The Witness
Chapter 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The young man was in a bad situation. It wasn't that he was a bad kid. Oh, he'd done some terrible things, but it was all in the name of survival.
Fourteen-year-old Cole Taylor had been on his own for the last three years. His mother had given him up for adoption when he was born. He was in one foster home after another, being shuffled back and forth, with no real sense of family or belonging. When he was 11, he was placed in a foster home where he was abused. He didn't like it, so after a year he left. He'd been on his own now for the past two and a half years. He didn't like it, but he didn't have to deal with the abuse anymore.
But, living on the streets made other things necessary - like stealing food so he could eat. And depending on handouts from people on the street that gave him pathetic looks. At least he was able to buy the occasional hot meal and feel a little better than when he tried to stuff things in his pockets and run out hoping the owner couldn't catch him.
And then there was the gang. He'd heard they were bad news during the brief times that he attended school. He hadn't been in school in a long time, but he could read and he was pretty good at math his teachers had told him. He loved reading and had a library card where he would go on really cold days and spend the day reading through all kinds of books. When he wasn't in the library, he lived in abandoned buildings or on the street. After being on the street for a while, he was befriended by the brother of a gang member of the Latin Lords. He started to bring him around the gang and soon enough they had made him feel like a part of their family - even though he was a caucasian boy in a predominantly black and Hispanic gang. It felt good that someone cared about him, cared about protecting him - even though they did do things he didn't agree with. Some family was better than no one - wasn't it? And then came the drugs and the drinking. He was goaded into trying it. It helped him to forget about how unhappy he was. Gradually, he stopped going to the library although he took his card out frequently and looked at it. The drugs and alcohol took more and more of a hold on him. He found himself doing anything he could to get the money for more.
And now, here he was involved in something he'd wanted no part of. The gang was in the middle of a crime. He knew it was wrong, but what was he supposed to do. They were there for him and now it was his turn to step up. He had to show them that he was willing to return all that they gave him. They knew he wasn't up to any of the severe stuff, so they made him a lookout. It was his job to look out for anyone coming - especially the cops.
He was standing outside of the store run by the elderly couple for as long as he could remember. They were generally nice to him, giving him some of their grandchildren's outgrown clothes so that he could stay warm. The couple knew that he'd had a rough life - didn't really trust too many people. They were willing to let him do his own thing, but they tried to keep an eye on him as well. There was something in his eyes the older woman had said to her husband. They knew he was messed up with drugs and they offered to help him, but he'd refused.
Suddenly, Cole heard some excited voices from inside the store. The next thing he heard made his blood run cold. He heard shots ring out. He looked in and saw Raven, the gang's leader standing over the elderly couple with a gun in his hand, the smell of sulfur in the air, and the color red on the floor becoming larger and larger as the life seeped out of the old couple. Cole saw Raven reach over the counter and grab the money from the register. He watched him light some paper on fire as the members of the gang began leaving the store, grabbing items from the shelves on their way out. Raven was the last one out. He grabbed onto Cole's collar and pulled him along with him. "Go!" he said to him. "And keep your mouth shut," he warned. As they turned the corner, Cole looked back and saw the smoke starting to billow out of the front door of the store. He heard sirens in the distance. He didn't notice his library card lying on the sidewalk in front of the store. He wouldn't realize that was missing for a couple of days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The young man was in a bad situation. It wasn't that he was a bad kid. Oh, he'd done some terrible things, but it was all in the name of survival.
Fourteen-year-old Cole Taylor had been on his own for the last three years. His mother had given him up for adoption when he was born. He was in one foster home after another, being shuffled back and forth, with no real sense of family or belonging. When he was 11, he was placed in a foster home where he was abused. He didn't like it, so after a year he left. He'd been on his own now for the past two and a half years. He didn't like it, but he didn't have to deal with the abuse anymore.
But, living on the streets made other things necessary - like stealing food so he could eat. And depending on handouts from people on the street that gave him pathetic looks. At least he was able to buy the occasional hot meal and feel a little better than when he tried to stuff things in his pockets and run out hoping the owner couldn't catch him.
And then there was the gang. He'd heard they were bad news during the brief times that he attended school. He hadn't been in school in a long time, but he could read and he was pretty good at math his teachers had told him. He loved reading and had a library card where he would go on really cold days and spend the day reading through all kinds of books. When he wasn't in the library, he lived in abandoned buildings or on the street. After being on the street for a while, he was befriended by the brother of a gang member of the Latin Lords. He started to bring him around the gang and soon enough they had made him feel like a part of their family - even though he was a caucasian boy in a predominantly black and Hispanic gang. It felt good that someone cared about him, cared about protecting him - even though they did do things he didn't agree with. Some family was better than no one - wasn't it? And then came the drugs and the drinking. He was goaded into trying it. It helped him to forget about how unhappy he was. Gradually, he stopped going to the library although he took his card out frequently and looked at it. The drugs and alcohol took more and more of a hold on him. He found himself doing anything he could to get the money for more.
And now, here he was involved in something he'd wanted no part of. The gang was in the middle of a crime. He knew it was wrong, but what was he supposed to do. They were there for him and now it was his turn to step up. He had to show them that he was willing to return all that they gave him. They knew he wasn't up to any of the severe stuff, so they made him a lookout. It was his job to look out for anyone coming - especially the cops.
He was standing outside of the store run by the elderly couple for as long as he could remember. They were generally nice to him, giving him some of their grandchildren's outgrown clothes so that he could stay warm. The couple knew that he'd had a rough life - didn't really trust too many people. They were willing to let him do his own thing, but they tried to keep an eye on him as well. There was something in his eyes the older woman had said to her husband. They knew he was messed up with drugs and they offered to help him, but he'd refused.
Suddenly, Cole heard some excited voices from inside the store. The next thing he heard made his blood run cold. He heard shots ring out. He looked in and saw Raven, the gang's leader standing over the elderly couple with a gun in his hand, the smell of sulfur in the air, and the color red on the floor becoming larger and larger as the life seeped out of the old couple. Cole saw Raven reach over the counter and grab the money from the register. He watched him light some paper on fire as the members of the gang began leaving the store, grabbing items from the shelves on their way out. Raven was the last one out. He grabbed onto Cole's collar and pulled him along with him. "Go!" he said to him. "And keep your mouth shut," he warned. As they turned the corner, Cole looked back and saw the smoke starting to billow out of the front door of the store. He heard sirens in the distance. He didn't notice his library card lying on the sidewalk in front of the store. He wouldn't realize that was missing for a couple of days.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...