The journey from alleyway to the police station took an hour, an hour for
Jason to think, to understand, to realize that he was about to go into a
police station and kill a cop. He was going to kill someone whose whole job
was to protect and to serve, to be there for the neighborhood. He shouldn't
be doing this.
Tom noticed it too, the hesitation in Jason's eyes.
"Are you ok Jason?" Tom's soft voice said.
"No Tom, I'm not ok. I can't do this, not suppose to do this. I'm not like you, I'm alive. I wasn't brought back to exact vengeance, I'm on earth to pay for my own stupidity."
"No Jason, there is more to it than that. The crow knows, knows about you, about your life, knows where your future is. You are suppose to help me, it was destined."
"By who? This crow that speaks to you!!! We are on the way to go kill a cop, a policeman. We are going into a police station full of people with GUNS and the crow expects us to kill him? With what? The smell coming off of my body?"
Tom looks at Jason, stops walking, waits for Jason to stop too.
"Jason, the crow knows about you. Let's go to the police station, then afterwards it'll tell you what you want to know." Tom was pleading now, puppy dog eyes any mother couldn't resist. But Jason wasn't a puppy, wasn't the kind to get all emotional over chick flicks. But Tom's eyes pulled him in, changed him. He knew he had to do it, Tom couldn't.
"Let's go, we are almost there."
They continued to walk along the street; passed several more stop lights, turned right twice, and came into view of the police station. It was well lit, lights on all over, police officers walking around outside, incoming, outgoing.
"How." was all Jason said before Tom pulled his hand, leading him to the front door. They opened automatically, a whoosh of heat hit their faces. To the right was an officer, didn't even give them a second glance. Several feet in stood a huge desk, raised 2 feet over Jason's head. An overweight cop sat at the chair there. Officers passed in front of the odd pair, looked them over, but no one ever stopped. Two officers waited with metal detectors, scanned them both. When they were done they went back to the post.
"May I help you?"
Jason looked forward, the overweight man had spoken.
"Uhhhh."
"We are looking for Lieutenant McDully please." Tom jumped in. Jason had forgotten that he didn't know the name of the next one.
"And why are you looking for him?"
Jason stepped in to answer this one. "He was working on a case for us, regarding this little boy's mom."
The man looked them both over. "Lieutenant McDully only handles homicide."
"Exactly."
The man looked them both over again, and then picked up the phone, calling for McDully.
"Yeah, McDully.I know you don't want to be bothered but I have two.no, men.older, maybe a bum, younger boy around 8, 9 years of age.ok, I will."
He hung up the phone, turned to them. "Ok, first door on the right. It's an isolation chamber, don't mind that. He is just finishing up on a previous case."
They walked down the hall and came to the first door they saw. Jason knocked and waited for a reply.
"Come."
Opening the door, they enter a small room with a barred window, a small table with two chairs. McDully is sitting at the table, and doesn't take his eyes away from what he is doing.
"What do you want, I'm rather busy with this case?"
Jason coughs, clearing his throat before speaking.
"My name is Jason, this is Tom, and."
"Front desk says it's regarding someone's mom. What is it about?"
"Do you remember me?" Tom asks.
McDully looks ups, measures him up and down, then goes back to his paperwork.
"No."
Tom continues. "Eight years ago you and two friends hit a little boy in a car. You were in the backseat."
McDully stops what he is doing, looks back up at him.
"Kid, I don't have time for this. I have a lot to do before going home."
".to what?" Tom interrupts. "The crow says."
"The crow?"
".the crow says that you have no family, no real friends. You had made lieutenant by staging the crimes you solved, conspiring with Joey Rigaldo. He'd commit the crimes, you solved them."
McDully looked around, his brow starting to shine from sweat. "Very cute kid, but that is not true. I paid my dues, solved murders these other bastards couldn't."
"That's because you had Joey do it for you."
"Listen kid. I don't have time for this. Now leave before I have some nice policemen show you outside." He tried to look back at his paperwork, but when Jason nor Tom left, he stood up and made a move for the door.
Jason blocked his way. "Look at the boy, really look at him. You'll remember his face."
McDully looked at Tom, and that is when he grabbed McDully's hand. Electricity seemed to have traveled throughout his body for the hair that was on his head went straight up, his body started to shiver. Jason looked at Tom, saw the tears fall down from his cheek as he showed McDully what others saw, what others felt.
