saving josie

         

SAVING JOSIE

Back at the station detective jonathen Simms went over every note every inch of evidence to see if there was something he missed. After all, he had been chasing this thief for a few months now. He never lost a suspect or had a case he couldn't solve, but this one had him up ever night.

         Raleigh, North Carolina was the coldest it had ever been. A group of kids were hanging in the alley smoking and hanging out. You could tell by their age and clothes they were teens who were either skipping school or just didn't give a damn about authority to ever go. "Where is she?" stated one of the girls hanging on the left wall. "Ha-ha, who cares '', replied a small guy who was standing on the corner like a look out. "She's a loner anyway, not even worth the ca..." "Don't pop off if you not ready to jump off shrimp,'' stated the tall pear shaped skin like earth girl who stumbled in during the middle of the small guys remarks. "Whatever, Josie", stated the small guy. Josie rocket was her name.

         Josie rocket was a rebel, a small town girl who stayed in and out of trouble. It was never big stuff just small crimes. She was 17, and the place she once called home was the place she ran from. The streets were now her home. For the people god put on this earth to protect her had abused her and treated her as if she were not theirs. She was a smart, wild, defiant girl who would fight or curse anyone out without hesitation. Once she stole a few C.D from scream n dance music store and the owner tried to chase her down. He was sure he had her cuss there were boxes blocking the side entrance, so he knew he'd be able to cut her off. Before he could scream stop he was on the floor. Josie had right hooked him and was gone before the cops had arrived on scene. Always the clever one, she knew the places to go and the streets to avoid. When the darkness falls Josie mischief rises.

         "Excuse me sir, I was sent here by the temp agency to work; my name is leerik Wyse They told me to see Mr. Ducks," stated a young guy with skin of caramel based with a little olive. He was tall and quiet you could see he had a story to tell in his eyes. "I'm Joseph ducks." a man in an apron and hat stated. "Let's get you started." he suggested. Mr. Duck put the young man to work unloading trucks in the back of the store. It had a clear view of the street, lights, and the city. "Mr. Wyse?" stated Mr. Duck. "There's no lateness, no lies, and no BS in my company; if you abide by that then you'll be fine." he replied. Leerik nodded and begin unloading.

Leerik Wyse was a good kid from Atlanta Georgia. He always said yes sir and yes ma'am. He always helped out the other man even if he got bullied for it in the end. Keep his head down and his mouth shut all his life. Even when he was 5 sitting in a court room watching a lady in a pail suit telling a room full of people that his father, the man he's known as a hero, the man that taught him to fish and eat chips off his belly while laying on the ground looking at the sky was being convicted of murdering his mom. Leerik was sitting there with the lady from social services Mrs. Samantha cruize being told he would never have to see his daddy again and that they would find him a new home. Yeah, leerik always kept his head down and told his self "one day life will make sense."

