Homeless extortion

I could tell the events that were unfolding were taking their toll on Brandon. He didn't outright show it but I could just see it on his face. He'd never been this deep into his addiction, into crime and into homelessness. For that matter I hadn't either. I wondered if my poker face was as bad as his. 

After offing all the plunders from the last burglary we were set for a few days. A purse I had grabbed off the counter had almost $400 inside. That combined with the gun, the 3 laptops and all the miscellaneous jewelry and video games had yielded us more dope than we could even carry between the two of us in our mouths. It had been weeks since either one of us had showered. I asked Brandon if he thought getting a hotel was a good idea but Brandon had what we thought at the time was a better idea. 

We went to a social services office the next day. In Clark county Nevada, contrary to popular belief, there is a fair amount of help for the homeless. You just have to not be strung out long enough to keep it together and get the assistance. Or in our case, have enough drugs to not have to work for awhile. Brandon knew that there were 30 day rent vouchers you could get to help get you on your feet for up to 3 months. In addition to the vouchers, there were homeowners that would take you in and help you get your ID if you didn't have one as long as you contribute with food stamps and pay for a room in their rental homes with your vouchers. I remember thinking of it as a foster family for struggling adults. As I would quickly come to realize, the operation was much more seedy than I had imagined.

The papers to fill out for your ID, rent vouchers and food stamps were easily obtained. I grabbed my applications and snuck off to a trash enclosure to fix and fill them out. When I returned Brandon was talking to a guy I could easily tell was an addict and a slender, older well dressed Asian man. I remember thinking to myself, this kid is a natural.

Joe was a soft spoken man. His spirit seemed much younger than he actually was. He must have been at least 55. But he was willing to give us a place to stay, rent free for two weeks as long as we were willing to give over our vouchers for the next 3 months each. The younger man that accompanied him was 25 or so, about my age, he looked like he had been recently taken off the streets also. He sang Joe's praises as if he were a saint.

"So you guys are coming? That's awesome! Joe is a great man! You will be well taken care of." The man said

"We are heading back to the house now if you would like to get cleaned up I can meet with you gentlemen in the morning and we can figure out a timeline for getting you boys on track." Joe said

I didn't even have to say a word. Brandon did all the talking. We got in Joe's new BMW SUV and headed for our new place. 

The 5 bedroom home had a converted living room and garage set to accommodate up to 12 people in total. 2 in each bedroom and 2 in the living room and the garage had various lockers and storage closets. The math didn't sit well with me. At maximum capacity Joe was "renting" the home for a hefty $4,800 per month and based on the discussion I had heard in the car on the way Joe owned 3 other homes with the same set up and they were not only paid for but they were full. Taking advantage of dozens of people that were down in there luck combined with the uneasy feeling joe gave me anytime I looked at him I realized this wasn't shaping up to be as great an idea as we had first planned.

Surprisingly the next week went by with ease and routine. I'd wake up sick early in the morning, head down to the walmart down the street to fix and panhandle money in the parking lot for cigarettes and food. All the while Joe and the housemates assumed I was "looking for work". Brandon hardly left the house. During this time he had taken to showering 2 times a day. This gave him the time to shoot up in the only privacy he could find. 

By the end of the week I was almost out of drugs. Brandon was completely out. He woke me up just before sunrise and asked me if I had anything to help him out. I opened my backpack. 2 balloons. Just the 2 and that was it from all we had shown up with. I was never the type to hold out on a friend. I gave him one but told him we were either going to have to detox without anyone in the house knowing or go get more. Brandon told me not to worry and that he had another plan. I gave him a balloon and told him, as I had often to this point, to be careful and think about what he was going to do before doing anything drastic.

I tried to sleep in late since I had no idea what I was getting into in the days to come. I had kicked without people knowing in the past. Mind over matter, I'd always told myself. Maybe I'd call my mom and see if she was willing to speak to me again. Maybe I'd go back to WestCare. It's crazy all the things that go through your head when you know you are in the downside of a bad idea. Logic told me our stay at the homeless hotel was about to run out. Maybe I could make the best of it and try to get clean. With the way my life had been the last few months that idea wouldn't be so bad.

Brandon apparently didn't feel the same way. I was just getting up when he busted into the room and quickly started packing his  things. 

"You alright man? What's wrong?" I asked

"Absolutely nothing bro! Let's get the fuck outta here!" He said

"I'm gonna stay here man it's safer here and we are outta shit." I said

"You can stay if you want but we aren't quite outta shit." Brandon said and pulled a ziplock snack bag out of his pocket almost completely full of balloons. 

"Well that's that then I guess. 2 things though. 1 where should we go and 2 where the hell did you get all that dope?" I said.

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