Chapter 4:

Your POV:

Thursday, June 16th

1:00 in the Afternoon

Two days have passed, since the incident. I had to take some medicine, and eat a lot of fruit and nuts. I drank a lot of water, and took hot showers. It was over. I was better. The sun was out, and so were the surfers. I was feeling better, way better than I was yesterday. My head was clear. Yesterday seemed to be a complete blur. Tom thought it would be a good idea to get some fresh air, and my parents agreed.

The beach sand between my toes was both hot and cold, the feel of salt and dust. Tom treated me out to ice-cream and a walk against the shore. He wore new sandals, as I wore my green jacket. We walked with Hunter, who dug in the sand a lot. I looked at the beach, as Tom showed concern.

"So how are you feeling today? Feeling any pressure?" Tom asked.

"I'm better."

"Hope so. Really freaked me out there…"

"Sorry. It's…just how I am. Ever since I was little."

"Oh, I understand. This has happened before?"

"Yea, I totally spaced out when my dad got into a fight with this other guy."

"Really? Over what?"

"Me. The other guy thought that I was over 18 years old. Wanted to show me a good time."

"Oh…shit…!"

"Ha! I know. And right infront of my dad. He kept flirting, in a perverted way. Man, he got so pissed…" I smiled.

"I would've too…"

"What?"

"So what happened next?" Tom asked.

"Well, the other guy got pissed. And wanted to fight. My dad didn't want to, and tried to get me out of Walmart and-"

"All this happened in Walmart?"

"Hahaha! Yes! Anyway, then the guy went after him and hit him across the head. And that's when everything went downhill. It was a complete brawl. And it was my first fight. To witness…"

"Wow."

"Yea, and then I was rushed to the hospital. It was very scary, because it was my first time in an ambulance. And in the emergency room."

"Oh! That must've been scary! Did your dad get hurt?"

"A little. Just a few bruises and a busted lip.

Tom and I talked more. The wind blowing sprays of salt and water. Surfers doing amazing tricks on the waves. Women sunbathed putting sun block on their skin. And young couples drinking wine coolers and eating watermelon. For the longest time, we walked and chatted. Turning towards the evening, the sky had a hazy silver twilight. The carnival lights turned on, and the fires were lit.

Also a time when gangs were out in the open, smoking cigarettes, laughing, and painting eachothers faces. Their spiky hair and pierced lips and noses. And the number of security guard members tripled, watching out in the open. The clowns came out, along with the jugglers and magic shows. Tom and I watched one magic show that involved parrots, butterflies, and rabbits. It was all fun to see.

"Whew. Good thing I brought my jacket. It's really windy."

"That's a cool jacket. I like the color," Tom said, changing the subject.

"Yea, my mom did laundry yesterday. It smells clean!" I smiled.

"You don't smoke do you?"

"No. No, I don't smoke. Honestly, I hate smokers," I smiled, throwing away a napkin.

"Yea. Hey, do you know what time it is?" Tom asked, a little nervous.

"Um, it's 5:10... Why?"

"Ah, shit! I was suppose to be at the stand at 5:00, damn it! Sorry but I gotta go."

"Oh, no. It's cool. I'll just be walking around. I'll come over again!"

"That'll be sweet!"

Tom left. It was nice spending almost 3 hours with him. He was easy to talk to. Sometimes he would talk, and I would just listen. As I saw him walk away down the beach, he took off his jacket, revealing his red and white worker outfit. He came prepared.

I walked down to the beach, where my toes were being touched by the water, and sat down. Family with blue coolers were making sand castles. Hunter dug a hole in the sand, walked in a circle, and laid down in it. I sat down too.

For a long time, I sat there. While Hunter was asleep. Feeling the sun in my pours, warming me up. Making me sweat a little, as I sat. I rolled down my sleeves. Joggers ran across the sand. Some volleyball players had some fierce competition. The good smell in my jacket.

Dwayne's POV:

Thursday, June 16th

6:15 in the Evening

We awoke from our sleep. Our starving bellies and dry throats choking us. Our feet let go of the bars in our cave. Star and Laddie still weren't in the cave. We flew from our little piece of paradise, found our bikes, and rode down to the Boardwalk. The silver twilight was gone, and left a perfect night sky for us to walk under. As always, David was gone. That pissed off Paul and Marko.

If he kept this up, he wasn't going to make it on his own. Plus, they had to follow Max's orders and stick together. Even yesterday, Dwayne told Max that David has been disappearing lately. Max looked concerned. He wanted the boys to look for David.

Then, in private, Max told him that if David kept this up for about a month or so, then Dwayne was appointed the new leader of the group.

