Beneath The Mask

42. Payback Is a Bitch Baby!

Sam's POV:

The room was dark and the whole place was silent. A sense of eeriness stirred my heart and an uneasy feeling settled on my stomach. I couldn't sleep anymore. I tried tousling and turning around on my bed but it didn't work.

I pulled the comforter off my body and sat upright on my bed. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. Maybe a glass of water could help. I strolled off my bed and went down the stairs.

I went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. The white light from inside it was the only source of light illuminated in the whole house. Just as I gulped the water, the door bell rang. Who could it be at this time of the night?

A shiver went down my spine as I thought of the possibilities of who that could be. I slowly stepped forward, taking one step at a time making sure not to make any noise. The house fell silent again making me doubt if I had ever heard the door bell ring.

But then there was the sound of some shuffling going on the other side of the door. I took even more time to move forward since I was afraid of what I might find there. Just as I stopped in front of the door, I heard the sound of a car engine start and move out into the distance.

That seemed strange. Why would someone ring my door bell and leave even before I opened it? After a few seconds of contemplation, I opened the door. There wasn't anybody there and I didn't know if I had to be relieved or not.

Sighing, I stepped back to close the door. That's when I heard the grunting noise of a man. I stepped out of the house and squinted my eyes to adjust my retina to the dim light of the street lamp that managed to fall over a little area of my porch.

There in the dark corner beyond it, I could make out the movement of a leg. "W-Who i-is it?" I called out but all I could hear was the grunting noise again. I should be more careful but something told me to move forward and see who it was.

As I moved forward, the image became clearer. There was a man lying limp on the floor. I couldn't make out who it was. When I was near enough, I saw that he was weak and unable to move from his place.

It gave me a sense of confidence that I could defend myself if he tried to attack me in anyway. I kneeled down beside the figure who was grunting out in pain. The whole face was filled with cuts and bruises.

The left eye was swollen with a purple bruise and blood was spilling out from his split lips. His whole face was bloodied and it made me want to puke. I covered my mouth with my face as I took a closer look.

My eyes widened as I recognised the face of my best friend on that man. "M-Michael?" I gasped and crawled forward. I lifted his head and placed it on my lap. He winced at the pain caused by my touch.

Tears started spilling off my eyes. "Mi-Michael! Michael!" I called out to get his attention but his eyes kept drifting close. I was afraid that I might lose him too.

"Michael! Please don't leave me! Wh-What happened?" I managed to choke out in between my sobs.

He tried to smile a little but it hurt his swollen cheeks. "I-I." He went into a fit of cough making blood gush out of his mouth.

"Michael!" I gasped. "Please just lay awake! I'll go get Daniel!"

Before I could get up from the floor, he grabbed my hand, making me stop. "D-Don't." He coughed again.