The Chief Of Police

12:34 am

Charlottesville Police Department

Chief of Police Amanda Brack's POV

My eyes are irritating me as tears continue to escape. I still hear the chants, yelling, testimonies, fights, and cries from outside. I had to leave from all the madness before I got a mental breakdown.

I shouldn't be feeling this way since I am the Chief of Police. I should always stay strong and not let anything get under my skin. But I can't handle any type of protest because it always ends up becoming a riot. I hate that Commissioner Adams started the riot and didn't use any rubber bullets; it's required that every police department needs to use rubber bullets whenever a riot happens. But since he didn't give any of the officers those things, a lot of innocent beings died and we can get into serious trouble.

I don't blame any one of those protesters for getting angry and sad, because this is a tragedy and a disgrace. All I can do right now is cry in my office.

Then, I hear the main door open. I check to see who just entered, wiping my eyes and grabbing my pepper spray.

"Who's there?" I asked, yelling to make sure they know my presence.

"It's just us, Mrs. Brack," One of my fellow officers said.

I get out of my office to see why he's inside instead of outside protecting the building. When I went to the front door, I notice two officers grabbing the arms of an arrested man with his head covered in a paper bag.

"Umm... Who is this? Why does he have a paper bag on his head?" I ask, feeling uneasy by all this.

"Commissioner Adams called us saying that a guy broke into his house and is trying to kill him. Also, he's a vampire and he hates lights. Which is why we had to cover his head with a paper bag." One of the officers revealed.

"Okay, I got it from here. Now you two go back outside and protect this building without hurting anyone." I command them.

"Are you sure you want to be alone with him? He is a vampire and dangerous." He questions me, looking concerned.

"I'm the chief of police, goddammit! Human or not, I can handle any being. So please don't ever portray me as weak ever again. Now get your asses outside!" I yell at them, showing no fear and letting them know that I'm still the boss.

"Yes, ma'am!" They said in unison and scurried their way outside. Now it's just the mystery vampire man and me in the building.

I grab his arms and escort him into my office. I help him to sit down on a chair and I turn off all the lights in my room. But I make sure I turn on the lamp slightly so that I can still be able to see him. Removing the paper bag from his head. Noticing his face, I recognized who it was and felt worried by his burnt skin.

"What happened to your face? Who did this to you?" I curiously asked, feeling disgusted and horrified.

The arrested man points at his pockets. I check to see what was inside and it was some type of speaking machine. I look at him questionably.

"Umm... What is this?" I ask curiously.

Then, he showed me his tongue. I almost gagged after witnessing that it was cut in half. He is signaling me to bring the machine close to him. So I try to turn it on and put it near his mouth.

"I need this machine to be able to communicate with mortals. Can you unlock one of my hands so that I will be able to hold it while talking? I promise I won't do anything to escape or attack." He explains. I unlock one of the cuffs and give him the machine.

"So what happened to you? Who caused all this?" I repeated the same question.

"Do you really want to know? I'm afraid that if I tell you, you won't believe me. You will physically attack me and throw me into a cell." He replied, his tone of voice is low. I can feel that he has been hurt and suffered a lot.

"I may be the chief of police, but I'm not a monster. I won't lay my hands on you or immediately put you behind bars. I just want to know what happened." I tell him, trying to make the situation calmer.

"Commissioner Adams did all this to me." He reveals. I am shocked by what he just told me.

"Really? Why did he do all this? Tell me everything." I tell him, trying to get to the core.

"It's a lot to explain, but I got a body cam that recorded the whole thing. It explains everything that went down. Is it possible for me to show you the footage?" He asked.

"Yeah. I can play it on my computer." I said.

Spotting the body cam, I carefully take it out. Then, I attach it to my computer and open up the clip to watch the entire thing with him. The video showed what happened during the protest and riot through the incident in Commissioner Adams' house.

After watching it, I am speechless. I witnessed a lot of disturbing things in my life, but this one emotionally scarred me. The tears would not go away no matter how much I try to wipe them away. I notice him breaking down into tears and hearing him wail shattered my heart.

"I know that the video you just watched was sad, but don't pity me and don't put all the blame on Commissioner Adams. It's my fault." He said, sounding defeated. I grab paper towels for the both of us to wipe our faces.

"Come on now, it's not your fault." I try to comfort him.

"How would you know?! If it wasn't for me; I wouldn't have killed those two officers, fought my own kind, left the love of my life to kill Mike Benson and his family, started this revolt and let all these beings die, almost killed the Commissioner and landed myself in jail with a burnt face. So all the crime that happened in Virginia is because of me. I wouldn't be surprised if I get life in prison or the death sentence." He reveals a lot and vents out his anger towards himself.

"I know you did a lot of terrible things and watching the video, I understand why you did what you did," I tell him.

"Are you sure you understand? Or are you saying that to be a savior? I rather you be completely honest with me than you pretending to feel sorry about me." He said.

"If you want my full honesty, you don't deserve to be arrested or put into jail," I responded.

"Are you serious?" He asks, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes.

