1
Amira Bryant
amira.bryant@ymail.com
English 303
22/4/15
A while ago, maybe. We would’ve gave a shit. Maybe. Being apart of this jury, you’re supposed to have an opinion on the future of peers your age. Not years younger. Much younger. Eight and six years old at that. Both caught for stealing a candy bar from Lindy Sue’s Candy shop on 18th Street. Nice woman. But in 2037, nice changes. It forms into a sinister ploy with a smile across its face. She turned them in and they’re being charged with theft. There is no “Juvy”. There’s prison.
I arrive to Cenic County Penitentiary and go through the process of being checked into the prison. They take all of my accessories and wallet, fingerprint me and have me sign a visiting roster. This is the more relaxed way of entering jail. An officer escorts me to the back through wide clammy hallways. There are gated windows sporadically placed along the right side of the hall. Eventually, there are no more windows and we reach a dark vacuum. There is one door, its surprisingly clean and a shiny metal. New installment? Cleaned regularly for good impressions of families and officials? We enter into a carpeted room smelling of Glade Lavender Vanilla aerosol. The walls are dim and deep blue with two rows of theater chairs facing a large window opening into the next room. There sat a chair with leather restraints and a lever in the back of the room by the opposite door. That’s where the criminals will come in. I look around to see some officials and only one family present, the Lofton family.
“Glad you made it.” Says Click from behind me.
“Click, where’s the Harvey kid’s parents?”
“You sound concerned. I doubt they’re late. Would you be so gun-ho to watch your kid die?” He walks away and without realizing it, just left the question floating around me. One I felt obligated to answer. I couldn’t answer though. He waves for me to come take my seat as everyone else is. I sit in the back row. Shortly after, the lights in the room get dimmer and the fluorescent bulbs in the room behind the window grow painfully brighter. The warden escorts the little girl inside. She still seems so innocent. Tripping over her tiny flip flop, probably not understanding what terror she is about to face, no matter how many times Click or her parents attempted to explain it to her. Or maybe she did understand. Maybe she’s brave…and ready. I look over to her mother since I didn’t recall hearing a reaction of some sorts. She seems blank from the side. As if she’s left her body. Numb from the tragedy, because there’s no way else to be. They strap Celeste into the seat. First her wrists, then her head. Her legs clearly aren’t long enough for the ankle straps as they just dangle. A tray is brought in the room with a towel over it. The official in the room pulls it back and takes the syringe underneath. He gives it a test squirt. He brings it to Celeste’s arm, punctures her and slowly drains the syringe. Not a tense soul in this room, maybe I’m oblivious to how often this happens. A few seconds go by when the man is done and Celeste begins to look drowsy as six years of life drain from her body. Her mother stands up slowly and walks to the window, like a zombie. She stands there slowly rocking, like a zombie. She holds her hand to the glass, longing for her, like a mother. Celeste’s eyes close just before you read “Mommy.” from her lips.
I think of the progression of my day just 3 hours ago.
“Is there a verdict?”
“Yes, your honor.” The Forewoman stands. No hesitation. “We the people of Cenic City find Grey Harvey, and Celeste Lofton guilty of grand theft.”
The judge grips her gavel. “Very well. Young children, I sentence you to death by lethal injection. A little late to understand your actions have consequences.” She hammers her gavel, stands and proceeds to leave. We all stand as the officer handcuffs the little boy. You don’t ignore the cries and pleads from parents anymore. Now, you’re used to it. Now, you accept the sobbing from little Celeste and you understand it. You understand that you have no choice but to understand the world you live in these days. Lindy Sue doesn’t even care enough to chuckle or allow this to move her. The slightest crime is an open door to death row. And death row is an open door to cleaning out the poor pricks in our caste systems. Basically, none of us give a shit anymore until our time comes.
After the families and children are escorted out the courtroom we begin to quickly disperse and exit back into our lives. Our normal routines. “Ave!” I look and it’s the defense attorney, or better known as my best friend, Austin Click.
“Click. Seems like you didn’t even try.”
“Hell, for what. You seem like you settled pretty easy yourself. Straight to death row for those poor sobs. Hungry? That veggie place down the street just opened up.” Click suggests.
