Discovering Ashes 16

“Oh, you must f’give me, Jack! Where are m’manners today?!” He said cheerfully. I felt the ropes holding my wrists loosen until they were free. As I sat up, I muttered my thanks. It was then that I saw my surroundings - truly saw them - for the first time.


A dingy, dark brown chamber, like the kind you’d find in some fuckin’ video game or castle dungeon or something, was really the best way I could describe the room I was in. All around me, though, electronics of all kinds were jerryrigged into working with the old-as-shit bricks and mortar. The light that had blinded me earlier I now saw to be a single incandescent bulb hanging from a loose cluster of wires that ran the ceiling and wall into another area where I could see a generator. On the walls were monitors, each showing different images of statistics, videos, and photographs of city leaders.


“What the…”


“Welcome to mah innuh Sanctum, Jack Carnegie. Very few are allowed in here, but the ones I let in always leave with a better… understandin’ of what my organization does.”

 “And, that is…?”

“Why, we run things of course! Your precious  ‘Phoenix City’ is kept in check by yours truly! Y’see, Jack, We - that is t’say myself - keep the crime in this fair, fair city in check!”

 I chose that moment to look behind me to see my captor, Viper. He must have been pretty sure of himself, since from what I could see, he had no way of defending himself in case I wanted to just scream ‘Fuck you!’ and deck him right then and there. Admittedly, he had this… air around him, this charisma that made me listen, made me want to hear more. Maybe it was the navy blue suit with red tie and white undershirt that reeked of a time gone by. Maybe it was the crow’s feet or the slight wrinkling of his skin in various places on his face and hands. Maybe it was the white hair that for some reason screamed with a wisdom I hadn’t seen or experienced before.

Hell, I never paid attention to anyone’s hair! But this guy… everything about him oozed a kind of… demanding presence. This was the guy who’d sent that kid after me?

“So your riddle,” I started. “It wasn’t just a riddle, was it?”

“Ha ha, you are a smart one, Suh! Yes, I admit it, it was a test, son!”

Discovering Ashes 15

When I came too, I was met first with a blinding light in my eyes and second with immense pain in the back of my head that spider-ed its way to the front and down my spine. Everything was fuzzy, hazy, and my mind refused to work correctly. The only thoughts I could really comprehend were ‘Where am I?’  and ‘What hit me?’. The first option I must’ve said at some point, because no sooner had I thought it, someone responded.

“Take it easy, Jack, You’re safe and sound! Well, safe anyway!” The voice crooned above me. The slight twang of a drawl made it very comforting in an odd way. Hell, even the laugh that followed it made me feel safer!  

“Wha…?” was all I could squeeze out before the voice cut me off again.

“Ah-ah-ah, Jack! You got yo’self a nasty bump dere! I’d take you upstairs, but ah tink yo’ friends might be a tad bit… upset at poor ol’ Vipah here”

“Vi…per?”

“De one an’ only, Jack! Y’see, ah been followin’ you fo’a long time. Long’ah den you could know! You’re special, Jack Carnegie! An’ ya pal Vipah gon’ tell you why.”

I tried to move, only to find my hands bound to whatever I was laying on - from the feel of it, it might’ve been a concrete slab, but as the light above me started to dim I don’t think it would’ve fit with my surroundings. Viper must’ve noticed my discomfort from how much I kept trying to get my hands free.

“Oh, you must f’give me, Jack! Where are m’manners today?!” He said cheerfully.

I felt the ropes holding my wrists loosen until they were free. I muttered a thanks as I sat up and started truly looking at what was around me.

Discovering Ashes 14

I reached for the radio on my shoulder. It was probably best if I let everyone else know just what I saw, instead of blundering further inside by myself; besides, I didn’t have a hammer to tear down the wall. Pressing the side of the radio, the familiar cracking sound of the button and the speaker were a bit comforting.

“Hey, uh… Dex? I need some help down here,” I whispered before releasing the button. It was silent for a moment.

And then another.

And then another.

My heart kicked it into high gear as thoughts of why no one was answering me flooded my mind. Breathing suddenly became a chore as my body started shivering and shuddering from the cold and from something else entirely. The air, while oppressive before, was thicker and more menacing, like it was trying to choke me. The memories of the stories came back in a flash, and I found myself hearing sounds and smelling things I hadn’t heard or smelled when I’d first entered the dank, decrepit basement. Normally I would chalk these things up to just my adrenalin making me a bit more sensitive to my surroundings or some bullshit like that most people found out through the Discovery Channel.

But not now. Not this. I’d had adrenalin pumping through my veins the moment I stepped from the stairs, so to only just now smell and hear the sounds and odors told me one thing.

I wasn’t alone.

Turning on my heel, the flashlight shined brightly into the darkness all around me, shaking and bobbing with my hand’s own dance of fright and paranoia. I couldn’t see anything new or remotely odd - relatively speaking - around me, but I could still hear the sound! It sounded close, closer than I would’ve liked! It was oddly familiar, but in this wasteland it was entirely alien to me.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhpt

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhpt

The sound started to get shorter and louder, and I found myself looking everywhere at once while keeping my feet planted firmly on the ground beneath me. Crumbling noises started to follow each moment of the sound, and I started to get a picture in my head of just what the hell it was I was hearing. In my mind, I saw metal, and really the high tone of the noise would probably back me up.