         It was nearly dark in Raleigh. The streets were empty and nearly all the stores closed. Leery shift at ducks packing and rolling was over soon. A couple of the guys at the warehouse were talking about ladies and going to the bar. They asked leerik if he would finish cleaning up the few bags of trash and boxes. Leerik didn't have anywhere important to go so he didn't mind. So the other workers left and leerik kept cleaning. AS he was picking up the last box about to end his long day. He heard a noise it sounded like glass breaking. Leerik looked up but he didn't see anybody. "Crack, boom," leerik spun around and shouted hello. There was nothing there but some stray cats and some old crates. "Boom, boom." said a voice in the dark. "Who's there?" said leerik. He grabbed his coat and punched out and headed towards the direction of the noise. "Damn, fifty dollars is all they have in the cash register, what's in these boxes," said a girl's voice. She was inside kookees retail store. She had a book bag filled with whatever she could fit. She had already hit lacee clothing store and jaxx hardware tonight. So Josie was pretty loaded down. " ooww, an old camera got to be worth some money, and some I pods definitely worth some..." suddenly she was interrupted by a voice " miss what are you doing" a guys voice replied. Josie spun around. "Are you robbing these people", the young man replied. Fearing that he might call the cops or called them already Josie grabbed a bat and proceeded to go after the young man. Who was standing in the door way where the broken glass lay upon the floor? He was looking around the store at all the things Josie had destroyed or taken. All of sudden out of the corner of his eye he saw a bat coming towards his direction. Leerik jumped and fell into a rack holding some items that needed to be stocked on the floor. At that moment he looked up and Josie was bringing the bat towards his direction again. "No witnesses," she shouted. Before the bat could hit him a second time leerik grabbed it right out of Josie's hands. She jumped back shocked at his reflexes. "No witnesses, maybe you should consider no crime then there wouldn't be a need for witnesses." stated leerik. By the look on her face, like a bull all rowed up Josie was mad. "You lucky you got good reflexes or you wouldn't be popping off that mouth" she replied. Just as Josie was about to finish what she started she heard sirens. "Oh, crap it's the cops, you nark." Josie said. "I didn't call anybody. You must have stepped on a floor alarm or something." stated leerik who had just got up off the floor. "What way do we go?" he turned to Josie for a reply. She was gone. She had slipped through the back door and down the alley way.

         A few minutes' later three cop cars were parked out front of the building. Leerik had managed to slip out the same door Josie did. He could still hear sirens coming as he walked down the alley way. He didn't know where he was headed because he didn't hang on back streets he always kept to the main roads. "I wouldn't go that way if I were you, the stones gang territory." stated a voice leaning against the wall. It was her that young girl who was robbing the store. She stood there like the wall was hers to guard. "Thanks, said leerik". Still trembling from the fear of almost being caught. He was quiet and shy. Josie could tell he wasn't like most the people she dazzled with. Josie asked him his name and told him hers. She told him which way would get him home and when he went to thank her she was gone again.

         "Paychecks here everybody." shouted Mr. Duck. It was three weeks since leerik had his first encounter with Josie and scare with the law. It was a Friday and all the workers were doing their usual bar drinking, dancing or buying ladies. Except leerik he was going down to the church to help feed the homeless and maybe sit on the roof top of the house where he stays. He arrived at the church about 6 o'clock. It was full of hungry people men, women and children who just needed a bit to eat and a warm blanket. The volunteers feed the people until every inch of food and blankets were gone. Then they cleaned up and begin heading out. "Good night Mr. Wyse." said one of the older ladies from the church. "Be safe son" she stated. "Thank you, and good night to you as well ma'am" replied, leerik. It was almost 10:30 as leerik begin to walk the twenty-five miles home. He kept his head down so maybe he wouldn't be bothered by all the evil lurking in the night. He had only walked about eight miles, when somebody flashed right pass him. The speed was so much that it spun him and knocked him down. He looked up from the cold ground and saw a red headed girl going up the hill with a book bag on her back. "Josie" he cried. "Josie," he cried again. She didn't hear him she was already at the peak of the hill and going down it. Sirens were blasting everywhere. Cop cars were speeding pass him headed up the hill. They were headed for Josie.

         A couple days earlier, detective johnathen Simms had got an anonymous tip from an unknown caller about a young defiant delinquent living on the street who might be the person robbing stores. After the alley crew that Josie use to squat with got to busted for arson and graffiti somebody named Josie as a person of interest in the robberies. Detective Simms had no proof and no information to even talk to her to rule her out. It wasn't until a week after kookees retail store robbery when the owner of expensive wants jewelry store was beat to death with a bat, the same beat that was found on kookees stores floor after the burglary. Simms now had a lead because the finger prints came back matching a minor named Josie Sade rocket.

