The U.N.I.T.

“Come on Jer, you can do it, just 10 more feet come on baby.” 

Jeremy looked up, only to see his father looking down on him smiling encouragingly.  He was so close; he just couldn't give up now.  The ten year old boy reached his hand back, and dipped it into the pouch that was hanging on the back of his harness, right over his butt.  He pulled it back out, and shook the excess chalk off of it; he was going to do this.  His fingers were on fire, his arms shook with the strain, and his legs weren't in any better shape.

He looked down, and really saw for the first time how far he had come, he knew this rock face was just over one thousand feet tall, and he was only ten from the top, he could do this, he WOULD do this.  He looked back up at his dad, and reached up as far as he could. 

“Shit!” He muttered under his breath.  He couldn't find a hand hold, and his other arm was really starting to hurt.  He could feel his fingers starting to give way, and his legs were quaking with the strain.  He could see the hand hold, only about six inches from his finger tips, but he just couldn't reach it. 

He knew he had only one chance, one chance to make this climb.  One chance to achieve the goal that his father had said was too much, but after months of whining and begging, finally gave into and agreed to let the young boy try, a climb on an Expert Cliff. 

Jeremy knew his dad wouldn't be upset if he had to be hauled up to the top by his safety rope.  He knew his father would just ruffle his hair, and tell him for the hundredth time, “It's okay Jer, I didn't even make this cliff the first time I tried it, and I was an adult then.”  Damn it, though, he came this far, he wasn't going to fail now... he wouldn't allow it.  He drew up what little energy he had left, and jumped.

He jumped with everything he had, he only had to go six little inches, and he could grab the next hand hold.  He felt his fingers grab the rock that was jutting out; he felt his small hand latch onto that last piece of cliff that would let him get to the top. 

He held on with all his might, as his feet slipped out from under him.  He started to swing out away from the rock, but he held on with everything he had.  He wasn't going to get pulled up to the top.  He pulled himself back to the cliff face with his one hand, and finally got his feet set, and then his other hand found another hand hold. 

He clung to the cliff face for several seconds, trying to catch his breath; that had been too close.  He could hear his father calling down encouragement from above, but right now he couldn't let himself hear what was being said.  He was too focused on finishing the climb.  Jeremy looked up, and with sweat pouring down his face, he saw the last few hand holds he would need, then the top. 

He took a deep breath, and climbed the last few feet.  This part was easy, but with everything he had done already, it was a lot harder then it looked.  His dad backed off as he reached the top.  Andy wasn't about to ruin this for his son, by hauling him up now. 

He knew his son well enough to know that Jeremy wanted to get to the top, and stand up on his own.  As per tradition, you never really climbed a mountain till you were standing on the top.  And this one was no different.  He waited patiently as Jeremy pulled himself up over the edge, and lay there for a few seconds catching his breath.  Then he slowly struggled to his feet, and stood up, looking out over the valley below. 

Andy's heart swelled with pride at his son's accomplishment.  Even with everything else that Jeremy had done, Andy still thought this one was too much for a boy of only ten years, but the boy had persisted in convincing him that he could handle it.  Finally, Andy gave in, and they set out to climb “MacArthur's Peak.”  While it wasn't the hardest cliff face in Utah, it did rank up there as one of the most difficult, and came with an “Expert” only rating.  Andy thought back to the first time he had climbed this cliff.  It was about six years before Jeremy was born, he had just gotten out of the Marines, and he hadn't even made it.

“YEEEAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”  Jeremy hooted, bringing Andy out of his memories.  “I told you I could do it, Dad!”  Andy almost fell over as the 75 pounds of his son slammed into him.  Jeremy had jumped into Andy's arms, and was now perched on his hip just like when he was little. 

“I did it Daddy!  I told you I could.”  Jeremy was so hyper at this point it was hard to tell he had just done the hardest thing he had ever done in his short life. 

Andy couldn't help but laugh at the boy’s excitement, “Yeah you sure did Tiger, I am so proud of you.”

