Outskirts Press, INC.

LOYALTY $ LOVE POWER LOSS RESPECT

HOSTILE is the true story of Darius Slaughter better known as the JOKER. Darius played the game of life to its extremities and his internal struggles, triumphs, failure and pain weave a modern day tragedy rooted in America’s 3rd largest city. Money, power and respect became his holy trinity as he struggled to exist between the line society designated as legal and his more lucrative, yet high risk illegal actions. The path less traveled, however, came at a price and caused him to gamble daily with his life, freedom and sanity. Lost lives- friends and foes alike, unborn children- who never took their first breathe, and those lost to the system all bear silent witness to the trials of life that created the modern day monster. Far from the fairytale ride painted by those who seek to glorify the streets, readers are warned to beware the reality and emotions of his journey. Situations become supremely personal and intimate as Darius bares his soul to the world. Darius’s journey is a modern day fable morally speaking to a generation raised by music videos and video games: Those who fail to grasp the tragedy awaiting them, should they succumb to the streets and lives of crime. Immersed in the madness that constituted his reality Darius lost parts of his sanity, morality and humanity and this De-Evolution left him at odds with society seeking an unattainable dream, ultimately incarcerated and HOSTILE.

INTRO It was as if the world spun into slow motion as the long arm of the law reached out and flipped the hourglass of my life into a chaotic spin. The things which drive me- money, power and respect- floated endlessly, suspended in time, like gleaming diamonds. Slowly, I began to notice for every sparkle and gleam, there was a scream or whimper. Standing directly opposite the shining sides of my jewels shown death, destruction, poverty and eventual incarceration. The proverbial crossroads were at my feet and the atmosphere was saturated with flashes from my so-called life riddled with the sounds of chaotic laughter and gentle weeping. It is said that hindsight is 20/20 yet my realities were 3-D, graphic, raw and painful, to the point where thy overpowered my senses and my world became black. Darkness. The Witching Hour. Eternally my friend and confidant. Always able to ease my soul and appease the demons that haunted me and cloak my hatred and the beast I had become. Here I roam the streets. Twisting and turning my way through a world few will ever see or understand. Nocturnal in my missions, every bit at home as a black jaguar or leopard prowling my concrete jungle. What am I? Who can say for few know the depths of my inner turmoil, much less the personal and social issues which have molded me. Definitions, labels and explanations vary geographically but the overall consensus would point to Drug Dealer, Hustler, Thug and criminal. Who am I? Parts of each in varying degrees. Those who know me best say "criminal,” yet I am neither ignorant, stupid nor illiterate. I walk the less beaten path and exist on the other side of the law. My personal choice would be T.H.U.G.- True Hustler, Urban Guerilla- for in my world he is the jack of all trades. The survivor in a world where life and death are synonymous and survival is not guaranteed.... EXCERPT FROM INTRO