SAVAGE

1.

Beep...beep...beep

Jersey sighed as she ran her hand over her cousin's brown cheek. He laid there in the hospital bed with his eyes closed. No, he wasn't in a coma at all-he was just asleep. His swollen shut eyes moved as he breathed hard and his swollen lips looked very painful. Jersey felt sorry for her cousin, she wanted to know what happened to him.

Who would be this cruel to beat him almost to death?

She worked as a janitor and didn't get off until eleven at night. After clocking out, she got a call from her Auntie letting her know that Rudy had to be rushed to the hospital. She had found him sprawled out by the door. When she managed to turn her unconscious son over, she noticed how battered his face was.

Rudy was just fifteen years old and he was beginning to get involved in a lot of things. For example, he was always getting arrested for stealing. His mother, Lisa, stayed trying to get him out of trouble. She was always trying her best to keep him safe, but he wasn't trying to do right.

His older, half-brother, Marcus, was now around and putting a negative influence on the boy.

Before Marcus was around, Rudy was on a straight path. He stayed in school, made good grades, and Lisa didn't have to worry about him getting in trouble. Now, with his brother around, he had gone from sweet to sour. Lisa had to deal with her son dropping out of school and starting a nasty habit of smoking cigarettes.

"We need to find out who did this." Jersey stated while looking over at her aunt. Lisa looked up from her phone and glanced over at her only son. The sadness was visible in her facial expression as she pressed her lips together. She sat in the chair, exhausted from working late-night shifts at the clinic. Lisa carried heavy bags underneath her eyes, and she was still dressed in her work uniform.

"He's not going to tell you nothing, so forget it." She replied to Jersey, her voice was low and calm. Her son's battered body didn't bother her.

Jersey's forehead furrowed as she thought about the cold chill she felt from her aunt. She couldn't believe that Lisa was giving up like that. "Auntie-"

"Jersey...I'm just tired of dealing with Rudy and his shit. Whatever he did-trust and believe me-he's not going to tell you what happened and who did this to him."

Jersey wanted her aunt to be wrong. She had a cool relationship with Rudy, so she knew that he would give the person up to her.

"And besides, you don't need to be getting mixed up in his situation. You know how you are, so just stay out of it and let it go."

Jersey rolled her eyes and looked off. She wasn't no punk, but she was definitely a sweetheart. However, she had a hard time picking the right people to be in her life.

"Marcus knows who did it. I have a feeling." She continued as her thoughts raced through her mind. Jersey was going to get to the bottom of the situation.

_____________________________

"I'm alright. Jay, stop trying to baby me." Rudy complained as he sat on the couch. A bandage covered the back of his head where his dissolving stitches were located. He had been home for almost three days now and was sporting a very bad attitude.

"I just want to make sure you're okay." Jersey replied while eyeing him cautiously.

"I'm alright." He assured her in a stern voice. He sat there wearing a shirt with some sweats. Rudy had a smooth, copper complexion. He touched his growing hair, that needed to be tamed since it was starting to tangle. His coarse hair needed to be treated often, but he didn't do that-which resulted in tangles and knots