Hello There, Chief

Chapter 3

Murdoc woke up.

Jail. Once again.

His head was in pain; he approached his brunette hand to a small stab located next to his nose, a round area color pink, feeling as a sore. Murdoc slightly touched the wound, hurting even more than it used to. Blinking his eyes many times, he saw that he was in one of those cells he knows well, all of them looking the same, painted in gray. Everything that he noticed in the room was the stand he was laying on right now to sleep, and a toilet to…

He couldn't think about anything, he needed water to refresh his mind and finish with the headache he was suffering.

Of course, he still remembered various things from last night: crashing into the store, cops coming and then getting arrested. Not much for him, until he fondled the flitching paralyzer one of the police men used to knock him down. Ow, agonizing.

His body felt weak to move a single muscle by himself, a future migraine may be coming for the high temperature inside the building. He took off his jacket knowing he won't need it.

Now his skin reflected goosebumps thanks to the conditioned air.

He didn't think of glancing to the cell's outside. This small space was just for himself as his apartment from far away. No one around to bother him during the relaxing moments. Although everything he was feeling presently was physical grief.

The environment presented a cold heat. Murdoc turned himself above the wall, leaning on the "bed" trying not to worry about his imprisonment. He sighed considering that he was being watched by a guard who had no idea of how he would look like. What if it was an enormous man who kept an eye on him every single second? May be it was a scrawny guy with not enough strength to even tell him to stop being a moron. Like many times before.

Murdoc put his jacket on his torso, as a blanket would. Sure the walls were shivering, too. He reflected inside his minds that who else would be doing something stupid on days like these.

The installment felt lonely and quiet, the chills were about to consume his thoughts when he heard something from outside.

- Cohen? –he asked himself in a really low voice.

A TV turned on, Murdoc heard as if someone was taking keys to unlock a door. Murdoc didn't feel exhausted at all, although the Red Bull's energy faded out his organism. The sweet smell of coffee made him react instantly. A guard was there to wake up Murdoc once more.

He rose up from the sleeping stand (with lots of soreness on his back) to find himself with a couple of cops sitting on a desk, a woman with a braid across her shoulder and a young man using glasses. The lady was watching the TV eating a sandwich, while the young man suited papers. New at work, they seemed to be.

Murdoc stood there observing them for a few seconds before the lady turned her sight at him.

- Oh, hi –she said between bites- I didn't see you there.

- Please –the glasses man responded rolling his eyes at the woman- we are here to watch over these criminals.

- Sorry –she grinned a little- I just don't feel like doing anything.

"Criminals". Murdoc repeated that word many times inside his mind. Were they talking about him? If so, nobody has ever called him that way. Obviously that was the main reason to be behind the grilles.

- Hey, you were supposed to continue the pendent from yesterday. I don't really see the problem of it. If you keep being lazy, the boss won't definitely pay you the next week –he sounded upset with the lady, who looked forceless as laying on the small chair in front of the TV. She turned around again to see Murdoc sitting on the sleeping stand.

- So… The reason? –she asked while pointing her index finger to the floor.

Murdoc thought of it for a second, she didn't look interested for his story. She may listen at first, but later laughing at it as a joke. He recaptured the picture of the "corpse' from the other day, not feeling sorry at it, perhaps knowing he may be convicted for a penal servitude for life.

- None of yewr business –he replied, scratching his head.

- Kelly, stop asking him about that. Come here to help me with this paperwork-the young man ordered. The female cop sighted as if stressed.

- I'm not doing any of those.

- Hey, you know the security guards are also watching you as well –he pointed with his thumb at a teeny camera from behind- so stop talking.

- You know? The boss told me to have a good day- she walked a few steps to open the door of the office- so I'm going home.

The pairing started a discussion between each other. The lady seemed to be a lazybones, as for the glasses man, he really was worried about his position.

Murdoc was used to be inside a cage of many types, the police station's weren't the exception. The discussion, serving as a distraction, gave an idea of escaping to Murdoc. True the grilles were too thick to let him go, but the security system was kind of weak. He found a small rock within his jacket's pocket. Murdoc, being a smart guy in the manner of strategies, looked around to notice a yellow button of the office's wall that read "SECURITY". Murdoc thought this was for turning on and off the system that kept him locked.

The discussing cops walked away as still arguing, so Murdoc had the chance to be free after 10 hours. Calculating the distance, he threw the rock.

- Once more, Murdoc –he mentally said- you did it again- the excitement from doing this right for the first time went off as he hurt the glasses man's hand.

- Ow! Who did it!? –he exclaimed taking his hand. He glanced at Niccals, who smirked as if he didn't have the fault, raised his arm greeting the cop. The mad cop now approached to the "criminal', turning his face red.