Dwayne didn't give a damn if he was the new leader, but if it was to keep all of them safe. Then let the good times roll. So Dwayne walked, keeping to himself. He put his nose up, searching for the slightest scent of David. The Boardwalk was buzzing with life. Carnival music blared. A few women put up fliers of missing children.

Then he smelled something. The wind came by. Blowing plastic bags across, lifting them to the air. Something felt familiar. The taste in the smell. All of it. Men with large beards passed. Women walked by with pink hair. Boys ran by with piercings on their brows. Security guards leaned against walls, their black glasses shielding the fear in their eyes. There was the smell again.

Dwayne…suddenly went somewhere he didn't intend on going in the first place. It was something in his brain that functioned his bones to do. He walked towards a table, without intending to walk towards the table. He sat himself down, without intending to sit himself down. There, in that spot, he waited with fingers weaved together. With no intention to wait for anything.

In the comfortable chair, the raven-haired man sat there. A couple sat next to him, with 2 other people sitting next to them. The woman, with blonde hair and the man with brown hair. He kissed her neck, and she giggled. The teen vamp looked for a moment, then turned away. Dwayne crossed his legs together. A group of friends, having fun, laughing, and sitting next to danger.

The tables under the light of the hotdog stand were particularly small. Round with mustard and ketchup bottles in the middle. There was only 3 tables. Colored red and white. The other lone table was dirty, with spilled Coke on it. Leaving a sticky substance. Along with mustard splattered on the seats. Dwayne had no freakn idea why he was here. He knows there's something wrong.

Then he saw her.

"The hell…"

Was this a coincidence? Weird. He remembered her. This was the 3rd sighting. She was alone. Without that hotdog guy. In her hand was the leash to the dog. Her brown shoes and green jacket. His attention on her jacket. The smell of cigarettes was gone, all due to a smell of Downy soap. Must've done laundry. But the smell of blood still lingered. That thin smell of David was on her.

She walked over, looked at the occupied table then to the filthy table. Still, she did not see him. She pushed her hair back. She took a chance and tried to sit down on the table, stained with split Coke. Only 4 people could occupy these tables. She looked at her thighs, got up and tried to scratch away the mustard on her pants. It left a thin yellow color on it. Irritated, she tried to rub it off. Then she looked at him.

"Uh, are these seats taken?" she asked him.

Of course, Dwayne was sitting at the only clean table at the moment. And the other table was occupied. Looking down, the dog began to growl at him. Smelling her up close, Dwayne was sure that she's been around David. But why? What was so important with this girl that made David go near her? Wasn't she like all the other girls in Santa Carla? So, he decided to play hunter himself.

"No. Go ahead, take a seat." He spoke to her.

"Thanks…!"

What he didn't see was the dog. Its large beady black eyes, and its small little white fangs. Growling at him, shaking its little head. It jumped on its hind legs. The little mutt sniffed at his shoes, biting at the shoelaces. The neon lights flickered from the hotdog man above them. The girl seemed to be waiting. Crossing her legs. Weaving her fingers together. Then she noticed her dog.

"Oh, god. Sorry…"

"It's fine…"

Dwayne didn't smile, but leaned back. Keeping his eyes on her. The girl pulled the purple leash back, the puppy going back to her. Licking at her yellow sandals, almost apologetic. This was, in a way, going to be educational. She sat across from him, but looked amusingly towards some clowns dancing around. The poor girl, thinking she's safe. He looked at her green jacket.

"What's it's name?" Dwayne asked, with narrowed eyes.

"Hm…?" she turned back to him.

"Your dog."

"Oh, um, his name's Hunter…" she smiled.

"What kind of dog?"

"Um, I don't know. Not sure. But I got him about 2 days ago."

"Good lookin' dog."

She rolled down her sleeves.

"Thanks. Got him from the shelter…"

"Adoption?"

"Yea, they found him in the garbage cans." She smiled.

"Nice.""Yea, with this little guy, it was love at first sight," she laughed."How many pets do you have?"

She rolled up her sleeves."Oh, this is my first one. My first dog. You have any?""Sort of…" Dwayne continued the conversation."Oh, really…?""Yea, my…dad… has a dog. A white one, named Thorn.""Oh, that's a cool name." She smiled, again.

Rolling down her sleeves. Fiddling with the leash."Yea, you can find them at the Videostore.""Oh, yea. I've seen him. White fur? Pointy ears?""That's it… That's him. You've been to the Videostore?""Yea, I've been around. A lot. I'm new here…""Where are you from?""Um, from a place…far, far, far away… You?" she asked.

She rolled up her sleeves."Lived here all my life. For a long time. It's home…"

"Well, that's cool," she paused and looked around her and him.

Dwayne waited for what she was going to say.

