Chapter 8
Friday, December 20th, 1985
Hill Valley, California
9: 48 P. M.
Marty and Jennifer came up for air. "Woo," Jennifer exhaled happily. "You're the best kisser on the planet."
"If I am, I've got plenty of competition from you," Marty retorted, his arm around her. He and Jennifer had come down to the lake to celebrate getting out of school for winter vacation. "Finally away from Strickland! 2 whole weeks with no responsibilities."
"Ain't it great?" Jennifer agreed whole-heartedly. She gazed out over the lake, glistening in the moonlight. "Isn't this place beautiful, Marty? I can't believe we haven't been down here since October."
"Let's make up for lost time, then," Marty said, moving in again. Jennifer grinned, and they eagerly began kissing again.
Suddenly, they heard a thud nearby in the woods. Both teens looked up from their make-out session. "What was that?" Jennifer asked, peering out her window.
"I dunno. Probably it was some animal or bird making noise." Marty tried to kiss his girlfriend again.
Jennifer pushed him away gently. "I'm kinda worried. What if it's a bear?"
"Calm down, Jenny. I'm sure it's just that guy who has a hook on his hand and haunts lover's lanes, coming to kill us," Marty joked.
Jennifer couldn't help but smile. "You're terrible," she giggled, leaning in to kiss him again. They resumed their make-out session once more.
But, once again, they were distracted-this time by a scratching outside Marty's door. It sounded like whatever had made the thud wanted to get into the car. The teens looked at each other, starting to feel afraid. "Maybe it's a cat," Marty suggested lamely.
"I don't want to find out," Jennifer admitted, her brown eyes shining with nervousness. "Let's go, we've been down here an hour."
"Yeah, we'd better go," Marty agreed. He reached for the keys in the ignition.
Just then, something shattered Marty's window. A clawed, filthy hand reached in and fastened itself onto Marty's arm, digging the nails deep into the flesh. As the teens sat paralyzed with fright, the arm's owner came into view. The face was absolutely loathsome, with glowing green eyes, matted, dank black hair, horrible breath, and fangs. Both Marty and Jennifer knew in an instant that this was a soulless vampire.
They both shrieked in terror. Marty yanked his arm free of the vampire as Jennifer grappled with he door. The soulless vampire lashed out at her, cutting her shoulder. Jennifer screamed again and managed to fling her door open. She bolted, heading back to the heart of Hill Valley to get help.
Marty would have followed, but the soulless vampire had fastened its hands onto his shoulders. It yanked him close to the window, grinning nastily. Marty tried to punch the bastard, but ended up cutting his hand on the broken glass instead.
Sucker grinned evilly as he watched Marty struggle against him. He remembered Marty McFly from his sane days, and from Biff's frequent rants. What better way to avoid Biff's wrath than killing his most hated enemy's son? "Nice hot blood," he commented, looking at the gash. He causally smacked Marty's face very hard. "You're Sucker's plaything. Let's play."
"Like hell I am!" Marty threw another punch, and this time it connected. A bruise briefly appeared on Sucker's jaw, then vanished. Angry, Sucker slammed Marty's head into the steering wheel. Then he threw Marty across the seats, crawled in, and began to slam Marty with body blows. Marty, wondering if he was going to survive the attack, tried weakly to fight back, landing a few punches. Sucker just hit him harder, using his claws to carve scratches into Marty's body. Desperate, Marty began to scream. "Somebody! Help! HELP!!"
As he was being attacked, Doc was flying over the woods nearby, just outside of Hill Valley. He had put off his feeding to experience this, taking a quick gulp of cold blood to ward off the thirst. The woods offered even more incredible sensations than the town. Content, but still kind of thirsty, Doc watched the light shapes chase and play with each other amid the glowing trees.
A loud scream of "HELP!!" interrupted his idyll. To Doc's shock, he recognized the voice. "Great Scott, that was Marty!" Worried suddenly about his best friend and his girlfriend, Doc sped to the lake.
Sucker grabbed Marty's throat and began to squeeze. The teen tried to pull his hands off, but he was too weak. His surroundings began to get blurry as he was deprived of oxygen. "Stop....No....Don't...." he whispered, feeling his chest tighten. Sucker just grinned his evil grin and kept squeezing.
Doc arrived at the lake, even more worried now that the scream had stopped. He could see 2 glowing shapes in Marty's pickup, one choking the other to death. Starting to get angry, Doc flew down and pulled the first person off the second, out through the broken window.
He glanced in the car. It was Marty, as he had guessed, who had been the recipient of the abuse. He was covered in cuts and bruises and was gasping for air as he lay across the seats. Furious, Doc slammed the man who had been trying to kill him to the ground.
