21 Jump Street (Tom Hanson)

"Accidental Death" ⚠️

May 1990

When I took the oath to be an officer for Metropolis, Evergreen State, I not only pledged to assert myself into dangerous situations to deescalate any threats, but also to maintain integrity of my own moral character, a vow that I would protect others at all costs. This means that I am never off-duty. I am always observant and it is forever engrained in my brain to look for any signs of distress.

Grocery stores are no exception.

It was my day off, so I wanted to complete a list of errands I needed to accomplish before I started work again. Our work days always involve early mornings and late nights, so it was best to get all chores and errands done in one day. It was really gloomy outside, so I really didn't want to leave the house.

Holding a list in one hand and pushing the cart with the other, I was slowly going up and down the grocery store isles. Tom usually does the grocery shopping, but he was caught up with a case so I promised that I would do it this time. He always gets in and out so fast because he has memorized where everything goes, but I was struggling. Tom says that I need to do more of the shopping so I can force myself to know where everything is, but I always retaliate with how he should start cooking more and then he backs off.

I reached up and grabbed a box of our favorite cereal and my spidey-senses started tingling. My heart began beating faster, and my palms got clammy while the hair on the back of my neck stood up straight. I've quickly learned to always trust my instincts. I almost felt like someone was looming over my shoulder behind me. Very slowly, I put the cereal box into the cart's basket and carefully peered over my shoulder. I felt instant relief when I noticed that there was no one directly behind me, but I saw a woman standing at the end of the isle and her big brown eyes were intent on me.

Something felt... off.

She didn't look any older than eighteen. Her hair was covered by a dark headscarf, and her dark circles by her eyes were heavy against her caramel skin. She wore a pair of baggy jeans, cinched with a chunky black belt and an argyle sweater vest was over a black long sleeve shirt to combat the cold and rainy weather. Her arms were crossed but I could see her fiddling with her silver necklace. She was in slight disarray, and her fearful eyes didn't leave mine.

Finally, her lip quivered and she tiptoed down the isle until she was right beside me. She kept looking over her shoulder anxiously, and she had an expression of alarm on her face. I could see sweat building over her dark eyebrows and her upper lip, despite the cool air of the store. She grabbed my elbow and in a small, quivering voice she begged, "please, help me."

Her words brought a chill down my spine. A million different scenarios flew through my head about why this teenager would need help from a stranger, but all I saw looking back at me was pure panic, and defeat.

I nodded softly to express my understanding for her fear. I lowered my voice and asked, "are you safe?"

She looked back over her shoulder again in a paranoid fashion, as if she was afraid that someone behind her could hear her speak. Her deep brown eyes met with mine again and she sniffed. She whispered even softer, "I don't think so."

I think my heart had physically stopped beating for a moment. Thinking quickly on my feet, I knew that I had to get her to a safe location so we could talk. She obviously didn't feel safe in this isle, so I figured that my car would be the best place for us to go. Based on her looking over her shoulder, I knew it was safe to assume that there was someone nearby that she didn't want to see.

The first thing I did was shimmy off my raincoat and I gave it to the girl to put on. When she flipped the hood up, I hoped that it was enough to mask her identity until we could get her in my car. She wrapped herself tightly in my raincoat, and it seemed to act as a security blanket for her. I left the shopping cart, and we navigated ourselves to the back of the store so we could slip out to the parking lot in the most discreet way possible.