This is elseworld, p.23
This is Elseworld, page 23
Crockett reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun.
At the sight of the firearm, half the crowd took a few steps back or outright ran from the alley, the other half cackled like buffoons. These were the sharks.
“Whoa! Is that real?” one of them asked.
“Peacekeepers don’t carry guns!” another said.
Asher stood his ground. “It’s not real.”
Crockett aimed it directly at his face. “Want to bet your life on that?”
It was impossible to tell whether the gun was real or not. It certainly didn’t look like any gun Asher had ever seen, though it’s not like he had much experience with firearms. He just assumed it wasn’t real since Peacekeepers weren’t supposed to carry guns. Only District Police and the military were officially allowed to carry firearms within the District. Guns were an incredibly rare sight.
Asher reached for the blade in his pocket. This was a risky move. Whether Crockett had a real gun or not would be irrelevant if he pulled out a knife. There would be no going back, it would become a situation of kill or be killed. Oh, who was he kidding? There were two of them, and so far, no one had lifted a finger to help Asher. It wasn’t kill or be killed. The real options were either he would die, right now, if that was a real gun, or he would get electrocuted and then beat half to death and left to bleed out in the streets. Those were his options.
So be it. He gripped the knife in his pocket. If it was his time to die, he was ready. Asher had been ready for it for a long time. It was often said that before a person died, they would see the totality of their life’s history rapidly flash before their eyes. In the long seconds that passed, Asher expected the visions to come, but he saw no such thing.
Maybe it wasn’t his time to die. Maybe it was his time to fight. The one thing he did know for certain was that now that he had started fighting and had proven himself capable of holding his own, he wouldn’t stop fighting. Not ever.
“Don’t do it. Do. Not. Do it! You hear me?” Crockett tensed up as he aimed his gun. “Keep your hands where I can see ‘em.”
“You better listen to him. This isn’t a game,” Murphy said.
Asher smirked. “Since when do dirty cops not want an excuse to execute people out in the streets? Go ahead, shoot me. Do it. I dare you.”
Crockett looked like he wanted to do exactly that. But then he glanced at a man filming with a camera and then back at Asher.
“Don’t tempt them, Asher. Come on back here,” Dinah said.
Asher was surprised Dinah and Monty were still there; he assumed they had run away with the first wave of people who took off.
“That’s not a real gun,” Asher said.
“Why would a cop have a fake gun?” Dinah said. “Don’t take that chance.”
“You better listen to your granny,” Crockett said.
Asher turned to the crowd. “Look. Can’t you guys see what’s happening here? Do you hear any sirens? Where are the security drones? We should all be covered in containment foam and getting scooped up into the back of an auto-van by now. Instead, this moron pulled out a gun. Does that sound like something a Peacekeeper would do? These two aren’t supposed to be here.”
Asher directed his next words specifically at the sharks. “They have no backup, no support. They’re operating off the books. We can take them out. We outnumber them.”
“Just you try it. I have a bullet for every single one of you motherfuckers.” Crockett waved his gun from side to side, making sure to point it at every single person there to show them he meant what he said.
Though it was a lie; if he wanted to shoot, he would have by now. Assuming the gun was even real. Not everyone seemed as confident in this theory, and even the newcomers had begun to back away. A group of the sharks walked by as a single unit and Crockett tracked the men with his gun as they left the alley.
It was now or never. Asher rushed Crockett, getting close enough to grab the gun, and he reached out for it. Almost instantly, shockwaves pulsed through his body.
Asher dropped to the ground like a fallen angel. He was spread across the concrete; though he hadn't felt the impact, every inch of his body tingled at the nerves. It was an odd sensation, a burning itch that started just under the skin but hit deep into the bone.
His vision went red, then black, and for a few seconds he couldn’t see at all. When the convulsions stopped and his eyesight came back, he saw Murphy’s face looking back at him.
The bastard had finally come to his partner’s aid.
Crockett alternately kicked Asher in the chest and stomped his legs. Asher flailed about, twitched, and flopped, but it wasn’t due to the impact of the strikes. All he could feel was his entire body burning from the inside out.
Chapter thirty-one
Stand Down
Asher
Crockett cupped her breasts with one hand and fingered her bra with the other. He pushed himself against her, mashing her body into the wall. “Damn! Will you look at these? They’re even bigger than I thought.”
Red tried to punch him in the face, but he grabbed her arms and held her. “Stop it, you pig, don't do this. My kids are here! You going to do this in front of my kids?”
Crockett had her hemmed into the corner. He seemed way too busy ogling her body to care what she had to say, but Murphy appeared surprised when he turned and noticed not only the kids, but several others who still hadn't left.
The alley was dark, but not that dark. The actions of these so-called peace officers were in full view of everyone. Murphy tapped his partner’s shoulder to get his attention.
A sneer crossed Crockett’s lips. “So? I don’t care that they’re still here. In front of everyone,” he said. “We're going to put on a show.”
“No!” Red shoved her knee into Crockett’s thigh.
Crockett laughed. “Yes! I love it when they fight.”
“Why don’t you boys just go fuck each other. That’s what you’re really into, right? You don’t need me.”