- Now I know why you are here. You like to hurt others, don't you?

- No, no. Sir, of cou'se not –Murdoc said as he bended his fingers in order- I'm hea' because of a mistake.

- Then how did the witnesses described explicitly the incident you committed? Hm?

- Well… I do not know anything about all those dorks, what's the point? –Murdoc said, hiding the truth.

- That's it. I'm taking you with the boss –the male cop said furiously as he took his keys to open Murdoc's cell.

- Don, stop! –okay, now the female cop was disturbing about her work, well, not exactly that, she just don't wanted to hear the boss's shouting all over the room.

- No Kelly, I'm calling him so this guy stops bothering us –the male cop exaggerated a little bit with the situation, he didn't know the boss right. He left the room.

The female cop returned to her seat and continued watching TV.

- Can I have some of yewr food? –Murdoc asked.

- Noff –the lady responded whacking her sandwich behind her shoulders. Minutes later, she left the place.

Murdoc though about it for a second. Has the boss changed from the last time he came here? No matter what, he wasn't afraid of seeing him, but he couldn't think of what he would tell to him… Better stop thinking about that. The male cop returned just to sit on the same chair he was on minutes ago. He watched Murdoc for a while, as waiting for the boss to come in.

He twitched his eye several times as looking at the 'criminal". His face seemed grumpy as a bulldog's. His eyelids bent down. Murdoc waited as patient as he could to surface the watch. He simply raised his hand as for a greeting, but the cop refused to give it back.

None of the other prisoners were awake in the morning, so the instant between Murdoc and the cop was silent, not so, but Murdoc didn't even say the smallest word. He stayed smiling the whole time, the cop frowned his sight as Murdoc froze his face.

The brunette prisoner moved slowly, about to tell something, but the cop denied his request saying.

- Nope.

Murdoc did it again, being repudiated once again, and again, for a couple of minutes.

- Then y' can't I talk? -Murdoc asked, lifting his eyebrow.

- No. I'm not saying that you cannot talk, but don't stress me out with your behavior.

What? I don't even understand this guy's conduct! That must be really weird, you know. Murdoc thought to himself this was way too exaggerated, he wasn't a strict cop, he had no idea of what he should do.

- Then yew should stop treatin' me like a kindergarten child? –Murdoc said disappointed- Yew have no idea of yewr work's purpose.

- Look –the cop said, mad and standing up- I'm telling you that you're acting inappropriately, you know you're in jail and you should know about your mistakes. I don't know if I can them actions… -he said turning his head. Man, he was a total berk.

- Either, you idiot -Murdoc glanced back at him, the cop didn't gave an answer back to his insult. Seeing notes written with knifes on the wall, he supposed the other prisoners sure were bored (like this book) listening to the cops' conversations. He read them to entertain for just once (he needed to read them over and over again to do something else).

"You will have nightmares FOREVER".

"I dated ur mama last night".

"I like TRAINS!"

- Just for you to know, the boss is coming in a short time- the female cop announced from the door she opened- And he's not glad –she moved her head sideways, her face expressed fear.

- Finally! I knew he was going to deal with this man –the immature cop said.

- Like if I was a baby, huh? –Murdoc said exhausted. Jail wasn't the same as last time- This isn't an office, it's hell with fluorescent lighting. This place is horrible to stay in. Is the boss coming yet? –the last phrase was gently said to the lady, Murdoc expected she had to be around with this stupid guy every single day, so she needed some respect.

- I don't know. He told me he would arrive in-

- Did somebody call me? –the boss mildly declared his entrance to the office/cells. His surprise-coming bumped everyone inside, including the other prisoners who woke up.

That voice. So… familiar. Was he… Wait, it was him.

Murdoc recaptured the boss's face, his attitude and uniform. It was him.

- A-a-al.. Alvara… -Murdoc let the name blow out of his mouth.

Who was Alvara, you may ask. Well, he was the boss there. He also called himself as "Chief". He's, well, the Chief. He controlled the most important cases around there, besides founding the association they were working on, "Polices Incorporated at the Essex State". That name isn't so attractive at all, but everyone knows it for its acronym, "PIES". Alvara has been in charge of the association for many years, turning himself into a professional police during those long years. He learned and taught his team the importance of defending the state from "criminals" and menaces.

About his thing with Murdoc, well, that was a kind of different story.

- Oh, it's you, Niccals –Alvara greeted Murdoc with no problem, what it looked like. He smiled as looking at the prisoner.

- I told yew to call me… Murdoc –he separated his view from the Chief, his leg was shaking, his forehead started to sweat, his fingers shivered… What would the Chief do with him?

