On the Other Side

Chapter 2

Days later, William wondered if it had been a dream. The world seemed to move with frightening normality but he couldn’t tear himself from the nightmare. The only thing different was his father. Giles had actually ventured out of the study, smelling of soap and aftershave, pleasant smile stretched across the clean-shaven face.

William watched, puzzled, as his father made breakfast, ruffling Xander’s hair and acting like a real dad. For a moment, William wondered if perhaps everything – Jenny’s death, moving away from home and…the other night – was part of an elaborate, terrible hoax. He almost, almost looked around for his step-Mum, expecting to find her working on the computer or sitting on the sofa reading a book, but realized that the sofa had been moved, the computer sold, and that the house around him wasn’t home.

Weeks went by and, during the day, William fell into the new normality that had become his life. Both his father and Xander seemed to be happier than they had in over a year, and Giles seemed to drink less. From that perspective, it almost seemed as if William had helped his father. It had all changed after that night. At times, William almost felt a sense of satisfaction that he’d been able to snap his dad out of the hermit-like existence he’d been trapped in.

During the nights, however, memories of that night flooded his dreams and he relived it over and over and over again until every disgusting detail was etched into his brain.


The first thing he’d noticed was the smell. It was obvious that it’d been quite some time since his father had bathed: the stench of sweat and piss and something else musky had assaulted his senses as soon as the drunken man’s trousers had been unzipped. When the tip of the foul-smelling organ was placed to his lips, tears stung his eyes. He opened his mouth to plead, and the thick cock had been shoved in to the hilt. He’d gagged, he remembered. And vomited.

Choking on his own bile, he thrashed about wildly, pulling away just long enough to dispose of the rancid liquid in his mouth before the prick was shoved back in. Amidst the thrusting, William was somehow able to keep from vomiting again, until the figure above him gasped out a name and bitter cum hit his tongue. He made no attempt to hold it in, so it ran down his chin in gloppy strands, falling and mixing with the mess on the floor.

William was released and fell to the ground, retching and heaving and sobbing in a puddle of semen and puke. He heard his father stagger to the bed and collapse, and soon the only sound was William’s hiccuping gasps. When the obnoxious snoring began William crawled out of the room, on hands and knees all the way to the bathroom.

He showered until the water ran cold, discarding his boxers in the trash, and brushed his teeth. He’d vomited twice more, trying to clean the taste from his tongue.


William awoke with a gasp, heart beating erratically, a face inches from his own.

“Will?” The dark-headed boy leaned even closer, squinting through the darkness at William’s face. “Are you ok?”

William expelled a shaky breath. “Yeah, ‘m fine. Did I wake you up?”

Xander nodded. “You had a bad dream.”

“Guess so.” William grimaced at the understatement. “Sorry I woke you up, Xan.” Even in the dark room, William could see the big brown eyes were wide with fear. He shifted over, pulling the linens back. “Get in.” The boy dove into the twin bed with William and snuggled up until their faces were no more than an inch apart.

“Was it about Mum?”

William couldn’t stifle the half-smile at the mention of Jenny; not everyone had forgotten her. “Yeah, it was about Mum.” He slipped an arm around Xander’s back, pulling him closer.

Xander ducked his head. “I dream about her too, sometimes.”

Wincing at the sorrow in his little brother’s voice, William wrapped both arms around the boy, allowing Xander to snuggle into his bare chest. His brother was so warm. He buried his nose in the shaggy brown locks as sleep began to pull at his consciousness.

“G’night, Xan. Love you.”

The reply was slurred with sleep and muffled by his chest, but William was able to make out the words, right before he dozed off. “Night Will. Love you too.”

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