"Um, are you waiting for someone? Should I get out of the way?"

Dwayne was taken back.

"It's 6:40 anyway. I should get going. Should leave you alone."

"No! No. I'm not waiting for anyone. You can sit back down…"

"Oh, ok. But it's getting a little late for me."

"That's cool." Dwayne actually didn't want to talk to her anymore.

"Um, no thanks. I gotta go. It was nice talking to you!" she smiled.

She got her leash, got up from her seat, and walked away. She waved her hand at him. She didn't move in a quick pace, giving the idea that she was creeped out by their conversation. The girl just walked in a slow motion, not being bothered. From afar, she rolled down her sleeves one last time. Zipping up her jacket.

Why did David bother with this girl? What was so important about her? What the hell was happening? She still smelled like blood, that no other human could smell but him. She wasn't bitten. She wasn't harmed n any way.

What the hell was her deal? He observed that through her, as she talked, he observed her. The girl was… normal. Through the crowd, she was slowly disappearing. The green jacket illuminated off the neon lights, giving off a glow. He looked at her thighs. Her dark blue jeans. The mustard stain, still there.

Your POV:

Thursday, June 16th

6:41 in the Evening

I went over the Boardwalk, minding myself. My fingers, still trying to get the mustard stain. I wanted clean pants. I walked over to the bathroom, put napkins under the water, and began to rub my thighs. My puppy began to lick at the tile floors, and I pulled on the leash.

"Ew, don't drink that water. Are you hungry, Hunter? Come on, let's go get something to eat."

We went out of the bathroom and looked for something simple. I found a Deli a few minutes later. A picture of a giant sandwich at the doorway. There was clean tables inside, with a claw machine. My stomach cramped a little. I was hungry, too. I went in to look at the menu.

"Excuse me, miss! Can't you read the dam sign at the door? Miss? No damn dogs allowed in!" yelled a large man with a mop in his hand, with a green greasy hair. And a piercing on his lip.

"Alright, I'm sorry…!" I spat out.

The man made a sound through his lips and waved his hand, turning his head, as if shooing me off like a stray cat. As I looked at the door, and didn't see any sign. There was windows for walls, and there was no sign for animals. At all. In my perspective, the guy was a total asshole.

"There's no sign that tells you can't have dogs in here."

"What! What the f- I said no dogs in here!" he almost cussed.

"There's no sign!" I yelled.

"Get the hell outta here, lil' girl!" the man threw down the mop and stomped over to me.

He grabbed the door, and tried to close it. I stumbled backwards, my back hit the door, and then bumped into someone from behind me.

"Sorry, excuse me."

I began to run down the Boardwalk, away from the angry employee, and found myself near a couple of trashcans. My stomach cramped a little more. I grew a small hate for that Deli, and their employee. I didn't know if there was a sign that didn't allow dogs or not, but that mad didn't have to yell. Scare the customers away. I was glad to be out of there.

"Hi."

I heard a voice say.

David's POV:

Thursday, June 16th

7:00 in the Evening

His finger went down her back, again. As she walked. His glove, running down her green jacket. His finger over the line of her spine. She walked on the Boardwalk, and he noticed a small mustard stain on her thighs. Her puppy noticed him, still growling. David was right behind her again. Her hair, tickling his face. Then he halted right in his steps. She went to the ladies room. Uncharted territory.

For awhile, he waited. Then she came back out. He followed. The girl walked along the Boardwalk, pausing to look at a Deli. Figuring she was hungry, he decided to follower her in. She walked in, looking at the menu. Then something jarred him. An employee with a mop began to yell at her. Telling her that there was no dogs allowed inside. Using an ugly voice. She was totally taken back.

The man dropped the mop, yelling at her. He closed the door on her, as she left. The girl yelled back at him, with her voice in frustration. David looked on the windows, and she was right. There was no sign for animals. The man was being a total asshole. The girl stumbled from the doorway, hitting her back on the door. She seemed to have tripped on her feet. Gaining balance. Then she bumped into him.

"Holy hell…" he whispered.

Her back touched his chest to his waist, also giving some touch to the area of his elbows. His gloves, touching her shoulders, though she didn't seem to notice. Acting just like a normal man, trying to support her. The contact against him was…sensational. He calculated this touch. If his glove only gave her a thin small amount of his scent on her, then the front of his body would give off more than a small trace.

"Sorry, excuse me." The girl said.

She told the man that there was no sign on the windows, but he kicked her out anyway. David got a good look at the employee, and walked away. The girl ran away. Still hungry. After awhile, David thought to himself. The girl was so…sensitive. It was hard to resist not messing with her fears. So vulnerable. His hunter instincts took over, as he stood from afar and watched. All she wanted was a sandwich.