Jeremy just basked in the praise his dad had given him, and they stood there together, Jeremy perched on his father's hip, looking out over the lush green valley below while Andy just hugged the boy to him.  Both of them lost in thought, thinking about the accomplishments they had made.  Jeremy thinking about his finishing the climb, and Andy about how well Jeremy turned out, even with everything that had happened recently, his mother dieing two years ago.  Still Jeremy gave everything he had into anything he did.

---

Jeremy's POV:  Three days later:

<

“Hey Dad, what’s for dinner?” I asked as we were coming home from the camping trip.  We spent two more days on top of the cliff, before we repelled back down.  I think the repelling was actually more fun than the climb.

“Dinner, you just had lunch” he replied, looking at me shocked, like he always did as I giggled and replied with what I always said, “But that was, like, like hours ago.”

He smiled and shook his head and finally said what he always did in response, “Oh I don’t know, how about Sheep’s brains and Brussels Sprouts?”

“EWWWW!” was my reply, and then we both broke up laughing like two little kids instead a just one.

He would change what he said the main courses were but they were always something gross.

“Let’s run into the store here and grab some soda and curry powder and I think I’ll make Curry Chicken in that Cream Sauce you love so much” he told me.

It was just him and I since mom had died when I was eight and he was the bestest dad in the whole world.

He had even let me skip Martial Arts today so we could spend more time on the cliff.  Dad owned the largest Martial Arts studio in the area, and even had a few studios in nearby towns.  Some of my first memories were of the studio, and currently I was working my way towards my black belt.  It would be at least a year or two before I was ready for that.  Dad always seemed to push me harder than any of the other students, but it really made me love him all the more.

Dad had been in the Marines before I was born, and since he got out, he had done really good with his business.  Which is why we could afford to take time off to go camping. 

“Yummy!” I said, as we pulled in and parked.

We hadn’t had Dad’s Curry Chicken in a while and it was the best. He cooked the Chicken Breasts in butter and two different kinds of curry powder adding some Cayenne Pepper to make it even spicier, then he put real butter with pure cream into the pot, adding some Corn Starch to thicken it a bit then serve it over buttered white rice and it was the absolute best.

We got out of the car and began walking towards McHenry’s Market which was a little store in our neighborhood that Mr and Mrs. McHenry owned, and according to Dad, had owned forever.

They were like real old but they were nice and always gave the neighborhood kids a piece of candy when we stopped in and said hi to them.

As we came in they called us by name and said hi which was real nice and not like the big places that didn’t even remember you if you had been there the day before.

We stopped and talked for a moment and Mrs. McHenry gave me a piece of chocolate she kept behind the counter just for us kids before we headed deeper into the store with a cart to get what we needed.

When we got back up to the front, there was this teenager leaning over the counter  and I could tell something was wrong as Dad suddenly said in a whisper, “Run and call 911, they’re being robbed.”

Then I saw the knife in the kid’s hand as Dad said “Hey You!” and I took off running.

I heard the kid yell, “Get that brat back here!” followed by an “Oooof” and I knew Dad had him as I found the phone outside and dialed 911.

“911 what is your emergency?”  I heard the dispatcher ask.

“Someone's trying to rob McHenry’s Market!”  I said in a rush, as I turned to try and see what was going on.  Unfortunately I couldn’t see anything.

“Okay honey, where are you at?”  She asked me, and I could hear her typing rapidly in the background.

I told the dispatcher where we were at and what was going on, then hung up and ran back into the store where I was able to see Dad holding the kid with his arm up behind his back.

“Picked the wrong place to rob, kid.” Dad was saying, as I walked in.

“Dad the police are on the way.” I told him, as I began to walk smiling towards my dad.

“Thank God you were here Andy.” Mrs. McHenry was telling Dad when from out of the aisle another kid came running.

I guess he had been hiding and now was going to rescue his buddy.

“DAD!” I screamed just as the kid got to him and something bright glinted in his hand, as he brought it up and into my dad’s back who didn’t have time to even turn around.