Tom let go of McDully, and he fell back, tripping over a chair, his back hitting the wall. He pulled out his 9mm, and pointed it at them.
"Who the fuck are you two??? What the fuck did you do to me???"
Tom looked at McDully and said, "What you felt is what the victims of Joey felt, saw, smelt. It's also what I felt when I was hit by the car you were in."
Recognition crossed his face, remembering Tom.
"You.you are dead."
"The crow brought me back."
"But you can't be here, you can't, you are dead. Those people didn't die in vain, I am in a position to forever change the world."
"You killed innocent people, they didn't deserve that."
"And you don't deserve this either, coming back to haunt me, nothing but a ghost of how I use to be when I was a child. You are not real, and not here."
McDully pulls out his gun, points it at Tom.
"Good-bye ghost."
He pulls the trigger. The bullet seems to leave the gun in slow motion, traveling slowly towards Tom. Jason sees it too, and runs in front of Tom. Suddenly the bullet speeds up, hitting Jason in the left side of his chest. The force of the bullet spins him away from Tom, landing him in the corner by the door. McDully walks towards Jason. Tom tries to stop him but McDully just pushes him to the side. He comes up and flips Jason over, checks him for breathing. Nothing.
"Looks like your friend is dead little boy. Now it's your turn, no more ghosts from the past, no more."
McDully lifts the gun and points. He pulls the trigger back and is about to shoot when a strong arm lifts his shooting hand up, the gun fires, the bullet hits the ceiling. McDully turns and stares into Jason's face.
"Whu.whu."
Jason twists McDully's hand, drops the gun, but doesn't stop twisting till he hears bones crunch and break. He keeps twisting until one of his bones in his arm breaks and rips through the skin. McDully cries out in pain, blood pours from the wound.
"We all must pay for our sins McDully, you should have paid for yours 8 years ago."
Jason takes his other hand and grabs the back of McDully's head, and with a quickness he never thought possible he slams McDully's head onto the protruding bone in his arm. With the force he had applied he watches the skull push down skin and bone, exposing more bone until he sees the tip of the bone come out of the top of McDully's skull.
He lets the body drop to the floor and runs to Tom. After checking that he was ok, he asks him how he is still alive, he felt the bullet enter him.
"We have to go Jason, you'll find out soon enough."
"NO!!! Now."
"Jason, we have to go. The crow silenced the room, but we have to go now before someone opens the door. Wait till we are safe, the crow will tell you."
Tom grabs Jason's hand and they exit the room. No police are rushing the room, waiting to shoot them. They are walking around normally as if nothing happened.
They exit the police station with no question, no one stopping them. They turn the corner, and Tom is trying to pull him in one direction, but Jason practically drags Tom towards a side alley.
Tom is about to question but Jason hushes him.
"How.how am I still alive?"
Tom looks at Jason, then turns his head, waiting for the crow.
Jason lightly touches Tom's face, moving it to meet his eyes.
"How?"
"About 9 ½ years ago you died."
"No I didn't."
".when you were on a bridge about to commit suicide."
Jason is quiet. He remembers that day perfectly, remembers that day like it was yesterday: down on his luck, couldn't take the humiliation anymore of wandering the streets, a nobody, tired of begging for food or money.
"That is not possible, I didn't jump."
"You were about to when you heard a car squealing. You were about to turn around when the car hit you. You were killed instantly."
"NO.NO.THAT IS NOT TRUE.!!!" Jason yelled. "If I died then how can I be here now?"
Tom looks away from Jason, knowing Jason had the answer to that question.
"No.the crow.I can't be.If I'm dead why would I come back, I have no need for vengeance."
"Jason.," Tom said to him, grabbing his hand, pulling him closer to him, "you weren't suppose to die that day, you were wrongfully killed. The car squealed out of control."
Jason looked up as the crow squawked, coming to land on his shoulder. Looking into it's dark eyes, the crow showed him the future he could never have: he was about to jump, but decided not to, to change his life, to be a better man; he got a job at a diner, then worked up to better jobs; he got a place of his own, then, 2 years to the day after graduating, he saw his parents for the first time in years; tears had flowed down his face, he was happy once again; he went back to college, received his diploma in math/science, a minor in philosophy, and became a scientist; before he died at the age of 96, he had done the one thing no one could: he cured cancer.
