Huck typed away at his desk, sipping some juice as he did. There were numerous complaints across the town, ranging from minor annoyances to genuine concerns. Joel had gone to bed, so the only sounds in the house were the clicking of the clock, the slurping of the juicebox, and the tapping of the keyboard. He responded to complaints, set up meetings, and mentally charted a game plan for tomorrow. Once he finished his work related tasks, he switched windows to continue his search on Joel.
Huck had scoured the internet and his sources for information about the teenager, but nothing came up. It wasn’t that Joel was trying to stay hidden, but he was so unremarkable that he ended up blending with the millions of other students in the country. There were thousands of Joel Lees all across the country. Some white, Asian, and even a few black. Still, for all his digging, he couldn’t really find much info that led to the teen. He tried looking up the schools in the neighboring counties to see if Joel would pop up there, nothing. He tried looking up part time jobs around the area for any old track records of Joel working, nothing.
Huck leaned back into his swivel chair and groaned, rubbing his dry hands across his scruffy face. Blackerd wasn’t the best place for a kid like Joel to thrive and Huck knew it. The sooner he could get Joel out, the better. Huck got up, grabbed another juice box from the fridge, and returned to his desk. He looked at the little puppy on the juice box’s cover, slowly thumbing the straw attached to the box.
He wondered if Mick would’ve watched the show.
Huck sharply inhaled, stabbed the juicebox with the straw, and started typing once again. No point in getting sentimental. Back to work.
...
Huck sat in the barstool, laughing heartily as he gulped down his drink. Lorraine sat next to him, rolling her eyes as she poked his elbow. Gustavo sat behind the counter, chuckling as he handed Huck another bottle, to which he accepted boldly.
Huck offered the bottle to Lorraine. “Want a sip?”
Lorraine scowled and rubbed her stomach. “I’m pregnant, dumbass.”
Huck grinned. “I know, just rubbing it in that you can’t drink.”
Lorraine tightened her lips, then sighed deeply. “You’re insufferable. It’s crazy how energetic you get while drunk.”
Gustavo cleared his throat. “Actually? He’s not drunk yet.”
Lorraine blinked. “Huh?”
Gustavo chuckled as his fingers drummed the countertop. “Seriously? After all those dates, you don’t know his drinking limit?”
“I mean… he usually only drinks about four bottles before he’s gone.”
Gustavo laughed. “Four? Really?” He turned to Huck, who suddenly became interested in his wrists. “You lying dog!”
Huck took a swig of beer as he muttered. “Ah, shut it.”
Lorraine squinted at Huck, as the pieces slowly clicked into place. “Wait… are you using drunkenness as an excuse to be more vocal?”
Despite supposedly not being drunk, Huck’s ears flushed as he looked down. As he did, Lorraine’s lips slowly curved upward as she hugged his arm.
“Awwwwww, you shy, big guy?”
“...I’m not.”
Gustavo giggled, then nodded to some other customers. He gave Lorraine a wink. “Be right back. Stay cute, you two.”
As Gustavo left the pair, Lorraine snuggled up next to Huck. She looked up with big eyes at the hunched juggernaut. She poked Huck’s gut, causing him to flinch.
Lorraine placed her chin on Huck. “So… care to explain why you’re pretending to be drunk?”
Huck gripped his drink and brang his shoulders in even more, attempting to shrink even further. Lorraine, seeing this, grinned.
“...It’s easier to be outgoing if I pretend to be drunk.”
“And why would you need to be outgoing?”
“...You’re going to laugh at me.”
Lorraine frowned and nestled her cheek deeper into Huck’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t laugh at something like this. You know that.”
Huck gripped his drink, his knuckles turning white as sweat slowly dripped from his face. “Yeah, I know. It’s just… you’re way out of my league. I figured me being outgoing would help close that gap, but I’m not outgoing. So…”
“...you thought that pretending to be drunk would be a good enough excuse to act outgoing at times?”
Huck said nothing, only looking down further. Lorraine sighed as she ruffled her hair. She then rubbed Huck’s back as she collected her thoughts.
“If I were out of your league, I wouldn’t be married to you. If I were out of your league, I wouldn’t have turned down all the other guys who asked me out. If I were out of your league, I wouldn’t choose to be pregnant with your kid.”
Huck raised his head slightly to meet Lorraine’s eyes. She smiled, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Seriously. I like everything about you. Your physique, your personality, your work ethic, your faults and struggles, your entire character. I didn’t shack up with you because I felt pressured. I sought you because you were a prize I wanted to reach. So, don’t doubt your own worth, and don’t you ever act fake in front of me again, got it?”