“Naw man, I outa get back and finish this proposal for Lily. Don’t want three dead bodies on my watch, and I’m speaking for mine this time.”
“If your bitch ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. Later, man.” We head our separate ways. He leaves out the side door leading to containment and his failed clients. I grab my briefcase and head out the grand doors to the front. I get outside, and great pillars of marble and stone tile swallow me. The air isn’t much different from the stuffy courtroom. It’s bland, horrid. Looks nice, but needs more rosemary, lemon pepper…salt maybe. I head up the street of our fine city. Many people rush about the streets to get to their destinations. Peddlers, business associates, taxis and limos. And then there’s me. Walking quite slow for whatever its worth. Maybe it feels right. It sure as hell feels different. I arrive at my building two blocks down in 32 minutes. 21 minutes longer than usual. I stop at the sidewalk parallel to the sky penetrating structure. Garrett Industries, Inc. I stare at the reflection of the perfect sky and wispy clouds in the windows. The sunlight gliding across the top of the building. Grey will never see that sunlight again. Celeste will never scream, “Echo!” off of a skyscraper. I turn around and head back the opposite direction. Fuck that proposal.
I get home, kick off my Stacy Adams and drop my briefcase. I get a phone call shortly after ripping my tie off my damn neck. I pull out the phone, Lily Destin. I distinctly remember Click saying, “If your bitch ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” Maybe that’s why I marched my ass home. Maybe that’s why I don’t have the will right now. Or maybe…I just miss my son. I remember the day he was ripped away from my grasp. I told him I’d get him soon. He must not have anticipated how long “soon” would be. After 9 years, I gave up. I gave up wanting to remember his name, I gave up wanting to remember his face, I just wanted to forget. Another call comes through my cell. It’s Click. I answer, “Yeah.”
“Yeah uh, we have an empty seat in the viewing room. I know you skipped out of work, so you might as well come be productive.”
“Lily must’ve called you.”
“I told her you were finishing out your jury duties, so get down here. We start in an hour.”
“Quit saving my ass.” I hang up. Sit still. I guess watching a couple of kids short out of life like a busted outlet couldn’t be too bad. That, or watching them realize a lethal injection could be more calming than their mothers lullaby. I’m not too picky about which channel I’d rather watch. I throw on a sweatshirt and my Nike’s by the door and stroll out the apartment.
After the execution, we have a break, or an intermission. The parents leave quietly not accepting any sympathy from other visitors and officials. I still remain in my seat. Click comes by, “You can check that off your bucket list, right?” He laughs. Normally, it’s funny but I’m too busy thinking. Thinking about Grey.
“Hey asshole, I want to see Grey. Help me out.”
“Grey? For what?” he’s still chuckling.
“So we can bond and talk about the damn baseball game. Come on, you see his parents aren’t here. He could use an ear or something probably.” I watch him contemplate my request. He finally nods and gestures me to follow him. We head out the door. The hall is equally dark now that the sun is setting. We exit and enter through many doors winding throughout the prison. A few prisoners blow kisses at me and refer to me as a pretty boy.
One calls out to Click, “Hey Austin! When do I get my follow up?”
“Soon, Danny. I’ll be in touch.” He calls back.
We arrive at a door not so polished as the first one I’ve seen. We go inside and Grey is immediately next to us in a separate cell. I look at him and he avoids my eyes. I hear Click talking to the officials as I approach the cell bars and kneel. Grey scoots back on the bed and buries his head in his knees.
“Sir, get away from there.” An official calls; I stand and turn to face them.
“Excuse me, that’s the gentlemen I’m referring to. He’d like to have a word with Grey. It’ll only be a moment.” Click hurries the men to the other side of the room and begins to chat them up. I turn back to the boy and kneel again. He hasn’t budged.
“Hey, I’m Avery. Look, uh, I know you’re kind of on your own with this, but-“
“We didn’t do anything.” Grey interrupts though his legs. I’m startled and confused.
“Come again?”
“We didn’t do anything.” He puts his legs down. “So, if you’re here to tell me, ‘I’m a brave boy’ or ‘I shouldn’t have brought Celeste into this’ or anything else, I don’t want to hear it. We didn’t even do anything.”
