Shattered

It was going to be another long day in court, though it didn't have to be. I still remember it like it was yesterday, the death of my colleague and friend. As I reversed my 2013 toyota camry from the parking lot, I started reliving it. It was a humid evening with quite a lot of cool breeze. We had been assigned to the Fowler case a week before and that's what we were on ever since and that was the reason John was riding with me that evening instead of going home, which was just first choice, but for my persistence to work through the night.

Right around the turn towards Park street, we saw a young lady been dragged into a mustang escorted by two SUVs. I really wanted to mind my business, as I tend to care about only things that matter to me, but John would not have it, forcing to chase those vehicles. When we got close, he stuck out his head through the glass door and shouted at the occupants of the mustang to let her go and that was when I took notice of the heavily suited man in the driver's seat and same in the SUVs. This were no criminal or thugs, they were men of the secret service, apparently providing close security protection for whomever the bastard trying to rip the lady's top at the back seat was.

On realizing the situation of things, I knew things could get really ugly. I made to turn away, but I was too late as one of the heavily suited men in the first SUV pulled out a gun and let off a few shot. A bullet caught me in the shoulder, but John had been fatally hit in the chest and his neck. He died just as soon as the doctor started treating him.

As I drove into the court parking area, I saw my lawyer standing there with a look of worry on his face, I immediately knew,something was wrong. If one didn't know better, one would think verdict has been returned and we lost, I said to him. That might as well be the case, Phil. He replied.

Our star witness is nowhere to be found. I've tried every possible means to reach her, but I can't get a hold of her, and the court will be sitting...right about....now.

Counsel for the Claimant, you may call your star witness, the judge said. Your hon our, for some reason we can not ascertain at the moment, we can not call our star witness to the stand today, however we would like to proceed to other witnesses for the time being, replied Thomas. The judge took a long scornful look at Thomas and then at me and replied, Mr Thomas, this case is a high profile case involving the first son of the president and has been marked for expedited hearing by the attorney general and the chief justice as it has the potential to cause a significant disruption to a potential candidate in the upcoming elections, and as such I cannot tolerate such flimsy and incompetent excuses to elongate this case. If you can't produce your star witness today, I will make a judgment, so what's it going to be? We have not been able to get a hold of her, your honour. Thomas replied. In that case, here's my judgment. Due to insufficient evidence as presented by the claimant/prosecution, I hereby discharge this case. The accused is hereby discharge and acquitted.

As I drove home, the sound of the gavel kept ringing in my ears. Somehow, in a day's work, I had manage to fail both my friend and the person he died protecting. I felt ashamed and I didn't want to live anymore. On getting home, I went to my window on the fourth floor looking into the mixture of light and darkness, and then I heard a whooshing sound and saw small round crack in the glass. It would become the last thing I saw before I faded into eternal darkness.

I came up with this after reading @meitanteikudo prompt. You can try it too.