title: Cold Blooded: The New Year's Day Massacre
author:  The Ghost 
description: In addition to <i>Cold Blooded: The New Year's Day Massacre</i>, The Ghost has also written the following published books: <i>Tribulation Of A Ghetto Kid, The Street Bible</i>; <i>Tales From Da Hood, the Anthology, 360</i> (in stores now); and, coming soon, the sequel to his first smash hit, <i>Tribulation Of A Ghetto Kid, The Saga Continues</i>.
zlib_text:     PART ONE 0 BRAVE NEW WORLD A HANGING IN EDEN Charleston, June 11767 1 heard
  the drums long before they came in sight. The beating echoed in the pit of my stomach, as though I too
  were hollow. The sound traveled through the crowd, a harsh military rhythm meant to be heard over
  speech or gunfire. I saw heads turn as the people fell silent, looking up the stretch of East Bav Street,
  where it ran from the half-built skeleton of the new Customs House toward White Point Gardens.
    
       It was a hot day, even for Charleston in June. The best places were on the seawall, where tile air
  moved; here below, it was like being roasted alive. My shift was soaked through, and the cotton bodice
  clung between my breasts. I wiped my face for the tenth time in as many minutes and lifted the heavy coil
  of my hair, hoping vainly for a cooling breeze upon my neck.
    
       I was morbidly aware of necks at the moment. Unobtrusively, I put my hand tip to the base of my
  throat, letting my fingers circle it.