Wait….

Turning round back to the small hole, I caught a glimpse of A hand before a sharp pain went through the back of my skull and everything went black.





This makes 25 pages in Word Processor the story's gone on for. Not my longest work, but certainly the one with the most happening and development in such a short timescale! 

I dunno anymore...

I thought my life was at its worst a few years or even months ago, when my search for a job hit the 6 year mark and my mom officially had to borrow my student loan to pay the heating bill.


But then the past month happened. Let me run this down for you, saving the worst for last.


Recently, I've had a falling out with one of the best friends I've ever had. She decided to ignore my advice on many, many occasions and after the slightest bit of criticism she's now talking about me behind my back on her Facebook. This is something I found out about through mutual friends who thankfully(?) alerted me to this miniature smear campaign being run by her, and to be frank, I'm not sure what to do. All I'm sure about is that I'm upset and saddened at the lost of a very good friend over something as stupid as a slight criticism of her actions.

Now for the worst of it.


We found out my cousin Eric has had a brain tumor for at least the past six months. This is all tragic news by itself. But then we found out that it's the size of a golfball behind his left eye. Okay, that sucks. We can get it out right? Yeah, except for the fact that it's extremely fast growing and has spider-webbed it's way into the majority of the left side of his brain and his brain stem.

On Wednesday, they're going in to a 17 hr surgery to try and remove it and only 7 things are for sure. No matter what happens, he'll never see out of his left eye. He'll always be deaf in his left ear. He'll never taste again. He'll never chew again since they have to remove essentially the entire left side of his skull to get to the thing. He'll never look like my cousin again. And he'll never, but NEVER speak again. Now factor in the fact that apparently he's only the 2nd case of this tumor in the US and despite having the best brain surgeons in the country being flown in, he still has a dismal chance at making it out of the surgery. And I just found out he'll be on a feeding tube for the rest of his life afterwards.

So yeah. I'm at the end of my rope. The cousin who's been a little brother to me has a tumor that'll kill him if it's not removed, and if it is removed, he'll never be the same kid I've grown up with again. Either way, I'm essentially losing a brother.


Is this an away notice? I dunno. Is it a "I'm not posting until further notice" notice? More likely than the previous option, but again - I dunno. Right now, I'm not sure of much in the way of what I'm gonna be doing here or anywhere else for that matter. Hell, i've missed the past three class dates for my Speech class because of it all. I may miss the one tomorrow, too. I dunno.

All i know is this; My life, as of this moment, is my own personal Hell.

Discovering Ashes 13

In the distance, I could hear someone talking. Echoes made it hard to tell just where it was coming from, be it above me, below, or any direction in between. One thing was certain, though; it wasn't Dex's voice. The thought crossed my mind that maybe it was one of the other officers who'd had the same "bright" idea I'd had, but if it were, shouldn't I have seen some kind of light other than my own? Besides that, it didn't sound like any officer I'd known! Hell, what kind of officer just started talking to themselves anyhow?!

Still, there was always a chance.

"Hello?" I called out into the darkness. I didn't dare move an inch from what little light was coming from busted windows on the floor above me.

For a while it was completely silent. For some reason, the silence was even more terrifying than it should've been. Normally I find the quiet to be nice and relaxing but now? Now it was like my worst enemy or a nightmare come to life or some bullshit like that.

"Hey, if anyone's down here, lemme know, alright?"

Still no answer. I mumbled a few choice words, trying to calm myself down. I still had a job to do, even if I didn't exactly find the situation I was in to be 'fun' or 'safe' or anything you might remotely call 'good'. Sometimes, I hated being a Cop.

"No sense just stickin' around, eh Jackie Boy?" I mumbled as I took my first steps into the complete blackness. The light from my flashlight cast way too many shadows for my liking, and in the corner of my eye, I swore I saw something move every time I looked away. My heart started racing while my imagination started to go wild! I started to think back to my High School days, in American Lit, when we would read all sorts of stories that would keep me up at night. Was it ironic or just stupid that the only one that ever gave me any comfort was Mask of the Red Death? Hell if I know. All I knew right then was all the stories came rushing back into my head, and I could've sworn I heard voices saying things that just sounded alien!

I shook my head once, trying to clear it. Lucky for me it was enough to get me to keep moving through the pitch black hole I was in. I must've spent a good half hour down there just searching every nook and cranny I could find for anyone who might fit the description of 'fucking insane'. I found it a bit funny, since the fact that I was down there by myself was, to me at least, just that.

What I didn't expect to find, though, was a hole in a brick wall. It looked ancient, like it had always been there, before the train station had ever been thought of! But on the other side, I saw a light in the distance. Not too far off, but enough so that it didn't really make much of a difference in the basement I was in.

Apologies

I'd just like to apologize to everyone following DA at the moment. Finals have been over with for the past few weeks, and I've just been taking a break from everything. Of course, with the Summer Semester starting, I've wanted to get back to work writing.


