The Night Falls (1) THE NIGHT FALLS The story takes place in Falls Church, Virginia. In a brick house, there lived Manuel Johnson, who had three best friends, who stayed not to far from him, they were, Jose Jordan, Michael Martin and Terrance Scott. These young men were childhood best friends. It was a sunny day in Falls Church. They had a parade that was passing by and Manuel and his three friends were outside. These young men were in their early twenties Manuel was a janitor, at the Jamestown University in Arlington, Virginia. Jose was a police officer, of Falls Church Police Department. Michael was a songwriter for Kings Garden Publishing on the out part of Falls Church, Virginia and Terrance was a website designer, for Jeremy�s Web Palace. These young men were on vacation from their jobs, so, they decided to enjoy the parade. A few minutes later, the parade had ended, and night started to fall. Manuel, had turned on the television, to watch the news. The news anchor, was talking about, a young man that had gotten killed last week His name was Marshall Smith, who was a young Latino American, who had died. The news anchor continued, to say, that a killer was on the loose, in Falls Church. The news anchor continued to say, everyone, must be aware of the Falls Church murder. As soon as Manuel had heard the story, he called Michael and started talking to him. �My brother, did you get a chance to watch the news�. �Yeah coz, I had seen it�, Michael said. �We better be on our guard, because, there is a killer, out there, running loose in our city, and we have to stick together, as brothers�, Manuel said, as he had fear in this eyes. Manuel knew that killer could strike any moment, so, he was ready for the killer. Meanwhile, Michael called Jose and he was talking to Jose. �My coz, Manuel, called about the killer on the news�. �Yeah, I heard about it man�, Jose said. �So what are we going to do?�, Michael asked. �We got to stick together�, Jose said. Then as soon as Jose hung up with Michael, he called Terrance. �What up brother?�, Jose asked. �Nothing man�, Terrance said. �Did you see the news tonight, brother?�, Jose asked. �Yeah man, so what are going to do about this situation?�, Terrance asked. .�Stick together, my brother�, Jose said. �Yeah coz, we�ll have to do that�, Terrance said. As soon as it was night fall, the young men and their parents were sleeping. Meanwhile, a man was riding in the neighborhood and he turned his lights off. He pulled in an empty lot, where someone had moved out of the house. The house was abandon for five years. It was Abraham Gonzales house. Abraham was a young rapper, who had gotten shot years ago, in Los Angeles, California. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. So, as soon as the man pulled in the drive-way, he opened his car door slowly and started to get out of his car. He stepped out of the car and slowly closed the car door. He walked toward the house and took his Slim Jim out, where, he started working on the door. He was trying to get the door opened. A few minutes later he had gotten the door open and went inside. He walked in and notice that it was dark, so, he started looking around. He started in the living room and went towards the kitchen. The mysterious man was headed for the bedroom and he had decided to hatch, some plans for these people, that were staying in the city. After that, the stranger decided to go outside towards his car, to get a bag out. Meanwhile, Manuel could not sleep, he was thinking about what the news anchor was saying. So, he started to get out of his bed and went towards the living room. He went towards the window and he slowly moved the curtains towards the left hand side, of the window and he saw a mysterious car, in Abraham�s drive-way. Abraham had lived next door to Manuel, before he died. He looked for a few minutes, and then a man had came out, of the house and went to his car. Manuel had slowly moved the curtains back, and he decided to check it out for himself. Manuel had went towards the front door and he slowly opened it. When he stepped outside of his parent�s house, he had saw a man coming out of the house, and went to his car. The stranger started digging in his car. Manuel did not know what the stranger was looking for, so he decided to take a closer look, at what the man was looking for. As soon as Manuel had gotten close to the car. Manuel, had went towards the back of the car and he ducked behind the tail end of the car. He was hoping to get a closer look, at what the stranger was getting ready to do. Manuel, walked slowly, as he was in a squat position, towards the passenger side of the car and raised his head, to look at the passenger side�s window, to see what the stranger was doing. He notice the stranger had gotten something out of his car, but, he wasn�t sure what it was. The stranger had close his car door and Manuel, ducked his head. When the stranger was headed for the house, Manuel started