I stand slowly staring at Grey. Something’s not right. “Click come here.” He rushes over. “Have them let me inside.”
“In the cell? What the hell for?”
“Just to chat, also when I give the signal I need to create some sort of distraction.” Click and I treated college as an everyday battle, consistently in need for distractions and overt operations. I’d give the signal when it was clear, and he’d spray the cameras of the football stadium. He’d do the same for me as I douse the field with gasoline to spell out Dick since the coach threw our homecoming game due to some bet. The last time we used the signal was last year when we were attempting to take a couple of girl’s home. Let’s see if we still got it. He looks back at the officials and looks back at me.
“The signal? What the hell are you doing?”
“Just do it. Something dramatic.” I say as I turn back to the cell. “Grey, you mind if I come in there with you?” Grey shakes his head. I don’t think this kid cares about anything anymore. Click comes back with the warden. The warden looks at us both.
“You a friend of the family?” She asks. Click stands next to her and gives me a slow nod. She must’ve not have believed him. I wouldn’t either.
“Yeah. His parents aren’t here.” I say. She glares at me and proceeds to unlock the cage. I glare back as she lets me in.
“You got five minutes.”
“Thanks.” I say. I continue inside and take a seat on the bed. She locks me in and stands nearby. Click and I lock eyes and nod.
“I’m gonna go check on a client really quick.” He says and leaves out the shabby door. I turn to Grey and take a deep breath to whisper.
“You didn’t take anything…did you?” He raises his head exposing how large his dark brown eyes are and slight freckles across his nose. He didn’t move, but he looked towards where the warden was standing. “Don’t worry about her. I’m going to get you out of here.”
“Are we taking Celeste too?” He asks. Poor kid.
“Alright, times up.” The warden says. She approaches the cage and begins to unlock it. I’m sure it hasn’t been five minutes. I stand up and stretch in the view of the door window where Click had been watching me. I wiggle my eyebrows. He disappears from my eye line after confirmation and I begin to hear screaming and commotion. Diversion begins now. Click enters the room frantically. Outside you hear the ruckus amongst the inmates intensify. He runs in with a busted eye and throws himself on the warden.
“Danny’s out of control. He stabbed his bunkmate. I tried to stop him!” He says.
“Why the fuck would you do that?” The warden curses as she rushes out behind the officers…leaving the cage door ajar. This is my chance. I grab Grey off the bed and I throw him over my shoulder. I’m either going to make it out of here…or go to jail trying. Click, suspiciously knowing alternative and secret escape routes out the jail, tells me to run down the hall opposite of where we came and climb a ladder to a hidden roof area where leftover guards won’t see. An alarm goes off to signal more serious trouble, hopefully this will aid me and not hurt me. Click, looks outside the door and gives me the clear. I take off out the door and down the hall. I find the ladder and climb it with Grey still on my shoulder. Good thing I hit the gym. We get to the top, which opens kind of like a sewer door, and I climb outside. This must be like a quick responding exit when needing to take out an escaping prisoner. Ironically this will be ours.
I put the kid down. “We have to jump, Grey.” Grey looks at me and catches his breath. I interrupt any possible rebuttal. “No time to think.” I grab his hand and we jump off the platform. Luckily, it’s not as high, but we land quite hard into a roll. Not the smartest escape, but we almost made it. It’ll be a matter of time before they realize Grey is gone.
“What about Celeste?” he asks again. I grab his hand and we run. Whatever cameras catch us, I don’t care, I just keep us running. I just keep running.
We get to my car and I throw him inside. I don’t speed off, but we leave with a purpose. I head back towards the city. I didn’t really think this through to this point. Shockingly, we pulled that off. And shockingly, Grey has remained calm the whole time. “Grey. Grey? Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah I’m fine. We’re gonna get caught.” He said. He could be right. “And we left Celeste.”
I had to tell him. “Celeste…Celeste was killed.” He was silent. I looked over and he still actually looked pretty calm. “You okay? You don’t seem bothered.”
“We have to save the girl.” He said still looking forward.