"Yes. I know you committed a lot of crimes that can put you in prison for a long time or even the death penalty. But the only option you had was to defend yourself. You're not the only African American that dealt with police officers abusing their power or being racist. I will admit that there's a lot of bigoted officers working or used to work in our department." I said.

"Let me get this straight... You knew that racist police officers worked in the police department, but you didn't do anything to stop them or fire them or put them in prison or send them to their deaths? Aren't you the chief of police? Don't you have any control of your officers and their actions?" He asks, I can feel his frustration building up.

"Yes, I am the chief and I do have control. But I don't make all the decisions or rules. Commissioner Adams is always in charge and the officers listen to him the most since he's in a higher position than me. Plus he chooses which officers we should have in our department and who gets fired." I exposed.

"Why does he have so much control over you? He's the commissioner, he should be focusing on making the entirety of Virginia better than being so hands-on in this place. Why can't you stand up to him and tell him to allow you to take control of everything?" He asks, feeling annoyed at me.

"I can't disobey him. Even if I tried, he can easily fire and replace me. Plus he can be intimidating and lose his temper in a drop of a dime." I replied.

"Commissioner or not, no man should be dictating the entire police force and cause all sort of destruction. You shouldn't be afraid of him because of how powerful he is, his position, or even his gender. There's a reason why you became the chief of police and you should run things without having to be afraid or lower yourself because of him." He tells me.

"As you saw from the video; he used a racial slur on me twice, he physically attacked me, he burnt my face, and he abused his power. There are so many moments in my life where I wanted to hate myself for being African and having dark skin. I even questioned if my life mattered, since people see me as a monster because I'm a vampire and my skin color. But I knew and forever think that being black and a vampire is a blessing. No matter how much society hates my kind, I know that I love myself and being African. Nothing will ever change that. You should embrace who you are and not let anyone take that away from you." He confesses and I got so emotional that the tears fell again. My eyes are so red right now.

"For all my life, I thought vampires were evil creatures that only wanted to kill and suck blood from people's necks. But talking to you and seeing the peaceful protest opened my eyes. No inmate or being has been this nice to me before. Not even my husband or kids are this kind to me. It's a shame that you had to suffer this much in your life. I hate Commissioner Adams even more than I already do." I said.

"Is there any way that you can help me out because I don't belong in jail or prison? I doubt that the police or the inmates would be comfortable having a vampire near them. Plus I want to start my life over. I'm done with killing and getting revenge on racist cops. It only brought me and others more pain than relief. I promise to never kill an officer or break the law ever again. I want to spend the rest of my life with my girlfriend. I love her with all my life and I want to be there with her forever. Please, can you give me another chance?" He pleaded and I feel how earnest he is. But all I can do is sigh.

"I want to help you, but I'm still the chief and you did commit a lot of crimes. Killing and attacking officers is the worst crime and can easily let you to lose your life. Plus every action has consequences. No matter how much pain you've been through, killing cops never ends well." I sadly had to confess to him.

"So that's it? My life is fucked. Plus how is it not okay to kill cops, but it's perfectly fine for the police to harm and kill innocent beings? So you're saying that I deserved to suffer?" He asks.

"No, I'm not saying you should have suffered. I'm not saying that it's okay for officers to harm and kill innocent beings. But in America or anywhere in general, it's not allowed to kill police or any government official. Say or feel however you want, but we're human. Yes, we're not perfect but no one is. But we're not monsters that want to ruin people's lives on purpose. We're just doing our jobs and trying to survive like everyone. I do agree that there are cops that abuse their power and we should take accountability for our actions. But killing cops won't make things better. Sorry." I tell him the harsh truth.

"I understand. Well, is there any way for me to have my life again?" He asks.

"The president is going to send a televised message to the public addressing the whole protest situation. He might be your only hope for freedom." I tell him.

"Are you sure he's going to help? I don't want to put all my trust onto him or any human to be frank." He said, feeling hesitant.

"We just have to wait and see. As for now, I must put you in solitary confinement. There's no space for you in a cell. It would cause a lot of issues having humans and a vampire sharing a cell for long periods. Plus we need all the lights on to see all the inmates. So solitary confinement is the only place we can put you in until we figure out what to do with you." I explain.

"That's fine. Is it alright for me to have medical kits in confinement? My entire body is in pain and I won't be able to sleep. Also, can you make sure I get animal meat? I can't eat prison food and I won't survive without having meat. Lastly, can you make sure that Commissioner Adams doesn't torture me or anyone else? Make sure the president and the entire world see how much of a monster he is through the videotape." He asks.

"Yeah, I can provide medical supplies. But I need to apply it for you since I don't want you using them to escape or harm an officer. I don't want any more mishaps happening. I will make sure to supply an unlimited amount of raw animals for you. I promise to not let Commissioner Adams come near you or harm anyone else. I will spread the word to the president and the world." I tell him.

"Thank you for helping me out. With you, Officer Durant, and Officer Jordan, I'm learning that there are police officers that truly care about individuals. I wish there were more cops like you all and not Commissioner Adams." He said, finally smiling.

"Don't mention it. Let me get the stuff that you need and put you in confinement." I replied.

I help him up. Then, I hug him; trying to ease the pain and tension. I let him go and escort him to solitary.