Of course nothing's that easy. My Uncle Jack passed away on Sunday as well as my Truck being vandalized. With all of these distractions, I haven't had time to work any more on DA, although I certainly do have the next few bits in mind and ready to put on paper. I'm just... not up to writing at the moment.

Finals

Finals suck.
I can't write Stories.
Mind Elsewhere.



Screw Haikus. I'm bored and tired. It's finals week, which means I've not written anything on DA in a while. Makes-a me so-a sad.

Wish List

Eh, I figure I'd share this just in case someone out there is really generous. :)

http://amzn.com/w/2WD5Z1QDCLFW0

Just so ya know, my hat size is X-Large. :)

\m/ - Another Half-assed Poem

 

\m/

He flashes a smile

Hand outstretched

Nasal smoke from the cigarette 

Luna watches intently

At the empty crossroads

Barren. Lifeless. Except us. 

I hesitate to answer

My eyes dance

My life changes

I take his hand

“Firm grip”

He smirks

I wake up in bed

Was it a dream?

My fingers tingle

Maria stands next to me

I pick her up

I tease her

Her sound is more beautiful than ever.

My fingers dance across her neck

Effortless

I plug in

She screams

She Moans

The cries of the damned

Just a Silly Thing

I recorded this quite a while ago, and it's just kinda been sitting here. The only recording to exist of my shortlived radio show, "Rockin' With The Big Guy". Hopefully I can return to the radio next fall. I certainly enjoyed it a whole helluva lot!


http://blip.tv/file/4409476

An Answer to A Question

Earlier today, I posted a query; "What makes a hero?". After taking some more time to think about it (Being sick gives me that extra time I otherwise would waste on video games and homework), I've got something similar to an answer. Sofie was kind enough to leave a comment that pointed out something I, oddly enough, had been overlooking. Something important, in fact. A hero is an example to everyone, or should set some kind of standard for people to live up to. And I have to say that, this is probably one of the most defining characteristics of a hero.

You can throw in all sorts of definitions, but it all comes back to that single idea of someone you can look up to and say, "Yeah, I wanna be like that guy!" So, I suppose that means the definition of a hero varies from person to person. For the most part at least. I still think there's a universal set of characteristics that every hero possesses and should possess in order to be classified as such.

I've already mentioned Loyalty and Determination, but there's no harm in doing it again. A Hero should be loyal to himself, his beliefs, and the people he cares about. Simple, right? You'd be surprised how many people you might normally classify as a hero are really not all that loyal to themselves.

Now that's NOT to say they can't have crises of faith or whatever you want to call them. Quite the contrary; some of the best heroes have to question their beliefs now and then. "Am I really right? What if I'm doing more harm than good?" These questions should come across as a Hero's biggest enemy outside physical contact. It makes him or her doubt themselves and consider other alternatives. That's where a hero truly shines, I think. When they acknowledge the consequences of their actions, know that there's a downside to it, and that other people may very well view them as the villain and not the hero, yet still stand tall and say "No. This is my path. I know I'm right. Deep down, I know."

I think Captain America put it best during the Civil War event at Marvel. When Spider-Man asked him how he can keep going, despite the fact that the very country he represents is going against everything he's ever believed in as a person, Cap said the he has to, because "when the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world-- 'No. You move.'"

It stands to reason that one of the defining characteristics of every hero is to stick to their guns, to take the high road - even if it's the rockier one, with the steep cliffside - and prove to themselves and to everyone else that there is such a thing as objectively good and objectively bad. And they stand for that objective good. Does that link Loyalty and Determination together? I'd like to think so. You can't be loyal to your beliefs and not determined to prove them right.

Look at Batman real quick. He's loyal to his beliefs and he's determined to prove that no matter how bad things get, there'll always be someone to stand up for the people who can't defend themselves from the likes of Penguin or The Joker.


I think it's all connected. In order to inspire people, you have to have a confidence. To have that confidence, you have to be sure of yourself. To be sure of yourself, you have to be loyal to yourself and your ideals. To be loyal to them, you have to be determined to support them and those who share them, while still keeping an open mind to other possibilities.

I dunno, maybe I'm just rambling at this point. Lord knows it wouldn't be the first time my mind hasn't worked coherently or gone in anything but circles while I've been ill.

But no matter what my mental state at this point, or the coherency of this entry, I know for a fact that a Hero is someone who sees a wrong, stands up to fix it, and sticks to their guns no matter the odds. Someone who inspires. A Symbol.

What Makes a Hero?

I've  been asking myself that question a lot lately. I think everyone can agree that a hero needs to be determined and loyal - to himself if nothing else. But I think a Hero is something more than that. I can't quite place it yet, but I'm gonna keep thinking about it until I have a definite answer.

Hero. A Halfassed Poem.... thing.

Hero

Look outside.

Fear.

Death.

Hate.

What can I do?

How can I help?

Put it on.

A Hat.

A Coat.

A Mask.

No Thanks Needed.

Stand for what's right.

Honor.

Charity.

Compassion.

Help the Helpless.

Defend the Defenseless.

Code of a Hero.

A Symbol of Hope.