to move towards the back of the car. The stranger went inside and close the door. Manuel wanted to find out, who this stranger was. He ran towards the door, to see if the front door, of the house was unlocked. He went towards the door and he slowly turn the knob. He slowly opened the door and he started to look around, to see if the stranger was near by, even though it was dark in the house. Manuel, had turn his head towards the kitchen, and saw some candles burning near the kitchen sink, then he looked back at the living room. Manuel was looking for the stranger, and it seemed, the stranger was not there, so he thought. He saw some furniture, that was still in the house, and Manuel was puzzled about seeing any furniture in the house. Manuel knew that the movers came to take the furniture out of the house, or so he thought. Manuel decided to enter into the house and look around. He was looking for clues. He remembered the house belonged to Abraham, who was a rapper. He remembered on the newspaper, that Abraham was killed in Los Angeles, California. After that, he didn�t hear any more stories. Manuel was thinking, that maybe Abraham didn�t die, maybe he was alive and he came back to his house. Manuel wasn�t sure about that idea, he came up with, but, it seem to fit this situation. Manuel went into the kitchen and find some clues. He saw some gold chains in the sink and the candles were burning, near the kitchen sink. He wanted to know, why would a stranger carry around any gold chains and why was the candle burning, near the kitchen sink. Then, Manuel took a closer look at the chains, and it looked like the gold chains, Abraham use to wear, when he recorded a music video. Manuel had to take a closer look around the house. Manuel, went towards, one of the bedrooms, in the house and he saw a television on, one of the dresser draws, in the bedroom and he notice a hall way, and down the hall way there were more rooms. It looked like Abraham left everything in the house. Suddenly, Manuel heard some noise down the hall way. Manuel, rushed under the bed and he saw a pair of black shoes, walking towards the kitchen area. Manuel had gotten up, from under the bed and went towards the door of the bedroom. The stranger was walking towards the door and then, he turn around and said to himself, �I think I have everything, I need�. Then, the stranger walked out of the door and he was headed for his car. Manuel started to walk, towards the living room. Manuel, decided to go to the window, which was in the living room, to see who the stranger was. He went towards the window and push the curtains, slowly, towards the left had side of the window. He saw the man and he said to himself, �I know who it is�. Manuel, had a shock look on his face. He was getting ready to leave, when he hear someone trying to open the door. So, Manuel ran towards the sofa, where he saw a opening, between, the dresser and the sofa. He ducked between the sofa and the dresser. Then, the stranger walked back into the house and was headed for one of the bedrooms, in the house. Manuel had hurried up and walked, fast towards the door and slowly open it. He left the house and ran towards his parent�s house. He opened the door, to his parent�s house, slowly and walked in. Manuel�s heart was beating so fast, he had to sit down on the sofa. Manuel decided to go back to bed and try to forget what he saw. The next morning, Manuel and his parents woke up and they were getting ready to go to work. While, Manuel�s friends and their families were doing the same thing. Before Manuel left, he went outside to see if the car was still next door and it wasn�t there anymore. Manuel didn�t know what had happen to the stranger. As soon as Manuel�s parent were dressed, they were headed for their truck, so they could go to work. Manuel�s mother worked in the cafeteria at the high school and his father was a lawyer at Jeremiah�s Law Firm. Every morning, Manuel�s father always dropped his wife to work, and then he was headed for the law firm. Manuel�s parents told Manuel that they would see him soon. As Manuel�s parents were leaving, Manuel was getting in his car, when he suddenly, saw, the same car was pulling in the drive way at Abraham�s house. Then, the stranger decided to go to Terrance�s parent�s house. Terrance�s Family had left early to go to work, that morning. Terrance was headed for Jeremy�s Web Palace. Terrance�s mother was a insurance agent and his father was a janitor at Thomas High School. Manuel, had saw the man at Terrance�s parents house. The stranger had gotten down, with a crow bar in his hand. Manuel had called nine-one-one. Manuel told the operator, he is looking at a man, that is breaking into Terrance�s parents house and that, they need to send some help. The operator said, �Help is on the way�. As soon as the man had open the door, with the crow bar, he went inside. Manuel had ran across the road, to find out what the man was looking for, in