Jeremy stumbled into his bedroom, his undershirt drenched with fresh, warm blood and he threw off his jacket and ran to his bathroom, flipping on the light switch to see the damage through the bathroom mirror. His olive t shirt was torn where the thing had sunk it's teeth. A viscous bite mark completely around his left shoulder could obviously be seen and his hissed. The holes were a few inches deep, and a couple wide.
"O-oh my god", he glanced frantically back at his open door to his arm, then bedroom and he quickly shut the door. He didn't want to be found out, and there he easily tore the flimsy rags that were left of his shirt and then opened the mirror and spun open the bottle of hydrogen peroxide before dousing it over his spilling wounds. The pain was almost numb, so penetrating. Jeremy had to bite his cheek hard as the little water fall of bubbling blood and peroxide sizzled and stung on his pulsing flesh. When he couldnt bite his cheek anymore. Afraid to bite a whole through his face, he moved and stuffed half a roll of toilet paper in his mouth, before adding some more and boy was it boiling. The chemicals showed the wild amount of bacteria dying by contact with the peroxide and it was as excruciating as it was scary.
Once he felt comfortable, and was too weak to add anymore of the anti-septic, he dug out the rest of his emergency first aid kick his parents gave to all of their kids. And quickly applied to his own wounds, himself. As that once crimson moon, shown silver and filled his bedroom with a florescent glow. When he was finished wrapping up his shoulder, he flicked his bathroom light off, and collapsed into his bed.
The next day, he barely made it to his bus on time. His shoulder wasn't hurting as much as it should have, but his head said otherwise. Throbbing with an unusually painful headache, he stumbled into his seat, and behind him a girl with short brown hair and glasses frowned at him.
"You dont look too good Jeremy", she said concerned, and he glanced back at her with a wince.
"Thanks Martha. Yeah I'm fine. Just got a major headache. Probably from lack of caffeine. Havent had my morning coffee", he forced out a smile and chuckled and Martha could visibly see his discomfort. She labeled him off as strange and sat back down, and Jeremy rolled his aching eyes and waited until the bus moved, stopped again and Tim came by with Chase and sat beside Jeremy.
He hissed when Tim's arms brushed his wounded shoulder and it startled the three of them.
"Woah, did you get in a wreck after we left or something?", Chase said with a worried look.
"You jumped pretty good there Jeremy", Tim added but Jeremy pouted, insisting he was fine.
Chase didn't buy it, but let it pass. He was concerned more with letting him know about the latest information he had been given, and Chase leaned in close.
"Justin's in the hospital still. Hes alive, but he's in a coma. But the docs said hes bound to wake up any day now, and miraculously he only recieved a minor concussion. Considering the collision, and hitting his head on and all".
The two nodded their heads solemnly before Jeremy sighed then wondered,
"And Grey?."
Chase shrugged, "Haven't heard from him."
"Britney said he was sent home not too long after he showed up and the nurses at the ER checked him out", said Tim and Jeremy sighed again.
"Probably taking a sick day", said Chase.
"After what I saw, he saw worse. ", Jeremy added and the air was dismal between them. Until Tim said to break the awkwardness.
"Well something like this was bound to happen to one of us. Pne day it could be all of us. At different times".
Chase huffed, leaning back,
"Yeah well, normally we are pretty careful. I wonder what got into them."
"We used to race each other all the time", Jeremy retorted. Before he bit his lip. Flashes of what happened the night before relayed in his head. Jeremy swallowed,
"Maybe, Justin hit something."
"Yeah, a car. Didn't you see the SUV last night?", Tim hissed.
"It was an SUV?", Martha suddenly chimed in. Her weaselly head poking back up like a gofer.
"What? Where'd did you come from?", Tim snapped.
Martha coward back, and Jeremy felt guilty, and he said,
"Yeah, it was. But, anyway. I'm saying something else. I got attacked by... This big", Jeremy took a moment to contemplate either giving them the honest, grotesque truth , tell them about the wolf face bearing creature he witnessed merely hours ago, or go for the cheap explanation. It was merely, a big dog, maybe even a coyote.
He chose the cheap way out, the less taxing to explain, taking in a deep breath to settle his racing thoughts.
"This big... Coyote, last night. Maybe there was another one, and Justin hit that, and that SUV spun off, and that's how they ended up on the other side of the road in someone's fucking yard."
"Uh, that's quite an assumption J", Chase said slow and doubtfully
"He was splayed like 10 feet from his bike, and that all happened hella far away from where you and Grey live. Where do you see these connections ? I mean, I'm sorry about you getting attacked by a coyote. But... seriously?".
Jeremy sighed, shaking his head, deciding to drop it. Deciding he did sound a little crazy.
"Yeah, okay. Maybe it was a stretch."
Tim nudged Jeremy's elbow, which was attached to his bad shoulder and he groaned gently, "It's pretty clear what happened- did that coyote you spoke of, did it bite you?".
Jeremy glanced between them, and even Maratha's silver-blue eyes that peaked through the lenses of her glasses.
"Yeah, it did."
There was silence. It was deafening. The squeal of brakes whistled like a ghost through the chatty school bus as it pulled up to Dublin High.
"Okay, you gotta let me see", Chase broke the silence with an mischievous grin.
Jeremy swallowed as Tim added on to the pressure and now a few other lesser grades had turned to see and gaze upon all the commotion and Jeremy was caught in the limelight.
He swallowed, taking a look at everyone, before he forced out a believable laugh.
"Gotcha!", he said to Tim and Chase. Martha's face fell, and she moved to grab her things as everyone else filed out the bus to their classes.
Tim and Chase stared at Jeremy coldly. While Jeremy nervously smiled,
"Thought I'd lighten up the mood."
Chase glanced around, waiting for everyone to be out, and the bus driver stood outside to have a smoke. He then urged Jeremy,
"Show us. Now that we're alone."
Jeremy's frown was deep, and fear twinkled in hazel brown eyes.
"Show you what?".
"Your bite mark dude!"
"I already told you guys it was a joke."
"Dont bullshit us Jeremy. We know you better than that", Chase hissed.
Jeremy couldn't argue that they did know him better than that. Or were just well aware he was a terrible liar... . But they werent like Justin.
Jeremy could have his shoulder exposed and exploding about what had happened the night before in tenfold if either of them had been Justin. But Justin was in the hospital, a deep, forced slumber...
Jeremy swallowed thickly, before he moved to bare his shoulder. But suddenly the bells to the school rung loud and clear. Meant to be heard outside and then some to make sure you knew this was the time to be inside, in class.
They all glanced back and forth and normally they could care less, but Jeremy took it as his only opportunity to abandon this conversation. And he did, quickly getting up and mumbling something about,
"Mr. Furgeson will wring my neck if I have one more tardy. I'm sorry. I'll explain later", and then he scurried on out of the bus and practically ran to the main doors to the school.