I heard him say “Guess you picked the wrong place to play hero huh, white boy?” as my dad made this weird “oomph” sound and a look of surprise came over his face.

I watched in horror as Dad started to slump to the ground, and time slowed down to a crawl.  

“DAAADDD!!!”  I screamed, and raced at the two boys.  The first boy was turning around smiling at my dad, and the second boy, the one who had stabbed my dad, was raising the knife to stab him again. 

I didn't think about what I did next, I just acted.  I let instinct take over, and as the second teen raised the knife, I rushed him.  His face took a surprised look, and I jumped up, and rammed the point of my fingers into his throat, crushing his trachea. 

He dropped the knife, and fell to his knees clutching his throat, and struggling to take in air.  Unfortunately for him, no air could pass.

I hit the ground, rolled, and came back up to face the first boy.  The look on his face was sheer astonishment, but that momentary lapse in concentration, gave me all the time I needed.  I leaped forward, kicking out with my right foot.  With a satisfying “crunch,” my foot connected with the older teens testicles. 

He started to double over, and I brought the heel of my hand up hard right under his nose, breaking it, and sending the bones straight up into his brains.  He barely had time to grunt before he hit the ground dead.

It was all over in one orchestrated move, and mere seconds before I fell to my knees alongside my father whose blood was pooling under him.

“DAD!!!!” I cried, as I ripped off my shirt and stuffed it into the wound in his back.

“Daddy, no, please” I kept saying as I heard the one boy choking, trying to breathe through something that would no longer allow air to pass.

I heard Mrs. McHenry talking to someone begging them to hurry but all I had attention for was my father.

I remembered Dad always saying that in a crisis situation, you had to keep your wits about you, or you wouldn't know what to do.

His eyes opened and looked up at me and I will never forget the look of surprise that was still there and the look of sadness.

He couldn’t speak for a moment or two and I told him not to try as I pressed harder and harder on my shirt but no matter how hard I pressed blood just kept pouring out over my hand so much blood, I knew it was too much.

“I love you.” He said to me, and I screamed “NO!” knowing that he was saying goodbye to me.

“No Daddy don't leave!  You'll be all right, you have to be!”  I just kept pushing hard, trying to stem the flow of blood coming out of his back. 

“I’m sorry, Son.” were his final words as his eyes closed and after a deep breath his chest didn’t rise again.

“NO, NO, no, no!” was all I could cry as I tilted his head back and blew into his mouth then checked for a pulse like I had learned in first aid class as the tears ran down my face.

There wasn’t one.

I began CPR and don’t remember much after that.

The police told me later that when they came in, I was performing CPR and saying “No, no, no, no” over and over again staring off into space.

They tried to pull me away, but I ended up putting three of them in the hospital before they backed off.

It was Mrs. McHenry who finally got through to me and as I collapsed in her arms, she just held me as I cried until I lost consciousness.

I woke up in the hospital the next day and didn’t know what was going on for a while until it all came back to me and I began screaming until they came running in and gave me something that put me back to sleep.

When I woke up again, it felt as if there was a hole in my heart and I just felt empty.

I remember that I just started to cry and couldn’t stop until it got so bad I couldn’t breathe anymore, and the thing is that even though that button was right there I didn’t care either.

Let me die and I would be with my dad.

Me and Dad was all there was anymore, and without him….

Things were starting to go all fuzzy and black when a nurse walked in then started screaming.

Soon there were a bunch of people in the room doing things to me and I was able to breathe again before they gave me more of whatever it was that put me to sleep.

I remember the nurse’s shocked expression when just before I fell asleep again I told her “You shoulda just let me die.”

When I woke up next, I didn’t feel anything, I couldn’t even cry anymore.

They told me they had given me something to help me “Cope” as they put it, but it just left me feeling dead inside.

I didn’t bother telling them that I already felt nothing inside, and didn't need them to give me anything.

They brought in a shrink to ‘talk’ to me but I wouldn’t, so he just sat there saying shit like it’ll get better.