Terrance�s parent�s house. Meanwhile, Jose�s was listening to his c. b. radio and it was the operator tell all officers about the crime, in progress. Jose was the only cop on the scene, so he took off. Meanwhile, Manuel had enter into, Terrance�s parent�s house and he started to find out, what the stranger wanted in Terrance�s parent�s house Manuel felt he had to do something, but, in his mind, what could he do. Manuel was thinking of a plan that might lure the stranger out of Terrance�s parents house. So, Manuel went outside and suddenly, Jose had show up in the nick of time. Manuel told Jose the whole story but, Jose told Manuel he heard it on the police�s radio, that was in the police patrol. Jose took his gun out and he was going to enter into Terrance�s parents house. As soon as Jose had came close, to the door, the stranger was getting out of Terrance's parent�s bedroom, with a bag in his hand. The stranger had went to the living room, when he saw a figure leaving out the backdoor. As soon, Jose saw the figure leaving out the backdoor, he ran after him. Jose ran through the kitchen of the house, where they had a backdoor to the back door and he started to chase the stranger. �Stop!, I am a police officer!� Jose yelled. When the stranger heard that, he ran so fast, that he dropped the bag, that he was caring and ran towards his car and had gotten in and took off. Jose was too late to even see the plate licenses. Meanwhile, Manuel had went inside and he saw the back door opened and then, he had went to close but, Jose was coming back inside, with the bag in his hand. Jose told Manuel he didn�t get good glimpse at the guy and he even couldn�t get the licenses plate number, off of the car. At that point, Jose was disappointed. Manuel had told Jose, he had call Terrance, to tell him someone had broke into his parent�s house. Manuel asked Jose, �What is in the bag?�. Jose told him, �I don�t know, but, I�ll take a look inside�. Jose looked inside of the bag and it was some money, that was inside of the bag. Jose was baffled. He didn�t know what to think. Manuel had seen the money and he was baffled like Jose. They did not know what the stranger was doing, with some money, and why was he in Terrance�s parents house. Jose and Manuel decided they were going to get to the bottom of this case. As soon as Terrance came home, Jose and Manuel was waiting for him. Terrance had just pulled in and was getting out of the car. While, Jose and Manuel was walking towards him. Manuel asked Terrance, �Why is their money in this bag?�. �I don�t know�, Terrance said. �What do you mean?�, Jose asked. �Okay coz, here it goes�, Terrance said, then he continued, �The bag that has some money in it, it belong to Abraham, as you know he is the rapper, but what you don�t know it that, he is my brother�. �Why didn�t you say that before?�, Manuel asked. �I didn�t, because, I didn�t want the paparazzi, after me, like they were after my brother�, Terrance said. �Brother, you should�ve told me�, Jose said. �So, the money in the bag, is from the royalties, of the songs Abraham was rapping about?�, Manuel asked. �Yeah, man�, Terrance said. �Okay, that explains, why the money is in the bag, but, it does not explain the stranger, who broke into your parent�s house�, Jose said. �I think I know who the stranger is and I will prove my theory�, Manuel said, as he had crossed his arms. �Who is he?�, Jose asked. �I can�t say now, Jose, but, trust me, I will tell all of you soon, enough�, Manuel said, as he unfolded his arms. A few minutes later Terrance�s parent�s arrived home in two separate vehicles. Jose decided he was going to go to the precinct and clock out, while, Manuel decided to walk home. Terrance told his parents, the story about, a stranger who broke into their house. Terrance�s parents had asked, Terrance, if he called the police. Terrance told them, �That is why Jose was there�. Terrance and his parents had went inside of the house and close the door. Both of his parents were in shock. Terrance told them about the money and his parents, was glad that the money was still there, and that Terrance�s father was going to put it in the bank. Meanwhile, Manuel�s parents called from their jobs. His father called first and told Manuel he would be late and a few minutes later his mother call, to say the same thing. Meanwhile, Jose was at the precinct, clocking out. Jose was thinking, as he went to clock out, He wonder why Terrance never said anything to him, Michael and Manuel. Jose continued to think. He was feeling bad, as he clocked out, he went to his patrol car and sat on the hood of it. Jose thought that his friendship with Terrance was a lie. Jose started to remember, the days when they were all children. Jose remembers, that Terrance moved into the neighborhood. Terrance was new and he did not know anyone. So, Jose went over there and introduce him. That was the day Jose and Terrance became friends.
Copyright © 2006 Jeremiah Semien |