Chapter 4

Philip hated the hospital, he didn't need to open his eyes to tell where he was, it was difficult to

miss the putrid combination of pain, suffering and excessive antiseptic. He hated the doctors

who delivered bad news with an expressionless mask on their faces and the nurses who were

always so sickly sweet when you were a kid but had horrible attitudes towards adults. He hated

that this had been the last place he saw his mother alive, he hated that his kid sister never had

the chance to breathe none incubated air, and he hated most of all that his old man had him

back here every other day of the week to bribe the doctors to prescribe codeine and morphine

which he sold to the kids and junkies on their street.

The sound of feet shuffling nervously by his bedside drew him out of his drowsy awareness.

Someone spoke;

“I think he's waking up, sir.” The voice was one he recognized, Mrs permernutt, a nasty looking

woman—who seemed to be suffering a midlife crisis— with an even nastier attitude. She was

one of the head nurses at the Elmwood memorial hospital. He'd known this woman all his life,

she was loud and always couldn't get a sentence out without throwing in an insult, regardless of

a person's position. You had to be the Mayor or at least his vice to be accorded any shred of

respect. Philip forced his eyes open.

“Mr Bassett, glad to see you're finally awake.” A man walked in, flanked by two uniformed men.

He was thin and tall, with wide shoulders that made his coat hang off him oddly and a solemn

face that looked like it had seen so many horrible things that he had been petrified that way.

“Robert Richerr,” he said, passing him a black card with two large Rs written in fancy gold font.

He was the mayor, a man only a few people had seen and even fewer had met, rumour had it

he was hardly ever in town, always away on businesses he had set up in other states. Elmwood

was small, small enough that the people knew themselves on a neighbourly basis, it was run

mostly by the vice Mayor. In a town where everyone knew everyone, the mayor was an enigma,

a powerful man. A man Philip never thought he would meet.

“ Good morning, Mr Richerr, sir.” Philip fumbled for words. The Mayor chuckled dryly.

“It's past four p.m Mr Bassett. Let's cut to the chase, shall we, we found you unconscious on the

outskirts of town covered in wounds and in nothing but your torn boxer briefs."? He paused for

dramatic effect.

“This was a few minutes before we found two of your buddies in similar conditions, one beside a

wrecked truck and the other a few miles north. Further investigation found numerous dead

animals in the forest.” Philip stared at him in utter confusion. He couldn't remember much from

the night before. No, he would rather not remember. Last night could not have been real. He

tried so hard to focus, but it was like trying to run through water. His brain fogged up and

thoughts got nowhere at all. For a moment, he thought it was natures anaesthesia, anything to

numb the pain, to wipe out the trauma.“Kid, I pride myself on running one of the most peaceful towns in the state, and I can't have that

tarnished by something running around attacking citizens and killing wildlife. So now, I have

questions and you're going to give me answers. You will tell me what the heck this thing looks

like.”

Then came the clarity, brief moments when he could see every detail and feel every feeling.

Philip's mind flashed back to the night before; to the sound of Jude's bones cracking and

realigning in positions that were both unnatural and ordinarily impossible. He remembered the

utter look of horror on Matt's face as Jude grabbed him by his ankles. The fear in his voice as he

screamed when Cesar slumped. He groaned, clutching at his head as the thoughts poured

painfully in. He thrashed, screaming and slamming his head against the frame of his bed in the

process.

“I'm sorry, Mr Mayor, but maybe you can continue this another time, the boy is distressed.”

Permernutt said, her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. Richerr stared at her for a long

moment before sighing.

“Calm him down, we'll question the other ones.” He nodded at her and then stared at Philip's

thrashing form before walking out, with the two officers close behind.

Philip woke again hours later. This time, another person was in the room with him, his father.

Andrew Bassett was a large man; thick as a bear and as sturdy as a wall. He had a fierce

demeanour and an equally fierce temper, but now as they locked eyes, he didn't seem so

intimidating. Philip might have been tempted to say he looked worried.

“Son?” He said, “I'm glad you're awake, when the cops came I thought you'd ratted me out.

Good thing it was just that minor accident.”

“Minor accident? Your kid was found within an inch of his life, and you're worried about your

drugs?”

“Those drugs put food in your stomach and clothes on your back and even send you to school,”"

And that's a lot of money wasted on some ungrateful brat.”

Philip swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath, he was surprised he had even

made the mistake of thinking his father genuinely worried or cared for him.

“Get out, out now!” His voice trembled, anger overwhelmed him and made his body vibrate. His

father's laughter made him want to bury an axe in his skull. He said;

“I just needed to know the family trade was safe. What's that thing the kids say nowadays?

Snitches end up in ditches, yeah?”

“Better off in a ditch than as your son.“Suit yourself. Get well soon, Philip.