         "Josie, where are you? Are you alright" stated leerik. He was now at the top of the peak hill going down. He could hear the cops and sirens still blasting and speeding past him as he raced down the street to any dark place he think she might go. Then with a sudden twitch, for some reason he turned to his left where there was an old building but the fire escape stairs were swinging as if somebody had just been on them. He pulled down the stairs and climbed up to the roof. In the corner way in the back facing the back alley was Josie. She was clinched down holding a crowbar. "What happened, what you did?" replied leerik. She was silent. "Josie" he said again. "Hush, I can't think with all this noise and you calling my name every five minutes." she yelled. He stepped back as if to say i'm giving you room and then asked her was she ok. "I'm fine, I can take care of myself." said Josie. "Oh, no Josie, what did you do, you killed that man, you have nowhere to go, you'll never amount to anything." she kept repeating. Leerik didn't know what to do as he just stood there listening to her repeat it over and over and then finally she said, "Nobody loves you, you might as well die." for the first time since Josie yelled at him he looked up and Josie's eyes were cold. It was as if she had already given up hope. She was a girl lost in a world where her parents failed her. Where school and joys of life no longer gave her protection from the war she fought at home. Where best friends, boyfriends, and college no longer existed. Josie's eyes were fogged like a storm that just couldn't settle. She stood there in a daze for a little longer and when she finally came out of the daze she cried. He couldn't believe that the same girl he saw robbing a store was crying. Josie had slide down by an old heater fan and was sobbing. " leerik?" she said. He was so puzzled because Josie had never said his name before. "Yes, Josie." he replied. "Do you think ill like hell?" she oddly stated. Leerik hesitated because the question in itself was one he had never asked or thought of. "I don't know Josie, why do you ask?" he curiously said. "Because i'm going there for killing the owner of the expensive wants jewelry store." stated Josie as the tears rolled down her cheek. Leerik didn't respond because he didn't know how to. Instead he sat down next to Josie and put his arm around her and let her cry until she fell asleep. He sat up counting stars until he nodded off.

          He woke up to the sun blazing down in his face as if it were smiling at him saying hello. He turned his head both ways cracking his bones after his good sleep. Suddenly, he realized Josie wasn't there. There were people screaming in the streets and cop cars for miles away. He got up and went down the fire escape so he could see what all the commotion was about.

"Stop, stop now or ill shoot." a cop was saying. Leerik couldn't see from the old building so he begins walking up the street. As he got closer he could hear the suspects' voice and he could see all the cops.

"Hands in the air NOW." the lead detective was yelling.

         It was Josie. They had finally caught her coming out of in alleyway after breaking into a donut store that morning. He could see that look from the night before in her eyes. ; Like she had no reason to live. Leerik knew at any moment she would start fighting back or running only to end up in a fiery place because she believes she wasn't deserving of the other. "Josie rocket, just do what you're told and everything will be okay." shouted leerik. Detective johnathen Simms told leerik to stand back and let them handle it. He was trying to plead with the cops to let him talk to her but it wasn't going to happen. As the detective was talking to leerik, Josie picked up a broken piece of glass and grabbed one of the cops that was close to her and put it to his neck. "freeze, Josie you don't want to do this put it down." stated detective Simms. "You're a minor; we can see if the D.A will cut you a deal. He replied. With tears filled in his eyes leerik hoped Josie would listen to reason. She looked up at the sky as the detective was talking to her. She lowered her arm and let the cop go. Leerik knew something was up he could see it in her eyes. "Josie put down the glass, it'll be okay." stated leerik. "No it won't, because i'm damaged." stated Josie. "I'm sorry leerik, but "no witnesses." leerik screamed, "No", and went charging towards Josie. She dropped the glass and pulled out the gun she had taking off the officer she held up towards the cops as she cried she repeated again, "I'm damaged good. All of a sudden there were noises that sounded like fire crackers, and by the time it was over Leerik was lying dead on the ground with a note in his hand that said "I am guilty."

         At the old town church lies a grave, lies a story. A story about a good guy who give his all to save a girl who was lost trying find a place in this damaged wicked world.