Cereal

By Dennis McDade

Dallas, Texas erupts into uproar after despicable acts of police brutality against minorities are made public by videos in the media. Racial tension, fueled by systemic discrimination, has forced citizens to take justice in their own hands. From peaceful protests, to rioting and looting, the people of Dallas demand justice, equality, fair treatment, and accountability for the Dallas police department. When the citizens are met with more violence, and their cries fall on deaf ears, a vigilante emerges. Taking justice in their own hands, the corrupt will finally pay for their actions.

"Cereal" is a riveting contemporary American Novel fueled by current events. In an environment of righteous mayhem, a vigilante hero rises to meet the tide of systemic power the protesters face.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Dec 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098345457

Book preview

©2020 Dennis McDade. All rights reserved. No part of this publication

may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case

of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain

other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-09834-544-0 Print

ISBN: 978-1-09834-545-7 ebook

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Prologue

After a busy day at the precinct, Officer Conrad Harrison and his fellow Officer Raymond Gresser were making their way out of the station.

What do you say we go grab ourselves some beers? Conrad said to his buddy once they got out of the building.

Now you know I’d never say no to a good bottle of liquor, but my wife’s been nagging me recently about coming home late and drunk. I won’t hear the end of it if it happens again, Raymond said.

Come on now, don’t be a sissy, Conrad pestered. We won’t be getting drunk, just a bottle of beer each, and we’ll be out of there in no time, he stated.

Raymond hesitated for a moment before he finally gave in. Alright, fine, but just a bottle.

That’s a good boy, Conrad said with a smile.

Both men got into Conrad’s black Nissan with Conrad at the driver’s seat, and Raymond sat next to him. They drove off to one of Dallas’ most prominent bars.

Well, here we are, Conrad said to Raymond as they pulled up in front of the bar.

Raymond made sure to remind him that he would only stay for one bottle, to which Conrad nodded with a smile.

Two hours and eight bottles of beer later, both men staggered out of the bar, barely able to stand on their two feet.

I th---ink I –hic-- had one beer too many, m--my wife’s going to be highly pissed off this time, Raymond said in a drunken voice.

Ah, I’m sure you’ll be fine. You look okay to me. Let me just drop you off, Conrad said. He seemed to be holding his drink much better than Raymond, who was clearly drunk.

On their way back to the car, Conrad sees a homeless man sleeping by the curb. Filthy scumbag, he hissed as he walked up to the man and kicked him right in the groin.

The unsuspecting hobo woke up with a painful yelp. Beat it, you dirty bum, Conrad spat as Raymond proceeds to laugh as the man jumped on his feet and ran off in a panic.

I wonder when this city will be free of these filthy bastards that are slowly desecrating it, Conrad said with a disgusted look on his face as he got inside the car and settled behind the wheel.

‘‘Wh--when more officers like us start ki—kic--cking them out, one groin at a time," Raymond laughed as he barely managed to get both feet inside the car before slamming the door shut.

True, Conrad said as he struggles to find the ignition slot to insert the car key. After a few failed attempts, he finally found the ignition and revved up the car’s engine.

Not s—sure if you should be driving und—er the influence officer, Raymond said as Conrad pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main boulevard. What if we get pulled over? he added, and the two both exchanged a look before bursting into laughter.

Conrad drove along the road for several minutes before taking a left turn onto a dirt road flanked on both sides by trees and scrubs of bushes. Not only was this road a quick way of beating traffic and ensuring that both men get home in due time, but Conrad didn’t want that incident to repeat itself; it’s far too early for a recurrence.

Without the street lights to illuminate the path, Conrad relied on the moon’s brightness and headlights to make out the path. The good news is that he was very familiar with this route, but the bad news is that he was as drunk as a fish, so he had to take it slow. Conrad looked over to the passenger seat and saw that Raymond had fallen asleep and had drool running down his neck. Conrad smiled to himself, and as he turned his attention back to the road, his peripheral vision caught a figure sitting up in the backseat through the rare view mirror. Conrad panicked, and before he could react or even turn his head to see who it was, the figure had already slipped a coarse rope around his neck. Conrad gasped for breath as he struggles to pull the strange assailant’s gloved hand apart to loosen the grip on the rope around his neck. Still, all his efforts were futile, and he could feel his lungs starting to collapse from the immense pressure the tight line had on his neck as it grew tighter and tighter the more he struggled.

Conrad lost control of the car then skidded off the road, crashing into an oak tree in the woods. The impact of the crash caused Raymond to bang his head heavily against the windshield of the car. The collision opened up a nasty gash on his head as he woke up to realize the situation they found themselves in. His face fell when he saw Conrad’s motionless body with a rope around his neck. Using the last bit of strength he had, Raymond opened up the door and pulled himself out of the vehicle. He tried running, but his legs failed him, and he tripped and fell flat on his face. With one hand pressed on the gash in his head, he ruffled through his pant to pull out his gun as he could hear footsteps approaching him from the car.

Stay away from me, he said in a frightened tone as he turned around to face the assailant.

Now under the dim glow of the moonlight, Raymond could just make out the assailant as a person dressed in brown overalls, and their face was concealed behind a grey mask staring at Raymond with a mean frown.

St—Stay Back! Raymond yelled as he finally managed to retrieve his gun, but the assailant was already upon him, and a firm hand swatted the gun out of his hand. Raymond tried to crawl towards the weapon to pick it back up, but he barely got the chance to move before a coarse rope slipped around his neck. As much as he pleaded, even as tears rolled down his eyes, the assailant showed no mercy, and soon enough, he was out of air, out of fight, and out of life.

Chapter 1

It was 7:00 a.m. when the alarm went off, informing Harold Turner that it was time for him to get out of bed. With his eyes still closed, Harold’s hand felt the empty space beside him as if he was trying to grab something, but his grip only landed on the duvet, and then he realized that his wife had already gotten up before him.

Harold yawned as he rubbed his eyes with both hands before finally shutting the alarm off and got out of bed.

Honey, are you awake? Alicia called from downstairs as Harold was making his way to the bathroom.

Yeah, I’m up, Harold hollered back before stepping into the bathroom for a cold morning shower.

Minutes later, he was dressed in his police uniform, standing in front of the mirror, struggling to knot his tie. He barely noticed when Alicia entered and wrapped her hands around him from behind.

You look just as handsome as the first day we met, Alicia said as she observed him through the mirror while helping him to adjust his tie.

Harold smiled when he heard this as he reminisced the first day he met Alicia. It was at his friend’s wedding. Alicia had been in attendance as one of the bridesmaids. He had walked up to her that evening, dressed in his best man tux, and told her just how beautiful she looked, and it was soon evident that the attraction was in both ways. That was 23 years ago, Harold was now 45 years old and Alicia 43, and he was glad to know that the attraction was still going strong.

Babe, you look better and better every day, Harold told her as he turned around to kiss her.

Alicia smiled as she returned the kiss. Breakfast is ready, She said as she heads