Crockett slapped her with the back of his hand. “That's enough back talk from you, whore.”
“Leave my mommy alone.” Lucas pulled away from Monty. Both of Red’s children had been with Monty and Dinah this entire time. Lucas grabbed the piece of wood that used to be the tabletop for his boardgame and hit Crockett in the leg with it.
Crockett shoved Red to the ground, pulled out his gun, and pointed the thing directly at the child’s face, but before he could pull the trigger, Murphy grabbed him.
“Are you crazy?” Murphy said.
“Chill out. I’m not going to kill the little bastard,” Crocked said. “But I'll give him the beating his father should have if the brat lays his hands on me again.”
Red was on her knees, hugging her crying children. Crockett rolled his eyes. “Send them brats away, whore. It’s you we want. If you can’t send them away, I’ll do it for you.”
Asher couldn't understand why the sharks hadn't intervened to stop this ongoing situation. They had more reason to hate the cops than he did, yet they remained silent. Although Asher knew why the blind fish were too scared to help, he couldn't come up with a satisfying reason for the sharks' inaction. All he felt was the familiar heat of rage rising inside him.
He was still barely able to stand, so he used all four of his limbs to crawl. Asher didn’t make it far. Dinah and Monty were on both sides of him. They helped him to his feet, but they also held him back.
“Get off me,” he spat. “Help, don’t interfere!”
“Stop it,” Dinah said. “We’re not going to just let you throw your life away like this.”
Asher didn’t try to fight her. It would be a waste of what little energy he had. Instead, he stood as straight as he could and turned toward the crowd that was still left. “Enough is enough. I don't care what they do to me, but I can’t just sit here and watch this. Can you? Can you? How about you?”
He looked at each of them, staring into their eyes. “Are you really going to just sit here and watch these men violate a woman and threaten her children? Little kids, really? I don’t have kids, but I know many of you do. Would you just sit here and watch if these were your kids? Anyone who would harm a child deserves to have very bad things happen to them. I’m prepared for whatever happens to me, but the one thing I’m not prepared for is to sit here like a coward and just watch them hurt an innocent woman and her children.”
“He’s right,” said a hooded man who stepped forward. He was a large man, not fat, but as wide as the alley was tall, and all muscle.
With the support of the big man, others seemed to gather the courage to speak up too.
“Yeah, this is some messed up shit,” someone shouted.
And another, “Fuck the police!”
Before long, even some of the blind fish were chiming in. “Why can’t you just leave us alone?”
Crockett flailed his gun around wildly, while Murphy mimicked his movements, pointing his baton at the crowd as if it were a firearm. The sight of a gun or a Peacekeeper baton being brandished was intimidating, but without backup, the two men would be unable to control a crowd of this size, especially if everyone stuck together.
“Back up,” both Peacekeepers said. “Everyone, back the fuck up!”
Murphy grabbed Red by the arm. “On your feet, girl.” He looked toward the crowd, “We're leaving. We’re taking her with us. Anyone that tries to stop us will regret it.” He looked at each of them in turn before finally settling his gaze on Asher. “Starting with you, troublemaker.”
Dinah stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder alongside Asher. “Now don't you go targeting him just because he had the courage to stand up to you. He's a good person. We’re all good people. We're just trying to do the best we can with what little we have. That's why we're here.”
Monty stepped out from his hiding place. He tugged at Dinah, but she pushed his hand away. “I have more to say, and with God as my witness, I’m gonna say it.”
Crockett pointed his gun at Dinah. “I think you've said enough.”
“I am not afraid of you. Not one bit. I fear the Lord and no one else. Don’t you know where we are? We’re outside a church. A house of God. I know you can't see it from here, but turn the corner, you know what's there. That there is God’s house.”
Monty threw his arms up into the air as if he had given up. “Damnit! Don't you know how to be quiet, woman? We did what we could, but these young’uns got too much fire in ‘em. Now it be time for us to go back to minding our own business. I’m not about to die on this hill. Not fo' nobody, including you. You continue this nonsense, you on ya own! You hear me?”
“Lady, you best listen to your old man,” Crockett said.
Dinah glared at Crockett. “Have some decency. Have some respect. You attacked this woman right in God’s back yard, then you threaten to hurt that same woman's children, now you're threatening an old woman just for having the bravery to stand up to you. You’re a coward and a bully. I won’t step aside and watch you violate us anymore. The District might not designate us as Essential, but we still have rights. Asher was correct, if we stand together, we can beat you. I see that now.”
Murmurs could be heard coming from the crowd.
Crockett looked like he was going to say something, but before he could utter a word Murphy cut him off. “Okay, people, show’s over. Nobody needs to be a hero.”
“So, you’re letting her go?” Asher asked.
“Not quite. She’s under arrest.” Murphy took out his handcuffs as if to make it official.
Up until now he had done nothing police-like at all.
“We're taking her into custody.”
“Get your hands off her,” Asher yelled.
Dinah squeezed Asher’s shoulder. The tension in his body eased but only a little.
“What’s her charge?” Dinah asked.
