Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original plot and characters are the property of the author. The author is NOT associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any recognizable franchises mentioned in story. No copyright infringement is intended.
AN: This is my first one-shot ever. So I hope you enjoyed reading this because it was sure a pleasure to write it.
The sky was the clearest blue he had ever seen in years. It was the kind of blue that would frustrate artists because there was no way they could make it. Even the sun was brighter than usual, but the heat was warm like a blanket from the dryer.
The clouds were an extra fluffy, white.
"I wonder if cotton balls would be jealous."
His eyes wandered the endless blues and whites. He couldn't find any shapes in the puffiness…
"Oh wait. There's a bunny eating a carrot, and a dog, and an airplane, and a person walking, and a car…"
A couple of birds flew through his line of sight and he followed them as they danced around each other. Flying like a twin rollercoaster guided by invisible, steel tracks.
Round. Twist. Straight. Turn. Round. Straight. Turn.
Then they disappeared out of sight behind a tall office building complex. Its gray walls dulled the sunlight, but its windows amplified and directed the light downward onto the boulevard. Dark green trees lined the concrete and brown brick patterned the ground. The leaves swayed in the air making the branches wave. It reminded him of Las Vegas dancers waving their feathered fans around swinging their hips from side to side in time with the music, entrancing the audience with movement.
Step left. Step right. Left. Right. Turn. Sway. Turn. Left. Left. Right. Bow.
A man walked by him and his eyes followed until he disappeared in the crowd. There was nothing strange about the man, but his mind had already archived the light green shirt with the dark green trim, the white tennis shoes with a piece of pink gum stuck under the left shoe, the blue jeans with fraying white ends, the dark brown hair cropped short on the sides…
He shook his head. The guy needed some style tips.
He shifted a bit on the wooden bench, stretching his legs out.
Packs of people walked back and forth on the sidewalk a few feet ahead. Cars glittered as they, too, drove back and forth on the street.
His eyes followed the movement, getting lost in the ever changing colors that appeared and disappeared in his limited vision.
It seemed like nothing, sitting here was what he wanted to do. It was all he wanted to do. Sit here. Drink this smoothie and enjoy the breeze coming from the ocean behind him.
But why was he sitting here and why did he want to?
He shrugged at the questions.
It wasn't like there weren't any cases to work on. There were plenty.
Two accidental deaths. "Machinery malfunction and a safety violation, which turned into a cover-up."
Two robberies. "A bank teller and a delivery boy. Who would've knew?"
One murder. "It was the cat's fault. Well more like the sister-in-law's fault for intentionally bringing the animal in the room where a very allergic, multi-millionaire stayed, and refusing to give medical care to the slowly, dying man. What a way to go."
And one hit-and-run.
He sipped at his pineapple-strawberry smoothie, still watching the traffic.
Left. Right. Right. Left. Signal. Stop. Turn. Right. Left. Right.
Twenty-six cars drove by in the pass seven minutes. Not counting any of the semis, trucks, vans, SUVs, motorcycles, scooters, and that one weird looking…
He couldn't really describe what the three-wheeled vehicle was.
His eyes wandered again taking note of the many vendors around: hot dogs, souvenirs, cotton candy, peanuts, tacos, lemonade slushies, popcorn, candy apples covered in bright red…
He was getting hungry, yet his stomach hadn't growled. He shrugged at the strangeness and then took a sipped of his smoothie. Maybe it was time to stop sitting around. He took another full sip, enjoying the taste before standing up and stretching.
His bones popped just as a loud screeching sounded from the street. He paused in med stretch.
Light gray smoke fluttered in the air from the dark green car stopped in the street a few feet in front of him and he watched as the smoke swirled in the air.
Round, twist, turn, wave…
Then it dissipated completely and a new wave of gray smoke floated in the air as the sound of screeching tires again took over the air.