What did he know, it wouldn’t ever get better.

Later, I turned on the TV and saw some black guy, wearing the robes of a preacher.  Next to him were two women who were crying and blotting their eyes with tissues. 

“We demand justice! This murderer took two innocent youths from our community and their families and he has to pay for that!  We will not rest until this monster is brought to justice.  Just look at these two grieving mothers.  They have to deal with the fact that their children were taken from them in some senseless act of violence.  Tyrone, and Jamal deserved better then to be beaten to death by some ruthless barbarian.”

I couldn’t believe it, innocent, they killed my dad and this guy was saying they were innocent.

The nurse came in and saw what was on TV and quickly turned it off saying I didn’t need to be watching that.

I tried to talk to her about it, but she wouldn’t so soon. I was left alone again at least until the cops showed up.

“Jeremy I’m Detective Johnson, and this is my partner Detective Reid.” the man who walked into the room informed me, as they came up to my bed and took seats next to it.

I just looked at them and didn’t say anything until they nervously looked at one another and finally Reid said, “We need to ask you some questions.”

I still didn’t say anything.

“We need you to tell us what happened that night.” Detective Johnson said kindly.

“My dad’s dead.  What else is there?” I told them.

They looked at each other again before Johnson said, “I know son, and we’re very sorry about that.”

“Yeah, so am I.” I replied.

They traded glances again before Reid said again, “We need you to tell us what you can remember of the incident.”

For some reason, I started laughing like crazy when they said that and all I could get out was, “Incident, they killed my daddy and you call it an incident?”

Then the laughter turned to tears and suddenly there was a nurse in the room and soon I was asleep again.

An incident I wondered when I woke up next.

Is that all they think of it, an incident?

The end of my life; and it’s just an incident?

Jimmy Connors wet himself one time and the teacher called it an incident, now they kill my dad and that’s all it is?

The police came back, but this time it was a woman who didn’t call it an incident and even pulled me into her lap and held me as I cried when I told her what had happened.

I think that helped more than anything else, she seemed to really care and being held again felt so good.

She left though, and then another man came in, this one dressed like a doctor wearing a lab coat and all.  He looked to be in his mid to late fifties, and I immediately didn't like him.  The way he held himself told me all I needed to know about him.  He was always right, and if you didn't agree with what he said, you were wrong.  Simple, end of story.

Dad had taught me how to gage people just from a glance, and what I saw with this man, I didn't like.

“Hi Jeremy, I'm Dr. Grant, I think we need to talk.” 

I just looked at him, and waited for him to start.  He took a seat next to the bed, and pulled out a note book.  He took a few seconds to write some notes, and then looked down at me, over his small glasses. 

“I understand you have been through a little bit of an ordeal?”  I don't think I have ever heard someone use such a condescending tone, and it pissed me off.

The one thing Dad had never been able to break me of, was my sarcastic streak when I got angry, and right now, I was far beyond angry.

“A bit of an ordeal?!?!  Nope, it's just been a normal couple of days, you know, nothing much happening... EXCEPT SOMEONE KILLED MY DAD!”

I laid back on my bed fighting back the tears; don't these people realize that nothing matters anymore?

Dr. Grant simply arched his eyebrow, and wrote notes for a few seconds. 

“Okay, Jeremy, sarcasm is not going to help me help you.  I am sorry to hear that your father died, but I really think there is a bigger issue here we need to discuss.” 

He was about to keep going when I jumped in.  “A bigger issue?!?!  What could be bigger than the fact that some little prick killed my dad?  What's bigger than that?”

“Well.”  Dr Grant said while pushing the glasses up higher on his nose.  “What about the issue of you killing two people, and putting three other's into the hospital?”

I just stared at the man for a few seconds, and then I spoke softly.  “I'm sorry I put the cops in the hospital, I didn't mean to, I just... I don't know, I just reacted.”