The man sprang up instantly and shoved Doc against the 4x4, digging his nails into Doc's shoulders. Doc grabbed the man's shoulders in a vise grip and glared into his face.
His eyes went wide. The person who had been trying to kill Marty was-Sucker. His Sucker. The one who had tried to murder him. Rage filled every spare nook and cranny in Doc's body. "First he tries to kill me, then he tries to kill my best friend?!" He vamped out instantly and threw Sucker against a tree as hard as he could.
Sucker quickly recovered and grabbed Doc in a headlock, trying to break his neck. Doc freed himself, bashed Sucker firmly in the jaw, and kicked him in the groin. The soulless vampire let out a very satisfying yowl of pain. Doc grabbed him again and hissed, "How does it feel to be the one attacked?" Then he ripped into Sucker's neck. Blood gushed into his mouth, relieving his thirst and his need for revenge. Sucker was too shocked to move for a minute. Then he came to his senses and flung Doc into the woods.
Landing without a problem, Doc noticed an old tree that had fallen beside him. Getting an idea, he snapped off a branch and flew up over the lake.
Sucker, feeling very smug and thinking he had scared Doc away, turned back to Marty. The teen had managed to sit up a bit and was watching him with terrified eyes. Sucker bared his fangs and moved in for the kill. He didn't even notice Doc land behind him.
He did notice, however, when Doc shoved a sharp branch through his back and out his chest. Sucker froze as the wood punctured his heart muscle. Then he fell over, eyes glassy.
Marty stared at the motionless vampire. "Is it-"
"Not, but it will be," Doc promised, returning to normal. He opened the door and climbed into the cab. "Great Scott, Marty, you look like you've been run over by a freight train!" He sniffed Marty's blood anxiously. "One piece of good news-you're still clean."
"Yeah, but I ache all over," Marty moaned, lying down again. He rubbed the dark handprints that had formed around his throat. "He slammed me around as much as he could. I'm just glad Jenny got out of here."
Doc took Marty's hand as gently as he could. The kid winced and moaned again, breaking his heart. "I'm thankful I got here in time. Another minute, and Sucker would have choked you to death." He felt chills go up his spine as he recalled seeing Marty's life glow fade as Sucker squeezed.
Now Marty recalled where he had heard the name before. "We've got to do everything together, huh?" he joked, trying to ignore it hurt each time he breathed.
Doc smiled briefly, then frowned as he looked over Marty's battered body. His friend needed medical attention right away. He tried to move Marty over so he could drive the truck to the hospital, but Marty yelped each time that he tried. He finally stopped and tried to comfort his hurt friend.
Marty gripped Doc's hand tighter than before. "Put me to sleep, Doc," he begged. "I hurt too much. Put me to sleep."
Doc thought about it and decided fulfilling Marty's request wouldn't be harmful. When the ambulance arrived, they would think Marty simply passed out. Keeping a tight hold on Marty's hand, he looked into his best friend's eyes. Marty looked back, all too willing to submit. "Marty, you're-"
Doc stopped as he listened to Marty's heartbeat. It didn't sound right. The rhythm of the beat was about a half-second off.
"What's wrong, Doc?" Marty asked, seeing Doc's concerned look.
"Your heartbeat sounds odd. I think you might have some internal damage," Doc informed him.
"Somebody else can take care of that, Doc. I just don't want to feel the pain anymore."
Doc frowned, then decided a medical doctor could figure it out. The important thing now was to make Marty comfortable. He looked back into Marty's eyes. "Marty, you're relaxing now....Relaxing totally....Your arms are relaxing....Your back....Your legs....All are relaxing...."
Marty felt himself start to go limp. It was like a fog was gently settling over his brain, obscuring all his thoughts and emotions. After a moment, Marty didn't even want to think. All he wanted to do was obey Doc.
Doc recognized the blankness on Marty's face. He repressed a shudder and kept talking. "That's it, Marty....You're completely comfortable now. All your pain is fading away. You don't feel it anymore. All the pain, all the discomfort, is fading. You cannot feel the pain anymore. You feel nothing."
"I feel nothing," Marty repeated slowly, his voice dull and far away.
"Right. You feel nothing. Now sleep, Marty. Rest your tired eyes. There's no reason for you to remain awake. Sleep."
Marty's eyelids slid closed. Doc gently squeezed his hand, then dug out his portable phone from the glove compartment. He called 911, gave Marty's location, then picked up Sucker. He had a use for him.
Friday, December 20th
10: 38 P. M.
The McFlys and Parkers rushed into St. Daphne's Hospital. Doc was waiting for them by the desk. "Doc! Where is he? How is he?" Lorraine cried, running up to him.
