Missing
Chapter 2
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He sat in the darkened storefront, more afraid than he could ever imagine. He moved himself and the other officer behind a counter, hoping that anyone going by would not be able to see them. He hadn't heard any noise from the other officer in quite awhile now, but he checked and the man still had a pulse.
Now, he sat - it seemed like he'd been there for hours - waiting to figure out what to do. He heard groups of angry people going by. He heard the windows of the storefront being broken out. His portable radio, as well as that of his superior officer, was dead - the battery being worn down so that he couldn't call for help. He didn't even know if anyone knew they were missing. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and gotten dragged along with the other officer.
He broke out in a cold sweat as the lights turned back on and the room was illuminated. He heard the latest group walking by stop outside the store. Their anger had not abated and they were looking for more things to destroy. He heard sirens in the distance and going by with some regularity and he didn't know if he should chance it and try to flag someone down. He drew his feet in so that they didn't extend beyond the counter, but he dragged his foot through broken glass, making noise and alerting the group outside the store that there was someone there.
"Hey!" yelled someone in an angry voice. "Who's in there?" He didn't answer. "Whoever it is, you better come out. We're fixin' to burn this place to the ground and it don't matter to us if someone's inside or not," the voice warned. He remained silent, unsure of what to do. He looked over for the first time at the man lying alongside him, eyes closed. "At least he doesn't know enough to be afraid," the officer thought to himself as he saw the severity of the other officer's wounds. He was bleeding profusely from the head and a stab wound to his side.
He jumped at the sound of something flying through the air and slamming into the wall above his head. The glass cabinet that was hit by the object shattered, shards of glass falling onto him. He felt some cuts being made on the side of his face and felt a slight trickle of blood from these cuts.
"I said come out of there," yelled the angry voice again. "Buddy, go in there and haul whoever it is out of there," the man ordered.
The officer heard someone entering, the shattered glass crushing further under his step. He knew that they'd kill the other officer for sure if they found him in such a vulnerable condition.
He drew his weapon and readied himself. "Look, I'm a police officer," he said, standing up and steadying his weapon at the group before him. He hoped that the fear didn't show on his face, but he knew otherwise as he watched his hand shake as it held the gun out.
"Whoa," replied the man called Buddy. "We got us a cop, Danny," he called back to the group.
"Oh yeah?" the leader of the group replied. "All by himself, is he?" Danny replied with a chuckle as the group took a step forward together.
The officer tightened his grip on the gun and tried to find something to say that would intimidate this group. He thought back to his training officers and what they would have done just as the fallen officer alongside him let out a groan.
"Look, maybe you'll get me, but not before I take one or two or more of you out first," the officer replied, trying to sound authoritative. No sooner did he get the words out than, without a warning, a bottle was hurled in his direction, striking him on the side of the head and knocking him off balance momentarily - but just long enough for the closest gang member to disarm him. In a split second he was now looking down the barrel of his own gun as a trickle of blood ran down the side of his face, reaching his jaw line and dripping onto his collar.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Alright, listen up," Lieutenant Swersky replied as he walked into the roll call room with the rest of the senior officers. Bosco and Sully looked at the faces of the men.
"Why do I think our night is just about to get a lot worse?" Bosco asked redundantly.
"It would appear that way," Sully mumbled in Bosco's direction.
"First of all, thank you for agreeing to stay without me having to order you to. Once again, you prove me right when I say that the officers of the 55th are the most dedicated men and women we have on the force," Swersky said.
"We appear to have two officers missing during the course of the blackout," the Lieutenant said, instantly getting the undivided attention of the officers.
"Sergeant Christopher and Patrolmen Steven Gusler are unaccounted for at this time. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're in trouble, but we aren't able to reach them at their residences and Sergeant Christopher's vehicle is still parked outside," he explained.
"Were they assigned to a sector, Lieu?" Bosco asked from the group.
"No. We believe that Sergeant Christopher took Gusler with him to go help out with control of the City - maybe they answered a call for distress from another officer. We're trying to verify or eliminate that scenario. But, as of right now, we're treating this as a 10-13 - officers in need of assistance. Now, we've worked up a search grid and we'll split you up to search square-by-square. There is still a lot of "unrest" within the City as power is restored fully and traffic jams are cleared up. I want no one - and I repeat no one," the Lieutenant emphasized, looking directly at Bosco, "to go anywhere on their own. You are to stay with your partner and maintain radio communication at all times. Now, see the desk sergeant for your grid assignments and let's get out there and find these officers," the Lieutenant said, dismissing the crew.
As the officers all stood up to file out of the room, Bosco said to Sully, "Christopher and Gusler, they're toast if we don't find them soon." Sully nodded his agreement and they stopped at the desk to get their assignment.