Grant nodded, and I felt my eyes drop to my bed sheets.  I really did feel sorry about the cops.  I know they were just trying to help, and I lost control, and went after them.  Other then dad getting killed, that was the worst, I feel as if I let Dad down.  He always said you have to keep control no matter what.

“And the two boys you killed?”  Grant asked, while I was thinking about what Dad had said.  It took me a second to understand what the man meant, but when I did, I snapped my head up, and I knew the fire was back in my eyes.

“What about them?!?!  The only thing I'm sorry about is the fact that I didn't get to them sooner.”

That seemed to upset him a lot, and he left and didn’t come back.

The woman police officer did, only this time, she had a few other people with her.

“Jeremy, do you remember me?”  She asked, as she sat down in the chair next to the bed.

“Yes” I replied looking warily at the others with her.

“Well, I have some good news, and some bad news.”  I just shrugged, not like it really mattered to me, I didn't care anymore.

She took a deep breath, and spoke softly.

“Jeremy, you are being released from the hospital.”  She paused to see my reaction, but there wasn't one.

“That's the good news, the bad news is, that you are being arrested for two counts of murder.”

I sat there speechless as she proceeded to read me my rights.

I don't really remember all that much after they arrested me.  I know they put those hand cuff thingies on me, and led me down to a waiting car.  The ride was quiet, and I had a little time to think. 

I wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew one thing, I didn't care.  My life was over, so what did it matter what happens now?

Soon enough, I was being escorted into a cement walled room, and sat (down) in a seat.  People came in to get information from me, but I was silent.  I didn't even understand what was going on, not that I cared.  Soon after that I was whisked away to another room where I was told to strip. 

Now being in the locker rooms in the studio as much as I have, I was used to being naked around others.  But I have never once been told to strip, and then have someone look me over so closely.  If I cared about much of anything at that point, I may have been upset about being looked at like someone might look at the next steak they are going to eat.  Or maybe it was being looked at like a nice new shiny car. I did get embarrassed when they told me to bend over and spread my butt cheeks apart but it was nothing compared to when suddenly I felt something push into me causing me to yell in surprise and try to move away. It was then they moved in and held me while one finished feeling inside me. I suppose I could have fought and probably won but that would require giving a damn, which I didn’t, even when one of the men snickered when I was allowed to stand back up because something had gotten hard. I couldn’t resist saying sarcastically “Well, I guess we know what you like” and watching as he moved menacingly towards me only to be stopped by another guard.

Next, I was lead to another room where I was told my lawyer would be waiting for me.  I wasn't really paying all that much attention at that point, and was pretty much on auto pilot, so I just did as I was told. 

So here I am sitting in a cold room, wearing a really shitty set of orange cover alls, hands in my lap, since they're still cuffed together, and you know what the one thought that was running through my head right then?  The only thing I could think of right then was the fact that I REALLY hate boxer shorts.

Stupid huh?

I was brought out of my thoughts by a voice from behind.

“Jeremy?”  I turned around, and there was a man that I knew very well.

“Uncle Dean!”  I cried, as I jumped out of the chair, and ran to him.  I crashed into him, and tried to hug him, but the cuffs made it so all I could do was grab his shirt and pull it to me.  He pulled me up into his arms, and I felt myself really cry for the first time since I got arrested. Cry for a lot of things.

Uncle Dean held me, and let me cry on his shoulder.  I don't know how long I cried, or how long he held me, but it wasn't anywhere near long enough. 

As I realized, as he sat me back down in the seat, and for the first time I noticed he wasn't alone.  As I looked at the other man, I was in total shock.  I have seen some big men before, but I have NEVER seen anyone that big.  He looked to be even bigger than the big black man from the movie Armageddon. 

Uncle Dean must have seen the look on my face, cause he started to laugh.  “Jeremy, I'd like to introduce you to Devon Washington.  He is going to help us out of this.”

I just nodded, still looking the huge guy up and down.  I swear his arms were as big around as my whole body, and his hands could easily palm my head and squish it like a bug.  I have never honestly been afraid of someone just from how they look, but this guy scared me. 