Or would have, if he had lived.
Tom noticed it too, the hesitation in Jason's eyes.
"Are you ok Jason?" Tom's soft voice said.
"No Tom, I'm not ok. I can't do this, not suppose to do this. I'm not like you, I'm alive. I wasn't brought back to exact vengeance, I'm on earth to pay for my own stupidity."
"No Jason, there is more to it than that. The crow knows, knows about you, about your life, knows where your future is. You are suppose to help me, it was destined."
"By who? This crow that speaks to you!!! We are on the way to go kill a cop, a policeman. We are going into a police station full of people with GUNS and the crow expects us to kill him? With what? The smell coming off of my body?"
Tom looks at Jason, stops walking, waits for Jason to stop too.
"Jason, the crow knows about you. Let's go to the police station, then afterwards it'll tell you what you want to know." Tom was pleading now, puppy dog eyes any mother couldn't resist. But Jason wasn't a puppy, wasn't the kind to get all emotional over chick flicks. But Tom's eyes pulled him in, changed him. He knew he had to do it, Tom couldn't.
"Let's go, we are almost there."
They continued to walk along the street; passed several more stop lights, turned right twice, and came into view of the police station. It was well lit, lights on all over, police officers walking around outside, incoming, outgoing.
"How." was all Jason said before Tom pulled his hand, leading him to the front door. They opened automatically, a whoosh of heat hit their faces. To the right was an officer, didn't even give them a second glance. Several feet in stood a huge desk, raised 2 feet over Jason's head. An overweight cop sat at the chair there. Officers passed in front of the odd pair, looked them over, but no one ever stopped. Two officers waited with metal detectors, scanned them both. When they were done they went back to the post.
"May I help you?"
Jason looked forward, the overweight man had spoken.
"Uhhhh."
"We are looking for Lieutenant McDully please." Tom jumped in. Jason had forgotten that he didn't know the name of the next one.
"And why are you looking for him?"
Jason stepped in to answer this one. "He was working on a case for us, regarding this little boy's mom."
The man looked them both over. "Lieutenant McDully only handles homicide."
"Exactly."
The man looked them both over again, and then picked up the phone, calling for McDully.
"Yeah, McDully.I know you don't want to be bothered but I have two.no, men.older, maybe a bum, younger boy around 8, 9 years of age.ok, I will."
He hung up the phone, turned to them. "Ok, first door on the right. It's an isolation chamber, don't mind that. He is just finishing up on a previous case."
They walked down the hall and came to the first door they saw. Jason knocked and waited for a reply.
"Come."
Opening the door, they enter a small room with a barred window, a small table with two chairs. McDully is sitting at the table, and doesn't take his eyes away from what he is doing.
"What do you want, I'm rather busy with this case?"
Jason coughs, clearing his throat before speaking.
"My name is Jason, this is Tom, and."
"Front desk says it's regarding someone's mom. What is it about?"
"Do you remember me?" Tom asks.
McDully looks ups, measures him up and down, then goes back to his paperwork.
"No."
Tom continues. "Eight years ago you and two friends hit a little boy in a car. You were in the backseat."
McDully stops what he is doing, looks back up at him.
"Kid, I don't have time for this. I have a lot to do before going home."
".to what?" Tom interrupts. "The crow says."
"The crow?"
".the crow says that you have no family, no real friends. You had made lieutenant by staging the crimes you solved, conspiring with Joey Rigaldo. He'd commit the crimes, you solved them."
McDully looked around, his brow starting to shine from sweat. "Very cute kid, but that is not true. I paid my dues, solved murders these other bastards couldn't."
"That's because you had Joey do it for you."
"Listen kid. I don't have time for this. Now leave before I have some nice policemen show you outside." He tried to look back at his paperwork, but when Jason nor Tom left, he stood up and made a move for the door.
Jason blocked his way. "Look at the boy, really look at him. You'll remember his face."
McDully looked at Tom, and that is when he grabbed McDully's hand. Electricity seemed to have traveled throughout his body for the hair that was on his head went straight up, his body started to shiver. Jason looked at Tom, saw the tears fall down from his cheek as he showed McDully what others saw, what others felt.
