Silent Witness

The beginning. Detroit Michigan

Ryder

I woke up, and it was dark. I checked the house, and my mother was not there again. I do not understand why she is always gone. I am alone and hungry. I am too short to reach the light, so I let my eyes adjust as I make my way to the fridge. There is not much food, but I find some bread, jam, and put it on. I used my hands because I can’t reach anything else. It isn’t the best, and it tastes funny, but it is the only thing available right now. I wonder where my mother is and if she will come back soon. I want her to return. I don’t know what time it is, but it is dark, so I decided to go back to sleep. I curled into a ball in my bed. I have been wearing the same clothes for a few days now. I am dirty and fall asleep crying. I am still little, and I do not understand. Is this normal? Do all children experience this? Where is my mother?

Narrator (~)

Ryder was left alone for two days before his mother returned, and she was not in a suitable state of mind upon her arrival. She seemed unaware of Ryder’s presence. Being young and inexperienced, she had not been prepared for motherhood. Despite this, she did not have the heart to give him up and chose to keep him, keeping his existence mostly a secret from others.

Raya was not an exemplary mother and became involved in illegal activities related to drugs. She recognized her significant mistakes, particularly when she wronged Drake Hunter, a notoriously difficult individual. Raya deeply regretted her actions but knew there was no way to undo them. In desperation, she hoped to evade detection.

As she gathered her belongings, she noticed her son with tears in his eyes, feeling intense guilt over his innocence and inability to comprehend the situation fully. Raya knelt down to embrace him just as she heard intruders at the door. “Hide, baby,” she instructed, moments before the door was forcefully breached.

Ryder

Mommy finally came home, but she didn’t see me at first. She had a suitcase—was she going somewhere? I didn’t understand and just wanted her love. I cried, and she noticed me, knelt down, and hugged me. Her scent was a mix of vanilla and something unpleasant, but it was mommy. Suddenly, there were noises at the door. Looking scared, she told me to hide before the door was kicked in. I watched as two men with guns entered, feeling afraid for mommy.

One of the men spoke, “Raya Jones did you really think that was smart?” Tyler said, “I am sorry Tyler, I didn’t know” mommy said back to him. “Bullshit!” the biggest one said he scared me the most. “Drake sir I am so sorry please forgive me” mommy said. “I wish that I could do that, but you know my rules, and when one steals from me, I take from them” Drake said. “Please you can’t, I will do anything” mommy said. “I wish I could believe that Raya, but your days are numbered in fact its time you learned a little lesson in how I do things” Drake said. “Please” mommy said as I watched in horror from my current hiding spot.

I was in the closet, but it had a small peephole, and I watched as the big man mommy called Drake grab her by the hair and pull her to her feet. “I will not ever be disrespected by people I thought I could trust Raya and you stole from me, took my hard-earned cash right from under me. You will serve your sentence and that will be that problem solved. People will know to never do me wrong again” Drake said. I heard mommy start to cry, “Ryder” she said, and I didn’t know why she called my name. “Ryder who is that?” Tyler asked, “no one” mommy said and this made me sad. I think she said it to protect me though I had no idea what was going to happen next, and the man called Drake lifted his gun and pointed it at mommy, “no please” mommy said.

Then he shot her, and I screamed, and I realized that was a mistake pretty quickly as the closet door swung open. I heard the gun fire one more time as they shot mommy again, “Ryder I take it?” the one called Tyler said. I tried to hide further into the closet and make myself small, I didn’t want him to hurt me. “Boss, she has a kid” Tyler said, “leave him, burn the house” Drake said as they both left. I didn’t know what they meant by burn the house, but I didn’t think it was a good thing. I ran out of the closet and tried to wake mommy up, there was a lot of blood. I cried “mommy, mommy don’t leave me” as I shook her. She didn’t wake up and I was alone again, but I hugged her. I didn’t know what just happened, but it wasn’t good, I saw those men and they know I did but they didn’t hurt me. I watched them as they killed mommy, but they still left me why? Then I heard someone coming, I was scared I needed to get out or hide, yeah maybe hiding was good.

Ethan Shaw

I slammed my computer shut, this damn case was driving me up a wall, I couldn’t piece it together and neither could my tech Wyatt. He was good at his job, but this one had us both stumped and we were getting nowhere fast. My phone rang beside me, and I answered “Shaw” and I was told there were gun shots in a neighborhood I hated. I didn’t know what to expect it was a poorer neighborhood and it was known for a lot of drugs, so I had to go check it out. I jumped into my car and drove there as fast as I could. I knew whoever shot the gun would probably be long gone but this could be the break in the case I needed. I made it to the house indicated and I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, I saw the door was kicked in that couldn’t be a good sign. As soon as I walked in, I saw the body it was fresh too, I checked her pulse, and I knew she was dead.

I did see a few kids toys on the ground did she have a kid; I didn’t see any sign of one. Then I smelled the gas, and I knew that wasn’t good, I was a few feet from the door when I heard it a tiny sneeze. She did have a kid and now getting this kid out before the house blew up was my main mission. I looked around where would a kid hide? Then it hit me the closet, I opened it and there he was.

He appeared quite small and unkempt, raising questions about the care he received. What circumstances led him to hide, and what knowledge did he possess? I needed to approach him carefully as he already seemed terrified, and I didn’t want to intensify his fear. “I am not going to harm you; my name is Detective Ethan Shaw. I understand you’re scared, but I will not hurt you. I need you to come with me because we are not safe here,” I said, hoping to gain his trust. He retreated further into the closet, which was understandable.

