The Coding Call

Chapter 4

     1 day. That's how long Andrew has been out living in the streets of New York by himself. Only one fucking day. He was already suffering. He felt horrible that he begged people for money or a bite of their breakfast sandwich. He felt useless. He felt death. This was only one day. How long do I have to live like this? Andrew often thought to himself throughout those cold miserable days. Throughout the day he would enter into indoor shops just to warm himself. Unfortunately some employees found what he was doing. They kicked him out of the store. Living on the streets was the worst thing in the world at the moment. He shivered continuously and constantly. Mid November in Brooklyn was pretty cold. Especially the constant rain that showered over the city. 

   As night approached Andrew realized he needed to stop and rest. He had been walking the entire day. His feet felt broken. His voice was sore from yelling and crying. Where am I supposed to sleep?  Andrew thought. He later settled for a bench in a garden. Hopefully an officer would notice him and stop to talk to him. That was the ideal plan. Andrew hoisted himself onto the cold metal branch. He rested his feet on top of the bench. As Andrew looked down at his feet he hadn't noticed a weird stain on his ankle of his blue jeans. He lifted the jeans to find the source of the stain. As he lifted the jeans Andrew felt a stinging sensation. He gritted his teeth together and muttered a curse word under his mouth. There was a small gash on his leg. The gash lightly squished warm red fluid from its opening. Oh man up Andrew Andrew thought to himself. He simply placed his jeans over his gash. How did this happen? Andrew wondered. Soon sleep took over. The last sight of the city gleaming in the darkness of the world.

  "Kid wake up" A deep voice woke Andrew. Andrew opened his eyes slowly to see an officer. The officer kept his gaze on Andrew. "Please help me." Andrew told the officer with his hoarse voice. "Kid where are your parents?" The office asked. "I don't know, they're gone!" Andrew slightly elevated his voice. The officer simply looked at with a confused gaze. He scratched at his nose then said, "I'm taking you down to the station, there we can sort everything out. Got it?" the officer asked. Andrew simply nodded. He couldn't help but smile. He finally felt safe for the first time since he got that mysterious IM. 

  Andrew boarded the police cruiser with the officer. The leather chair squeaked with Andrew's wet jeans. The officer inserted the keys into the car and jolted the car alive. Andrew looked at the city passing by through the window. "What's your name kid?" the officer asked. "Andrew Phillip" Andrew replied. The officer nodded and kept his eyes on the road. "Andrew listen to me, you need to be 100% honest with all the officers once we get to the station. You seem to have a story to tell." The officer said. Andrew finally got a good look at the officer's face. He had green eyes with long brown hair. He seemed to be middle aged with a hint of facial hair. His voice was deep and in a way relaxing. 

  The rest of the ride was complete silence. Andrew only listened to the rubber wheels rub against the asphalt of the road. The motor churning in the inside of the cruiser. Here and there the officer would cough or clear his throat. Besides that the ride was complete silence. The rain had finally taken a break from booming down. How far is this station? Andrew wondered. They had been riding for a good 30 minutes. Traffic wasn't all that bad. Andrew looked at the clock on the dashboard of the car. 4:28. This officer works the late shift. The officer coughed again but with much more force. "Are you okay?" Andrew couldn't help but ask. The officer sniffles and wipes his mouth from small specks of spit. "I'm fine, but I can't be working these shifts out in the cold. I'm not built for that." the officer croaked. The rest of the ride was just an awkward silence. 

  After what seemed to be forever they finally arrived at the New York City Police Department in the 68th precinct. The building was squared and surrounded by a coating of dark brick. The lights inside the station shined outside into the night. The officer shut off his engine and took a deep breath. "Remember what I told you Andrew" the cop told him. Why doesn't this guy trust me? Andrew wondered. They both exited the vehicle and felt the cool air strike them. The officer coughed out again and rubbed his nose again. They made their way to the doors of the station. Once they entered the station Andrew was welcomed with a smell of dirty carpet and brick. The station was lit with a bright white light that you would see at a doctors office. Andrew felt a burning pain in his leg. He looked down to see even more blood leaking through the jeans. A pang of nervousness hit Andrew once more. Is it infected? he wondered.