"He's pretty beat up," Doc told her. "But they said they'd only release his room number to a family member."
"I'm his mother; where is he?" Lorraine demanded of the nurse at the desk.
"He's in Room 507, Mrs. McFly," the nurse said politely. "Someone has to stay behind and fill out a few of these forms, though."
"I'll do it, Ma," Dave offered. "I'm used to filling out forms at work."
"Thanks a million, Dave," Lorraine said gratefully, giving her older son a quick peck on the cheek. Dave collected the forms as everyone else headed for the elevator.
As they rode up to the fifth floor, Doc caught sight of Jennifer's left shoulder, which was heavily bandaged. "Great Scott, what happened to you?"
"The same guy who beat up Marty scratched up my shoulder. I'll be okay." She looked nervously up at Doc. "How is he?"
"Multiple lacerations and bruises," Doc told her. "I'm not sure about any internal damage."
Lorraine gripped George's hand tightly. "I hope he's all right. I couldn't bear to lose him, especially not this close to Christmas."
The elevator dinged for the fifth floor. Even before the doors opened, Doc recognized Marty's breathing and heartbeat. "This way," he announced, going straight to Marty's room.
Marty was tucked into the white hospital bed, still deep in hypnotic sleep. The monitors indicated he was doing well, heartening most of the anxious crew. Doc alone was still worried, as Marty's life-glow was still somewhat faded. They crowded around Marty's bed, Doc making sure he was at Marty's head. "He looks like an angel, asleep," Lorraine cooed. "My poor baby...."
"I'm canceling my date with Craig up there," Linda told no one in particular. "I didn't know psychopaths went there too."
"My God, look at his throat," Robert, Jennifer's father, said. "You must have scared him off just in time."
"I just hope he wakes up," Jennifer whispered, taking Marty's unresisting hand in her own.
Doc bent down over Marty, shaking him very slightly. "Marty, you can wake up now," he whispered, too low for the others to hear. "But your pain will be much less."
Marty slowly stirred. His eyes fluttered open as he let out a faint moan. "Doc?"
"We're all here, honey," Lorraine told him.
Marty glanced around, his mind still foggy. "Hi. Where am I?"
"Saint Daphne's, son," George said. "You were taken in after Doc made his 911 call. How are you?"
Marty managed a shrug, wincing slightly. "I've been better. The pain's not as bad though," he added, looking suspiciously at Doc.
"That's good. I got a brief glimpse of your attacker, but he got away before I could tell where he went," Doc said, winking at Marty. The teen nodded. "Why do you think he attacked you?" He frowned as he listened to Marty's heartbeat. It still didn't sound right.
"Haven't a clue, Doc. Just haven't a clue."
Dr. Conner came in. "Mr. and Mrs. McFly, Mr. Parker, Linda, Jennifer, Dr. Brown," he greeted everyone, nodding. Everyone nodded back. "Glad to see you awake, Marty. How do you feel?"
"Sleepy. The pain's not so bad." Marty nervously looked at his hand, which had a few stitches in it. "Hey, Dr. Conner, will I still be able to play the guitar?"
A strange look came over Dr. Conner's face. "Yes, Marty, you'll be able to play guitar," he said, very quietly. Marty smiled thankfully, but George got suspicious.
"Dr. Conner, what's wrong? You seem upset."
"Well, George, we're releasing Marty. There's nothing else we can do for him."
"But that's great news!" Lorraine cried, her face lighting up. "So what's with the long face?"
"Lorraine, George-Marty has bruised organs."
"So?" Lorraine asked-then she caught sight of Doc's face. A look of horrified sadness had claimed it. "Doc? Is that- bad?"
Doc tried to keep from crying as he explained. "Bruises inhibit an organ's function. They eventually don't function at all."
Lorraine and George stared at him, then at Dr. Conner. He nodded sadly. "There's nothing we can do. Marty has a month to live."
Lorraine burst into hysterical tears. "You're lying. That can't be true. You're lying!"
Jennifer's grip on Marty's hand tightened painfully, but Marty was too stunned to notice. "What??? Doctor, I'm 17! I can't be dying! I'm supposed to grow up, get married, have kids! I'm supposed to become the biggest thing in music since the invention of rock and roll! I can't be dying!" His voice cracked. "I can't be...."
At that moment, Dave walked in, with a huge grin on his face. "I finally finished those damn forms. How are ya doing, bro?"
"Great entrance, Dave," Linda mumbled, tears shining in her eyes. As things were explained to Marty's confused brother, Marty buried his face in Doc's chest, his hand still in Jennifer's vice-grip. Together, they sobbed.