He laughed and, God, even his voice was big.  “Don't worry Jeremy, I get that a lot.  But I promise, I won't “Squish your head with my manly biceps.”  He said that last part with a REALLY bad Terminator accent, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

He smiled and I immediately felt more comfortable around him.  The two men sat down, and then they started to ask questions.  I did the best I could to answer everything for them, since I knew I could trust Uncle Dean, and if he trusted this man, I knew I could trust him too. 

Uncle Dean isn't really my uncle, but he was a very close friend of my dad's, and also his lawyer.  He explained to me that his knowledge was based on business law, not criminal, which is why Mr. Washington was here. 

They kept asking me questions for over an hour, making sure they got every part of the attack, and everything that had happened since then, clear in their minds.  Devon filled up two notebooks full by the time they were done.  “Well Jeremy, it looks like this should be fairly easy.  It's clear cut self defense, I'm not even sure why you’re here, but we'll work on that.  For now, though, I need you to do exactly what I tell you to do, okay?”

For the next five minutes, Devon told me everything that I could and could not do in this place.  And these were just his rules, not the rules the jail had.  Basically they all revolved around the same thing, keeping my mouth shut.  Which was definitely not a problem.

When Devon was done, they both got up to go.  I was wrapped into a hug from both men, but it was what Uncle Dean said that really made a difference.

“Jeremy, I knew your father longer then you've been alive, and I'm very sorry that he died.  But right now, he would want you to buck up, and face this thing head on.  I know you’re still young, but do you think your dad would want you to face this cowering and crying, or facing this with your shoulders squared, and your head held high. There will be time for crying later, don’t worry. The most important lesson for you to remember right now is this one...”  Once he started, I joined in, and with every word spoken, I could feel an inner strength fill me, and I knew that Dad was there.  I knew it to my very core.

“Let the Light of my Soul Shine forth and be Revealed.
Let the Song of my Soul spread Truth into Darkness.
Let Those Apart be Brought together.
Know Thyself.
Seek.
Love.
Cherish Life.
and ABOVE all else.
DO NOT YIELD!”

---

I was shown to my cell after that, and was told I would be sharing it, but the other kid would be around later, since he was out in the rec yard.  I was in the section of the jail that was fourteen and younger, and I was told I was the youngest “guest” they had right now.  I was also told to watch myself because of that.  To be honest, I was actually starting to get scared, but I would not let my dad down, and let them beat me.  As my dad had said many times, “They can beat your body, till your dead, but YOU are the only one that can LET them beat your soul down.”  I was not going to let my dad down, but that didn't mean I wasn't scared.

I had the option of going out to the rec yard after I got my stuff settled, or just waiting in my cell, I decided to just wait.  I was able to make a stop off in the “library” and pick out a few books.  I guess it was a good thing I liked to read, not that there was much there to read, but it was better than nothing. 

“Well, what do we have here?”  Came a voice from the entrance to the cell.  I looked up, and it was an older black kid, he looked to be about thirteen or fourteen.  “It looks like the guard really like me.  Giving me a little white boy, it really must be my lucky day.”

I just went back to my book, hoping he would just go away, but of course, that wasn't going to happen.

“Hey there boy, I'm talking to ya.”  The kid said as he came over and pulled the book from my hand.  “Now listen here white boy, I's got some rules that you's gonna follow.” He closed the book and threw it back down on my chest.  “If you wanna live in my room, you's gonna do what I tell you to.  You don't and...well... let's just say your little white ass ain't gonna like it.”

By this point, I was really trying to control my temper.  It wasn't like I wanted to be here, or to be his cell mate.  Why couldn't he just leave me be and let me do my thing?

“Just leave me alone, and we'll get along fine.”  I said, trying not to let my anger get the better of me. 

“Oh, I'll leave you alone, all right, up until the time the lights go out if you don't do what yous told.”  Leering at me, after that last statement, he walked back out of the cell, and I could hear him talking to some other kids about the “pretty white boy he got, and his “attitude” that was going to be fixed.”  I was really starting to get scared, but I wasn't going to let things here bring me down.  They were not going to beat me.

