That Which Does Not Kill Us…
Chapter 7
Disclaimer: see chapter 1
After watching the shifter, by its own admission, kill his son, then as the thing shed the image of the younger man it had worn throughout his captivity, Mac decided that if he was going to die anyway, he would no longer react to the creatures taunts. The older man focused on the smiling face of his son, pulling a happier memory, rather than the last one that had burned itself into his mind. If his son was dead, he wanted to remember the happier times they had together before he, himself, died. This seemed to infuriate the shifter, its clear goal was to inflict as much mental pain as physical pain and when Mac quiet reacting to it's ranting it stepped up on the physical attack.
After a certain point Mac became almost numb to the pain, the pain of watching his son die was more than enough to drown out everything else around him. It wasn't until the banging of a door and shouting started around him that Mac attempted to focus on his surroundings. His vision was impaired as his left eye had swollen shut, his right eye close behind. He felt the creature cut his bindings and even though the image of the small woman it had shifted into looked to small to restrain his larger stature, he felt himself being pulled to his feet. It was the sting of a knife blade cutting into the tender skin of his neck that brought Mac's senses to the present. Through his blurred vision he could make out two forms approaching cautiously. Finally Jim's voice filtered through, "Mackland? Can you hear me?"
"Jim?" Mac whispered as he felt himself pulled backwards. The Pastor's voice could be heard again, but it was talking to someone else.
"You need to let him go, you may just make it out of here alive if you do." Jim watched as the shifter, still in the form of a young woman, seemed to have no problem holding up Mac as a shield between itself and the two hunters that had just burst through the doorway of the basement.
A chill went through the two hunters as the creature laughed. "You expect me to believe I'll walk away from this. I've already killed one of your kind today, I see the only way I don't kill your friend is if you let me leave."
It was John that spoke next, "You know we can't do that." Jim and John stepped closer as the creature inched its way toward the other entrance to the basement, the two doors that lead straight to the outside.
"Then I guess you bury another friend." the creature said coldly as Mac felt the bite of the knife as it cut across his throat, the shifter pushing him toward the two advancing hunters, as it bolted up the stairs, pushing open the outside door. It was the sound of two gun shots in quick succession that told Jim and John that Bobby had put an end to the shifter as it stepped through the basement doors.
"Mackland!" Jim shouted, just as John shouted "Mac" both men having watched as the creature pulled the knife across the Scholar's throat before it pushed him forward, Jim catching the falling hunter. Easing Mac to the ground Jim put his hand against the bleeding wound that was on the hunter's neck. "Mackland?" Jim spoke again, receiving no response, as John dropped the duffle from his back to the floor, pulling out a bandage. The Pastor pulled his hand back as they quickly covered the wound, giving a little thanks that there was no spraying of blood, hopefully meaning the shifter hadn't cut Mac's neck deep enough to have hit an artery.
Bobby came in behind them, pulling the body of the shifter back into the basement, before dropping it and rushing over to check on Mac. "How is he?"
John looked up as Jim continued to try and get Mac to respond, "Bastard cut his throat."
"Damn it!" Bobby pulled his hat off, hitting his leg with it. "He's alive right?"
Jim looked up at the two men, "We need to get him and Caleb to the hospital, help me get him to the car. Robert I want you to take care of this then meet us there." Bobby reached down to help Jim and John get Mac up and out to the car. He knew exactly how Jim wanted this taken care of; he would burn the place to the ground, the shifter's body along with it.
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Four hours later found Jim sitting in Mac's room at the local hospital as John stayed outside the ICU waiting to see Caleb, Bobby floating between men. When John and Jim had first arrived the explanation of a bar fight sufficed the doctors as Caleb was rushed to surgery, worry of the depth of the wound, as well as, the blood loss being an issue on whether the young hunter would live through the night.
Mac's wound fortunately wasn't as bad as they had first feared. The neck wound was not deep enough to do any real damage, but requiring several stitches. Scan's and x-rays had been done on the Scholar's battered face, the damage being a broken nose and several superficial contusions, the swelling already going down on his left eye, with help of cold packs that Jim would hold on the unconscious man's face for twenty minutes at time.
As it neared the five hour mark John pushed open the door to Mac's room, his face drawn with worry as Bobby followed him. "How's Caleb?" Jim asked, almost fearing the answer.
John sat down, blowing out a deep breath, "He made it through surgery, I only got to see him for a few minutes. The doctor said he was lucky because the angle of the wound allowed the knife to miss all his major organs. Their main concern is the amount of blood he lost and whether an infection will set up. They've got him on antibiotics and are giving him blood; the good news is that he is breathing on his own." John ran his hand over his face, "The doctor said that fact that Caleb's young and in good health will help, but they won't know anything for sure for at least twenty-four hours. They think if an infection is going to set up it will by then." Leaning forward John looked at Mac, "How's he doing?"
Jim removed the ice pack he had been holding on the hunter's face, "Broken nose, a lot of bruising. The cut on his throat wasn't as bad as we thought. He's got a mild concussion, that's why he hasn't woken up yet." the Pastor walked across the room, leaning against the counter next to Bobby, "Were you able to take care of the area?"
"Yeah, no chance of that thing being found, I left the building smoldering. There shouldn't be any trace of what happened there." Bobby rubbed his tired eyes. "I was gonna head back, clear out Caleb's hotel room, then get us a couple of rooms at the motel across the street from here."
"That's a good idea; we should stay with them in shifts. One of us needs to be with Mackland at all times, it's possible he believes Caleb is dead. And one of us should stay near the ICU, so we can check on Caleb, he could very well think the same thing about Mackland."
John and Bobby nodded as the gruff hunter left the room, John looked at his watch. "It's about time to see Caleb again, do you want to go or you want me too?"
Jim looked at Mac, then back at John. "I'd like to see him; I can't get the image of finding him lifeless out of my head. I know he's still unconscious, but maybe seeing him on the mend will help." John nodded in agreement; he had felt the same way until he had gotten to see his protégé.
"We'll get them through this." John spoke up as he stood, moving to take a seat in the chair closer to Mac's bed. Jim giving him a tired smile as he left the room.
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Hour ten found Jim back in Mac's room; John and Bobby had taken turns visiting with Caleb as each hourly visitation time came around. So far the young man's condition had remained the same, 'critical but stable'. The doctor's were pleased there was no sign of infection so far. They were keeping Caleb sedated, allowing his body to rest and heal. At first Jim had said they would rotate, each man taking a few hour break while the other two would sit with their fallen comrades, but Jim found it almost impossible to leave Mac's side. The Pastor worried about what mental or emotional state the Scholar would be in once he came around. Jim believed it was quiet possible that Mac could have witnessed some, if not all, of the attack against Caleb and once the shifter had left the young hunter's blooded and bruised body along the side of the road, it had probably tormented Mac with the fact he couldn't save his son. Jim felt it would be best if he remained by the psychic's side until he woke, hoping Mac would believe him when he told him Caleb was indeed alive.
Jim had just stood to walk around the room, stretching his tired body when a low moan came from the man in the bed, quickly stepping back to the bed; Jim leaned over the waking hunter, "Mackland? Can you hear me?"
