The Phantom

Chapter 4

The next day was a strange one, and I wrack my brain for a better word, but it is the best I can do. The video of Caesar, or Drake as his real name was found out, had thrown much of the nation into chaos.

A man had committed first degree murder in front of an entire police station, with at least fifteen officers bearing witness. He had walked away, and now was nowhere to be found.

The officers had gone on trial, of course. The public was outraged, and with good reason; those men and women had gone against everything they had sworn to uphold, and while it was quite clear that they were guilty, and all had confessed to such, the case was not that simple.

Each one had quite a vivid memory of the occurrence. They could remember the man walking away, and they remembered doing nothing, but they remembered it with a hate and furry that was surprising. A few of the officers involved were even quite respected, and seen as a role model for others. Each had a perfect track record, none had ever blown off a case, or let a criminal go. In fact, until that moment, it appeared as if the police in question were the exact kind that someone would want watching their neighborhood. They helped the locals to feel safe, they were welcoming to newcomers, they cracked down on the law, but were understanding at times that empathy was needed. They understood the law well, but they understood the people they watched over better, and it seemed as if each and every one of them truly wanted what was best for the civilians.

It had touched my heart to see, but it had truly broken Joe's. I was certain that he could picture his father up there, standing trial along with his brothers and sisters in blue.

The lawyers of both sides and the judge had a difficult time as well. It felt pretty clear that none of them had meant stand by, and that each was furious with themselves for doing so, but none of them could come up with a reason why. They didn't know the man, he had not bribed any of them, he wasn't family, they weren't afraid. They simply had felt as if they could not. There were bystanders as well, and the news reporter too, who had felt the same way, but with the police around, none of them were held accountable, though they were questioned.

It was disturbing, confusing, but most of all, saddening to watch.

Then, of course, there were those who had taken it the wrong way, and where I felt remorse, they felt an anger. They had watched police slack off, and let another murder happen. This one was happening on live TV. The only punishment they were getting was a few years in prison? Fuck the police. I saw the words everywhere, on every social media site there was. I knew that police brutality was an issue, and that yes, there were bad cops who didn't do their job, or worse, but I honestly felt in my heart as if it wasn't the case. Not this time. Something far more unusual than a criminal in the disguise of an officer was going on. It was rare for someone who had done such good to suddenly do such evil. It was incredibly rare for it to happen to such a large number at the same time. Perhaps it was simply just too sad and upsetting for me to openly admit to myself that it had indeed happened.

I had no idea it would, or even could, get stranger.

Then, there was Riley, and those who had a completely different view on the case. In some sense, they agreed more with the sympathizers, in that the police seemed to be good people at their hearts, but Riley, unlike myself or those who wanted to believe the police, had an explanation. They had not let a criminal get away. They had not watched a murderer slink off. While the man might be both of those, Riley believed that there was a much stronger, and much more important title that should be mentioned first. The supernatural. A mutant. A man with super human abilities. A super villain.

Yes, Riley truly believed now what he had hinted at, the idea that he had toyed with when the screaming woman had been caught on camera. He truly, and fully believed that people with superpowers were starting to surface, for whatever reason.