Discovering Ashes (12)

The stairs themselves were rusty, metal grated stairs. Obviously not meant for public use. I mean, what architect in their right mind would make the general public go up and down creaky, creepy, metal grates for stairs? They didn't match the outside at all! Hell, even the inside – as much as it was falling apart – had that weird.... pseudo-Gothic architecture all over! Arches, mini statues and gargoyles. Was this place really the main way hundreds of thousands of people got to this city? 

 

No matter.

I pulled open the rusted gate that closed the stairs off. Its bolts and hinges screamed at me to stop, to let it rust in peace. Chills went up my spine at the sound along with the piercing of my ears. Still, I had a job to do. Which meant running into the depths of hell if I had to.

“Here goes nothing...” I mumbled as I took my first few steps onto the stairs.

The grates shook with each move I made. Shift my weight to the left? Whole stairway moved, and a new layer of rust and dirt hit the ground beneath me. This was going to be fun...

With each step, I could hear the grates below me bending and bowing with a weight they hadn't felt in decades. God, where was Dex and his constant joking when I needed him? Anything to get my mind off of the idea of falling through one of these things and getting stuck in the oldest, dankest, darkest “basement” I'd ever seen in my life. Or smelled in this case. I swear, my light didn't go any farther than maybe twenty feet before all of the dust and dirt in the air just stopped it!

My heartbeat quickened as my feet touched the ground at the end of the stairway. I felt like I was some kind of explorer in an ancient ruin in some forgotten area of the world. For a minute, I wondered if this was what those jackass urban explorers I'd seen on the news loved about places like this. But that didn't make any sense, because they talked about the thrill and excitement of it all. I just felt like I wasn't welcome. An overwhelming sense of dread and hate filled the air all around me.

Discovering Ashes (11)

Immediately, I moved into the station itself. Inside, it was dark. Of course, that's something I should've expected from a rundown, abandoned train station, even in the afternoon! But something about it was off. It was too dark inside. With the sun blazing down outside, it should've been dark, but I still should've been able to see for Christ's sake!

“'ey Jack, Imma head to the left, see what's down that way. Alright?”

Did Dex say something? I wasn't too sure. I kept hearing something in the distance. Echoing.

“You hear that?” I asked. “It's like a... kid. I swear, I hear a kid down here!”

“A kid? You're hearin' things, Jackie-boy!”

“Heh.. Yeah, you're probably right. Just the wind or somethin', right?”

Dex moved off to the left, mentioning that he'd be down that way if I needed him or something. That sound I kept hearing was still nagging at me. The way the building looked on the inside wasn't helping matters, either. The wind or whatever it was that kept making that noise was making me a bit uneasy. It sounded... human, but not. And the way the crumbling walls looked in the darkness around me? It just made the whole area look – what? Odd? Out of it? Alien? Yeah, Alien's a good way of putting it. It didn't look or sound or feel like anything any sane person would ever build!

Shaking my head, I tried to get rid of the uneasiness. Nothing doing.

“S'okay, Jack,” I assured myself. “Just your mind playing tricks on ya.”

I walked forward, trying to keep an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious. Maybe I'd find the murderer and get some kind of medal? Would be kinda hard to know who he was or anything, though, since I didn't get to look at the body. How would I know what weapon he used?

Dammit, Holmes! That's filed under 'Shit I Need To Know'!

I got really nervous as soon as that thought hit me. A few deep breathes should've calmed me down, but they didn't. I pulled my pistol and flashlight from their respective spots on my belt. My right thumb flipped the safety off while the other pushed in the button on the end of the flashlight. The light was pretty damn bright in the dark. It comforted me in a weird way. At least now I could see what was shadow and what was rubble!

To my immediate left was a set of stairs, leading down. It was a good thing I'd turned on my light when I did, because otherwise, I probably would've missed it!

Discovering Ashes (Part .... Whatever.)

Chuckling, Dex answered the call. Sam sounded pissed!.... Or possibly annoyed. With her, it was hard for me to tell sometimes!

“Hey there, Sam-Girl! Whatcha got for us?”

“Cut the crap, Dexter. We've got a two-forty-one on South Wenchester. All hands on deck for this one, boys!”

“ Two-forty-one?” I mouthed.

I could feel the blood rushing to my face. My heart skyrocketed. In some morbid way, I was excited, relieved to get away from the semi-boring life of handing out speeding tickets every day. A real, honest to God murder! God help me, I felt like I was about to jump out of my seat, giddy as a school girl! It meant that I was back to helping keep the streets clean, catching the real bad guys!

“Jesus Christ, Sam... Gimme an address, we'll be there as soon as we can.”

“2540. You'd better hurry.”

“2540?” I repeated. “That's the old Station, isn't it?”

Dex shrugged.

“We're already there, Sammy.”

***

I was a bit surprised to find that I was right when I asked if the address was the old train station. When we pulled up to it, I was mesmerized. I didn't really see the patrol cars or even the forensics van. My entire attention was drawn to the building itself. Dilapidated, rotting away. A shell of it's former self. But what was so impressive about it was the sculptures surrounding almost every arch and archway. Every window. Some were small, others were.... huge. But not.

