“This will be recorded,” the police officer said, pressing the record button on the tape recorder. He leaned back in his chair, resulting in a squeak. He crossed his arms over his uniformed chest, twitched his moustache and looked at the boy. He was a poor excuse for a man after the murders and an even poorer excuse for a hero. The second police man chewed on his gum, leaning on the table, staring at the boy.
“I need you to tell us everything that happened, from the beginning,” said the second officer.
Cramped in a small soundproof box was not the kind of thing to make a person feel right at home, but that’s probably the reason why the officers used it. The beige walls were intimidating to the boy. He didn’t want to have to see them anymore than he had to.
His withdraw was starting, and he needed a glass of water. He chewed on the inside of his cheek and on his tongue nervously and out of need for his fix. His eyes darted around the room and he clutched the bottom of the chair to hold himself down. His legs were rapidly bouncing up and down. Finally, he spoke.
“I-I need m-my fix,” he stuttered. He was always pushed around for his stutter, and never taken seriously. He wasn’t about to tell his whole life story while the drugs were on his mind.
“We can’t give dugs to you, boy. Against the law,” the first policeman mocked as the other laughed.
Withdrawing back inside himself, his sunken and purple rimmed eyes became downcast, but he kept his twitch. “B-but I n-need it.”
“Don’t worry. After you answer the questions we’ll get you help.”
To the boy, this meant ‘to drugs’ so, in order to get his fix, he decided to answer the officers.
“I-it w-was w-when I w-was j-just s-s-sixteen…”
_______________________________________________________________________
The sun was just peeking out above the clouds and the fog hadn’t yet rolled in on the ocean’s shoreline. A chickadee was chirping to its own morning tune as it flew above the trees. The gulls laughed in the air as the younger bird had dove into the water, yet missed its catch. Miles away from the ocean was the run down and beat up neighbour hood where he lived. That morning, it was his 17th birthday, and he was going to never forget it.
Being shaken off the couch, he opened his eyes once he hit the floor. He was not smiling, it was more like a smile of hatred, but he planted one on for show. His sheet entangled him, but he made his way out. “What is it, da?” He asked his father.
First beer of the day in hand, he said, “I gotcha a present. It’s outside. Come with me.”
He didn’t argue about needed to change or fix himself up, he just stood up and walked out the front door. Upon closing it, the house seemed to shake, but that was something that he had been used to for many years now.
Out on the ruddy street was a dark blue hatchback. He had never seen anything better in his life. Birthdays were usually fifteen dollars and a slap on the back saying, “One more year closer to dying, kid.”
He felt like he could cry, but he would get kicked for it, so he just smiled, this one being real, and said, “Th-thank you s-so m-much, da.”
“Yeah, well, ya motha and I, we thought yous could finally get a car so yous could go to work.” He took a swig. The bottle was steadily on its way to becoming empty. “Hey, Jay, catch.” His father took keys out of his shit brown from weathering robe and tossed them to his son.
Catching the keys, Jade slowly walked to his car. Jade pushed the key into the lock, turned it and pulled it out. The click was satisfying enough. Jade had never been in a car before, except for maybe the city bus, but that was it. He could have just sat in one for a few minutes and that would have been enough, but he had one to sit in all his own. And all the while he couldn’t wipe that stupid smile off his face.
He pulled open the door and sat in the car, door opened. He closed his eyes and smelled the fresh scent of piss and smoke. He didn’t mind. His house smelt worse. He closed the car door and looked in the cracked mirror. He turned it and looked at himself with it. Still, the smile was there.
A few seconds later his dad banged on the car door making Jade jump. He didn’t know how to unlock the door, but he saw a small button on the side and pushed it. All of the locks came up and his father sat down in the car. The beer was empty and he tossed it into the street among the rest of the broken bear bottles. “So, ya like tha car?”
Jade nodded.
“I’m gunna teach ya ta drive, boyo. Put the keys in the ignition.”
Jade gave him a look of confusion. Frustrated, his father grabbed the keys from his hands and shoved them into the ignition, turning the car on. The purr of the old car was choked, but it would run. His father pointed to the stick shift. “P R N D L.”
“W-what does t-that s-stand for?” Jade asked.
“Park, reverse, neutral, drive and lock, I think. Just move the fucking thing to the R.”
Jade nodded quickly, grabbing the round object and pulling it back to the R. He anxiously moved the mirror to show the road behind and slammed the brakes.
“No, ya fucking idiot. That’s the damn breaks. Hit tha one next to that, but not too hard.”
Jade did as he was told.
“Now, turn tha wheel to tha left. Good, now move tha stick to the D.”
He moved the stick to the D and moved off of the parking space on the road. He was delighted that he didn’t fuck up too badly at this point. The drive through the broken street continued with a few curses, but Jade knew not to upset his father and do as he was damn well told.
The sun was just bringing light to the street when a shot that broke hearts rung in their ears. Jade hit the brakes fast and hard, and slammed himself into the horn. That hadn’t been the first time a gunshot was heard on their street, but to have it so close to them was frightening. They looked behind them to see a man in black who looked to rich for this neighbour hood near their home, and he was just walking away. Jade threw the car into reverse, and sped as fast as the old car would go. He hit the brakes once again outside his house, even though it was the middle of the road.
Trying the locked door, his dad told him to unlock the fucking car. He hit the button again and the locks jumped. He pushed the door open, and didn’t bother shutting the car door as he stumbled up the curb. Halfway up the lawn, his father shoved him down into the grass. Watching the robed man from his place on the ground, he realized how fucked up his life was.
Jade noticed something before his father reached the door. The glass to his parent’s room was shattered. He heard his fathers screams before they happened and he saw the blood from a thousand miles away. “Da!” he called out. It was then the door flew open to his house. His father didn’t even turn hearing the call.
Jade knew it all along, but he wouldn’t say so. He let it all unfold as time stopped around him. A horrified scream of depression and profanities vibrated off the walls of the house and made their way through the shattered glass windows.
He pulled himself up and ran into the house, fully aware of what was to be seen. Turning to the right, he saw the opened door. He saw his father cursing and crying on the now blood stained floor. His mother, not yet out of bed, was covered in fresh blood, the blood belonging to her. She had just woken up and looked out the window. She saw the man with his gun and didn’t scream. She was ready for this. She pushed the blankets forward and let the bullet hit her. Her brains splattered against the walls as her body fell backwards onto the bed, limp.
Jade had seen this all in his mind. All he couldn’t see was the why. Or the who. And he was never fully prepared for the monumental crash he was about to go through. He was never prepared and he never saw that coming. For him, this was the beginning of the walk through Hell.
~~~~~~~
Likey?
R&M
C&S