Presenting my badge, I said, “This is my badge. I am an officer of the law, and you are safe with me. We must leave before it becomes too dangerous.” Just then, I heard a noise and instinctively jumped into the closet with him, shielding his small frame as the house exploded around us. The smell of smoke filled the air. He cried out, clearly distressed by the situation. I felt deeply for this young boy, wondering what traumatic events he had witnessed and how old he was. Realizing the urgency of our predicament, I reassured him, “We need to leave immediately; it’s unsafe here.” He nodded as I picked him up and headed for the nearest exit.

However, the fire had already spread extensively, and reaching the door seemed improbable. In a state of panic, I searched for an alternative escape route while holding him tightly. His small body began to cough, indicating that he wouldn’t be able to withstand the smoke for much longer.

I heard the sirens, indicating that the fire department was enroute. The heat from the fire was intense. Trapped inside, I realized the urgency of getting him out safely. He was a crucial witness to the events that transpired, and my superior would need his testimony. Despite not knowing the child’s name, his trust in me was evident as he clung tightly.

Eventually, the fire department arrived. “Detective Shaw, I thought I saw your car outside. Let’s get you out,” said Travis as we followed him to safety. The boy in my arms coughed again as I handed him over to the paramedics, where Zoey was on duty.

I placed him down on the stretcher and turned too Travis, “Travis I need that body out fast” I said to him, “you got it” Travis said as he went back in to recover the body for me and tackle the fire.

“Detective, who is this?” Zoey inquired.

“I am not certain. I found him in the closet. While I do not know what transpired, I have a feeling he does,” I replied.

“He is so young and appears to be in poor condition. Hello, sweetie, I am Zoey Brooks. Can you tell me your name?” Zoey asked gently. The boy remained silent, simply staring at her, which I understood given the circumstances.

“Ethan, he seems severely malnourished and dehydrated. I think we should take him to the hospital,” Zoey suggested.

“Of course, I will handle everything here,” I responded. However, before I could leave, the child embraced me tightly.

“It seems he is reluctant to let you go, Ethan. You saved his life. I believe you should accompany us,” Zoey advised. I sighed, recognizing that she was correct.

“Alright, little buddy, I will come with you,” I assured him as I reached for my phone.

“Riggs,” answered my partner.

“Riggs, I need you to come to 434 Cedar Ave and take over for me,” I instructed.

“Certainly, boss. I am on my way,” Riggs replied. Although I disliked being called “boss,” I trusted him completely. As my partner and best friend, I knew he would handle the situation effectively.

Ryder

A man entered the room and touched my mother, which caused me distress and made me cry. Observing him turn towards the door, I assumed he was leaving, but then I sneezed. He must have heard me because he turned back around and, moments later, opened the closet door where I was hiding.

Attempting to make myself smaller, I pulled my legs tightly against my chest. The man knelt down and addressed me, “I am Detective Ethan Shaw. I understand that you are frightened, but I assure you I mean no harm. It is imperative that you come with me because this location is not safe.”

Although aware of the danger, I was uncertain whether I could trust him. My hesitation lessened when he produced a police badge, confirming his identity. Just as I was about to follow him, he abruptly joined me in the closet and closed the door.

An explosion sounded nearby, causing me to scream, but Detective Shaw hugged me tightly, providing reassurance. “We need to leave now; it is dangerous here,” he reiterated, and I nodded, trusting that he would ensure my safety.

He picked me up, and we tried to leave through the door, but fire was everywhere. It was hot and scary. I clung to the detective, trusting he wouldn’t let me get hurt. The smoke was thick, burning my nose, and making me cough. I saw mommy on the ground near the fire. Then a fireman came in, spoke to the detective, and led us out safely.

I was relieved to be out of the fire. He put me on a bed, and I didn’t want him to leave as he ordered the fireman back into the house. Mommy was still inside; were they going to save her too? A lady with the same hair color as mommy approached. “Hey Detective, who is this?” she asked. “I’m not sure,” Ethan replied. “I found him in the closet. I think he knows what happened.”

“Hi sweetie, I’m Zoey Brooks. Can you tell me your name?” she asked. I stayed silent, scared and started to cry again. Zoey and Ethan spoke using big words I didn’t understand. She mentioned the hospital and taking me away from Ethan. I grabbed him tightly, not wanting him to leave. Zoey said he needed to come with me, and he agreed. “Okay, little buddy, I’ll come with you,” he said, and I hugged him tighter.He phoned someone to come to my house, and I wasn’t sure what they were going to do. I still hadn’t seen mommy, but I felt safer with him than I ever did with her. He climbed into the ambulance with me, and I held onto him tightly, not wanting to let go.

“I need to insert an IV to administer some fluids. Can you keep him calm for me?” Zoey asked. I did not know what an IV was, but the needle made me apprehensive. I cried and hugged the detective tighter. “Shh, it’s okay buddy. This is going to help you; everything will be fine,” Ethan reassured me, and I trusted him.

Zoey took my hand, and I turned my head into Ethan’s chest, closing my eyes. She inserted the needle, and I cried, but it was over quickly as she taped something to my hand. Although I was unsure about it, there was a tube connected to a bag of liquid that seemed to be entering my body. It no longer hurt, so I assumed it was okay. We then drove to the hospital, and I closed my eyes. I felt tired, but I was uncertain how long I could sleep, as I was still scared of the hospital.