Chapter Two

The next morning, a very hung over Josh came from the other side of the glass apartment door to attend work at the library, reviewing his novel. The police car was still parked on the sidewalk. It appeared empty, but Josh knew it wasn't. He slowly paced to the car window to peer inside. He saw a blanket wrapped over a womanly figure. 

Immediately, a man popped out from the front seat and out of the car. He faced Josh. Josh froze, looking into the gun hole. "You better get the f*ck out of here, now," The man hissed. Josh ran to the next street corner to hail a taxi there. 

That would be his story. That men, and what he did to that woman. After thinking about it, Josh asked the taxi driver to turn around to the law office. Josh jumped out of the vehicle, and jogged into the office.

He was out of breath. "Hello," Josh said.

"Yes." The receptionist wasn't nearly as excited as Josh.

Josh asked for any lawsuits filed on the police units in Edison. Several cases were fetched by the computer, and they all belonged to the same defendant, a police squad, with leader, Officer Raphael Deeds's name on all of the papers. The papers were official as could be. Somehow, the defendants managed to win every case. They appeared as an everyday, ordinary police unit, with bad luck with the people they find. 

Josh wasn't going to lose his case. He was sure of it.

Before he was going to file a lawsuit, Josh decided he would talk to Moses about reporting this. Though it seemed impossible under Mr. Ashford's cult to do anything worth working for, Josh approached Mr. Ashford anyway.

"How about talking to somebody who knows the defendant? How about visiting the scene to make your own assessment?"

"Okay, okay. You're right," Josh backed off.

"As if I need your information." Moses retorted.

Josh walked home, with his hands in his pockets, hoping for his life that nobody would greet him.

The policeman that Josh had met earlier awaited Josh's arrival.

He didn't want to do anything bad, but the other officers at the station were using Raphael for their dirty work.

Josh read the policeman's nametag. 

Josh remembered everything the papers said: Rape, Drug Abuse, and ultimately, murder. Any of it could happen to him right then. Josh swallowed as Deeds grabbed his collar.

He punched Josh out. Josh's dirtied elbow sleeves supported him from the ground. He felt coolness dripping from his elbows beneath his jacket.  Josh's right eye was closed as he bit his lip.

Deeds peeled Josh off the sidewalk like he was litter. He manhandled Josh, pulling his arms behind his back whichever way his arms came the quickest. 

Embraced in handcuffs, Josh looked down during the car ride. He didn't care that he didn't know where he was being taken. He didn't care as much as he was mad. Josh was mad that he was so blind and defenseless, and mad that he let himself be unsupported by anybody. He was mad he was such a child.

Deeds finally pulled up to a small shack. Josh didn't even know if he was in Edison anymore. Nothing unnatural was laid within a half mile of this place. Its lawn was so overgrown that that it covered the door from an angle. What looked like it used to be a garden was entangled in leaves. Josh suddenly became extremely skeptical about entering this cement structure. It was no larger than a normal sized bedroom, but Josh knew it hid more somehow. 

As officer Raphael opened the car door for Josh, he looked at another officer in the window. The man nodded, and Deeds swallowed. He toughened up quickly. "Listen, we know you be looking us up. What's up with that?"

"Nothing's up with anything."

"Bullsh*t! That's a lie!" Deeds yelled as he used Josh's body to push and open the glass door. Josh was now standing at the top of a stair case that descended about fifty feet. The cement walls were pressured by the subterranean dirt. The planks of the stairs were not sturdy and  the slope was steep. The top planks hung over each step about an inch. Nothing was professionally built. 

"Tell me what you doin, G0d D@mnet!" Deeds pulled on the back of Josh's shirt and released him as he shoved him forward.

Josh tumbled down, head first. He flipped over twice to proceed sliding on his back. The back of his shirt was pulled out from under his pants. One, two, three planks skinned his back  before his strattle was wide enough to turn the other way. Finally, at the bottom of the stairs, Josh tripped over his toes and landed on his knees. Deeds was gone. Josh didn't have the energy to walk up the stairs, so he climbed them with his entirely bruised body.

Prologue/Chapter 1/Chapter 2/Chapter 3/Chapter 4/Chapter 5/Chapter 6/Chapter 7/Chapter 8/Epilogue
This story was written by K8, and some ideas may originally belong to David J. Burke, the writer of Edison. Some of the story is K8's own work, BUT NOT ALL OF IT. The writing is K8's except for a few quotes, but the concept is David J. Burke's, except for a few scenes.