Something Wrong (Part I)

The dispatch station was the dullest and most constricted space in their entire Collegeville office. The sole source of light was the monitors, whose blue screens were taunting their eyes for whole days; The frequent cases of migraine were only one of the counter effects. The ones with dispatch duty were considered more unfortunate than the ones with the actual investigation melodrama. And being alone in there, it was precisely one of the most magnanimous nightmares of the newbies in the force. And today, it was Michelle’s turn for measuring her tolerance.

Michelle leaned back on her chair, stretching her arms and legs, drained by the hectic workday. It was once her fantasy and aspiration to become a law enforcement officer. Now that the little girl had attained her wish, Michelle discovers herself in a question, whether it was the right choice. A cop for three years, her journal did not turn out how she expected it to be. The dispatch duty was growing more and more tiring as the days went by, and the fraudulent calls were on a spiking rise. She felt a surge of frustration mounting inside her.

Michelle brushed back her short messy hair on the sides, trying to relieve the burden of her head. She had an off-brown complexion, supporting her straight brown hair. Raised by a single mom, she was daring to tackle any endeavour, no matter how challenging it was supposed to be. And it was that same profound attachment to her mother that shoved her down into a dark abyss when she was gone. But, Michelle climbed back up in a few months, back on the trail to pursue her desire to become a police officer. And she did achieve her goal, but was it worth it?

All her thoughts dissolved instantly with an incoming call. The monitor before her had already begun pinpointing the caller’s location; the index was heading two miles south to Stratford Avenue. Michelle drew a quick breath and pushed the slider to receive the call. “911, what’s your emergency?” She inquired. Her deep, husky voice escaped her throat, once more in the day. Today, she was all alone in the dispatch duty, and the absence of a companion had fixed her in muteness the entire shift, except when the calls appear. It had been long enough since she last heard own voice.

But Michelle could not hear anything from the caller; It was so quiet. She could not even obtain a clue to find what was going on. Silent calls meant either two things- no danger at all, or immense danger. Suddenly, the caller hung up. Michelle gazed up at the monitor; the precise location was still not recorded; she needed more time to get a shorter radius. She slipped off her headphones and shoved her hair back, confused.

What was she supposed to do? Should she anticipate more information? What if it just was another fraudulent call? But what if someone is indeed in peril? She had to do something, and she had to do it quick. Quick decisions are the rule number one in dispatch duty; she could never forget those words. It was the opening speech she attended on the day of her appointment; the proud moment.

Michelle decided that she had to go and check; she might obtain more information on her way. Michelle could not think of a better option. Each second could save a life, and each second could kill one. She had no time to rethink. She leapt off the chair, grabbing her navy blue cap from the nearby microphone, and her pistol from the drawer. Michelle assured there were enough bullets if at all she was to fire them; Affirming exactly the six she had never unloaded, she locked the gun into her leg holster.

Exactly when Michelle seized hold of the doorknob, the signal chimed again. She spun around swiftly and launched the slider up, leaning over her chair over the gravity of the circumstances. “911,” Michelle needed something this time, anything, anything at all. And her expectation did come true, just not in a way she was assuming it to be; the caller sounded like a little girl. But her words were more than adequate to rush Michelle’s adrenaline like never before, “Something is here.”