He looked on and followed with his eyes as the dark car sped off, carrying the driver away. A man, mid-30s, slick-back hair, sunglasses, and a frown on a familiar face. 5BBM299
Swerve left; swerve right, two red lights, and one frantic turn–
His attention turned back. A crowd had gathered in front of him blocking any view. Their hectic murmurs and talks blending together to create sounds of complete nonsense to his ears. He took another sip of sweet and tanginess with mouth pressed to the white straw with two red stripes.
"Someone call 911!"
"Help!"
"Don't move!"
"They're on the way!"
"Hold on! Please, hold on!"
That last one was familiar and he soon found his feet moving on its own toward and through the multicolored crowd.
A leisurely walk, move right, move left, left, straight, right…
The crowd opened to the inner space, the dark gray circle of concrete full of people. People who had jobs to do. All except one. Or was it two?
The scene was frantic and he had to wonder how all the cop cars suddenly appeared, along with a familiar dark blue car. He had only been in the crowd for a second.
"Where's the bus?!"
"I don't know."
"Ten minutes, sir."
"We don't have ten minutes!"
He started to walk into the inner circle.
Strawberry-pineapple smoothie still in hand, straw still pressed against his lips, and slowly, ever slowly sipping the sweet tangy drink.
He could hear crying.
"Don't leave me alone."
"It's okay. He's gonna make it. He has to."
"Is he really?!"
And the closer he walked toward the small huddle of people in the center, the more he wondered what was happening,
Why was Lassie so heated in getting help…? His face a frustrated mask of pain,
Why was Jules trying so hard to not breakdown…? Her beautiful face swelling with unshed tears,
And Gus… covered in splashes of bright red… His face in pure anguish.
The straw started to descend with his hand and his smoothie with its sweet taste slowly faded from his mind as he continued to creep closer to the scene.
Then he saw the pale hand his best friend was holding onto so tightly. Gus' dark skin turning gray from stress.
And he saw the body connected to the pale hand his friend was holding onto so tightly.
And something indescribable passed through him and he suddenly found himself running…
Past a cylinder container; its thick liquid splashed pink with bits of yellow and red chunks across the steaming ground.
Traveling ever closer toward the huddled group of people around this one, lone body.
And he stopped and stood a few feet away, his mind taking in everything…
Seeing everything…
The colorful crowd with nineteen hats, six officers with more on the way, two detectives, one best friend, three dogs, no birds, no cats, five cameras, two dark streaks seared into the asphalt, the smell of burned rubber in the small ocean breeze, the sun shining high making the glass glitter like snow on the concrete, the sky: the brightest blue ever seen, the clouds: the fluffiest white,
…and the body on the cold, gray ground.
That was surrounded by the three people that he cared the most for…
He stayed staring at the body on the ground.
That was surrounded by a colorful crowd with nineteen hats… nineteen hats … nineteen…
Seeing Gus across the street.
Crossing the street on red when the walking man lit up white.
Machine counting down… 10, 9, 8…
Smiling at Gus as he crossed the street with pineapple and strawberry smoothie in hand.
Two horns blared from far away.
Enjoying sweet tangy taste of pure awesomeness.
Smiling at Gus, waving a free hand, thinking about visiting that taco stand behind his friend.
Never seeing, never paying attention, never taking in the speeding dark green car with one frustrated man aiming, driving, planning… crashing…
He'd forever take in everything else, anything else, except for:
The rush of heavy winds.
The crunch of glass and bone.
The thump on the ground.
The yells of people.
The feeling of sticky wetness trailing down his skin and the red water against his back, spreading, slowly stretching in a bright pool across the hot pavement.
Instead he'd focus his eyes:
Past the concern faces of his friends,
Past the officers and arriving paramedics,
Past the colorful crowd with the nineteen hats and three dogs,
Past the three digital cameras in hands and two security cameras on the roofs,
Past the many trees swaying like dancers and the dull, gray building reflecting light,
Past the birds fluttering and twisting in the air…
He would focus his eyes passed all those and up at the mixture of blue and white.
The same colors that had formed a bunny, a dog, an airplane…
A small smile crossed his face as one thought was spoken into existence.
"The sky is the clearest blue I've ever seen."
Then he drifted off into sleep.