“What girl?” I almost swerved into the other lane.
“We snuck to the back of the Candy Shop to see where this large man was taking this girl. She screamed for help when she saw me. Whatever was happening back there, Miss Lindy didn’t want us to see, so she lied on us and called the police.” I glance and I see him look out the window. “And now Celeste is dead.” I can’t help but to choke back the possibility of projectile vomit. My stomach retracts and I grow cold. I speed down the road. I make a call, “Hey. I’m coming over. -- I know, I’m sorry, but this is an emergency. -- I need you to watch someone for me. -- Yes, I’ll have your damn proposal. I’ll see you in a minute.”
We reach Lily’s apartment and I park in the parking garage. I grab Grey’s shoulders and squeeze him to look at me. I trace his freckles across his nose with my stare. He watches me. I blink any possible moisture from my eyes that may give away my hardened exterior. I clear my throat. “Don’t worry.” I say. “You’ll be safe with me.” He nods. I get out the car and let him out the car. I grab a hoodie from the backseat and drop it over his head. He slowly struggles to slide his head through the hoodie’s opening and his arms through the sleeves. It’s a medium, but on him he’s engulfed by fleece and stands as a floating hoodie. I ruffle his head and pick him up to rush in the apartment. I knock and Lily lets us in immediately
“What the--a kid? Avery?” Lily says.
“No time to explain, Lily.” I turn to Grey. “Stay here, I’ll be back okay.” He nods and sits on the couch. I hug Lily’s tense body and attempt to run out the apartment, but she grabs my arm.
“No. You need to explain to me now what the hell is going on.” She’s stern and her eyes don’t leave mine. I look away searching for an excuse but I can’t seem to find one. I let out a great sigh and I nod. She pulls me into the kitchen and leans on the counter crossing her arms. She gestures towards Grey. “So?”
“This’ll sound weird, but I broke him out of prison.” I stay silent for the repercussions of my blunt explanation. She’s calm, and still waiting it seems. “He’s innocent. Lindy Sue is running some illegal business out the back of the shop…and him and the other little girl saw. I’m so sorry Lily, but I don’t know who else to turn to.” She slowly pulled me in to hug her. She held me tighter and I buried my head deep into her dark loose curls. A lump I can’t swallow forms in my neck. Her smell of sandalwood is still fresh from many years ago after I lost a fierce custody battle. I was unfit as an overworked individual who apparently partook in drugs and illicit female company. I was overworked, but the only one who believed that I didn’t dabble in self-harming activities was Lily. She straddled me on her bed and held tight trying to catch my tears with her large curls before they rolled to the back of my neck. The sandalwood calmed me and relaxed me. I couldn’t let anything happen past that for the fear of bringing another human near and dear to my heart…and losing them to the unknowns of the universe. We’ve been co-workers for years, and she’s been my supervisor for the past two. It needs to stay that way…but I need her. And she knows it.
“I trust you Avery. Just please be safe.” I nod and pull away, shaking away the memories. I finally swallow the lump and head out to Lindy Sue’s Candy Shop.
I reach the Candy Shop and park on the other side of the street. It’s a few minutes after closing time. I walk across the street. I have no plan. Should I just barge in this bitch? I reach the glass door and knock. An employee comes up and mouths that they’re closed. She walks off so quickly…to clean and straighten up what I wonder? Then I notice the closing sign stating that the Shop doesn’t close for another hour and a half. I proceed to go around the back of the building and another employee bumps into me around the corner. “Hey, sorry. I was wondering why you’re closed so early?” I ask.
She answered, “Oh, we had an accident with one of our customers I believe and there’s a big mess to clean. It was easier to just close down earlier, we just haven’t put a sign up yet. Sorry about that.”
“Where were they taken?”
“Unfortunately, the hospital. I really don’t know the details besides what Lindy told us. I think a little girl, like, fell and slid into a fridge door and shattered the glass everywhere. Something like that.” She walks off and I follow shortly behind her back to my car. If she’s alive then, she can shed light on what’s really going on. I jump in the car and I race towards Cenic Downs Hospital.
I arrive and I run inside as quickly as I can. I startle the receptionist.
