Want to get into the song more? Listen to Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol to get into it!

Austin's POV

We were on the road, yet again. This time, our destination was to Utah on our little tour. No further reports of James or Hex were underway. LP constantly looked frazzled, but the pain had eased. Alan had been by her side 24/7. If only Rae were here....

"So you said that Ryker took Rae and her kids to a "safer" location?" Tino questioned me. I nodded to the man, but my brain was else where.

"Yeah, something about a James and Hex possibly coming after them. I was unsure of it at first, but Raelyn seemed okay with it." I bit my lip in anticipation. Things were going to go down-but when?

"Was that a good idea to let her go like that?" LP whispered to me. I shrugged and shook my head.

"She's not a kid anymore. Rae can make her own decisions and besides, she would've gone off regardless. I just hope that Ryker can take care of her while we're away. Rae said it would be only for a few days, right?" I was speaking to myself more than anyone else.

"Of course. Rae's strong. Ryker's a pretty cool badass as well." LP laughed, trying to ease the mood. It didn't work.

Our bus slowly rolled on through the border of Utah. The wheels hummed outside as we passed cacti and standing monuments of rock. A few houses were out in the distance, but we were headed to Salt Lake City. Hopefully there would be more life out there.

My phone buzzed once before shutting off. It was probably a notification about some sports game or something. I didn't get up to answer it.

But then the phone kept buzzing.

Vzz! Vzz! Vzz!

The seemed to hum with the impatient energy around the device. Aaron raised an eyebrow, silently asking if I would get it or not. Standing up, my heavy feet towed me towards my bunk.

Call from: Raelyn Carlile

Raelyn!? Snatching it off the sheets, I slid the touchscreen and pressed it against my ear.

"Raelyn? Is everything okay?" I rushed excitedly. It had only been a few hours since she called to tell me she had left the house with Ryker and the kids.

"Austin, it's me, Ryker." A man's voice calmly spoke.

"Oh, where's Raelyn?" I asked, worry coming into my voice. My gut twisted up. Something wasn't right here.

"She's with the Arabelle and Beth."

"Where's JC?" I asked slowly. Everyone in the bus looked to me. Lily-Pearl gave me the thumbs up, but I wasn't so sure of what Ryker would say.

"Austin," Ryker took a shaky breath. "JC was killed."

And my world fell apart around me.

"Shut up with this crap and tell me what really happened." I growled into the speaker.

"We were stopped at a gas station. Arabelle and JC were taken by James and Hex. James shot JC and I shot James. Hex let go of Arabelle, but got away." Ryker's voice broke. I heard the wailing screams of sirens in the background and the cries of my wife that pierced any sense of security.

"No...." I trailed off, tears flowing from my eyes.

"I'm sorry Austin, but I wish I could've gotten to James sooner. I have to go. Rae will call you soon." And with that, the other end clicked off. The phone fell out of my numb fingers as tears streamed down my cheeks.

Tino's hand fell on my shoulder, his sorrowful eyes looking up to me. The entire bus was deathly quiet. LP came up to me, her hand on my shoulder.

"Austin, what happened?" She softly questioned.

"JC, he's dead." I broke down. She gave me a tight hug and led me to a chair to sit down on. I sobbed into my arms, not crying this hard since my mother died.

"JC, no, not him." Phil breathed. When I looked up, everyone had tears in their eyes.

How could some monster just take a child's life like that? It's not....human. Even for a psychopath.

"He was my only son!" I sobbed out in agony. He's my child, my son! LP sniffled, burying her head into Alan's shoulder. Both of them cried with me. The entire bus mourned with me.

"We're cancelling the rest of the tour, Raelyn needs you." LP said, whipping out her phone, using a tissue, she blew her nose and then dialed a few numbers.

Raelyn, I need to keep her safe and I need to be there for her.

Notes

MORE JC FEELS!!!!!