“...Yeah. Got it. Sorry about that.”
Lorraine chuckled as she sat back up, rolling her eyes as she rubbed her stomach. “Dumbass. What would Mick think if he saw you like this?”
...
The sunlight peeked through the window and shot directly onto his eyelid, causing Huck to groan and turn his head. After a few minutes, he sat up from his desk with groggy eyes and a musty breath. He smacked his lips and checked his phone.
The time read 7:22. Good news was, he beat his alarm and woke up in time to drop the kid off to school. Bad news was his head was fuzzy in the worst kind of way. The kind where he was tired, but awake. He stretched and let out a guttural yell as he extended his stiff body. As he rolled his neck, he felt a sharp pang, causing him to wince.
He needed to stop sleeping at his desk.
Huck tidied up in the bathroom, then lumbered over to his bed where the teenager lay slumped. Flicking on the lights, the kid groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. Huck softly smiled, and ripped the blankets away.
“Sorry, kiddo. Time for school.”
...
After dropping him off, Huck scrolled through his phone to recap his schedule. The first “official” meeting happened around 11am at Gus’s. Aaron wanted to talk to him again for some reason. Huck checked the time on Carlos’s dashboard. Carlos’s clock read “8:17”.
So, he had time to meet up with Zephia.
Huck drove over slowly with the windows rolled down, letting the cool breeze flap against his hair. The fuzziness in his head hadn’t gone away, but there was no point in complaining about the lack of sleep. As he drove around, citizens all greeted him. Some with small waves, others with nods. While at a stoplight, one toddler in particular from in the car next to him giggled and waved her stuffed doll at Huck vigorously while babbling “Ababa!”, to which Huck smiled and waved back. Huck decided to stop by the local bakery to pick up some assorted bread for the sisters, then continued on his way.
After about ten minutes of driving, Huck ended up in front of Zephia’s house. The run down house was honestly closer to a shack, with overgrown grass, chipped paint, and crusted windows. He walked up the crumbly walkway carrying the bag of bread and knocked on the screen door. After a few moments, Bera swung open the door wearing jeans and a hoodie while carrying a mug of water. She had bags under her eyes, and blinked a few times to adjust to the morning light. He shook his bag of bread at the groggy sister and nodded.
“Hey. I brought bread.”
Bera blinked. “Uh, Huck. Hi. Why’re you here so early?”
He sighed. “Only free time I had in my schedule. Can I come in?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Well, yeah. I’m not really here on official business.”
“Just come inside.”
As Huck stepped inside, he took a look at the living room floor to see it as disorganized as usual. He frowned then looked at Bera, who bit her lip and stared at her mug of water.
“You really need to be more organized.”
Bera muttered something into her mug of water. After a small sip, she held her head down. “I don’t have the time nor energy to clean up, and you know that.”
Huck placed the bag of bread onto Bera’s mattress. “Eat up. I know you haven’t eaten yet.”
Bera tightened her lip. “I’ll save it for later, but thanks.”
Huck leaned to the hallway and stabbed his thumb at Zephia’s door. “I just need to talk to her. That ok?”
Bera finished up her cup of water. “Yeah, I know. Go for it.”
As he walked down the hallway, he opened Zephia’s door and was greeted by the infamous stench. He maintained a poker face as he looked at the mattress on the floor, where Zephia sat with her back against the wall, scribbling something on top of a piece of paper with a book to support it. As he entered, she looked up with weary eyes. Upon recognizing the figure, her eyes widened and she immediately scrambled further away from the man on instinct. Huck held his hands up as he sat on the (most likely) contaminated floor.
“Relax. Not here to harm you.”
Zephia said nothing, but stared at Huck with wide eyes.
Huck cleared his throat. “I dropped some bread off with your sister. Did you want to grab some breakfast before we talked?”59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRYRNetiqm
Zephia tightened her lip, and sat still.
Huck rubbed his neck. “Well then. Guess we should just jump into it. Why aren’t you going to school?”
Zephia looked down at her doodles and said nothing. From the living room, the pair could hear the crinkle of plastic as Bera rummaged through the breadbag, seeing what goodies Huck had brought.
A minute passed. Then two. Huck rubbed his mouth, carefully thinking about his next words.
“Alright, new question. What makes ‘home’ more comfortable than ‘school’?”
Zephia tightened her lip and stayed silent. After a minute, Huck almost assumed that she wouldn’t speak again, until the husk of a whisper left her throat.
