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🔴 TRIGGER WARNING - DRUG USE 🔴
DISCLAIMER:
In this chapter, there will be talk regarding criminal activities other than using & buying drugs. This is a disclaimer that I did not commit any of these said activities myself, nor do I know exactly what the individual in the story below did.
Ty and I were at Brick's house. It was late at night and a single street light down the road was the only thing dimly illuminating the porch we sat on. We were passing a pipe around between the three of us while Brick's wife yelled and screamed at us from inside. She wasn't fond of having other women at her house and always assumed that her husband would fuck anyone who came by. I can't say that I blame her for worrying.
I didn't know what day it was. I didn't know when I was home last. I don't know when I saw my children, ate, drank water or even called just to let everyone know I was okay. It may have been less than a day or it may have been three. I had no grasp on time or reality anymore. I was consumed by getting high, how to get my next high, and making sure that I wasn't too far from an opportunity to get high. I spent more and more time with Ty. Brick came along here and there, but he was more of a third wheel. Nothing to offer, no cash, and no ride. Just wanted to bum off of everything we had and try to get into my pants.
I was sitting on the porch looking across the street at an abandoned cop car. It was covered with dirt and leaves, but it was still unsettling seeing it here while I was getting high. I took a hit while I muttered "fuck the police" and handed it back to Brick.
"Man, I don't know how it got there, but it ain't going anywhere," said Brick as he grabbed the pipe.
"I don't like it. You sure they didn't hide cameras or something in there? You think it's a set up to watch us?"
"Girl stop wiggin' out. It's all been torn out years ago. There ain't nothing in there."
"I still don't like it," I said, not taking my eyes off of it like a cop would pop out of it at any time. I was always paranoid anymore. Worried about things I knew wouldn't happen, but I worried nonetheless.
Ty stood up and looked down at me. "I'm bored, what time is it?"
"It's 2:11, why?"
"Want me to show you how to hit a lick?" he asked as he held out his hand to help me up.
"Sure!" I said excitedly, having absolutely no idea what he was talking about. I just loved the rush of getting into something I shouldn't be doing, and that sounded a lot like something I shouldn't be doing. I got up and headed down the stairs.
"Aye, let me in on this," said Brick as he got up to follow us.
"Nah man, this one isn't for you."
"Aw come on, how you gon' do me like this?"
I looked back and gave him a sly grin. "I'm sure you'll survive," I said as I got into the car with Ty.
He looked over at me and gave me his usual mischievous smile. "Do you even know what hitting a lick is?"
"No, I've never heard of it before, but it sounds fun."
"Yeah, it's fun. I think you'll be good at it. You seem to like doing fucked up shit."
"Absolutely. It's the thrill of it all that gets me. So where are we going?"
"If you head out past the mall, there's a big riverboat on the right. You're going to park over to the left in this big empty parking lot. I'll show you."
We drove through town passing a stray car every so often. The only places busy this time of night seemed to be the Casino and Waffle Houses. Ty had his seat leaned back like he was trying to stay hidden. I was sure he was already hard enough to see through tinted windows at night, but I let him be.
I pulled into a large, empty gravel drive way across the street from the local river boat. I looked around and saw a hotel and a few houses, but there wasn't a light on in sight. Not sure what else I expected to see close to three in the morning.
Ty sat up and looked out of the passenger window. “Okay, here’s the plan. There’s a UPS truck across the street by the river boat. I’m going over there, you stay here. Turn off all the lights and I’ll be right back.”
I looked at him with concern. Was he really about to leave me alone in this parking lot while I’m high?
He touched my cheek and smiled. “I’ll be right back. Promise.”
Ty got out and slowly closed the door. I watched as he walked across the gravel lot until he disappeared into the darkness. I leaned my seat back so I couldn’t be seen and I waited. I wondered what the hell he was really doing though. Was he going to steal a UPS truck? There was no way he brought me up here to Grand Theft Auto a damn delivery truck. I tried not to imagine that scenario and freak myself out.
I waited for what seemed like an hour and I finally heard footsteps on the gravel. I looked up and saw Ty crouched over, running towards the car. I grabbed my keys and got ready to leave. I knew from visiting trap houses that I had to leave before I turned my lights back on or even said a word. Ty got in and looked over at me. I nodded and started the car.
We made it onto the main road before I turned the headlights on. I wasn't sure where to go, all I knew was that I needed to drive. I looked over and it didn’t seem like he had anything, so what did he do? Was hitting a lick just me waiting in a car while he fucked around?
“You’re a good get away driver,” he said as he sat up. “Here, throw this away for me, but don’t throw it in your trashcan.”
He handed me what looked like some catalog that had the front torn off of it. So, he took a magazine? I was confused, but I didn’t ask questions. If it was for me to know, he’d tell me.
“Okay, I need you to drop me off at the west end of town, over by the gated community. Here’s some dope for your trouble.”
He handed me a little bag of shards and gave me a smile. “We gotta do this again. The last girl I asked wigged out and left me on the side of the road.”
