A/N: ::goggles:: My God, can it be? It is! An eighth chapter for Future Tense. ::dies of shock:: I haven't updated since ... August. Whoa. So, I dont know if anyone still remembers this fic, but I *am* continuing it. I'm still called to finish the fic despite my lenghty absence.
And, on a completely random note, I wrote this in summer of 2003... In September, when I went to school, I met our new resident state trooper... his name is Mr. Van Zandt. I found that a weird coinscidence. But, now, on with fic!
Chapter Eight
When he awoke, Zack wasn't much more rested than before. But, he had restored some energy. That was a good sign. Maybe he'd be able to bust out of here in the next day or two. Provided he wasn't released. Really, he hadn't done anything wrong. That Van Zandt officer knew the truth. However, it did seem that his partner has much more influence than him. That wasn't an advantage.
"You awake, kid?" someone said through the small barred opening in the door.
"Yeah," Zack answered in a low, somewhat raspy voice. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. I'm awake."
The door unlocked. "Good," the officer said. "Come on. You're meeting with a detective."
"Why?" he asked but received no answer. He sighed. Had he really expected on?
The officer led him, in hand cuffs, through the precent to a desk where a suit-clad detective sat. He was familiar to Zack, but fatigue was taking their toll on his memory. The officer told him to sit in a chair infront of the desk.
"Detective Morris," he said. "Here's the kid from last night."
"Thanks, Simms," the detective said.
Zack's eyes widened. Morris? It was Darryl!
"So, kid," Darryl said, looking at him. "What are you? A runaway?"
He slouched in his chair with a soft sigh. He may remember Darryl, but Darryl didn't remember him.
"You could say that."
Darryl gave a small laugh. "Come on. What's your name atleast?"
"Zackary Wellington-Halstead," he lied. He was getting fairly good at it. Half the things he had said in the past few months had been lies.
"Okay... that's a start."
He shrugged.
"Come on, son, give me someone to call," Darryl said. "They're gonna release you, you didn't do anything. But they're not going to just release you. How old are you? And don't say over eighteen. You're not."
"I'm am, too. I'm nine- yeah," he said. "Actually... I think I'm seventeen."
"How long you been on the streets?"
Again, Zack shrugged. "I don't know. Three months? Four?"
"If I check the missing persons ads am I going to find you?" he asked.
"No," he told Darryl. "You won't. I don't think they realized I was underage..."
"Who?" Darryl asked.
Zack looked at him. "They didn't come to you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"It doesn't matter," Zack answered. "If you're letting me out, let me out."
"Someone's gotta come get you," Darryl told him. "That's how it works. And you admitted you were underage."
Stupid thing to do, too, Zack told himself with a mental kick.
"So call Social Services if you have to," he grumbled somewhat angrily and instantly regretted it. "Look, I don't have anywhere to go. There is no one for you to call. I'm just... I'm tired."
Darryl relented. "Fine," he said. "I'll call someone down. But you'll just run again, won't you?"
He shrugged. "Probably."
"Ken!" Darryl called to an officer making his way through the desks. "Take this kid back to lock-up, okay?"
The officer nodded and walked over.
Zack looked back at Darryl as he was led back towards his little holding cell. If only you knew who I was... he thought with a sigh. And now you never will. You'll never know...
***
"I swear this kid's crazy," he heard someone say as they walked past his holding cell.
Zack walked over to the door and peered out. There were two officers, basically dragging someone across the floor. The person was screaming loudly in protest and just screaming in general.
They shoved him into the holding cell next to him and slammed the door closed. But the guy kept screaming.
Great, Zack thought. No sleep tonight...
"Leo..." he heard the voice, no soft, whimper.
His ears perked up.
"Leo... help me... please," the person next to him cried. "Please Leo..."
"Ch-Chirs?"
There was silence. "Leo...?"
Zack paled. "Jeeze... Officer!" he shouted. "Officers! Quick!"
