Chapter 5: Headlines

The black Chevrolet moved very slowly. As it drove past the accident scene in the adjacent lane, Murphy kept his eyes fixed on the burning car. Flames were leaping from the front hood, illuminating the area in a bright glow. Firefighters, despite the potential danger of an explosion, were busy extinguishing the fire and rescuing the injured trapped inside the car.

This scene reminded Murphy of similar images he had seen on television news and the videos stored in his predecessor's notebook. His gaze instinctively shifted to the camcorder on the passenger seat.

A voice in his mind told him that this was a highly valuable news scene and that he should film it immediately.

Murphy passed the accident site, braked, and parked on the side road. Grabbing the camcorder, he quickly got out of the car, running towards the crash site while skillfully turning on the camcorder.

It felt as if he had rehearsed this countless times.

Two police officers had already set up yellow tape around the area, creating a simple cordon to keep onlookers out. Inside the cordon, the fire was gradually being controlled. Several firefighters were working to pry open the deformed car door to rescue the trapped driver.

As Murphy decided to film the accident, several other cars stopped nearby, their occupants evidently eager to see what was happening. Two police officers went over to maintain order, giving Murphy an opportunity.

By the time he reached the cordon, he had already started filming. As a trained film student with memories from his predecessor, Murphy had the necessary skills. However, due to the poor lighting, filming from outside the cordon wasn't yielding good footage.

When the two police officers were distracted by the onlookers, Murphy seized the moment, ducking under the tape and quickly moving to a position beside a fire truck. Finding a good angle and using the firelight, he captured clear images of the scene near the car.

His predecessor's memories told Murphy that many people in Los Angeles did similar work. Whenever there was a sudden incident, they would swarm like sharks smelling blood.

So, he had to capture footage that others wouldn't get.

As the fire subsided, the images became less clear. Murphy glanced at the two police officers at his ten o'clock position. They were still busy with the crowd, and the firefighters were focused on rescuing the driver, oblivious to him.

At that moment, the firefighters finally pried open the deformed door and pulled out a long-haired woman.

Even without professional training, Murphy knew this was the most valuable shot. Without hesitation, he turned on the camcorder's front light and quickly moved to the injured woman on the stretcher, filming through the gaps between the firefighters and medics.

The woman lay on the stretcher, groaning weakly. Her long golden hair was stained with blood, and the left side of her face was badly injured, looking terrifying.

"Blood pressure 95-65, heart rate slow…"

A medic performed necessary checks. "Pupils dilated…"

Despite a wave of nausea, Murphy's hand was steady as he zoomed in for a close-up, capturing the scene in gruesome detail.

However, Murphy's filming lasted less than ten seconds.

A person with a camcorder and a light in such a place couldn't go unnoticed for long.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

A rough voice called out, and then the camcorder lens was blocked by a firefighter. "What are you doing?"

"Step back, move back!"

One of the police officers maintaining order came over, less polite than the firefighters and medics. He pointed at Murphy and shouted, "You! Get out of here!"

As someone who had been in prison, Murphy knew American police weren't as nice as the media portrayed. He quickly turned off the camcorder light, raised a hand, and backed away, saying, "Okay, okay, I'm leaving."

Apparently, Murphy wasn't moving fast enough, so the officer shoved him hard. "Back off a hundred feet!"

The officer pushed him with such force that Murphy, already retreating, stumbled over car debris and nearly fell.

Although annoyed, Murphy knew he couldn't argue with the police. Fortunately, he was a mixed-race individual, not Black; otherwise, the officer might have drawn his gun.

Steadying himself, Murphy sped up his retreat. The officer stood with his hands on his hips, looking imposing.

After a final glance at the officer, Murphy turned away, ducked under the police tape, and walked through the crowd back to his car.

Back in the car, he took a deep breath, started the engine, and drove away from the accident site. A short distance away, he found a parking lot, pulled in, parked, and retrieved the camcorder to review the footage.

From the start of filming to when he was chased off, Murphy had captured nearly three minutes of video. It included the burning car, the firefighters' rescue efforts, and close-ups of the injured woman, providing strong visual impact.

For someone with Murphy's professional background, such filming was relatively easy.

Since he had captured the footage, selling the camcorder was no longer an option. Murphy left the parking lot and headed home.

To sell the video, he needed the contacts of the TV station personnel left by his predecessor, stored on his home computer.

He also needed to do some initial editing of the footage.

Racing home, Murphy ignored his growling stomach and went straight to the workspace. He turned on the laptop, which had editing software. Though his predecessor had been foolish, his work equipment was decent. The camcorder used the latest digital storage technology rather than old-fashioned tapes.

He connected the camcorder to the laptop via a data cable and used the editing software to cut out the unnecessary parts, focusing on the footage shot inside the cordon. After saving the edited video, he opened a folder on the laptop containing TV station contacts and began making calls.

Maybe the contacts were too old, or maybe it was bad luck, but most calls went unanswered, and the few that did weren't interested.

"Did I waste my time?"

Murphy scratched his short brown hair and dialed another number. After several rings, someone answered. "Hello, this is Fox LA Channel 6."

"Hello." Murphy kept it brief. "I'm a freelance journalist with a video I just shot…"

The person on the other end seemed busy, speaking quickly. "Alright, bring the video over. Do you know our address? Yes? Then come over as soon as possible."

Hanging up, Murphy grabbed the storage disk and drove straight to Fox LA Channel 6 in Burbank. By the time he arrived, it was late at night.

The Fox LA Channel 6 building was white with a tall TV signal tower beside it. Murphy entered, explained his purpose to the security guard, and followed the directions to the third-floor newsroom.

The entire third floor was a large newsroom, bustling even at this hour. Murphy, feeling a bit lost, asked someone passing by, "Excuse me, I have a car accident video I want to sell."

Without looking up, the person pointed to the left corridor. "First door on the left."

Following the directions, Murphy found an office. Through the glass door, he saw several people inside, seemingly discussing something.

Murphy knocked on the door, and when someone looked over, he opened it slightly and said, "I have a car accident video to sell."

"Freelancer?"

A long-haired woman with golden-brown hair turned to him. "Who do you work with?"

Murphy was momentarily stunned, then walked in, saying, "I work alone."

He could tell this woman was in charge, so he added, "It's a video of a car accident near Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard tonight. A woman crashed, and half her face was destroyed, bleeding everywhere. I'd be very surprised if she survives."

His words clearly piqued her interest. She nodded. "Alright, let's see it."

Murphy handed over the storage disk. A staff member connected it to a screen, and after a brief flicker, the edited video played.

"Oh my God!"

The graphic close-up of the injured woman made the staff member exclaim.

Murphy observed the golden-brown-haired woman's reaction. Unlike the staff member's shock, her blue eyes showed keen interest and excitement at the bloody scene.

"This can be the top story for the morning news!"

She seemed to forget Murphy standing behind her.