Survivor pt.2
#2 of Survivor Series
He looked out the window at the courthouse, the heat of the day continuing to rise, and it wasn't noon yet. He rubbed his paws together, anxiety settling into him as he looked at Dr. Moore. He wanted to know why they did it, why every day since that fire, he had to endure constant pain. Pain that was reversable. Pain he shouldn't have had to live with.
"Come on Max, we need to go. We both wanna see their upcommence." The doctor said suddenly, then got out of the car, a heat wave blasting them both in the face.
"Another scorcher this year..." Max said bluntly, stepping of the vehicle as well. They both made their way to the courtroom, if not hastily due to the overbearing heat. Once they were inside, they were greeted with soothing air-conditioning, like a soothing kiss from an ice dragon. Before they could ask for directions, they were pointed towards a set of oak double doors. They walked past them, the judge not seated, either having not arrived yet or probably deliberating on his judgement.
He immediately saw his fellow firefighters, sticking true to their word that they look after one another, despite what happened to him. He walked towards them, sitting at the end of the bench to watch the procedings. The bailiff looked more frustrated than anything, as did most of the witnesses, most of them probably people who were wronged by the company. Dr. Moore sat beside him, having done her part in digging up information herself for the prosecution. He took a quick glance at her before he heard the bailiff's gruff voice bellow out for everyone to stand for the judge.
That's when he saw her, the CEO of the insurance company. A crocodile of all things, who looked about ready to give someone a rough time. She glanced at him and he immediately felt the room get colder just by her short gaze. It seemed like all she was was soulless. The judge gave everyone permission to be seated, averting the croc's gaze from him, as well as the icy-like prison of her stare.
"Alright, we've seen the evidence that supports the charges against the insurance company, Haxell, and we've heard the defense. However, I am inclined to say this. Ms. Haxell, I find you guilty of improper use of your company and of manslaughter one. You're sentencing shall be within the next month. In the meantime, we will hold you within our county jail. Do you have anything to say Ms. Haxell?"
The croc stood up, her voice as cold as her eyes as she stared at the judge, "Burn in hell you filthy fur!"
At that moment, the bailiff cuffed her and pulled her out of sight. For a moment, Max felt relief wash over him. But only for a moment, as the next case was brought forth, two females charged with possession of narcotics, one a tigress, another a red dragoness. He didn't feel Dr. Moore and his chief pat his shoulders, since he knew the females.
"Ms. Ruby and Ms. Arial, both of you stand before me on the charges of possession of illegal narcotics. So much that it could be said that you both intended on selling it. Do you have a statement to make before we begin?"
Both of them stood up at the same time, and in unison, "Not guilty, your Honor."
He felt his heart split into pieces as he looked at them. Neither one of them used or ever were around drugs, so unless their recent boyfriend/roommate decided to pin this on them, something had to have happened. Especially since they lived next door to him. Before the proceedings could even begin, he stood up and looked straight at the judge, "Your Honor, forgive me. I know these two ladies. They live right next to me. Not one of them were ever involved with drugs of any kind. I do know for a fact that Ruby's current boyfriend is a drug dealer. His name is Ryan O' Bryan, male lion of about 5' 10" and he can normally be found around the bar, Furs n Skins."
The judge eyed him with extreme scrutiny before asking, "How do you know so much about this individual?"
"The police reports stated that the drugs were found withing a brown pack, am I right?"
The judge nodded before Max continued, "Last week, I saw Mr. O'Bryan walking up the stairwell with the same pack, saying he needed to crash for awhile. However, he left the next day without the pack. Logical assumption would be that he had to hide for awhile, and if he was caught, he didn't want to be charged with possession, so he stashed it at Ms. Ruby's place. I asked both of them if they knew what his occupation was, and they both said they did not."
He looked at the females hard, "Is this true ladies?"
They nodded in unison, almost like twins. The judge sighed heavily before rubbing his face, obviously thinking hard. He looked back at Max, then the dragoness, then finally the tigress. "Very well, charges suspended until further notice. In the meantime ladies, I suggest you don't skip town. I'll notify the police of where this O'Bryan frequents. You, sir, are either a very good investigator, or just have no better use for your spare time. I suggest you watch your back after your arm gets the medical attention it needs. Court adjourned."
The heavy sound of the gavel hitting it's pedestal could be heard, and most everyone hurried to leave the courtroom. For Max, the fire chief, Dr. Moore, Ruby, and Arial, they left the room too, but stayed in the lobby to discuss a few things. The pantheress was gonna talk to a few nerve specialists to have his arm operated on, while the fire chief gave him a month of paid leave. As for the two females, they just held onto him like he was their father.
"Thanks so much Max, I had no idea that Ryan was into that kind of thing or that he'd do that to us." Ruby said softly.
"Listen, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the small details of things. Also, doing your research on someone has it's rewards. Next time you find someone who seems promising, do a background search on em for any rap sheets."
Arial just held onto him before he gently pryed himself off. "Dr. Moore drove me here, I need to get back to home. I don't know what all I'll be doing until the surgery, but I'll find something to do."
Both females just giggled. "Alright Max, we'll see you at the complex. I hope after the surgery, your arm gets to feeling better."
"Thanks Arial..." He said softly as he turned around and headed out of the courthouse back to the panther's car. He sighed heavily, feeling relieved that the insurance company finally got brought to justice. He felt his head swimming, so much had passed in just a few short hours, and he hadn't eaten all day. He just wanted to get home and get something to eat, and maybe relax.
Things seemed to be going back to normal, but he knew that it'd never be normal. He'd still have the burn scars, he'd still have the memories. Memories of burning children screaming for help as he tried his best to protect them, feeling the searing pain in his arm as he struggled to get to them. That will be with him for the remainder of his life. Those kids. Their screams.