It took a moment but someone came over and looked through the barred opening. "What? You just went fifteen minutes ago."
"I need Detective Morris," he told him. "Quick."
The officer gave him a look.
"Please," he pleaded. "Please. It's important."
He gave him another look but walked over to the phone on the wall.
What was he doing? Zack wasn't sure. He was basically condemning Chris to death by Charmed Ones. They would come, get Chris, and they'd kill him. But, the way he was... Obviously this wasn't the Chris they had known. This was someone else. This was Chris, in pain. Chris free.
Ten minutes later, Darryl stood outside of Zack's cell. "You wanted to see me?"
"It's Chris," he told him.
Darryl's eyes widened. "What?"
"The Charmed One's Chris," he answered. "In the next cell."
"That maniac kill-"
Zack whinced. "He's not a murder. He was... possessed. He's still in there. He's fighting. And by the way that Chris over there looks, he's winning."
"Who are you?" Darryl demanded.
"Zackary Wellington-Halstead," Zack replied. "Darryl... get him out of here. He can't be here... they'll lock him up or something. He's not crazy. He needs help."
"Look I can't just do whatever."
He sighed. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. Forget it. I'll do it."
"What?" Darryl asked.
"Best if you didn't know," Zack told him. "Nevermind. Sorry to bother you."
Reluctantly the detective left. It was a good thing, too.
Darryl didn't need to be involved in a jailbreak.
****
Well... anyone still with me?
Asarielle - Keeping you on your toes. As Zack says... he's gotten good at lying. Has anything he's said been true at all?
A. Windsor - I don't really know what that was either with the dwarf. I'm working on a set of flashbacks that will probably span the rest of the fic so... I'm just trying something new. I may get rid of it later on... I don't know... just playing with the story.
Piper Jnr - We'll see how addictive. We'll see if anyone comes back to this story after my unreliability.
Everyone I confused... I never said I was sane myself. Lol. We'll see where this is going. I'm not sure myself. Anyone want to suggest anything, I'm a pretty open person. I like ideas... But, anyways... hope you enjoyed Ch. Eight... there *will* be a Ch. Nine soon. I swear. Honest!
And, on a completely random note, I wrote this in summer of 2003... In September, when I went to school, I met our new resident state trooper... his name is Mr. Van Zandt. I found that a weird coinscidence. But, now, on with fic!
Chapter Eight
When he awoke, Zack wasn't much more rested than before. But, he had restored some energy. That was a good sign. Maybe he'd be able to bust out of here in the next day or two. Provided he wasn't released. Really, he hadn't done anything wrong. That Van Zandt officer knew the truth. However, it did seem that his partner has much more influence than him. That wasn't an advantage.
"You awake, kid?" someone said through the small barred opening in the door.
"Yeah," Zack answered in a low, somewhat raspy voice. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. I'm awake."
The door unlocked. "Good," the officer said. "Come on. You're meeting with a detective."
"Why?" he asked but received no answer. He sighed. Had he really expected on?
The officer led him, in hand cuffs, through the precent to a desk where a suit-clad detective sat. He was familiar to Zack, but fatigue was taking their toll on his memory. The officer told him to sit in a chair infront of the desk.
"Detective Morris," he said. "Here's the kid from last night."
"Thanks, Simms," the detective said.
Zack's eyes widened. Morris? It was Darryl!
"So, kid," Darryl said, looking at him. "What are you? A runaway?"
He slouched in his chair with a soft sigh. He may remember Darryl, but Darryl didn't remember him.
"You could say that."
Darryl gave a small laugh. "Come on. What's your name atleast?"
"Zackary Wellington-Halstead," he lied. He was getting fairly good at it. Half the things he had said in the past few months had been lies.
"Okay... that's a start."
He shrugged.
"Come on, son, give me someone to call," Darryl said. "They're gonna release you, you didn't do anything. But they're not going to just release you. How old are you? And don't say over eighteen. You're not."