It felt like I was sitting in the car for a lifetime, admiring the works. Drawn in by the building. But it can't have been long, because the sound of a door opening brought me back to real life. Back to what I could only assume would be perimeter duty.

I'll be damned if I get stuck keeping the press-jockeys out!

Dex and I walked in tandem towards the main group of cops and detectives. And who should be there to acquaint us with the scene but the Queen Bitch of Ineptitude herself; Dick Holmes.

“Oh Fuck meee....” I whispered to Dex.

“I know, right? Looks like a fuckin' cold one already.”

“I swear, I can feel the bitchiness, Dex. It's contaminating the air!”

I chuckled a bit when Dex let out a nice, loud laugh. I swear, the guy found anything funny. It was good to have him as a partner sometimes. He helped keep things lite. Of course, his laughter drew the attention of most of the force there. Including Holmes.

“Well, well, if it isn't Carnegie and his boyfriend! Good of you two to join us!” She chided.

“My my, Detective! You remembered my name! Did the Lieutenant tie a string 'round your finger this morning? Or did you have to study flashcards last night?!”

Holmes was quiet for a second. Dex flipped her the bird with a smile on his face. A few of the guys and gals around us laughed a bit. Given just what we were here for, I'm sure it was a welcome distraction.

“So what's the deal, Detective?” I asked after everything'd calmed down and she went back to barking out orders.

Holmes glared at me. I swore, she was trying to stare a hole right through me or something! I wonder if she wished she had laser vision or something like that?

“Since you seem to think that my job's so easy, Officer, then you get to go looking through the lower levels for any would-be murderers! Try not to touch anything... important, you got it? Mark and bag up evidence as you come across it.”

I thanked whatever God was listening that I wasn't stuck keeping random people behind the yellow tape. I'm sure Holmes thought she was being clever by 'forcing' me to go look for whoever might've done.... whatever had been done.

Adversity

In our lives we are pressed against the wall numerous times. We face adversity constantly, and those who would harm us show no signs of stopping. But the measurement of a truly good, truly strong person is not by how much they attain, but by how much strength they have through that adversity. Through our problems, we find a courage and determination not seen at any other time in our lives. It is at that moment, when you're ready to give up, that your true nature can shine through and when you can stand up and say, "I. Will. Not. Quit."

Discovering Ashes (Part 9)

Next thing I knew, I was screaming and back in the patrol car. I looked out of the windows, confused, only to hear Dex beside me laugh. I jumped against the door, still shaken from that.... what the hell had it been anyway? A nightmare? Nightmares never felt that real before. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I was having a bit of trouble breathing. With each beat of my heart, I felt my lighter.

“You okay, Jack?” I heard Dex say between chuckles.

I payed him no mind as I fumbled for my lighter, patting myself all over to make sure I wasn't on fire just in case. When my fingers touched the chrome of the Zippo, it was warmer than usual. I shuddered, shaking my head as I pulled the lighter from my pocket. Why was it so warm? I couldn't help but think back to my nightmare. The burning had started with my lighter, but why? Why did I have that dream? Why was I getting so worked up over a silly nightmare?!

“Jack, you alright, man?” Dex put his hand on my shoulder.

Like before, I recoiled a bit, although this time it was much smaller of a reaction. I shook my head, dropping my lighter back into it's proper place.

“I'll be fine,” I assured him. “Fuckin' nightmare.”

“You, afraid of a little dream?! C'mon, Jack, you gotta be pullin' my leg!”

“I'm serious, Dex. I ain't had a dream like that since I was a kid!”

“Bullshit! Na, you're not the kinda guy to get worked up over a fuckin' dream, Jack. I know you better than that!”

“Can we just fuckin' drop it!?” I didn't realize it that I'd started to raise my voice.

“Jesus Christ, always with the God damn 'You ain't this' or 'You ain't that'! Lemme tell you somethin', partner, you might be a damn good cop, but you ain't no Dick fuggin' Tracy!”

I was fuming. At what, I didn't know. I knew I was angry at Dex for pressing the issue about the dream, but I really wasn't sure just why. Dex retreated back to his seat, watching the road in front of us quietly. I'd probably really hurt the guy's feelings, but dammit, he deserved it!... I think. There was something about the dream that was... familiar but not. It was a weird sense of Deja vu.

My heart skipped, no stopped, when my phone went off. I tried to ignore it, but with Crazy On You filling the car, Dex just looked over while I continued to ignore it. If I didn't answer it, then whatever bad news came with the phone call wouldn't reach me!

“You gonna get that, Jack?” Dex asked. I shook my head in response.

Of course, eventually, towards the end of the phone's ringing, I answered it. Morbid Curiosity, I suppose. I took a deep breath before actually saying anything.

“Yea-yeah?”

“Jack,” Dianne sounded annoyed. “I thought I asked you to take out the trash this morning before you left?”

I started laughing. Dianne didn't like that at all, and started yelling at me. Dex looked over at me, confused. And I couldn't help but keep laughing at my own stupidity! Stupidity and Relief!

“The hell's wrong with you, man?” Dex asked.

“Oh God, I'm sorry!” I choked out between laughs. “Oh, Di, I'm sorry, it's just a relief to hear you right now!”