The Chief glanced at the male and immature cop, who was glad to see him talk with Murdoc.

- I knew you would come! I had to endure two hours next to this –he put his hands in front of him, opening them to refer the talk to Murdoc- prisoner.

Alvara deeply sighted. Seriously? If he wanted to work as a police, he needed to tolerate any prisoner or partner, anybody. Of course, it isn't easy at all. But this was too much for his knowledge. He repented of hiring that guy last month.

- Seems like if you didn't learn your lesson, do you? Being a cop doesn't always mean to fight with guns every day, you need to know how to handle other things.

- I already know, but he was too annoying!

- Keep telling that and I'll send you to the parking meters for the next month –Alvara also didn't want to drop heavy punishments to the team, so he established light tasks for a lot of time. The stupid cop obeyed his indications and left the office in peace.

- He thinks he's very smart -the female cop added before leaving the office- the other day he told me onions were the only food that can make you cry, so I threw a coconut at his face –she left, lending Murdoc and Alvara alone.

- So, where are we? Oh right! I was going with you, Murdoc –he stretched his fingers and creaked his knuckles.

"Oh no –Murdoc though in his head- not again… Unless I-"

- Hey odd Alvara, how is it going? –Murdoc asked trying to sound comfortable in front of the chief.

- Murdoc, don't act like that –Alvara opened his cell. Why was he releasing a man with no manners, who did a huge damage time ago? Alvara had other purposes to visit the prisoner- I'm taking you to my office.

-Don't yew feel a little bit lonely? –Murdoc asked as he stepped outside the cage.

- We need to talk about something. About the incident you triggered with your partner.

- Oh, yew mean Cohen? Yeah, that kiddo sure looked excited –Murdoc beamed, but his inner was worried. Alvara may be planning to do something else with him instead of interviewing him. He already knew he would screw up instantly, no doubt in that, the choices were a life imprisonment or even worse.

- You are not going anywhere until I come with the papers ready. Ready Murdoc, you're going to know about your-

- Don't tell me, don't tell me. I'll wait.

Alvara didn't interview Murdoc; instead, he assigned the punishment he would receive. Inside his office, the Chief wrote on papers some notes for the situation. The court investigated as tit could to know the reasons of the case, they almost got nothing, the witnesses didn't see a lot, so the information wasn't enough for them. The last option was to ask the causers themselves, extracting every bit of what happened that afternoon.

After a while, Alvara decided to finish that conversation because Murdoc didn't stop telling sarcastic quotes. Last question was the following:

- And why did you robe the store then? I mean, you said it was for the prices.

- Hey, don't need to ask me that, but I'll tell yew anyway. Prices didn't need to be low so we could go and beat somebody.

- Okay, that's it. Time for the thrilling part… -Alvara loved his job, every single moment where he did something, he felt cozy realizing he was doing the good for the citizens.

Murdoc immediately changed his mood, from comedian to a nervous 31 years old man. He shouldn't have said all that. What did Alvara though about the interview? Should he have trust Murdoc for once more, letting him out of jail? Murdoc was afraid of wasting his time out of the hobbies. Finally, Alvara spoke.

- You were going to be assigned to 10,000 hours of community service, but for the witnesses' lack of information we had to add other 10,000 hours, and other 10,000 more thanks to your last acts –Murdoc couldn't believe it. That was too much! 30,000 hours won't even pass until he dies, 30,000 hours are almost the same as how much time he has wearing in this life. Also, community service was one of the dullest things he had ever done, now taking over most of his schedule? No way! He must do something about it, but what? Cops don't regret about their choices. Now he must learn the consequences now.

And my kids, that's why you'll need to think twice before doing something!

- And 5 additional minutes for your boring jokes –that wasn't anything, he laughs with his jokes, but he told too many the other seven times he attended Murdoc.

- Emm… So.. Is there anything else? –Murdoc asked terrified, shrinking his pupils and biting his inferior lips.

- Yes. You'll also need to take care of the boy you injured.

- What!? Really man!? –Murdoc shouted.

- That or staying in jail.

Murdoc had to choose either, having free time between long sessions of work or look at the same walls every day. He was wasted, of course, but the last request assigned by the court was going to be a little bit easier…? Retaining the unbearable punishment, he just got one choice left.

-Where's the kid? I need to see 'im.

Hey guys! Thanks for reaching this part. Don't forget to follow my user for more and leave your review below. Sorry if I suck at writing, but I enjoy doing it and no one won't stop me :D. When I get my vacations, I'll write longer chapters and I'll publish more often. Anyway, thanks for reading!