"I'm am, too. I'm nine- yeah," he said. "Actually... I think I'm seventeen."
"How long you been on the streets?"
Again, Zack shrugged. "I don't know. Three months? Four?"
"If I check the missing persons ads am I going to find you?" he asked.
"No," he told Darryl. "You won't. I don't think they realized I was underage..."
"Who?" Darryl asked.
Zack looked at him. "They didn't come to you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"It doesn't matter," Zack answered. "If you're letting me out, let me out."
"Someone's gotta come get you," Darryl told him. "That's how it works. And you admitted you were underage."
Stupid thing to do, too, Zack told himself with a mental kick.
"So call Social Services if you have to," he grumbled somewhat angrily and instantly regretted it. "Look, I don't have anywhere to go. There is no one for you to call. I'm just... I'm tired."
Darryl relented. "Fine," he said. "I'll call someone down. But you'll just run again, won't you?"
He shrugged. "Probably."
"Ken!" Darryl called to an officer making his way through the desks. "Take this kid back to lock-up, okay?"
The officer nodded and walked over.
Zack looked back at Darryl as he was led back towards his little holding cell. If only you knew who I was... he thought with a sigh. And now you never will. You'll never know...
***
"I swear this kid's crazy," he heard someone say as they walked past his holding cell.
Zack walked over to the door and peered out. There were two officers, basically dragging someone across the floor. The person was screaming loudly in protest and just screaming in general.
They shoved him into the holding cell next to him and slammed the door closed. But the guy kept screaming.
Great, Zack thought. No sleep tonight...
"Leo..." he heard the voice, no soft, whimper.
His ears perked up.
"Leo... help me... please," the person next to him cried. "Please Leo..."
"Ch-Chirs?"
There was silence. "Leo...?"
Zack paled. "Jeeze... Officer!" he shouted. "Officers! Quick!"
It took a moment but someone came over and looked through the barred opening. "What? You just went fifteen minutes ago."
"I need Detective Morris," he told him. "Quick."
The officer gave him a look.
"Please," he pleaded. "Please. It's important."
He gave him another look but walked over to the phone on the wall.
What was he doing? Zack wasn't sure. He was basically condemning Chris to death by Charmed Ones. They would come, get Chris, and they'd kill him. But, the way he was... Obviously this wasn't the Chris they had known. This was someone else. This was Chris, in pain. Chris free.
Ten minutes later, Darryl stood outside of Zack's cell. "You wanted to see me?"
"It's Chris," he told him.
Darryl's eyes widened. "What?"
"The Charmed One's Chris," he answered. "In the next cell."
"That maniac kill-"
Zack whinced. "He's not a murder. He was... possessed. He's still in there. He's fighting. And by the way that Chris over there looks, he's winning."
"Who are you?" Darryl demanded.
"Zackary Wellington-Halstead," Zack replied. "Darryl... get him out of here. He can't be here... they'll lock him up or something. He's not crazy. He needs help."
"Look I can't just do whatever."
He sighed. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. Forget it. I'll do it."
"What?" Darryl asked.
"Best if you didn't know," Zack told him. "Nevermind. Sorry to bother you."
Reluctantly the detective left. It was a good thing, too.
Darryl didn't need to be involved in a jailbreak.
****
Well... anyone still with me?
Asarielle - Keeping you on your toes. As Zack says... he's gotten good at lying. Has anything he's said been true at all?
A. Windsor - I don't really know what that was either with the dwarf. I'm working on a set of flashbacks that will probably span the rest of the fic so... I'm just trying something new. I may get rid of it later on... I don't know... just playing with the story.
Piper Jnr - We'll see how addictive. We'll see if anyone comes back to this story after my unreliability.
Everyone I confused... I never said I was sane myself. Lol. We'll see where this is going. I'm not sure myself. Anyone want to suggest anything, I'm a pretty open person. I like ideas... But, anyways... hope you enjoyed Ch. Eight... there *will* be a Ch. Nine soon. I swear. Honest!