“Hi, I’m looking for someone who was brought here from Lindy Sue’s?”
The receptionist checks the computer system and some clipboard. “Okay, she’s been moved into a room on the third floor.” I thank her and run from the desk for the elevator. “Wait! Sir!” I hear the nurse call. I catch the elevator as it closes and ride it to the third floor. I get off the elevator slowly. It’s busy and crowded by systematically flowing bodies. I see further down at the corner of the hall Grey crouched down underneath an empty wastebasket. What the fuck? I rush down the hall not to bring too much attention to me. I reach Grey; his head is buried in his knees again.
“Grey?” I practically scream as I crouch down. “What the hell are you doing here?”
He stammers and looks at me, he’s crying. “Avery! She was on the news. So I left to try and find her. Someone in black came in there and saw me so I ran. What if she’s dead too? What if the man killed her?” He gets up and to my surprise, hugs me holding my neck. I freeze. What do I do? Obviously, I hug him back. At first I pat his back, but then I squeeze him.
“It’s gonna be okay. Okay? You shouldn’t be out here; it’s not safe for you. I’m gonna call Lily to come get you—go back downstairs.”
“Is she gonna live?” He looks into my soul.
“Yes.” He hugs me again and I melt in his grasp. I don’t let go for a while, but I eventually have to and stand up. I ruffle his hair and pull the oversized hood over his head. “You ever play Assassin’s Creed? You look like Desmond.” He chuckles and stumbles off down the circulating hall. I watch him. He reaches the elevator as it opens up. A rush of nurses and doctors clear the elevator. He gets on, and we watch each other as the door closes.
“Sir?” A nurse touches me yanking me back from nine years to the present.
“Uh, sorry. I’m fine.” I walk off quickly down a hall next to me. I walk down several halls peering into rooms to see who this girl could possibly be. I almost walk past a room, with a guy in a black suit hovering over the edge of the hospital bed. So I back track. Glancing past him, I see a little girl. Her brown color flushed from her cheeks, and short dark brown hair is slightly mangled in two ponytails on each side of her head. One was missing a matching bow. She seemed asleep in peace. I slide inside the door. “Excuse me?” I call to the guy. “Is this your daughter?”
“No.” He turns slowly while watching her. He seems young, but matured beyond his years. “This is Ryan Vance. Her pelvis is broken. She seems like she may make it, but her elementary playground years may take a turn for the worst.”
“What happened to her? And if you’re not her dad, who are you?” I take a wider stance to prepare for anything.
He chuckles. “I’m part of an underground group that aims to bring justice to whatever the government turns a blind eye to. Lindy Sue is our biggest case. She’s running a kiddie porn venue out the back of the Candy Shop. Little Ryan here was her latest victim.”
“What?” I almost fall to the floor as unsettling images pour in and out my mind about why her pelvis is broken. “This is sick. They’re fuckin’ sick!”
“Shhhh quiet down.” He looks back at Ryan. “Lindy might’ve messed up this time. We suspect they didn’t detain Ryan quick enough and someone heard her screams nearly giving them away. I’m pretty sure the cops were called, but who knows who all is being paid off these days. So, to keep the integrity of the shop and their operation they had to send her here. We’re so close.” I kneel to the ground to tame the exploding vomit feeling again. I look up after calming down and I see his hand extended to me. “Join us. We could use your help. You seem capable, especially after saving Grey Harvey. The news didn’t give you away, but why else would he have been here. You two related?”
I look back to the ground and catch my breath. I stand slowly. I nod my head and grip the man’s hand. “We’re very close. And count me in.”
WHAT’S NEEDS WORK
Read “Moe Better Radio”
Penitentiary and jail confusion (use prison)
Nothing between Lily and Avery (clearly)
Avery’s name too late
Explain little girl going to the hospital, accident
Explain son more
Explain Celeste and Grey seeing the little girl
More social critique, why government isn’t paying attention
Genre, how did they get here? Dystopia
Date, 2037 (explain meant to change)
Suspension of disbelief
Wayyyyyy too much happening
Many story ideas!!! Make longer
MAKE EPIHANY CLEAR (joining the man)
Make job clear
Prison break needs work