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TBC...
Chapter 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He sat in the darkened storefront, more afraid than he could ever imagine. He moved himself and the other officer behind a counter, hoping that anyone going by would not be able to see them. He hadn't heard any noise from the other officer in quite awhile now, but he checked and the man still had a pulse.
Now, he sat - it seemed like he'd been there for hours - waiting to figure out what to do. He heard groups of angry people going by. He heard the windows of the storefront being broken out. His portable radio, as well as that of his superior officer, was dead - the battery being worn down so that he couldn't call for help. He didn't even know if anyone knew they were missing. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and gotten dragged along with the other officer.
He broke out in a cold sweat as the lights turned back on and the room was illuminated. He heard the latest group walking by stop outside the store. Their anger had not abated and they were looking for more things to destroy. He heard sirens in the distance and going by with some regularity and he didn't know if he should chance it and try to flag someone down. He drew his feet in so that they didn't extend beyond the counter, but he dragged his foot through broken glass, making noise and alerting the group outside the store that there was someone there.
"Hey!" yelled someone in an angry voice. "Who's in there?" He didn't answer. "Whoever it is, you better come out. We're fixin' to burn this place to the ground and it don't matter to us if someone's inside or not," the voice warned. He remained silent, unsure of what to do. He looked over for the first time at the man lying alongside him, eyes closed. "At least he doesn't know enough to be afraid," the officer thought to himself as he saw the severity of the other officer's wounds. He was bleeding profusely from the head and a stab wound to his side.
He jumped at the sound of something flying through the air and slamming into the wall above his head. The glass cabinet that was hit by the object shattered, shards of glass falling onto him. He felt some cuts being made on the side of his face and felt a slight trickle of blood from these cuts.
"I said come out of there," yelled the angry voice again. "Buddy, go in there and haul whoever it is out of there," the man ordered.
The officer heard someone entering, the shattered glass crushing further under his step. He knew that they'd kill the other officer for sure if they found him in such a vulnerable condition.
He drew his weapon and readied himself. "Look, I'm a police officer," he said, standing up and steadying his weapon at the group before him. He hoped that the fear didn't show on his face, but he knew otherwise as he watched his hand shake as it held the gun out.
"Whoa," replied the man called Buddy. "We got us a cop, Danny," he called back to the group.
"Oh yeah?" the leader of the group replied. "All by himself, is he?" Danny replied with a chuckle as the group took a step forward together.
The officer tightened his grip on the gun and tried to find something to say that would intimidate this group. He thought back to his training officers and what they would have done just as the fallen officer alongside him let out a groan.
"Look, maybe you'll get me, but not before I take one or two or more of you out first," the officer replied, trying to sound authoritative. No sooner did he get the words out than, without a warning, a bottle was hurled in his direction, striking him on the side of the head and knocking him off balance momentarily - but just long enough for the closest gang member to disarm him. In a split second he was now looking down the barrel of his own gun as a trickle of blood ran down the side of his face, reaching his jaw line and dripping onto his collar.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Alright, listen up," Lieutenant Swersky replied as he walked into the roll call room with the rest of the senior officers. Bosco and Sully looked at the faces of the men.
"Why do I think our night is just about to get a lot worse?" Bosco asked redundantly.
"It would appear that way," Sully mumbled in Bosco's direction.
"First of all, thank you for agreeing to stay without me having to order you to. Once again, you prove me right when I say that the officers of the 55th are the most dedicated men and women we have on the force," Swersky said.
"We appear to have two officers missing during the course of the blackout," the Lieutenant said, instantly getting the undivided attention of the officers.
"Sergeant Christopher and Patrolmen Steven Gusler are unaccounted for at this time. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're in trouble, but we aren't able to reach them at their residences and Sergeant Christopher's vehicle is still parked outside," he explained.
"Were they assigned to a sector, Lieu?" Bosco asked from the group.
"No. We believe that Sergeant Christopher took Gusler with him to go help out with control of the City - maybe they answered a call for distress from another officer. We're trying to verify or eliminate that scenario. But, as of right now, we're treating this as a 10-13 - officers in need of assistance. Now, we've worked up a search grid and we'll split you up to search square-by-square. There is still a lot of "unrest" within the City as power is restored fully and traffic jams are cleared up. I want no one - and I repeat no one," the Lieutenant emphasized, looking directly at Bosco, "to go anywhere on their own. You are to stay with your partner and maintain radio communication at all times. Now, see the desk sergeant for your grid assignments and let's get out there and find these officers," the Lieutenant said, dismissing the crew.
As the officers all stood up to file out of the room, Bosco said to Sully, "Christopher and Gusler, they're toast if we don't find them soon." Sully nodded his agreement and they stopped at the desk to get their assignment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...