Dianne said something, but I couldn't hear her, having pulled the phone away from my ear to get a hold of myself. Dex joined in on my laughter until the voice of Samantha, our Dispatcher, came over the radio.

“'ey, Jack, we got work, man!”

“Alright,” I turned my attention to Dianne, moving the phone back to my ear. “I'll take it out as soon as I get home, okay, Di? I gotta go keep the streets safe! Love ya!”

“Be safe, okay, Jack?” She said, the anger and annoyance replaced by a soft worried tone. “I swear if you make me have to go to a hospital, I'll kill you!”

“No worries, babe! See you when I get home!”

I hung up the phone. Sam was still calling our car, Dex was mocking me for the “lovey dovey shit”. With a smile, I socked him in the arm, glad I was finally getting over my anxiety from the nightmare. Glad that Dex was Dex and wouldn't hurt a fly. Well... as long as he liked the fly, he wouldn't hurt it.

Discovering Ashes (Part 8)

When the paramedics showed up for the kid, so did a few other officers, including lieutenant Samantha Codler and her “friend” Detective Holmes. Yeah, “Holmes”. I always had to laugh that she was one of the worst detectives I'd ever seen but had the same name as the world's greatest!

“Alright, Officer.... Carnegie?” Holmes shrill voice rose over the muted cries of the kid I'd shot.

“The very same, Detective!” I replied snarkily.

I seriously hated the bitch. Not because she was 'close' to the lieutenant, no that'd just be cliché and stupid. Wasted hate, really. No, I hated her because she had this holier than thou attitude towards guys like me. It came from her not being a native of this city, I think. She came from some podunk little town in Colorado – or at least she claimed to – where people 'treated people like people'. Why she ever moved to this city was beyond me.

“Don't get snide with me, Carnegie. I wanna know why you shot that kid in the back, right the hell now!”

She sounded like she was constipated, the way she forced that anger, I had to chuckle. Dex was off to the side, covering his mouth while watching, trying not to laugh himself. The lieutenant placed a hand on Holmes' shoulder, ushering her to the side. Of course, it shut Holmes up, but also made her young-ish face scrunch up, wrinkling the skin at her brow and her nose. She looked like a God damn pig!

“It's simple, really,” I said with a stupid grin on my face.

I really needed to learn how to keep a straight face while talking with Holmes.

“The kid took a few potshots at me and I returned fire! Don't believe me, just take a look at my shoulder!”

I pointed out the singed hole in my uniform. Holmes face immediately changed from one of constipated pig anger to confusion and curiosity. Like she'd never seen a bullet hole in a piece of fabric before. I could see her working things out in her head, forcing all of those too-small-to-work cogs to clunk together in something that might resemble thought.

“Here's this,” I said, handing over the riddle I'd found to the lieutenant. “It fell out of the kid's pocket. Figure it might be important.”

The lieutenant took a quick look at the paper, mumbling what I could only guess was the riddle. She held it for a few more moments before passing it on to Holmes who did roughly the same. Only she chuckled and read the name signed at the bottom aloud.

“A. F. Reinde? The hell kind of name is Reinde?”

“I think,” I started. “It's meant to be an anagram or alias of some kind for 'a friend'.”

Holmes smiled and handed the paper back to the lieutenant.

“Very good, Carnegie! Y'know, you'd make a good detective yourself!”

'Yeah, over my dead body', I wanted to say. But hey, I'd thought about it before. Detectives got more pay than I did. They got more time off than I did. And they did less dirty work than I did. Sounds like a decent job, right? Not to me. I liked the chance to dress in plain clothes and still carry the badge, sure, but I just thought I did more good out on the streets than not. People tend to not do things when a uniform's close by.

Instead of being sarcastic or rude with her, I shrugged and popped out my cigarettes. Getting shot at has a way of fraying your nerves and I seriously needed a stress reliever right now. Ms. Bitch wasn't helping matters, either.

“So what's it mean?” I asked after taking a long drag of the cigarette.

The lieutenant spoke up after having spent the last few moments wandering back and forth, her hand on her chin.

“Well, I'd say it's the delusional ramblings of a madman, myself, but the answer is plain as day; a human.”

“A human, huh? Well, that narrows things down a bit.” I mumbled. The lieutenant glared at me. Hey, I respected her, but I knew in my gut that there was something to the riddle and “A human” just didn't cut it for an answer. It didn't.... fit somehow!

“Sorry, Lieutenant.” I apologized. “Still a bit woozy from the whole deal.”

“Yeah, alright Carnegie. We'll finish this later. Did the EMTs check out that shoulder?”

“No ma'am. Shoulder's fine, don't worry about it. I've had worse!”

“Even so, I don't need to explain to the higher-ups why there's a cop running around with a broken shoulder blade on my watch.”

***

I kept running over the riddle the kid had on him for a while after that. The kid had said in a statement that he'd been sent after me, specifically. To “get my attention”. That, of course, made me too close to the issue, which meant me and Dex were pushed back onto street duty quicker than you could say “Freeze”.