“What do you think? Pick your poison. She’s a junkie whore.” Murphy paused for a second, looking down at Red and her children. “You can add on charges for indecency, child neglect, and so on.” He grabbed Red’s arm to put the cuffs on.
Once on her feet, Red immediately shoved her knee into Murphy’s crotch. He screeched and traded places with her on the ground. She grabbed her kids and turned to run, but Crockett was already there. He had his gun pointed directly at her forehead. “We can add resisting arrest to her list of offenses.”
“You going to execute her in front of everyone?” Asher was fully recovered, but feigned weakness, pretending he still needed Dinah’s help to stand.
“No. But I'll execute you and everyone else here if I must. And still end up taking her with me.”
Asher pointed at one of the people with their phones out. “You do realize this is all being filmed?”
“Do you think I care?”
“If you didn't care, you would have used the gun already.”
Crockett didn’t have an answer for that.
By now the crowd had swollen closer to the number of people that were there before. They taunted and jeered the cops. Some cheered Asher on.
“If you’re smart, you’ll let her go.” Like a gladiator feeding off the energy of a crowd, Asher felt invincible. “We might not look like much, but you can't take us all down.” He looked directly at Crockett. “You couldn't even take me by yourself until he came to help you.”
Asher was ready for round two. The pain of Murphy’s lightning rod was fresh in Asher’s mind, but if these people provided even a little bit of assistance, he was confident they could take the Peacekeepers out.
“Stand down,” Murphy said. “Back away, or I’ll shoot.”
Asher stepped forward. “We will not be dismissed. I will not stand down.”
“Oh yeah?” Murphy fired an energy blast at Asher again, grazing him in the leg. Asher’s knee buckled and he dropped to the ground, though he recovered a lot faster than he had the first time. His muscles hurt, but they worked normally. He got back to his feet with no help.
“I guess it's a good thing we don't have to take out everyone. Just you.” Crockett pointed his gun at Asher’s face.
Murphy shook his head, mouthing no. Then he turned back to Asher. “This is police business, everything we're doing is justified. Back away and let us do our job.”
“You called her a junkie whore. Well, prostitution is legal,” Asher said. “Drugs are legal. You know what isn’t legal? Abduction. Nothing about this is above board. This isn’t official police business, you’re both dirty cops.”
“Oh yeah, where's your law degree? What university did you study at?” Murphy said. “You might talk like a stuffed shirt, but you don't look it. You’re just another bum on the street with no certificates. I assure you this is a legal seizure, and unlike you I have the credentials to prove it.” He pointed at his badge. “This isn't about drugs or prostitution; the fact of the matter is she stole from us. She’s a thief. A criminal. And so is anyone else who tries to interfere in a legal police apprehension.” Murphy spoke as if his words were meant for everyone, but his eyes never left Asher’s face.
“Maybe he's right. This isn't our fight,” someone in the crowd murmured.
“We need to let the police do their job.”
“Nothing we can do to help her.”
“We have our own problems to worry about.”
Asher couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Just like that, the crowd had given up. He looked at Dinah, who looked down at her feet. She was back in the arms of her husband.
Monty scolded Asher with his eyes. “The cops are right. Because of this woman’s actions, she's put us in this situation. That’s not fair. Just let them take her so the rest of us can go back to living our lives. She shouldn’t have robbed cops. What did she think was going to happen?”
Asher looked at Dinah. “I take it you agree with him?”
“Honey, I'm sorry to say this, but my husband has a point.”
“This is why they get away with treating us like mud. No one wants to help each other.”
“That's just not true. We—”
Asher cut her off. He had been rehearsing the speech in his head and had prepared for this moment. “They can come for the drug addict mother, and no one does anything. You rationalize that she deserves it. All because you don't have to survive the way she does. They can come for the twenty-year-old and shoot me up with enough electricity to fry my brain, but that's okay too because I talk back too much, right? But what happens when they decide they don't like senior citizens?” Asher glared at Monty and Dinah. “Or cripples? Or just poor people in general? Who’s going to be left to stand up for you?”
Asher waited, but there was no reaction. His speech sounded good in his head. It sounded good when he spoke it too. He was baffled at how unsuccessful his words were on these people. Did they not get what he was referencing? These people weren’t just blind, they were also deaf and dumb.
“Oh, come on. Are y’all really just going to do nothing while they take her?”
“I’m sorry,” Dinah said.
“I'm glad to see most of you have come to your senses. We’ll be moving along now.” Crockett didn’t even try to cover the malicious smile on his face.
“No. I can’t leave my kids. You can't let them take me.” Red didn’t direct her words to any one person in particular, her plea was for everyone. Yet her cries fell on deaf ears.
Crockett barked in his cop voice. “Stop resisting. Move your feet, woman, or I’ll drag you by your ankles.”
A path within the crowd cleared as the Peacekeepers went through.
Asher jumped in their way, and right behind him Red’s kids followed.
“Lucas! Kerry! No!” Dinah’s voice trembled. “Asher, can’t you see what you’re doing? This is so pointless. You can’t stop them. What you can do is help her kids. Please. I’ve seen you with them. They like you and they trust you. Only you can calm them down. Don’t give that man an excuse to shoot you. You’re just rushing to a certain death.”
