Chapter 8. The night of persuasion.

Mike had been tumbling in bed for two hours already. It was one o'clock AM and he went to bed at eleven in the evening just because he didn't know what else to do. He didn't see or hear anything as his head was filled with thoughts of Davy and his own precious life he had to give for the little one. Mike didn't have much time and he knew it. He had to persuade himself he wanted it, and all those hours since Davy had left the room and up to that very moment we found him he had been trying his best to make himself want. But he couldn't.

Mike sighed and turned again to lay on his back. In fact, why was his life so dear to him? He wasn't afraid of death and dying. He knew he wouldn't ever stop existing completely and something would live on when he's dead. He was never afraid of pain or serious injuries – as a boy, he cheated death a million times and he was used to being hurt and slowly lost most of his fear for himself. He found out it all wasn't as scary as some folks imagine – being hurt. Pain wasn't something unusual or especially scary. No, what Mike was afraid of was stopping being for the ones he loved.

This group taught him a lot of things. With the boys he learned to be afraid again – but it was that fear that lives in the heart of mother of the little child, in the heart of a loving brother or a caring husband. It was the fear of losing them, of stopping having something to do for them. And not abstract 'them'… Mike appreciated Peter's kind heart and didn't really mind his half-empty head, he enjoyed Micky's insanity and liked his ability to say right words in right situation, though it showed not as usual as he'd like it to… but Davy was different. And it was something different that he felt to Davy. And, funny, he was afraid of losing him the most.

Davy… Mike had something about him, something – he didn't know what. But Davy felt it. And he was letting Mike like him – he played with him, like that idiotic morning after the mad night when the little one came to the pad bleeding – infected, recruited by force.

These words stung Mike's heart. Seeing suffering in Davy's amber eyes stung him even more. And even though Davy might play with him in the most embarrassing way for Mike, he trusted Mike the most – and this only made Mike attached to him even more. Attached… no, that was the wrong word. It was not simply an attachment. Neither was it admiration or anything as shallow. In fact, if he wasn't so afraid of the word, Mike would call it love. But this word usually made people around him think of something else, so he wouldn't say it even to himself.

Mike turned again and curled in his bed like a little animal. So what was he so afraid of in death? Was he so afraid of stopping existing? No, Mike admitted. He knew it was impossible. Was he afraid of pain? Mike imagined Davy biting into his naked neck, biting fiercely, like a predator, to kill him. Nothing was so scary about this. He could nearly feel it, but he didn't fear it. It wasn't pleasant, wasn't at all, but somehow it wasn't the worst thing that could happen to him.

And if so, what was the worst? Mike thought of all the times he'd been really scared. It was when Davy could go to England and they – he – would lose him forever. He recalled himself as his heart was falling deep each time he dared to think that he wouldn't be ever able to see the little one again… every time Davy's ambitious plans – oh, how ambitious he had always been! – were dangerous for him – not for them all, not for Mike, for Davy himself – Mike felt that strange kind of fear and always wondered – why? Why did he worry about the little one? All in all, it was his business. If Mike let him do what he wanted. everybody'd be satisfied! But it always came out wrong. Not everybody was satisfied from the start. Mike – however idiotic it would sound – knew better. Always better. It was terrible – seeing forward. Mike would sell it for a chance – now – of saving Davy in a less dangerous way.

Mike sighed and turned on another side. So why did he care so much? Funny – another side made another topic. Mike ran his hand through his hair and then put his both hands under the pillow. Why? He cared about Peter and Micky, but why should Davy mean so much to him? Was Davy something important, more important than others, more important than even Mike himself?

Mike sighed. Davy was. Davy really was that important. And, to be honest, after such a sincere talk to himself Mike was ready to say – he was more afraid of losing Davy than of losing his own life. Yes, now he had enough courage to admit it. Mike opened his eyes – and gasped, and sat on his bed, then jumped off of it. Micky was gone…

Mike didn't have to go downstairs to know Davy was gone too. He sat slowly back on his bed and ran his fingers through his hair.

- Oh. My. God.

A little verbal expression of his feelings calmed Mike down a bit. Now he could think – but what was here to think about? He knew that soon Davy would come home with Micky and Micky would be bitten, and they'd call the doctor, and the doctor would get suspicious again. Maybe Mike would be able to persuade him Davy was innocent the second time. But doc would suspect something wrong anyway. And what will it be? Mike realized he really had to hurry up. Suddenly something flashed in his mind and his heart fell somewhere deep down. Peter! The new recruit Peter Tork, is he home? Mike nearly flew downstairs and threw the door into the bedroom open.

Both beds were neat and untouched. All three guys were gone… the picture appeared in front of Mike's eyes: those three beasts occupying the bodies of his friends in front of him. What if they were still hungry? What if Micky wasn't enough? What if Micky was Davy's prey and he, Mike, was Peter's or vice versa? Or did Davy have special plans for him? And – was it Davy who had those plans? Maybe it was better to go to bed and pretend to sleep?

But Mike wasn't given any time to think. The door flew open and Mike saw two figures in front of him. Davy and Peter.

- Mike? Whenever we come you're always awake, – Peter remarked, not stopping laughing.

- Oh knock it off, - Davy answered pushing him. – Mike, we went out all three, I hope you weren't worried much?

- Ha… ha-a, - Mike managed as all his insides curled into a little heavy ball somewhere in the abdomen.

- Oh my, we shocked him, - Davy remarked in a strange voice, walking in. – Don't worry about Micky, Mike, when we were walking something attacked him – I think we're cursed with these dogs. We took him to the doctor and he said he'd come back by himself.

- Okay, - Mike forced himself.

Peter went to the bathroom casually and Davy headed to the bedroom. But he stopped halfway as if he had remembered something, looked back – and two cold evil stars sparkled in front of Mike, squeezing his heart with the cold animal fear.

- Tomorrow, - the monster hissed with Davy's lips, and then turned his back to Mike and disappeared in the bedroom.