Before I knew it, It'd been an entire week since the whole deal. While Dex sat in the driver's seat of our patrol car, I relaxed next to him, looking out into the skies. They were cloudy, and looked like the sky was confused. All of these different shades of gray and white and black. Perfect day for how I was feeling about that damn Riddle. Everything I thought about came back to that blasted thing! For the life of me, I couldn't think of an answer. Everyone else said it might've just been some delusional rambling that the kid had scrawled down, but the kid said he didn't remember any kind of riddle or piece of paper! So what did that mean? To me, it meant that someone out there wasn't just out to get me, it meant they wanted to test my patience and make sure that I knew who they were.

If I passed this 'test'.

“Hey, Dex,” I asked. “What do you think about that riddle from last week?”

Dex sighed and shook his head. It might've been the fifth time I'd asked him that question in the past three days. I knew his answer, already, but I was just asking for the sake of asking at this point.

“It's nothin', Jack! Just a buncha bullshit that crackpot kid wrote down!”

“But what about that whole deal that he was sent to 'get my attention' or whatever?”

“You honestly believe the jackass who tried to kill you?”

“And you wouldn't?”

Dex was quiet for a while. I could see that he was thinking about what I'd said. I'd never thought to bring up that logic previously, and now it just seemed like it was obvious to bring up at the beginning of the whole ordeal!

“Wouldn't it?”

“I gotta admit, Jack; you've got a point.”

“I know! That's what I've been sayin'! It doesn't. Make. Sense!”

“Hey, calm down, Jack! Now, look, it doesn't matter what that kid said. Is it weird? Yeah, I'll give ya that much, and it does sound freaky! But you gotta remember that he's... kinda wrong in the head, too!”

This time, it was my turn to get quiet. It was clear that Dex wasn't going to listen to my 'delusional ramblings' anymore. I figured it was best to let it go for now, or else I might start to get annoying; Dex's job, not mine.

Thank God for phones. Mine started going off, rescuing me from the conversation me and Dex had just had. While I fumbled to find it in my pockets, Dex laughed and Crazy On You filled our car. I felt blood rush to my head, knowing that Dex would find some way to make fun of it later. I was more pissed than anything, really, since that was me and Dianne's song.

I found the phone in my left coat pocket; how I'd forgotten it was there was beyond me. Just as the ringtone started to loop around for the third time, I pressed the green button on the screen before pulling the phone out of my pocket. As I brought the speaker up to my ear, I could hear her crying and I immediately got worried. Dianne never cried unless it was important. Even Dex shut up when he heard her voice cracking.

“J-Jack... You need to be home. Right now!” I was silent for a few moments.

“Jack! Jack Carnegie, you say something right now or so help me-!”

“Just calm down, okay? Calm down and tell me what happened! What's wrong?”

“I-I n-need you here, Jack... Someone broke in, and there's blood, and and and -”

I was more than thankful that my phone was loud when Dex immediately popped the car into Drive and floored it, Sirens blaring. I looked over to my friend and nodded thanks before turning my full attention back to Dianne.

“Shh,” I comforted as best as I could over a phone. “It's gonna be okay, okay? Where're the Kids?”

“They're-they're fine. Ally's still at School and Parker's at practice.”

“Oh thank God,” I sighed. “Just don't touch anything. We're on our way right now!”

“Hurry Jack... Please!”

“Don't hang up the phone, stay on the line, okay? I'll be there as soon as I can!”

“Dex, you get me back home as soon as you can, you got it?”

Any other time, Dex would've chuckled and made some kinda joke. This time, though? This time, he didn't answer me. He didn't even blink. Dex just kept turning the wheel as hard and as fast as he could when he needed to. Our car flew between signs, parked cars, and through red lights. All the while I continued to make sure she was okay. I kept running through everything she was saying in the back of my head, trying to make sense of it all. When I saw our street sign, I was relieved.

“Di, we're coming down the road now! Where are you?”

“I'm right in front of the house! I-I don't wanna be in there right now, Jack...”

“It's okay, I see you!” I couldn't help but smile as I felt my heart soar.

She looked okay from here, and that was all that mattered right now. Dex parked the car behind Dianne's Avalanche. The large truck made our patrol car look like a toy most days, but today, with the lights on, our patrol car looked more intimidating than the biggest truck you could imagine. Though that might've been because I jumped out before the car even stopped and rushed to see my wife. Or possibly because I swear I heard Dex jump over the hood of our car.

I was surprised to see no other cops around, investigating the scene. Had she not called 911? Just because I was a cop didn't mean I could take care of everything!

Dianne threw her arms around my neck, sobbing. I held her as close as I could, feeling myself grow warmer. I winced as a burning sensation started on my chest and started to spread. Dianne pulled away from me, looking worried. I looked at her, sweating and clutching my chest. Everything turned shades of orange and red with tinges of black on the edges of everything. Like an outline of ashes.

She started screaming, but I couldn't hear her. The pain in my chest spread throughout my body. I could feel every part of me erupt in pain, and I tried to scream. All I heard was an unearthly roar come from everywhere. Dex stepped in front of me, smiling. I reached out to him, begging for his help, and I noticed my hand. It was.... on fire? My whole body was on fire! What the hell?!

