| Walk | |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Luther Perez |
| Volume | One Rainy Day in May |
| Starts | May 10, 2014 (15:21:08) |
| Ends | May 10, 2014 (16:38:11) |
| Previous chapter | A Note on Narcons |
| Next chapter | The Fourth Crate |
"Walk" is the twenty-fifth chapter of One Rainy Day in May. It is the fourth chapter to be narrated by Luther Perez.
Chapter Quote[]
"Wrecking balls ponder no losses." - Jim Kalin
Summary[]
The chapter opens up on May 10, 2014 at 15:21:08 in Los Angeles, California. Luther and his crew are driving in the van. Luther watches the rain as Tweetie drives. Everybody is passing around a blunt and drinking from a bottle of alcohol with the label torn off. As everybody talks and jokes around, Luther begins to notice how everybody, even Juarez, has stopped being mean to Hopi. When they arrive to their destination and exit the van, they search the area and see that nobody is around. Hopi asks Piña in a whisper when he will be jumped into the gang. Piña only tells him to shut up.
The crew notices a series of large, deep holes dug into the ground. These holes are filled with water. Out of nowhere, Juarez decides to push Hopi into one of them. He falls deep enough to where the others can no longer see him. Luther gets on his knees and reaches his arm into the water to see if he can find Hopi. He manages to grab Hopi by the hair and pull him out of the water. Juarez explains he pushed Hopi in to see if Hopi's comment from earlier, about not knowing how to swim, is true or not.
Hopi asks Luther when he will be able to start getting tattoos like the ones Luther has. Victor tells Hopi that he can start getting the tattoos after he gets jumped in. Hopi tells them all that he is ready to be jumped in. Luther asks Hopi why he keeps the blue pencil around. Hopi replies by saying ink scares him, which confuses Luther since Hopi wants tattoos. Luther then asks what Hopi uses the pencil for. Before he can answer, Juarez suggests Hopi could be a cop and he has been taking notes on the crew. Piña assures everybody that Hopi isn't a cop. Hopi tells them that he enjoys writing, but the vagueness of his answer angers Luther.
The reason the crew came to this place was because they wanted to talk to a pimp named Nacho Mirande. He doesn't seem to be around, but suddenly the crew can hear a woman calling out to Hopi. She works for Nacho. This surprises even Luther, as he hasn't met many of the women who work for Nacho yet somehow Hopi does. Hopi and the woman talk while Luther and the rest of the group find Nacho. They talk briefly before deciding to leave. Back in the van, Luther asks Hopi how he knows the woman. Hopi says he's "gotta put that blue pencil to use somehow." Luther then slaps Hopi three times. Hopi withstands each of them, then thanks Luther for not slapping him a fourth time. Everybody steps back outside of the van and returns to the area with the holes in the ground.
Hopi asks if he is finally in the gang yet. Luther says he isn't. Luther begins punching Hopi repeatedly. Hopi's face becomes bloody and Luther continues to hit him. Finally, Hopi falls to the ground and decides to stay down. The crew laughs at him. Juarez starts kicking Hopi while he is still on the ground. He backs up and tries to do a running kick but ends up slipping in the mud, which Piña laughs at him for. Hopi starts getting back up and sees Juarez reaching into his back pocket. Victor and Tweetie cheer for Juarez while Luther stands silently and watches. Juarez pulls out a small pair of nunchucks, but before he gets to use them Tweetie grabs Hopi by the hair and shoves him down again.
Hopi asks again if he is in the gang now. Tweetie then pulls out a gun and aims it at Hopi. Once Hopi sees the gun being pointed at him, he finally becomes terrified. He begins pleading to Piña and asks her to stick up for him. He wants her to tell them that he doesn't know any information that could be used against them. He asks her to tell them that he could be a valuable member in the gang. Piña says nothing and looks away. Juarez still suspects that Hopi could be an undercover cop. Luther doesn't believe that Hopi could be a cop based on the fact that Teyo sent Hopi, and the fact that Hopi has a drug-addicted mother.
Nobody is speaking anymore. Hopi remains on the ground, crying and begging Tweetie not to shoot. He says he doesn't understand why this is happening. Tweetie tells him that he doesn't get to understand. Hopi gets on his knees and looks at the necklace he is wearing. It's a cross. Luther takes it from him and tosses it to Piña. He then instructs Juarez to take Hopi's jacket and everything in his pockets. When emptying Hopi's pockets, he finds the blue pencil and a grilled cheese sandwich wrapped in tinfoil. Hopi ordered it earlier while they were at IHOP. He tells them it is for his mother. Juarez bites through the tinfoil and eats the sandwich.
Hopi looks at Luther and begs him to let him live. He holds up his hands as if to pray to Luther. This isn't the first time Luther has seen a sight like this. Luther grabs Hopi by the neck and drags him over to the edge of one of the holes in the ground. Luther then walks to the opposite side of the hole and Tweetie, Juarez, Piña, and Victor form a wall behind Hopi. Luther orders Hopi to stand back up. Still crying, Hopi obeys. Luther begins talking, "Just walk, Hopi. Right over to me. God wants you to live, you'll walk on this water and walk right on out of here." Juarez gets excited and begins cheering. Everybody smiles as they watch, including Piña.
Hopi drops back onto his knees but Luther tells him to walk. Hopi stays on the ground. Luther orders Hopi to look at him. Luther pulls off his shirt to reveal all the tattoos, scars, and nine bullet holes covering his body. He holds his arms out like a cross, starts walking forward, and stands on the water.
The chapter ends on May 10, 2014 at 16:38:11.