Tom let go of McDully, and he fell back, tripping over a chair, his back hitting the wall. He pulled out his 9mm, and pointed it at them.
"Who the fuck are you two??? What the fuck did you do to me???"
Tom looked at McDully and said, "What you felt is what the victims of Joey felt, saw, smelt. It's also what I felt when I was hit by the car you were in."
Recognition crossed his face, remembering Tom.
"You.you are dead."
"The crow brought me back."
"But you can't be here, you can't, you are dead. Those people didn't die in vain, I am in a position to forever change the world."
"You killed innocent people, they didn't deserve that."
"And you don't deserve this either, coming back to haunt me, nothing but a ghost of how I use to be when I was a child. You are not real, and not here."
McDully pulls out his gun, points it at Tom.
"Good-bye ghost."
He pulls the trigger. The bullet seems to leave the gun in slow motion, traveling slowly towards Tom. Jason sees it too, and runs in front of Tom. Suddenly the bullet speeds up, hitting Jason in the left side of his chest. The force of the bullet spins him away from Tom, landing him in the corner by the door. McDully walks towards Jason. Tom tries to stop him but McDully just pushes him to the side. He comes up and flips Jason over, checks him for breathing. Nothing.
"Looks like your friend is dead little boy. Now it's your turn, no more ghosts from the past, no more."
McDully lifts the gun and points. He pulls the trigger back and is about to shoot when a strong arm lifts his shooting hand up, the gun fires, the bullet hits the ceiling. McDully turns and stares into Jason's face.
"Whu.whu."
Jason twists McDully's hand, drops the gun, but doesn't stop twisting till he hears bones crunch and break. He keeps twisting until one of his bones in his arm breaks and rips through the skin. McDully cries out in pain, blood pours from the wound.
"We all must pay for our sins McDully, you should have paid for yours 8 years ago."
Jason takes his other hand and grabs the back of McDully's head, and with a quickness he never thought possible he slams McDully's head onto the protruding bone in his arm. With the force he had applied he watches the skull push down skin and bone, exposing more bone until he sees the tip of the bone come out of the top of McDully's skull.
He lets the body drop to the floor and runs to Tom. After checking that he was ok, he asks him how he is still alive, he felt the bullet enter him.
"We have to go Jason, you'll find out soon enough."
"NO!!! Now."
"Jason, we have to go. The crow silenced the room, but we have to go now before someone opens the door. Wait till we are safe, the crow will tell you."
Tom grabs Jason's hand and they exit the room. No police are rushing the room, waiting to shoot them. They are walking around normally as if nothing happened.
They exit the police station with no question, no one stopping them. They turn the corner, and Tom is trying to pull him in one direction, but Jason practically drags Tom towards a side alley.
Tom is about to question but Jason hushes him.
"How.how am I still alive?"
Tom looks at Jason, then turns his head, waiting for the crow.
Jason lightly touches Tom's face, moving it to meet his eyes.
"How?"
"About 9 ½ years ago you died."
"No I didn't."
".when you were on a bridge about to commit suicide."
Jason is quiet. He remembers that day perfectly, remembers that day like it was yesterday: down on his luck, couldn't take the humiliation anymore of wandering the streets, a nobody, tired of begging for food or money.
"That is not possible, I didn't jump."
"You were about to when you heard a car squealing. You were about to turn around when the car hit you. You were killed instantly."
"NO.NO.THAT IS NOT TRUE.!!!" Jason yelled. "If I died then how can I be here now?"
Tom looks away from Jason, knowing Jason had the answer to that question.
"No.the crow.I can't be.If I'm dead why would I come back, I have no need for vengeance."
"Jason.," Tom said to him, grabbing his hand, pulling him closer to him, "you weren't suppose to die that day, you were wrongfully killed. The car squealed out of control."
Jason looked up as the crow squawked, coming to land on his shoulder. Looking into it's dark eyes, the crow showed him the future he could never have: he was about to jump, but decided not to, to change his life, to be a better man; he got a job at a diner, then worked up to better jobs; he got a place of his own, then, 2 years to the day after graduating, he saw his parents for the first time in years; tears had flowed down his face, he was happy once again; he went back to college, received his diploma in math/science, a minor in philosophy, and became a scientist; before he died at the age of 96, he had done the one thing no one could: he cured cancer.
Or would have, if he had lived.