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry.”
“Aye, it’s no problem. I have some shit to handle though and I don’t want you involved, but I’ll message you later to come get me.”
“Okay, be careful.”
“You know, you’re the first person to tell me that.”
I drove him across town and dropped him off at a neighborhood gate that had houses that looked nicer than Ethan’s. I turned around and headed back into town.
A few days ago, I was asked to dog sit for a friend while they went to a music festival. This was the first night they had left, so I stopped by their house to check on his dog.
I was greeted by a golden colored pit bull. She was wagging her tail and jumping up and down, happy to have company. I fed her and let her run around for a while. I sat down on the couch for a minute to recollect.
Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. It was already 8:00 the next evening. I slept all day long, slouched over on my friends couch. Ty was calling me. I looked over at the dog who was asleep soundly next to me and I answered the phone.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Emily! Come get me! Now! They are coming after me! I was hit, they were shooting at me, I-I I need help! Come to the Waffle House on Central. Call me when you’re there!”
Ty hung up the phone before I could ask any questions. I have no idea what happened, but I had to go find him. I left some food and water out and left as quickly as I could. The sun was already setting again as I was flying down the highway, trying to get across town as quickly as I could.
I called my grandma to let her know that I was okay. She knew I was dog sitting, so she seemed to be okay with my absence at home. At least for now.
I pulled up to Waffle House and took a parking spot towards the back. Before I could make the call, I saw Ty stumbling to the car. His face and shirt were covered in blood to where he was barely recognizable. He climbed into the car and sunk back in the seat. I drove off as quickly as I could, going down every back road I knew. I wasn’t sure where to go, but I knew I had to get far away from where I was in case someone was following him.
I looked over at him. His left eye was swollen shut. His lips were busted and bleeding. The whole left side of his face was so swollen it almost looked cartoon like.
“Ty. What happened to you?”
“I went to take care of some things, but the guy I needed to meet wasn’t there yet. His girlfriend was so she let me sleep on her bed while I waited. Shit, it had been 4 days since I slept. I guess he came back and saw me in her bed and thought I was fucking her or some shit. I woke up to being hit in the face with a god damn pistol. Then he started shooting. I busted out the window next to her bed and jumped out. I had no fucking idea what was happening, I just ran. I ran down hill until I got to a lake and I swam. He was still shooting but I made it across and walked until I figured out where I was. I had my phone in a Ziploc bag with some weed, so it still works. If I hadn’t been able to call you, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“Who was shooting at you?”
“Fuckin' Timothy O’Dell. Piece of shit mother fucker.”
“I don’t know who that is, but… Hey, I have a safe space for you until we can figure something out, but you’ve got to promise me that you won’t touch anything. I’m dog sitting for a friend and I’m supposed to be the only one there.”
“I promise I won’t touch a thing. I just want to get all this blood off of me and sleep.”
We headed back to my friends house where I knew he would be safe. Of all times for this shit to happen, at least it happened where I could hide him out and take care of him.
I walked him up the stairs and helped him to the couch. His hair was matted to his face and his gashes were covered with dirt. He looked so defeated and hurt. I hated to see it. I knew he was a hard ass, but everyone had their limits and I think he met his.
I grabbed a cool cloth and sat down in front of him while he sat on the couch. I washed his face, watching the green rag turn red. I helped him clean his wounds and got him an ice pack. He laid down and looked up at me.
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
“Of course. It’s what I do. If the swelling doesn’t go down then I’ll need to take you to the ER. You could be seriously hurt.”
“I can’t go. I have dope in my system, they won’t give me anything. I may have a warrant out too, I have no fucking idea.”
“You’re in no position to argue with me. If you don’t get better, I’m taking you to the hospital whether you want to or not.”
He grunted and closed his eyes. He fell asleep, but I kept an eye on him. I was worried he may have bleeding on the brain or stop breathing altogether. I sat next to him all night watching movies with the dog until the sun rose again.
A few days passed and he was healing just fine. I kept him safe in a place where he couldn't be found. We stayed on the down low together and got high and watched movies. I was thankful that I was able to keep him hidden while he got better. I worried about what would have happened if I wasn't there for him. It was a bad situation, but it was nice to have a streak of good luck in it all.
End of Chapter 17
I ended up taking him to the hospital to get checked out. Thankfully he had no broken bones but he got a few stitches. The swelling went down over the next few days and he was just fine. The guy who came after him never does re-appear in the story. That was a one time thing and to my knowledge, he never went after Ty again.
There's actually 3 more scenarios back to back after this one that I'm not able to write about due to the nature of what it was. As much as I'd like to write it all for you, I just can't.
Still to this day, I have no idea what Ty did across the street because I'm 99% sure they don't go park UPS trucks just anywhere. All I found in my back seat was a tore up magazine that sold men's suits and other fancy, expensive shit.
Anyways, here's a picture from house sitting and waiting on Ty to wake up. By the way, my friend I was house sitting for did not know that I was using. I did not do anything but clean the hell out of their house and feed their dog while I was there.
