Psycho Love / Troy Otto

The Ranch

Madison, Nick, and I sat in the back seat of the truck. Troy's metal music blasted through the speakers throughout the last two hours of this trip and my eye started to twitch in annoyance. I lean up and shut the damn radio off. "Enough of this shit. It's giving me a headache." I grumbled. I see Troy's eyes looking at me through his mirror. I just knew he was smirking at me and I just wanted to smack it off. Cheeky bastard. I look past him and see houses in the distance.

The Ranch.

My heart began to swell as so many memories passed through at once. Both good and bad. I see plenty live stock and gardens. Troy wasn't kidding, Jeremiah really did pull it off.

We reached the gates and a man with a rifle comes up to Troy's window. Troy mocks him. "Yo! Man, who'd you piss off to draw guard again, huh?"

Though it was a joke, the guard didn't seem to be in a joking mood. "Your father wants to talk to you."

"Jake already talk to him?"

"Jake ain't here. That's the thing. He ain't been here since he left. He's overdue." My heart stops for a second.

What happened to him and Charlene? To the Alicia, Travis, and Nick's girlfriend whose name I have yet to remember?

Troy looks really worried when he looks back at me. "A-alright get out. Get out of the truck."

We are all confused, but Nick voices it. "What?"

"Get out of the truck and wait outside. Now! Come on. Get out!" The door is opened and we three step out. Once we are out he looks to the guards. "Watch them." Then, he drives inside.

The guard orders the gate to be closed, while we stood outside of it. I was a little irked because this used to be my home, but I understand they have to be cautious with new people. We take a look around. There are so many people here. Besides multiple houses, there is an RV camp, and multiple tents set up. There are even solar panels. Yet there was only one house that caught my eye. A white, two story house with a red door.

My home.

My thoughts are broken by Nick's conversation with his mother. "They're not here. Let's just back track and find him."

Madison replied as if she read my mind. "Back track to where? We don't know where they are. You don't know where you're going."

"Better than goddamn waiting."

This makes me scoff. Making them look at me. "No it's not! We leave and get lost. They show up, then what? They have to go find us? Besides, this looks really bad on our group. Running away now will get us killed."

Nick comes closer to us and lowers his voice. "Okay. What if they don't show up? Alright? What if it is just us? What's the play then?"

Madison sighs and says something that confuses both Nick and I. "Hug your mother." He started to protest, but she insisted. "Just do it. Do it, now." As they hugged, she took his hand and started guiding it down, making a disgusted look grow on my face.