Desolation Row [MxM]

Chapter 01

...No. No way. They were joking. This isn't real. It's just some really sick joke. I bet they aren't even real cops.

“We...we managed to get a hold of your uncle, Charles Halcomb?”

Charlie. They contacted Charlie.

“He said he'd be able to come and pick you up, since you're a minor. But we've got to take you down to the station, and you'll be in our custody until he gets you. Okay?”

A sick joke. A really, really sick joke. Charlie must be in on it.

“Yeah, okay. Come on Jones, let's get him in the car,” the officer said, nodding toward the other one. The second nodded, and the two of them approached me, each putting a hand on my shoulder and steering me out of the house.

I didn't even have any shoes on.

I wasn't sure when it happened, but suddenly I was sitting in the station, in a chair beside the desk. The same officer who'd spoken to me sat there, and kept glancing at me, watching me. Why was he watching me? And when could I go home?

There was the sound of a door opening, and both the officer and I looked to see Charlie coming in, looking distressed and nervous. Usually Charlie was so calm and laid-back, what'd made him act so weird?

Finally he caught sight of us, and came forward. The officer stood to greet him. “Charles Halcomb?”

“Charlie, yeah.” Charlie nodded. “Officer Green?”

“Yeah,” the officer nodded as well, then gestured to me. “You're free to take him. He's officially in your custody.”

Charlie seemed to sigh in relief for a second before he moved over to me, bending down to give me an awkward hug and pat on the back.

Charlie wasn't really a touchy guy. And because he lived in the next town over, a couple hours away, we didn't see him often. But, here he was.

Because...because...oh.

It...it wasn't a joke...

A broken sob escaped me before I could stop it, and the next thing I knew, tears were blurring my vision and streaming down my face. I could feel Charlie still patting my back, but I ignored it as I cried, maybe even screamed. Everything got a little fuzzy.

I wasn't entirely coherent again until I realized Charlie was leading me into a motel room, the occasional hiccup still leaving my mouth.

“We'll uh, we'll hang around here for a couple days,” he said, rubbing a hand over his mouth. “let you pack up your stuff, and take what—what we can, for now.”

The next day was spent in my room, packing what I could. The day after that, Charlie took me to school, but only to sign me out of the system. We were in the main office when the bell sounded for the classes to switch, and I glanced over at Charlie. He was busy filling out a form, so I took the opportunity to slip out of the office and head down the hall, where I knew Sophie, Alex, and Jake usually were.

“Oh my God, Victor! Where were you, we've all been texting you!” Sophie said as soon as she noticed me, coming forward to hug me tightly. I let her go for a second before stepping back.

“Sorry, Soph,” I said sincerely. Alex and Jake both looked at me, all three of them waiting for an explanation. I sighed, fiddling with the hem of my sweater for a minute before explaining. “I'm sorry, guys. I can't...I'm not staying here. I have to move in with my uncle, Charlie.”

“What? Why?” Sophie asked, frowning.

“...There was a car accident, on my birthday. Mom and Dad, while they were out, they got...they got hit. And they um...they...” I found I couldn't continue, and instead gestured vaguely, but it seemed to work as Sophie gasped.

“Oh, Vic I'm so sorry,” she said quietly, moving forward to hug me again. I found myself returning it that time, pushing back the tears that I could feel stinging behind my eyes.

“It's okay. The uh, the funeral's tomorrow, if you guys wanna...”

“Of course we'll be there. Wouldn't miss it.”

“Thank you,” I murmured. Sophie gave me a watery smile before she pulled back, and Alex stepped forward in her place. I knew he wasn't big on PDA, and I appreciated that he set his own comfort aside as he hugged me just as tightly as Sophie had, kissing the top of my head.

Jake also hugged me, but his contact seemed more forced, and I barely returned it.

“Victor.”

We all turned, seeing Charlie standing in the hall just as the bell rang. “Come on, we gotta go.”

I nodded, looking at my three friends one more time before following Charlie out of the school.