“...school is scary.”
Huck said nothing. Her fear was honestly reasonable. Still…
“I thought I told you that I would take care of it. You’re safe, I promise. I get it can be scary to step out, but you’re in no danger as long as I’m here.”
Zephia’s breathing slowly increased. After a while, her small inhales turned to massive suctions. Huck leaned in, concerned.
“Hey, you alr-”
“They’ll find us. Theyknow where we are. I…If they catch us, then… we… how…I…Bera….wha…”
Zephia hugged her arms, her eyes bulging as she began to wheeze. “A single picture. A single comment.A single question. They’ll come for us. They’ll take us. They’ll-”
Bera burst into the room, and saw the situation unfold before her eyes. She dove to the ground, hugging her sister, stroking her head as she reassured her sister.
“Shshshshshshsh. It’ll be fine. I’m here.”
Zephia inhaled deeply into Bera’s sweatshirt, coughing and trembling. “Bera…what can…”
Huck silently stepped out of the room. Zephia’s situation was worse than he thought. After a half an hour, Bera quietly left the room and shut the door behind her. She looked up at Huck, not with an accusatory glare, but with worried and exhausted eyes.
“...I… I don’t…”
Huck quietly opened his arms, and Bera stiffly walked into him, her cries of sorrow completely muffled into his shirt.
...
Huck arrived at The Bottlecap at 12:07 pm sharp.
As he briskly exited Carlos, he straightened out his snot-covered uniform and walked with a purpose into the bar’s doors, where he saw Aaron impatiently tapping his fingers on the moist tabletop. Upon seeing his entry, Aaron stood up angrily and jabbed his finger at Huck.
“You’re late.”
Huck nodded. “Yeah. I know. That’s my bad, I won’t make excuses.”
Aaron grit his teeth, looking as though he had twenty swears loaded into the chamber, but he let out an exasperated sigh. “It's… fine. I’m sure you have a valid reason for it. Let’s get to business, shall we?”
Aaron waved to Gustavo, who nodded in response. “Can you prepare a drink for the two of us?”
Gustavo nodded, stopped sweeping, brushed his hands on his apron, then headed to the bar counter to prepare the drinks. Huck sat down across from Aaron, who was shuffling papers inside his briefcase. After a deep inhale, Aaron opened his eyes and met Huck’s gaze.
“You know why I called you here, right?”
Huck chewed the inside of his cheek. “I can guess.”
Aaron leaned and grit his teeth. “Gunshots. From Dante’s area. You seriously can’t tell me that it’s a coincidence.”
Huck sighed. “I looked into it already, but there isn’t anythi-”
“Look deeper.”
Gustavo came back with a bottle of Cola and an overly foamy beer. Aaron waved a few bills to Gustavo, who quietly received the bills and continued cleaning. Huck took a sip of his Cola as Aaron did the same with his beer.
Huck nodded at Aaron’s drink. “Surprised you’re drinking so early.”
Aaron scoffed. “As if beer foam could get me drunk. If I don’t let go here and there, I might just get a stroke from all the incompetence around me. Don’t change the subject, though. Dante obviously isn’t gonna tell you jack about any gunfire, so investigate. Do your job.”
Huck quietly drummed his fingers on his glass bottle. “My job is to do what’s best for the people.”
The mayor scowled. “No, your job is to protect both the image and people of Blackerd, and that includes removing any threats to this town. Dante is actively making the town worse, you know that. Evict him, kill him, I don’t give a damn what you do. Just resolve this issue in a way that doesn’t spread any further complications, got it?”
Huck clenched his jaw. He really didn’t like him, but Aaron’s reasoning was understandable. As the mayor, Aaron was responsible for Blackerd’s citizens to feel a sense of pride in their hometown and to make Blackerd an excellent place to live. That meant removing anything that was “disgusting” or “dangerous”.
So, well, it would make sense why Aaron wanted to separate Blackerd from the Ghetto.
Huck twirled his Cola bottle before taking a quick swig. After swirling the sugar in his mouth, he smacked his lips. “I’ve done my own investigating into Dante, but seriously, ‘removing’ him as it is currently would cause many more issues. I get why you want to ‘do away’ with him, but you need to trust me that it would be bad for everyone.”
Aaron white-knuckled the handle of his beer mug. “Yo-”
Huck quietly placed the Cola bottle on the table and leaned back into his chair. “Now, you hired me in this position for a reason. We may not see each other eye to eye, but we have a similar goal. We both want what's best for this town, right? I’m not so dense as to ignore what Dante is doing, but you need to trust me that everything I’m doing is for the betterment of Blackerd’s people. Ok?”
