation is not lost on his two employees, but the situation is kind of the point. Getting a rise out of their boss is normally the highlight to an often tedious shift, for neither of them cares much for the guy. When the reprimanding ends, this officially stops their time of goofing off. Once the big boss walks out of view, the two will take a moment to laugh off the situation.
"Ooo... how I enjoy upsetting that prick," Raul states with satisfaction.
"Yeah," Terrence says to Raul in a somewhat disregarding manner, being preoccupied by a certain memory that came to him,
"I got that one thing you asked for."
Raul immediately looks over at Terrence with a content expression, for he knows what his friend is talking about. The conversation is about an ounce of cocaine Martinez requested, and his dealer has finally come through for him. He nods in acknowledgment towards Brigg's comment and says,
"That's good news my friend "
"Yeah, come by after I get off," Terrence says rather casually after clocking in,
"You can scoop it up."
"I'll be there!"
"Aiight fellas, enough with da socializing," Tony says to the two after ringing the counter bell in a somewhat irritable tone,
"We have a big group dat just entered; let's get on it!"
After saying this, Santarelli scuttles over to the large group in a frantic way. As the big boss begins to situate the crowd in an anxious manner, Terrence and Raul will look at each other with perturb expressions, and this will eventually cause Raul to say in annoyance,
"Fucking asshole!"
"Just ignore him," Terrence calmly says, as he concurrently settles a bit during Raul's outburst,
"Don't say some shit that's gonna get ya fired, homie. If you do dat… I'm gonna be here by myself with that big ass nigga riding me all the time. Fuck dat! Be cool, brah."
Raul will burst into laughter off hearing his friend, and it will subsequently put him in a better mood in the process. Once his spirits are raised somewhat, Raul will humorously say as he preps the oven,
"You're something else, man."
The orders will come piling in shortly after this is said, and it will end up being a busy time for both Raul and Terrence. This will be the case for the remainder of the night, and Briggs will be beyond exhausted by the time he gets off. Being the last employee in the store, he is left to close the shop for the night. After shutting things down and locking up, he'll then start the cleanup protocols relatively quick, but his tiredness makes the process twice as long. A twenty-minute ordeal is stretched to forty, but Terrence will manage to finish all his chores. It is a quarter to midnight when Briggs finally makes it out of the building with relief. After he locks up, he will then light up a cigarette to calm his nerves from the frustrating work shift, and the satisfaction received from every puff is deemed worth it.
However, this moment will be abruptly interrupted by someone grabbing a hold of him from behind, and it startles the man greatly. Once this happens, Terrence will blackout in the moment from the fight or flight instinct kicking in. Indistinct voices can be heard in this dark state, but it sounds like a terrifying exchange between multiple individuals. The abstruse shouting intensifies the momentary suspense, for it is uncertain who is doing what or what is happening. What can only be deciphered as a scuffle is heard seconds later, and this is followed by the sound of a beating heart that will eventually drain out all other noise. The pulsation of this organ begins to speed up in intensity, and only the screams piercing through this constant rhythm keeps Briggs aligned to the reality of his predicament. Panic at its rawest form is felt throughout Terrence's body, the fear is debilitating, and it's only the threatening touch of his attacker that staves back the emotional paralysis.
Sound: Gunshots
The sound of people fleeing the scene is heard moments after the gunshots. This is the point where everything comes back into view, the darkness fades from his eyes, and Terrence Briggs will take his last breath, lying on his back in a pool of his own blood. He's been shot once in the face that shatters the right cheek bone, and another time in the left pectoral region directly at the heart; this will be the killing wound. It was a robbery that went horribly wrong, and the thieves would only manage to get eighteen dollars out of him. This unfortunate event will sadly have no eyewitnesses, and it'll be another ten minutes before the body is discovered. Briggs was escaping a life that had no future, and he was running from the guilt of a horrendous secret he kept.
The young man figured his new surroundings was the sanctuary needed, but not even this newfound safety could protect from the fate that awaited him this night. He used to think and even sometimes joked about the streets taking him out if he never walked away; it was as if he prophesied his own death. He tried to exit the life he was living, but he never fully left. His fears came true… his fears caught up to him