Skye Life - The Hobo Part 3

Serena brought the phone into the bathroom and rummaged around under the cabinet bringing out the red bag with the bunny sticker on the front. Cyd brought it home from a rave and Mathias let her put it on after she’d knocked a tooth loose running into a table. The faded, half torn sticker made her smile.

“I’m sure --- okay.” She said, grabbing a few towels and a washcloth. “-- ----- --- -- --- ----- --- ---- -- ---- ----- --- ---- You know the ones that make you feel like you're floating?”

There was a long silence and Serena could practically hear Mathias narrowing his eyes in suspicion. “Whhhhhhhhhy?”

“I ----- someone and he’s hurt pretty --- an’ I ---- to make him ---- ------ til you an’ Cyd ---- ----,” she said in one breath. “And I remember ---- --------- pills and you told someone -- --- ---- that they’d feel no pain?”

"Why can't you just want drugs and a cat?" Mathias complained.

“Hey!” A rowdy party goer called, tapping Mathias on the shoulder. “Red Devil Red Devil Red Devil!”

“--- ------- --- --- cause ---- and he’s got blue blood and he saved me.” Serena finished.

Another long silence. "One sec …" there was chatter as Mathias did his work and nearly a minute passed before he got back on the phone. " … do you need me to come home?"

Serena’s shoulders dropped. “----ias, I don’t ---- --- -- -- for him--”

“Yo, Kandi man!” Three girls sang out in unison.

“What do you got that’s good, besides you?” One of them purred, sidling up beside the dealer.

"Plenty … just one second …. Serena, do you- you know what I'm coming home." Mathias sighed.

“Sorry, - ----- just ---- --- -- ambulance, on account of blue -----. I don’t ---- what ---- to do.”

“What’cha got? I want to see the base drop?” The raver wearing nothing but duct tape asked.

This phone was useless in a club. “I’m coming home. Hour. Two tops!” Mathias shouted before hanging up. Escaping the club as the resident dealer was actually pretty difficult and they still had rent to make.

“Candy man!” A teen in a speedo, flip flops and some paint called, flashing a hand full of cash Mathias’ way.

“What about the pills? Which ones do I give him? Where are they? Mathias?” Serena asked. “Mathias!” She looked at the phone and rolled her eyes.

She hastily looked around to see if she could find anything Mathias might have stored up. He always wore his red leather jacket, so she tried looking in the closet, the pockets of any jackets that were hanging up. Finding nothing among the jackets Serena huffed and moved on.

The couch is where he sleeps! She looked under the pillow and cushions if she couldn’t find anything in the coat pockets it might be there! She was about to give up when Serena's stubbed her toe on something under the couch in her haste giving off a distinct rattle.

“Fish what I wish, lucky lucky!” She sang, reaching underneath the sofa.

She pulled out a bead organizer but obviously instead of beads there was a variety of colored and fun shaped pill.

“Eeny. Meeny. Miney. Moe.” She said, selecting a blue one that was long and narrow, and a few others, dropping them into the first aid bag, Mathias’ case left out on the coffee table. Towels, first aid kit, the emergency lantern, a throw and the spare blanket from the closet - her hands were pretty full.

Vas's head lolled to the side as the tub filled with cold water. It was just uncomfortable enough to keep him on the edge of consciousness yet at the same time it felt wonderful on his hot skin. Tendrils of blue started to tint the water, as he tried to shift to be more comfortable but quickly abandoned the attempt.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Serena cooed. “Can you swallow a pill, or you need me to shoot you up? Open your mouth if you can swallow,” Serena offered.

Vas could only flop his head away from her. Just the word swallow made him nauseous and likely he would vomit it right back up.

“Shot it is,” Serena said, prepping a needle with a small vial from the first aid kit.

None of the Skyes were into shooting up, they had enough to contend with what with the carbon marks to add tracks to the list of blemishes, but Mathias - working for a drug company - often brought home ‘samples’ of antibiotics and pain killers. Since doctors were expensive and scarce in the sprawl, you made due with what you had. Serena read the label three times to make sure it was correct. They were out of alcohol swabs, but she figured a tiny needle prick couldn’t do much more harm than was done. She found a clear bit of skin on the torn thigh of his pants, and pushed the needle in. “It should kick in real fast,” she told him.

Vas was out like a light in no time. The slight relief of pain was enough for him to completely check out.