GRAVE DANGER

Grave Danger Chapter 2

He stares at me silently, a look of dread in his eyes.

"...H--how...?" I stutter.

How is this possible? He's been dead for four years... This is impossible. How is he here? Why was he gone for so long? Where did he go?

"Don't just stand there." he says urgently, his dread growing louder.Oh, his voice. I haven't heard him in so long. He sounds so different.

"Aren't you going to arrest me?" He glances over his shoulder.

I shake my head, but barely. I can hardly make myself move at all. How is this possible? How is he here?

He raises his eyebrows in impatient anticipation. "Hurry up! Take me back to the station before your partner gets suspicious!"

"I-I can't... How is this possible? You're dead!"

"I'll explain later, but you have t--" Jackson smacks into him from behind, cutting him off.

Martin trips and falls onto his knees."Get up, you moron!" Jackson growls, yanking him back to his feet.

I still stare in disbelief, unable to make myself move. How is he alive?

Jackson turns him around and knees him in the abdomen. "That's for punching me!"

This wakes me up. "Stop it!" I lunge forward and shove Jackson away from Martin, almost making him fall over backwards.

"What's wrong with you? First you just stood there and didn't bring him back to the car, and now you're defending him?" He glares.

"You don't have any right to harass him like that!" I scold.

He raises an eyebrow. "What, do you know this guy?"

"Of course not! You can't just beat someone up like that! The chief'll suspend you, or take your badge!"

"How's she gonna know to do that? You gonna tell her?" He taunts.

I feel myself shrink for a moment, then I step forward. "Yeah, I am! You're out of your jurisdiction!"

He grabs my forearm and shoves me aside, then grabs Martin and starts leading him back to the gas station.. "I doubt the chief would take my badge after I nab the criminal she needs, especially when you were to weak to do it yourself."

I glare at the back of his head the whole way down the sidewalk.

How is Martin alive?

"Got him." Jackson announces loudly, bursting into the chief's office.

"Nice job, Smith. Take him downs--" Jackson cuts her short.

"You should've seen me, I was great. Raven totally just stood there and wouldn't get him. She won't tell me why." he shoots me a sly grin over his shoulder.

"That's great, Smith, now take him downstairs to--"

"I mean, look at this guy!" he hits him over the back of the head, he grunts. I clench my fists. "How could she not get someone like this? It was entirely too easy. He did punch me pretty hard, though, maybe she knew she wasn't strong enough to take someone like that!" His fist flies up into the air and crashes down on Martin's back.

"Stop that!" I jump forward.

"Jackson." the chief says sternly.

Jackson bows. "Your wish is my command." He turns to walk out the door.

"Wait!" I squeak. "Are you just gonna let him do that? He's beating that guy up!"

She rolls her eyes. "Jackson, that's enough. Just take him downstairs."

Jackson nods and starts walking again.

"Seriously? Aren't you gonna punish him?"

"It's not that big a deal, Raven, calm down. I stopped." He narrows his eyes at me.

"He beat him up before he arrested him!" I blurt.

The chief gives Jackson a look of astonishment. Jackson looks back at me with an expression of outrage and offense. "I don't know what she's talking about! Brute force was absolutely necessary. He started trying to hurt me, so I had to hit him to get his cuffs on."

"That's a dirty lie!" I squeal. "I put his cuffs on before you even got there! He punched you back at the gas station!" I give the chief a look of desperation. Please believe me!

"Where's your proof, Raven? You're just upset because you couldn't get him yourself. You're trying to take the credit away from me because you've been spoiled your whole life! If you can't have it, no one can!" I feel my face burn and I grit my teeth. "Chief, I think Raven just needs some time to cool off. She's bitter that I'm a better cop than she is."

The chief looks back and forth between me and Jackson, a look of defeat on her face. She clearly doesn't know what to do about us. "Jackson, just take him downstairs." She says sounding annoyed.

Martin glances at me over his shoulder.Why did he just stand there and let Jackson hit him? I still can't wrap my head around him being arrested. I walk out of the chief's office--refusing to talk to her anymore about Jackson, I'm too angry at her for believing him over me. I look down the hall and watch as my best friend is taken to the basement of the police station in handcuffs.