Blood Soaked Sheets

Chapter 12Let's Go Home.

They all met back at the car and with a heavy heart Jon reported what had happened, all that could go through his head was that his family was dead, he had no one left. Until he looked at Lilac and their smiling baby and remembered that he has them, and he's not quite alone after all. The car ride back to the house Dan found was quiet, no body spoke, just silence for twenty minutes. When they got to their destination everyone went to seperate rooms. The brothers went to the living room, Lilac and the baby went to a bedroom that used to belong to a child, and Jon went to the basement. Days passed before anyone had a real conversation, and to fix that Lilac decided that everyone will work together to clean the living room. She told Mike to clean the fireplace and windows, Dan was to get the loose wood, Josh was to clean the floor, and Jon was to clean the walls. They cleaned all day and by the time they were halfway done Lilac had made a hot lunch for them. But Mike declined the offer and kept wiping the wood on the fireplace, but Lilac was not going to have Mike decline food that she knew he needed.

"Mike come eat."She said.

"No, I'm not hungry." His pace with the rag began to move faster and his arm started to ache. Lilac just stared at him giving him one of those "you have no choice" faces, but Mike just ignored her and kept cleaning, but his arm was moving so fast that his cloth fell from his arm, revealing his bite. Lilac noticed it but didn't say anything and acted like she never saw it, and Mike just knelt to the floor as fast as he could and put the rag back around it. Lilac went back to the kitchen to eat and conversate with her friend's, leaving Mike in the livingroom to clean. After lunch they went back to work and finished just before dinner, at the table sat Mike and his brothers alongside Jon and the baby who wasn't eating the food but rather playing with it and slinging it around, she was just three months old. Josh led them in prayer and said a few words about Diane which made Jon smile knowing that they loved her as much as he did, then they dug into the mashed potatoes and baked squirrel. They ait like animals and devoured their food in minutes, but Mike was the first to finish which was perfect because Lilac needed to talk to the others privately.

"Oh Mike before you leave can you go and put Adra in her bed?" Lilac asked.

"Yessum." He grabbed the baby and walked upstairs, Lilac waited for the sound of a closing door before she spoke.

"He's bit." She said shoving a spoonful of potatoes in her mouth, everyone at the table shot their heads up and dropped the utensils they were holding.

"He's what?" Dan said rather loudly.

"Keep your voice down, he's bit." Lilac said holding her finger up to her lips. The boys all eyed each other for awhile until Jon finally said,

"How do you know?" Lilac looked at him in awe that he thought she had made this up.

"What do you mean how do I know? I saw the damn thing." She said, "Ya know that cloth on his forearm, it's a bite under there."

"Nah that aint no bite, he said that he fell on some of them big rocks." Josh said. Lilac couldn't believe what she was hearing, she knew that she needed proof but she didn't know how to get it.

When dinner was over everyone but Lilac dispersed to their separate rooms, she couldn't sleep knowing that a bitten person is in their home and could turn at any minute. Lilac was up all night thinking about ways to get evidence that the wound on his arm is in fact a bite, she thought that maybe she could just take the bandage off when he wasn't looking but then thought about what he would do to her if she did that. She thought maybe getting him to say it out loud would work but then realized how smart he was and that he would never fall for that. But maybe he isn't smart enough when it comes to Lilac bragging. Lilac knew that Mike was the braggy type, he would always talk about how much money he had or how many girlfriends, it's all he ever did. So Lilac figured that if she talks about her wounds maybe he'll try to "one up" her, or at least out brag her.

Finally the next day came and Lilac was ready to reveal Mike's secret. She patiently waited for everyone to be all together to start the brag off, and finally the time came, it was after a quick run next door to go and find food. As they relaxed on the couch Lilac finally spoke,

"Man I have the worst injuries ever, I was shot and stabbed." She said as she kicked her feet up casually. Mike looked at her and raised an eyebrow as he sat forward in his seat, Lilac knew he was questioning whether or not to say anything, but Mike being the way he is responded with,

"I done got by a car, broke almost every bone in ma body." He leaned back just like Lilac and tried to act tough.

"Well I once," She paused for a minute; trying to think of the perfect injury, that was also believable. "I got bit by a big dog, had to get stitches." She said pointing to her inner thigh making it obvious that they can't see it because of how it was placed. Mike's eyes widened and he let out a large huff.

"Well I was bit by an alligator." He lifted his shirt to reveal a long horse shaped row of teeth marks and scars. Lilac was getting more excited the more they talked, she somehow steered the injuries over to bites, just like she wanted.

"I was bit by a bear." She leaned forward and held her arms out like a bird getting ready to take off. Mike stood up and then raised his voice as he uttered the words,

"I was bit by a biter." He pulled the cloth off of his bite and dropped it revealing a deep red color and a noxious smell to enter the room. Lilac smiled as the boys jaws all dropped simultaneously, she just proved them wrong.

Mike gasped and picked the cloth back up placing it back on the wound.

"Mike, why didn't you tell us?" Dan asked stepping slowly to Mike,

"I was scared of being, ya know, "put down'." He said nervously. The brothers looked at one another, then back at Mike.

"You know the rules, if you get bit you get put down." Josh said joining Dan. Lilac stood up and walked towards Mike, she placed her hand on Mike's shoulder causing him to jump a little.

"Tomorrow we'll do it, but you have to sleep in the yard, just in case you uh, well ya turn." Lilac said removing her hand. Mike's eyes began to water and his heart began to race, his chest became tight and it hurt to breath. His face turned to a dark pink and streaks of tears fell from his face. Later that night Dan and Josh sat side by side which they haven't done in a while due to the fact that when they were younger they would fight so Mike was placed between them. Jon sat across from them with Lilac and Adria on his left, one seat remained empty and it was mike's. They ate dinner and like the car ride home no one spoke, the only time they spoke was when Josh led them in prayer, and even then not much was said. Mike sat outside and ate what little was given to him. The group finished their meal and did the dishes, then went to bed awaiting the day to come. Mike slept in the shack on a pile of plywood and under a tarp used as a blanket. But no matter how much he avoided the topic from his mind they would always come back, and soon enough the moon settled behind the houses as the sun rose in the distance. And before Mike knew it the group was pounding on the door and yelling, "It's time." Mike hesitantly approached the door and knocked back letting the group know that they can unlock it. As the door opened Mike could feel a rush of cool are grab him and wrap him in the breeze, the sun burned his eye's and he could only see the silhouette of his friend's. Just a black silhouette of four people, and one had a gun.

TO BE CONTINUED