They weren’t.

---

The news the next night held a rather shocking surprise for Jeremy.  He was sitting in the back of a cell block, trying hard not be seen, and watching what was on TV.  He wasn't really paying any attention to the TV, and just trying to not be there.  He was lost in his own world of thoughts, especially after the meeting he had just had with Mr. Washington.  Mr. Washington told Jeremy, that everything was going to be okay, and that all he had to do was tough it out for now, and things would be okay soon.  Because it was the weekend, they wouldn't be able to see the judge before Monday, but he had a meeting with the judge bright and early Monday.  Jeremy's attention was brought back to the here and now by the TV, and hearing what was going on.  He was just in time to see a middle aged woman sitting behind the desk, talking to some guy who was standing outside the courthouse.

“Jim, can you please tell us what you have been able to find out about this case?”  The woman said, and the guy, Jim, nodded before he started talking, every once in a while, looking down to a note book he had in his hand.

“Sure Julie, as you may know, there has been an arrest made in the recent triple murder at the McHenry's corner market on the east side of the city.  Well we have been able to find out a few very disturbing details about the murders.  We were all under the assumption that there was a robbery and in that robbery the three victims were murdered.  On the screen right now, you will see the faces of the first victim, one Andrew Rose.  The other two victims were cousins; their names are Jamal and Tyrone Jackson.”

The news reporter then took a deep breath, and looked up from his note book, and directly into the camera. 

“The police have been very quiet about what happened, and after finding out what I did, I can understand why.  It seems that this is really a bizarre and twisted case.  From what I have been able to figure out, it seems that Mister Rose, and his ten year old son Jeremy, shown here, were in the corner market when a robbery took place.”

Jeremy was shocked when they actually put his photograph up on the TV, and just some how knew that things were going to go down hill from there.  Mr. Washington had said that there was no way they would get his name, let alone a picture of him.

Mr. Rose, formerly of the United States Special Forces, attempted to intervene, while his son went to phone the police.  So far, everything seems to be normal, however, it is then that things really get bizarre.  It seems in the altercation between Mr. Rose, and the, as of yet unknown assailant, Mr. Rose was stabbed, and the assailant escaped.  About this time, the other two victims heard the commotion, and came to see if they could help.  Also at this time, young Jeremy Rose got back from calling the police.  Jeremy saw his father bleeding on the ground, and rushed over to him.  This was when the other two youths got there.”

He took a few seconds to catch his breath, then the news reported went on.  “According to eye witness reports, Jeremy saw the two boys come up to him, and started to attack them for no reason.  It was said that he was screaming some rather disgusting racial slurs as he rushed them.  I know this sounds hard to believe, Julie, but from what I have been told, the young boy, Jeremy Rose, actually killed both of the older boys with his bare hands.”

Julie came back up on the screen just as Jim finished that last part, and she gasped, and covered her mouth.  “You mean to say that the sweet and innocent looking boy that we just showed on the TV screen was actually the murderer of the two other boys, and that he did it with his bare hands?” 

Jim was nodding as he responded, “that's what I have been told Julie.  However, we were able to investigate this some, and the young boy is not as sweet and innocent as you might believe.  It seems his father, who also owned one of the largest martial arts studios in the entire city, was also a very active member in a white supremacist organization.  As a matter of fact, it is said that he and his son had just returned from a training camp put on by the Neo-Nazis.  Andrew Rose reportedly was a martial arts instructor, while Jeremy was being taught classes in many other subjects that they deemed important.  I hope to have even more information for you tomorrow about this time...”

Jeremy was floored by what was reported, and stood there speechless.  As he recovered, he was able to notice that there was nothing but silence in the entire room of over 30 kids.  All of them were looking right at him.  It was at this point that he realized that about three quarters of them were black.  He turned and ran back to his cell before anyone there could see him start to cry.