Aaron bit his lip as he glowered at Huck. After a minute of silence only being broken by Gustavo slowly sweeping away at the bar floor, Aaron let out a frustrated “Grah!” and downed the remainder of his beer. Huck quietly watched with a mildly impressed face as he watched the mayor down a pint of beer at noon. Aaron slammed the beer mug on the table with a deep sigh. He opened his briefcase and slapped a few folders in front of Huck.
He waved his hand at Huck. “I gathered what info I could with the different gunshots. Who was involved, where, what time, all that. Do what you need to.”
Aaron got up, dabbed his mouth with his handkerchief, straightened out his suit and tie, then nodded to Gustavo and Hank.
Aaron looked down at the sheriff. “I might not like your methods, but you aren’t wrong: I do trust you. Don’t break that trust, understand?”
Huck tipped his Cola bottle to Aaron. “Yes, sir.”
As Aaron stormed out of the bar with a frustrated look in his eyes, Gustavo let out a big sigh as he plopped down in the chair Aaron once sat at. “The guy is messed in the head, I swear.”
Huck quietly sat, his mind racing through schedules and plans. “Nah. If anything, his head is probably the most logical. I’m the one ignoring the criminal. Can I even be called a sheriff?”
Gustavo shrugged. “Great question. But hey, you’re probably the most aware person in this town. I’ve never seen a more unbiased person in a position of power.”
Huck scoffed as he took another swig of Cola. “Unbiased? Power? Me?”
“Yep. Not politically, maybe…but you are the sheriff. Plus, even if you weren’t a sheriff, I think the respect you command in Blackerd alone makes you powerful. Hell, you could probably rally up a gang in a few days if you wanted.”
Huck cracked the smallest of smiles. “Oh? Would you join me if I started a gangwar, then?”
The bartender laughed. “Eh, maybe? Depending on what day of the week you choose to start war. If it’s Tuesday, I can’t: that’s shipment day.”
The two of them chuckled and enjoyed each other’s company as the clock ticked down. After a few minutes of peaceful bliss, Huck waved goodbye to the bar owner, left the bar, and hopped into Carlos.
It was time to meet the man behind all the drama.
...
As Carlos crunched under the cracked gravel, Huck stepped out and glanced at the disorganized house once more. He steeled himself, then walked up the porch to knock on the screen door. Some fumbled footsteps ran across the floor, and Huck was greeted by Olivia once more, wearing the exact same getup as before. As she blinked rapidly, she squinted to see who the guest was.
Huck sighed. “Olivia, please. You need to wash your clothes more.”
Olivia, recognizing the voice, stiffened once again and gave a small salute. “Uh… hiya chief! What’s up? I mean… How can I help?”
Heavier footsteps rang out from behind Olivia, and Dante pushed Olivia softly, but firmly, out of the way. “The dumbass is probably here for me. You can go back to sleep.”
As she scampered away, Huck and Dante stared at each other through the screen door.
Dante scowled. “I’m not opening this screen door, and you know that.”
Huck nodded. “That’s fine, but I’m here to give you an ultimatum. Tell me why there was gunfire two days ago at 4:33 am, or I launch a proper investigation on the usage of flicker linked to your name.”
Dante froze up, but instead of fear, his eyes radiated pure hatred. “Swine.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Despite only wearing a bathrobe and boxers, Dante’s confidence emanated the same aura of a soldier decked out in full wargear. Dante reached his arm from behind the door and seemed to grab something out of Huck’s sight. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Huck’s eyes remained exhausted and dry. “Go ahead. Kill me. However, the next ‘sheriff’ that takes my place would immediately launch an investigation into you. You know that I’m the only reason stopping anyone from discovering your business, right?”
Dante’s forearm flexed as his grip on whatever was behind the door tightened. “And? Why don’t you snitch, bitch?”
“Because that wouldn’t fix anything. Another person would take your position, and Blackerd as a whole would fall even further. You might hate me, but I’m trying to fix the same problems that you are.”
“Like fuck you are.”
“You don’t need to believe me. The only reason why I need this information is that Aaron is demanding I get rid of you. So, if you give me all the info you know about the gunfire incident, I can do what I can to ensure your name is off the books. Understood?”
The kingpin silently stared down the sheriff. Huck simply folded his arms and stared at him in return.
After a minute, Dante’s forearm relaxed as he opened the screen door. “You touch anything, you die. Got it?”