Dex started laughing at me, but that roar wouldn't let up! I saw Dianne behind him keep screaming, and Dex turned to her and fired his pistol without even a second's hesitation. I saw her fall to the ground. I could feel myself crying, screaming at God to fix whatever he'd done. And then everything exploded into flames. And I felt myself crumble away into nothing.

More on DA

There was this voice in the back of my head screaming "You screwed up, Jack!" but I didn't pay it much attention. If he died, he died. The guy shot first. Every cop in the tristate area would back me up!

I rushed over to the poor bastard, who was squirming and wiggling on the ground like some kind of worm. I had probably hit his spine or something. Honestly... it was actually kind of funny! That is, if it weren't for the fact that he kept screaming a single word.


"VIPER!" He screamed. "VIPER! VIPER!'

I bent down to check on him. He couldn't have been any older than 20, but he had a tattoo on his forehead that was just... off. A huge viper head staring back at me, moving with the kid's own squirms. Then the guy started laughing.

"The hell's wrong with you?! You okay? Hey, Kid!" I didn't dare touch him in case I made it worse.

"Why'd you go and shoot me for?!" I grumbled, hearing Dex coming up from behind. The only answer I got from the kid, besides "VIPER!" was a piece of paper that fell from his pocket.

I heard Dex utter "Jesus Christ, Jack" before he radioed in for paramedics as I picked up the paper just as blood started to paint the edges. At first I noticed that it wasn't folded, and was almost in pristine condition! Then I saw the writing on it. Typed, in bold font, was a riddle or a poem or... something. And a handscrawled signature.

Terrible Beast

Though I am

I Travel by various means

Land

Sea

Aair

I ruin the lands I visit

What am I?

-Sincerely yours

A. F. Reinde

More Discovering Ashes (I've forgotten what Part I'm on! XD )

The drive to the call went faster than I expected – It helped that there wasn't any traffic, what with the icy roads and all. Sometimes winter was alright. Dex stayed quiet, which was weird for him. Normally he was always talking about some city down south that he wanted to retire to, or how much of a jaggoff the mayor is, or something like that. It was nice to hear him shut up for a change, but that whole talk we had about him being a cigar kept running through my mind.

Freud would probably have a field day with that conversation.

"Alright," I said, turning the wheel to the left. Through the windshield I could see the woman who'd made the call. Mrs. Winnefrod was a nice old bat, but crazier than Chuck Manson sometimes. She always wore this... nightgown thing. I dunno what the hell it was, but it was always some shade of blue whenever we showed up. I think the woman bathed in it, for chrissakes! Today wasn't any different, either. She stood on her porch, snow everywhere, in her blue nightgown, tapping her foot on the ice. God, she was even barefoot! What the hell was wrong with this woman?!

I parked the car in front of her house and sighed. Dex was already halfway out of the door. I had to give him credit; the guy loved to help people and always tried to make up for lost time. Even if that time was deliberately wasted. I followed behind him slowly, not looking forward to the next crazy story Mrs. Winnefrod had to offer us.

“'Bout time you boys got here!” she scolded with that southern drawl of hers. At times, she sounded almost dignified and, I dunno... wise with it. Others.... not so much. “Ah've been waitin' an' waitin' an waitin'!”

“Ma'am, I know you've been waiting. I'm sorry for the delay,” Dex sounded bored, yet amused. I have no idea how that's even possible, but somehow the guy pulled it off as I wandered around the lawn, looking for anything that might be out of the ordinary. Well... out of the ordinary for her anyway. “What seems to be the problem, now?”

“They done tried t'steal my TV!” She yelled.

Wait... so she actually had a reasonable problem for us? And not some crackpot idea in her head that cats were Salsa Monsters from Krypton? Oh, this was going to be so much better than I'd originally thought! Maybe it was a serial burglar, or a small time kid who's just trying to pilfer a TV so he can eat? Either way, I was looking forward to it. At least until I started around the back of her house and heard three loud Bangs, all in quick succession. Something pushed me to my ass from my right shoulder and the corner of her house had two distinct explosions of dust and brick from where the bullets had hit the corner and not me. Thank God.

I didn't much check to see if I was bleeding or not. I knew It'd hit my vest. I was more worried about my lighter getting damaged than me, really. But that'd have to wait! I quickly pulled my pistol from it's holster on my side and held it high. Whoever this bozo was, they'd made me mad. And to be honest, I didn't want Dex to show up and me not have the situation under control. Last thing I needed today was him acting on that death wish of his!

“Hold it!” I screamed at a sillhouette running down a small alley. I saw the gun in his hand as I heard Dex running up behind me, alerting the whole precinct that shots'd been fired. I squeezed the trigger once. Hey, I'd been shot at, that gave me an excuse to fire back, God dammit! Any other cop would back me up on that!

The hot shell from the nine millimeter round struck the right side of my face, burning me a bit. I'd probably have to shave! Dammit, I'd been working on this beard for a week now! That son of a bitch! Lucky for him, he went down on that shot. Unlucky for me, since now I'd have to explain why I didn't aim for the legs or something if I'd got him in the back.