C. N. Garraway

Prompt

Write this scene. Your cellphone is found at a crime scene, and it’s ringing. The caller ID reads “Unknown.”

My Response

I pulled up behind a black-and-white cruiser. The heat kissed me in an instant caress, the moment I stepped out. I adjusted the collar of my light blue shirt as I headed over to the CSU team, but a hand caught my arm.

“Where the hell have you been, Nickels?” Mortez’s voice carried more irritation than concern.

“I lost my phone. A fight broke out at Marvelle’s Diner. Two are in lockup, and two went out in an ambo. Somewhere in the chaos, I must’ve dropped it.”

Mortez just shook his head, his gloved fingers flexing around something. The look on his face was grim, unreadable.

A sour taste crept into my mouth. Sweat prickled down my neck. “What’s going on, Mortez?”

He raised his hand. The phone he held looked identical to mine. “CSU found this on the victim.”

The words barely registered. My pulse spiked as I shoved past him, running toward the coroner crouched beside the body. When I saw the face, my lungs seized. It was my brother.
The brother who was supposed to be already dead. The world tilted. My chest cinched, my vision blurred. Somewhere distant, a phone began to ring.

“Nickels.” Mortez’s voice cut through the haze. “It’s your phone. Unknown caller.”

He shook me hard, thrusting the device into my hands. “You gonna answer it?”

I shook my head, but he pressed it into my palm anyway. The moment he let go, an almost silent pop rang out. Pain seared my chest like I’d swallowed acid. I staggered, sinking to my knees in a motion that lasted too long. Red pumped from my chest like a mini geyser.

Mortez loomed over me, his grin slick and cruel. “I told you, Nickels—you were going to pay.” My eyes widened, then fluttered shut, as I welcomed the darkness.

Your Turn

What happens in your version of this scene? Respond in the comments.