“Mm.”
Dante guided him to the kitchen table, revealing papers scattered everywhere. At first glance, it appeared the scraggly man was unkempt and disorderly, but closer inspection revealed careful piles of information. Names, places, times, money, so on and so forth.
Dante pulled out a chair. “Sit.”
The sheriff sat. As Dante took his seat, he rubbed his face and groaned. He then pulled out random pieces of paper from varying piles, and handed them over to Huck.
“Look, but don’t write down anything. Memorize it.”
Huck quietly scanned the papers, trying to memorize as much info as possible. As Huck looked back up in mild confusion, Dante muttered as he scratched his head vigorously.
“Some of my guys were ambushed. The people who ambushed my guys weren’t from town. They were speaking Mexican.”
“You mean Spanish?”
“Shut the fuck up, you knew what I meant. They wore random bits of clothing, so no proper uniform.”
Dante rummaged through the multiple different piles once more. “I don’t fuckin’ get it. From the description and actions, it seems like a bounty group, but the guys I’ve employed don’t have bounties. They’re clean. Plus, these new guys are from out of town, that implies they’re looking for someone. But if they’re looking for someone, then that means they would have no reason to come for me.”
He slammed his hands onto the dining table, causing paper piles to shift. “It doesn’t fuckin’ make sense. They wouldn’t have beef with me, since they aren’t from here. If they were after a bounty, then why shoot random guys? If there were a sudden gang that formed, why wouldn’t they have a uniform?”
Huck closed his eyes, considering multiple different possibilities. There was a possibility…but…
He tightened the lips, and placed the papers onto the table gently. “I might have an idea, but I need to confirm it first. Do you trust me?”
Dante flipped Huck off. “Fuck no.”
Huck waved him off. “Fair enough. Still, I might have an idea of who these guys are, and why they targeted you. Give me a few days. If I have any information, I’ll contact you and tell you what I know. Hell, I might even help you if things line up perfectly.”
The kingpin blinked. “The fuck? Why?”
The sheriff rubbed his neck. “Half of the reason is because it’s only fair. You give me info, I give you info. The other half is because it might benefit me to help you.”
Dante scowled. “I knew it, all pigs are selfish to the end.”
Huck got up from the table. “Yeah, you aren’t wrong. I’ll see you if I get any new info. Till then, avoid having any direct contact with your guys. Trust me.”
As he left the house, Huck could feel Dante’s hatred radiate and bounce off his back. Despite the malice, Dante did nothing to prevent him from leaving.
Nothing quite as deafening as the silence of an anger-filled man.
...
Huck waited under the shade of a cool tree, checking his watch for when the school bell would ring. With Victoria busy with her… “work”, Huck was responsible for babysitting Ally until Victoria got “off her shift”. It was tiring, but a much better alternative to Ally being exposed to Victoria’s “occupation”.
The monotone bell droned across the schoolyard, and second later schoolkids screamed with excitement as they flooded out the doors. Huck stood up more straight, looking for gold fluttering across a sea of brown. After a few minutes, he caught a shimmer of daylight in the sea of brunettes, to which he called out to. The little golden ball toddled over to him, grinning as she dove into Huck’s arms.
“Hiya Hucky!”
Huck sighed, then smiled. “It’s Huck, kid. Now, let's go.”
Ally frowned. “Aren’t we gonna wait for Joey?”59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXLK7XqGmO
“Joel said he had some after school prep to catch up on, so we’ll be going first.”
“Ok!!!”
As the pair watched back to Carlos hand-in-hand, Ally babbled on about nonsense from her day. Different lessons, recess mishaps, and so on. Once they reached the brown Lincoln, Ally looked up with puppy eyes.
“Hucky?”
Huck softly smiled and ruffled her hair. “Yeah, you can sit in the front. Just don’t tell Vic’.”
Ally squealed in delight as she scrambled to the passenger side. She hopped into the cushy seats, and the pair drove off. The pair bought Mcdonalds to celebrate Ally getting a five out of five on her “weekly spelling test”, then headed to the apartment.
Once they arrived at their destination, the two sat down to do their respective tasks. Ally focused on her homework (“Draw a picture of what the sentence is describing!”) while Huck focused on looking into Dante’s lead. It was an extremely small chance, but Huck couldn’t deny that there was a possibility this case could be closely tied to Bera and Zephia’s bounty. Huck grit his teeth as he remembered the sister’s anxieties and tears.
And Huck would be damned if he sat by and did nothing.
59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLtwkCeZ4f
