Cast Out Pt2

Dan and Mike had been partners since Mike got out of the Police academy. Dan was only a few years older than Mike, but he had those years of street smarts before becoming a cop himself. Growing up in the same neighborhood as he was patrolling in now made him more knowledgeable about the “hood” than just about anyone. But what he went though on this particular night – no amount of training could have prepared him for this.

The east side of town was more “ethnically mixed” than other parts of the city. With this mix came a great hodgepodge of cultures, but it also made it more difficult to prepare for each call. Every group needed their own way of being approached, as Mike was finding out – sometimes the hard way. “There is nothing like having every bystander get in your face during routine call, all because you didn’t approach a certain way.”

“You told her what?”, asked Dan.

“’Mike don’t do that!’ - that’s what I told her!” Mike said with a big grin.

Dan laughed. “You are gonna have a hard time keeping a lady with that attitude, my friend.”

Mike thought for a minute and then replied, “Who says I wanna be in the “keeping business” anyhow? The way I figure, I can play around for the next..”

The radio interrupted. “Seven Mary Six, please respond.”

Dan picked up the radio, “Seven Mary Six responding”.

The dispatcher answered, “Seven Mary Six, a report of shots fired in the area of Walnut and Main. Proceed with caution.”

Mike made a hard left turn to the car that surprised Dan a bit. Dan turned on the lights and siren, as Mike then floored it. It would only take a minute to get there.

Dan asked, “Dispatch, proceeding to the area of Walnut and Main. What kind of backup can we expect?”

“Calls just started coming in from all over the area. Sending additional units to backup, but they are a few minutes out. Proceed with caution.” The dispatcher voice, while calm, displayed a hint of angst.

“Great. Shots fired and no backup!” Mike snarled.

“That’s why we make the big bucks.” Dan replied. It was his answer for just about everything he disliked about the job.

They got there in 45 seconds, and it took only 5 more to see what had happened. “Another drive-by? How many does that make this year?” Mike thought to himself.

There were two bodies in the street, and there looked like two more on the grass right in front of the house. Both officers were leary about getting out of the car too quickly. Sometimes first responders got shot at from the vics they came to help.

Mike stopped the car with the lights turned onto the bodies in the street, and Dan turned the spotlight onto the bodies on the grass. You could hear some moaning, but besides that, nothing else.

Dan got on the radio and called for a bus and paramedics. This was going to take awhile.

Mike got out, pulled his sidearm, and checked the bodies in the street. The first one was still breathing but heavy and labored, “HUF….HUF…HUF”. Dan glanced at the second one when it started to rise up.

“You OK?” Mike asked.

No answer. It was starting to stand up.

“Are you OK?” Mike asked again.

Dan shouted, “Whaddya got?” He was checking the bodies on the grass out.

“This one’s getting up!” Mike was scared. He never had a victim get up like this one before. “Back away!” He raised his gun.

It kept coming at him.

It spoke and said, “Join us”.

“BACK AWAY! DAN!”

This person was on top on him and had him down on the ground. It was reaching to bite his neck.

“DAN!!! HELP!!!”

Dan barely had time to think, before it took a bite out of Mike’s neck. It strained its neck to pull Mike’s flesh away, like some kind of predator that had just made its kill.

Dan raised his gun and discharged two rounds, hitting the mark in the head, as splatter exited out the other side.

Dan rushed to his partners side. Mike was seriously wounded and losing blood fast.

“Mike, hang in there! Hang in there buddy! Help is on the way!” Dan said as he tried to find something to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.

Then he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. The other victim, who had been struggling with their breathing, was now getting up as well. And the other bodies were starting to move as well.

Dan yelled “STAY DOWN!” He pointed his gun at the other victim now.

“Join us.” It said, with a voice that sounded utterly inhuman.

“STAY DOWN AND SHUT THE #^%& UP!” Dan yelled again, this time with added expletives.

It stared at him for a moment, with soulless black eyes. Then it said, “What a sensation that was, to be shot. You will join us.” And then it got up and started to move toward him.

Dan shot it twice in the chest, but it had no effect. By the time he hit it in the head, it was nearly on top of him when it fell.

As the others got up to approach him, Dan knew either that either his instinct or training was going to save him. Either one was good enough for him.

He had more time to warn them, but they didn’t listen either. Not one bullet had any effect on them, except head shots. “Weirdest damn thing I’ve ever seen”, he thought.

By now the ambulance siren was getting closer. Dan had a partner down, four victims that he had had to shoot himself, and was sure that he was going to catch hell trying to explain what had happened.

But it didn’t matter unless he could stop the bleeding from Mike’s neck.