The Unknown - Chapter 5 by nova

I came to on and off. No pain. Just blood loss and maybe a touch of shock. The longest period was when I was riding in the back of a pickup, the night was dark, the air cold, and the stars brilliant in the sky above.

For a while kept fading out of now to then. Then was a long time ago but now it seemed like I could touch it. I remember yelling for Max and Night but I didn't get an answer. I felt them close by which was good enough. I went back to sleep.

I woke up inside a beehive. At least that was what I thought it was first. I found out later it was a hogan, a Navajo house made out of mud, railroad timbers, and wood. It smelled good inside, I always like the smell of pine burning. Kat was there as was a male Navajo who was looking at my leg.

"He's awake." This was Kat.

"Yes he is." I thought it was moderately funny but they didn't smile. The kerosene lamp that was the one source of light left shadows on their faces that made them harder to read then I liked.

The Navaho male, I found out later his name was Tyrone which I thought was the funniest thing I had heard in years. Both Kat and Tyrone ended up shaking their heads and leaving me to lay there laughing and holding my side for awhile until I calmed down.

Tyrone was the town EMT and a former army medic. He wasn't gay either. Not that I cared, it was unusual in my experience. Kind of like a male antique store owner with five kids from three different women.

Our first conversation began with him looking at my leg and saying, "You got one seriously messed up leg and thigh my friend. You even feel anything where he stabbed you?"

"No."

"Been that way for awhile?"

"Yeah."

"Seen a real doctor about it?"

"Yeah."

He looked at me. He wasn't a youngster and I didn't need to ask him to know he had seen some shit in his day. "So you know?"

Kat was listening. Women are always listening. They can be doing three different things including holding a conversation with a friend and still here everything that's said.

"What do you know?"

"I know that I should have shot all four them assholes as soon as I came in the door." Then I went back to sleep.