Mike PoV
It's midday now. Somehow I've developed this sense of knowing the time without looking.
"What is it? Ugh, Mom, I'm tired. Let me sleep." I try rolling over away from her. She had yelled, probably angry still about last night and decided to make me wake as she is most likely weary of me being awake all night and sleeping during the day. I am cranky and irritated, and want nothing more than to be left alone.
Mom keeps shaking me whilst frantically telling me to wake up. It starts to seep into my brain that something is really wrong.
"What?" My head snaps up and I angle to look at her with a befuddled expression, especially when I detect the stream of damp tears gleaming from her saddened red skin. "What happened? What's going on?" It is day; we are safe in the day, aren't we? I mean, the bloodsuckers won't be able to do anything until night ascends.
"Get up. We're going to the hospital. Sam was attacked by a dog on his way to his friends." Mom begins to shove me, though at hearing Sam was attacked there was no need to convince me to wake.
**** Hospital *****
The doctor is talking to mom. Sam had gotten two bites on his arm; one of them had frayed the skin pretty bad and a bite on his leg is unpleasant to see. There will be a blemish to remind him of this brutal ambush, but as long as Sam didn't pick at or reopen the wounds, it wouldn't be extensive. Mom is nodding, no longer near panicked, but still very distraught at how Sam was almost was dog chow. I have a feeling it wasn't a dog on the street, not with that gaze Sam has etched on his facial features. I hoped all night he'd not try something crazy, but Sam's pretty smart, he'd not have actually stuck himself in a psychotic dogs attack zone.
" Hey," I can smell his blood "dork". It doesn't help my hunger, but nor did the thing rear its head, likely due to the oppressive sun baring down and the fact I'll pass out. I stagger over to his bed while Mom talks to the doctor about his medications for pain and infection, and that he will be released in a few hours after some observation to make sure the injections he got would not instigate a reaction to them. "What did you do to get eaten up?"
"What makes you think I did something?" Sam whispers, though his voice is a little raspy, he was likely crying earlier. I drop my shades down to the tip of my nose and stare at him like I know better. "Okay... I tried to kill thorn, Edgar and Alan were helping... they had bows and arrows to help. We -nailed him and he fell down and I swear that but ugly-muttly was dead, but when we went to move his body, the thing suddenly got up... There was an arrow through its skull, Mike! Through that things skull and it got up. Alan put and arrow threw it and kicked knocking that shit breath over and Edgar stuck a big ass knife through its leg when it tried to get back up and go after Alan. The knife pinning it to the wood walk was the only reason we got out."
Sam converts into a silent being, his eyes alert. Mom then came in to sit by Sam. She won't know the precision of what happened to Sam, she'll not believe it and anymore striving to impart this truth would just distress her, principally if Sam spills about trespassing onto Max's property with the objective of killing his dog. Looks like we are pretty screwed now because Max isn't going to be in high spirits at all about this assault on his dog and it means the dog can't be killed, not through normal means. Sam glances at me scowling, his face slacking immediately. I don't want to go back there, but Star will likely know something and if it means she'll get free, she'll tell me. Max is going to be harder to deal with than I first thought, because Max isn't just a monster, he has a monster dog. A dog that is always with him.
**** dusk****
I had passed out soon as we got home, hell I'd passed out in the car. Mom was looking at me worriedly and even checked me for a fever. Guess its one thing to be sleepy and another to not be able to even stay awake during the day. I told her I was fine and since I had no fever she let it go. Tonight I am going to have a little discussion with Star and strange enough, I'm surprised David and his gang have actually left me alone so far and not harassed me or my family.
Hopefully, the group will be gone and maybe Star will be there, she doesn't always go with them and seemed to prefer to not go with them at all, but after that night hearing her and Sierra, it's no mystery why she doesn't go with them often. I'm still wondering where Sierra is...
"Star!" All I hear is an echo and the wind. They are gone. I sigh, just my luck. They heaved Star with them, so I am abandoned with my incensed thoughts to wait and arouse her come sun up, and I will too. She fucking lugged me into this disorder, so she can keep her ass awake long enough to help me.
"Star's not here, Michael." David's voice comes from behind the entrance of the cave with the others chuckling and smirking as they follow him, ensuring to linger in his shadow, as he walks now from the opening. "You know, I was beginning to think you didn't show last night. We even had a seat saved for you for dinner." His laugh departs his mouth as cold and contemptuous. "Star can't help you, she can't help herself, 'sides she'll say anything she thinks to get you help her. But I can, Michael. You just have to give me what I want." He is smiling at me, but I don't like what this likely signifies. His help at what cost? Does he know what I am wanting; but most essentially: how?