"Was this bite from a family pet?" The doctor asked. He'd have to report it if it was.
"No sir. We think it was a stray, possibly even feral. We aren't sure. I shot it but it got away."
"If you shot it, it is probably dead or dying then. If the bullet didn't kill it outright the infection will. If by some miracle it survives it will at least remember to steer clear of your property. Animals are smart like that."
"That is good to hear." Jenny said. Loki had his own insane theories which he kept to himself. The doctor pulled out a prescription pad and wrote for some pain medication and antibiotics.
"Here. Make sure you finish all of the antibiotics. Call me if you get a fever, rash, or any swelling."
"Yes doctor." Jenny said. The 45 minute drive to the nearest all night urgent care after a night of partying and drinking had exhausted them both. The time on the clock in the lobby read 3:33 am.
"Come on. I'll take you home. We can get your meds in the morning when the pharmacy opens." Loki said. The long drive home was hard and Loki turned on the air conditioning and aimed it straight at his face. He also had the radio tuned to some heavy metal music all in an effort to stay awake. Jenny didn't last five minutes into the ride. She zonked out, her head against the glass, drool oozing down her chin. As they approached Maywood, Loki shook Jenny awake to get directions to her turned red and her expression became anxious.
"Um, it's over on Hauser Street."
"Okay." As Loki made the turns towards Jenny's home the houses became smaller, older, and more ramshackle.
"It's on the end here. Number 818." She said. Loki looked. There were two houses on the end of the street and while neither looked appealing one was definitely worse than the other. The siding of the house was a cheap spackling that had greyed with age. The house looked filthy. The front lawn-well frankly there was no front lawn. It was a dirt lot. A withered and dead looking tree sat there in front of the house like a corpse. It's epitaph spoke of better times long since passed. Jenny reached reached for the door handle to let herself out of the car.
"Jenny wait." Loki said. Jenny turned her head back looking over her shoulder at him. It was plain she was mortified.
"Are you enrolled in college at all?" He asked. The question took Jenny by surprise.
"No. The nearest community college campus is an hour away. The nearest University is two hours. Even if I decided to move out and be on my own and take on a mountain of student loan debt I still couldn't leave."
"Why?"
"My dad injured his back on the job a couple years ago. Worker's comp paid for the surgery but he isn't the same. What happened to him shouldn't have happened. His old boss cut corners on safety. My dad could have sued but it would have meant months of waiting for a payoff that might never come. His old boss dangled a severance package in front on him in exchange for signing a non-litigation clause. The money kept us afloat for a while but now it's gone."
"What about Social Security?"
"They've denied him twice. They say he can still do other work, like a call center or something. But you know Maywood doesn't have anything like that out here."
"Does your dad own this place or do you rent?"
"We rent."
"Is your father making any money?"
"No." Her lip trembles.
"So who's paying the rent?"
"I am."
"Oh Jenny, I am sorry. I had no idea."
"It's not your fault, and besides, you gave me a raise. I can't tell you how much a difference that made to us."
"Jenny, listen to me. I'm going to take care of you. I'm giving you a scholarship."
"But I told you I can't leave-" She tried to interject but Loki put his hand up to silence her.
"Jenny I'm firing you. Tomorrow I'm going to make some calls to the Community College in Ashleyville and pay, in advance, for your next two years of classes. In addition I'm going to arrange housing for you and your father in Ashleyville which will also be paid in advance for the next four years. I'm also going to set you up with an account and send you a monthly stipend for living expenses. At the end of two years you will show me your transcripts and if I like what I see I will bank roll your two years at University for you to finish your Degree. You can major in anything you want, I recommend business. You are very good at it."
"What?"
"Jenny I can't let you keep working for me, not after all that's transpired tonight. I also can't cut you loose either. I count you as too good a friend to do that."
"But I'm a horrible friend! I embarrassed you. I stole from you. I outed you to the entire town!"
"You were my life line when I had none. You kept me sane when I wanted to curl in on myself. You made me join the human race when I had almost removed myself completely from it."
"But who will take care of you when I'm gone?" Jenny sobbed.
"Every man must learn to stand on his own two feet in all things at some point. I will have to make a concerted effort to have a social life."
"But…the money. What you are doing will cost so much money!"
"You're welcome sweetheart. You need to get to bed now. Go get some sleep and dream some nice dreams for once."
"Thank you." She hugged him, crying into his shoulder for a long moment. She eventually climbed out of the car and entered the front door of her hovel. Loki resolved to have her out of there by the end of the week.
XxXxXxXxXx
"Loki…" The desert echoed with Thor's voice. Loki looked around at the great expanse of sand, seeing no one and nothing.
"THOR!"
"I'm lost…"
"THOR!"
"I can't see you…Where are you?"
"Meet me in the bedroom. You can get there. I know you can."
Loki sat up in bed, his breath heavy with anxiety. He hadn't dreamt of Thor in weeks. He took a few calming cleansing breaths to still his heart and clear his head. The clock on his night stand told him it was two in the afternoon. The house still needs to be cleaned up from the party the night before and he doesn't have Jenny to help him. He had a lot of work to do today.
The floor board of his bedroom creaked and shifted as though someone were walking upon it. Loki's hair stood on end and his eyes went wide with fear. The sound got closer and closer to the bed. When the mattress dipped from a heavy invisible weight Loki screamed and scrambled off his bed. The covers of his bed bunched and shifted down to the bottom and the dip in the mattress took on the silohoutte of a man. The bunched covers then slid back up covering the entity showing a clear outline of man's body. A very large man.
Trembling in fear, Loki spoke to it. "Th-Th-Thor?"
A disembodied sigh echoed through the room, followed by a ball of white blinding light the zipped up from the form on the bed and barreled straight at Loki.
"AHHHHHH!" Loki screamed, but the light passed through him and disappeared leaving in its wake a blast of smell. The lavender field after a rainstorm and sandalwood in the rose garden along with the unique musk the Loki only recognized in his dreams. It was Thor's smell.
XxXxXxXxXx
The thin layer of snow melted in the warm autumn sun. There was no trace of it when Loki went back out to the pond to retrieve his gun. In his haste to save Jenny he'd abandoned it on the ground. Loki scolded himself for not taking better care of such an important tool. The rifle saved Jenny's life last night, and possibly his. Loki looked to the tree line where the dog had escaped for refuge. Loki couldn't shake the feeling that dog could not have gone past the line of crushed mirror bordering the back field.
Loki bent over and collected up the remains of Jenny's prom dress as well. She did look amazing last night. If Loki had been straight he would have totally fucked her brains out. He turned towards the direction of the house which loomed large in the distance like a menace. Jenny was right to fear for his mental wellbeing. Without her around to pull him out of his fear and paranoia he would become easy prey for this place. Loki needed friends more than ever.
He went back to the house and started on the ballroom. Munching on leftovers for dinner in the fridge, he cleaned the whole first floor, finishing around midnight.
He flopped onto his bed ready to dream again. He hoped that tonight Thor would return. He'd avoided his room all day after the frightening incident earlier, but the knowledge that it had been Thor had been both saddening and comforting. But Loki worried that somehow Thor was mixed up in these terrible events that were hurting his guests and friends. He feared more than anything that somehow Thor was responsible.